A Primer on Kukishin Ryu Bojutsu
Bojutsu is the Japanese name for what may be the oldest martial skill in the world: the art of wielding a stick or pole. The word actually includes all manners of sticks, but in this case is the more common name for Rokushakubojutsu, the art of the six foot staff. An ability to demonstrate Bojutsu techniques is central to gaining rank in the Jinenkan, so it is important that any serious student of the Jinenkan develop a thorough understanding of this art.
Throughout Japanese history, the Bo has been different from other weapons, in that it was available to all social classes, and not only restricted to the warrior clans: priests, wanderers, ronin, common people… indeed, anyone who could pick up a stick had access to this weapon. The Bo itself is six shaku (a shaku is roughly one imperial foot in length) in length; by contrast, the Jo, or cane, was four to five shaku and the Hanbo was three shaku. In Japan these poles were traditionally made of Akagashi (Japanese evergreen “red oak”), but in the West other hardwoods such as oak or maple, or even exotic hardwoods such as purple heartwood, are excellent substitutes. One important note is that our Bo does not taper near the ends (forming a “toothpick” shape); because we often wield the Bo from the ends, we need a Bo that fills the hand and won’t slip out.
The Bojutsu of the Jinenkan comes from the Kukishin Ryu (Nine Demon Gods School), an ancient school descending from Chinese martial arts, and developed on the Japanese battlefields of the 16th century. Within this school, there is much similarity to the techniques of Sojutsu, the art of the spear: the differences are that the Bo is held with both hands palm-down, whereas the spear is held with the leading hand palm-up. This means the spear’s focus is using the bladed tip, whereas both ends of the staff must be used equally, frequently changing between the two. Anciently, it was the Kukishin Ryu was so powerful that, “carrying a bo or bisento (a heavy battlefield halberd) and using these techniques, one could attack into the midst of hundreds of opponents all alone just as though simple walking along level ground, just like a demon god (Kishin).”*
In the Kukishin Ryu Rokushakubojutsu, there are a set of basic techniques called the Kihon Gata, followed by four scrolls of kata: the Shoden Gata, Chuden Gata, Sabaki Gata, and Okuden Gata. The Shoden (first level), Chuden (middle level), and Okuden (secret level) scrolls each contain nine kata, split into groups of three, for a total of 27 kata. These expound on the fundamental ideas contained in Kukishin Ryu, which also covered in the other weapons of the school. However, the 26 forms of the Sabaki Gata (“forms of skilfulness”) deserve special mention, as Manaka Sensei has focused special attention on them in the past. This scroll includes every kind of movement with the Bo contained in the Kukishin Ryu; if only the Sabaki Gata is learned thoroughly, then all the other techniques of the school will be available to you. Manaka Sensei has said that the Sabaki Gata, “is faithful in including the type of movement… explained in the Rokushaku Bojutsu Kihon Gata”*, and if you master these fundamentals, “even without knowing any techniques you will be plenty capable of fighting”*. I believe that is why Manaka Sensei included the techniques of the Kihon and Sabaki Gata on all the Jinenkan rank tests.
Bojutsu is very dynamic: the kata involve numerous attacks from changing angles, with strike following after strike. Manaka Sensei has always taught that on completing a kata, it is very important to jump back. This is because, as he has repeatedly taught, the Bo is a very weak weapon: this means that unlike a sword, spear or knife you cannot simply place a stick against an opponent and injure or deter them: you need to maintain the proper ma-ai, or distance, for powerful striking. This is part of the reason that, in the kata, the partner /opponent is armed with a bokuto, (wooden sword): to observe the correct distance. Bojutsu practice can therefore be done in an aerobic manner or as conditioning. I’ve found that, while practicing alone, one tends to move forwards and backwards. Therefore, practice with a partner is helpful to learn to do the kata while moving side-to-side and in other directions. One form of bunkai (analysis) is to break the kata apart, having the partner armed with the bokuto countering each of the Bo strikes and cutting the wielder where he is open, and then finding how to move to counter with the next Bo strike. Of course, such training should be done slowly and safely. While practicing either alone or with a partner, it is important to keep the specific important points of each kata in mind, and to make your movements reflect them. Also, training should be done for power as well, such as striking with the Bo against a tree or post. If you do this, I recommend massaging your hands immediately afterwards to work out any stiffness from the repeated impacts.
When taken together, there are 53 kata in the Rokuboshakujutsu alone: there are further sets of kata for Jojutsu and Hanbojutsu. This means the Bojutsu of the Jinenkan is very rich and complete. However, one should not measure one’s knowledge or ability at Bojutsu by the number of kata in a notebook; after all, the kata are simply ways of expressing an idea or strategy, mostly through the same basic techniques. Even ten or twenty minutes of daily practice in the basics will yield improvement and long-term growth in the martial arts.
*- quoted from Manaka Sensei’s monthly articles on the Kukishin Ryu densho.
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