Shintō Musō-ryū Jo Kata

hintō Musō-ryū Jo Kata

Kata ("forms") is an old way of teaching traditional martial arts in Japan. Kata is used in many modern and koryu martial arts as a way of teaching advanced techniques and maneuvers using a series of scripted movements and actions against an opponent. In many of the older koryu martial arts, kata is at the center of what is taught with little or even no sparring as compared to more modern martial arts such as Kendo and/or Judo

The modern Shintō Musō-ryū system holds approximately 64Matsui, Kenji. 1993. "The History of Shindo Muso Ryu Jojutsu", translated by Hunter Armstrong (Kamuela, HI: International Hoplological Society)] : Krieger, Pascal - "Jodô - la voie du bâton / The way of the stick" (bilingual French/English), Geneva (CH) 1989, ISBN 2-9503214-0-2] jō kata divided into several series. All forms are normally taught in sequence. In some SMR dojos, new students begin their kata training by learning one or more kata from the Seitei Jodo-curriculum#6] due to their relative technical simplicity.

As a comparison, the compact Seitei Jodo created by Shimizu Takaji contains 12 forms.#6] Ten of these kata are drawn from the existing SMR kata with minor modifications,#6] and 2 other kata created specifically for Seitei Jodo. The two specific Seitei jodo are taught in various SMR dojos outside the main series of Kata.

As Shinto Muso-ryu has no current single leader,#6] there exists no consensus on which kata should be taught, and in what order. The kata-series "Gohon no midare", for instance, was created by Shimizu Takaji#6] in the late 1930's and is not taught by every Dojo. The list of kata series below is mainly from the Shimizu Takaji-line of Shinto Muso-ryu Jodo.

Omote

Nihongo|"Omote"|表 is the first earliestfn|1 series of kata taught to new students.#6] The two Seitei Jodo kata are taught in some dojos before "Tachi Otoshi", although not always. Tzuki Zue is also sometimes used as a first kata taught to new students.

* (1) "Tsuki Zue" (In some dojos)
* (2) "Suigetsu" (In some dojos)
* (3) "Shamen" (In some dojos)

* 1. Nihongo|"Tachi Otoshi"|太刀落
* 2. Nihongo|"Tsuba wari"|鍔割
* 3. Nihongo|"Tsuki Zue"|著杖
* 4. Nihongo|"Hissage"|引下 - "Short sword"
* 5. Nihongo|"Sakan"|左貫
* 6. Nihongo|"Ukan"|右貫
* 7. Nihongo|"Kasumi"| 霞
* 8. Nihongo|"Monomi"|物見
* 9. Nihongo|"Kasa no shita"|笠の下
* 10. Nihongo|"Ichi rei"|一礼
* 11. Nihongo|"Neya no uchi"|寝屋内
* 12. Nihongo|"Hoso michi"|細道

Chudan

Nihongo|"Chudan"|中段 is the second earliestfn|1 series of Jo-kata.
* 1. Nihongo|"Ichi riki"|一力
* 2. Nihongo|"Oshi zume"|押詰
* 3. Nihongo|"Midare dome"|乱留
* 4. Nihongo|"Ushiro zue (zen)/(go)"|後杖 - "Two variants"
* 5. Nihongo|"Taisha"|待車
* 6. Nihongo|"Kengome"|間込 - "Two-sword kata"
* 7. Nihongo|"Kiri kake"|切縣
* 8. Nihongo|"Shin shin"|真進
* 9. Nihongo|"Rai uchi"|雷打
* 10. Nihongo|"Yokogiri dome"|横切留
* 11. Nihongo|"Harai dome"|払留
* 12. Nihongo|"Seigan"|清眼

Ran ai

Nihongo|"Ran ai"|乱合 is the third series of Jo-kata, created in the bakumatsu period (1850-1867)

* 1. Nihongo|"Ran ai odachi"|大太刀 - "longsword"
* 2. Nihongo|"Ran ai kodachi"|小太刀 - "shortsword"

Kage

Nihongo|"Kage"|影 is the third earliestfn|1 series of jo-kata. Holds the same names as the "omote" series. The variants are variously called "zen"/"go" or "omote"/"ura"

* 1. Nihongo|"Tachi otoshi"| 太刀落
* 2. Nihongo|"Tsuba wari"|鍔割
* 3. Nihongo|"Tsuki zue"|著杖
* 4. Nihongo|"Hissage"|引下
* 5. Nihongo|"Sakan"|左貫
* 6. Nihongo|"Ukan"|右貫
* 7. Nihongo|"Kasumi"|霞
* 8. Nihongo|"Monomi"|物見
* 9. Nihongo|"Kasa no shita"|笠の下
* 10. Nihongo|"Ichi rei (zen)/(go)"|一礼 - "Two variants"
* 11. Nihongo|"Neya no uchi (zen)/(go)"|寝屋内 - "Two variants"
* 12. Nihongo|"Hoso michi"|細道

amidare / Satsuki Ame

Nihongo|"Samidare"|五月雨The fourth earliestfn|1 series of jo-kata.
* 1. Nihongo|"Ichi monji"|一文字
* 2. Nihongo|"Ju monji"|十文字
* 3. Nihongo|"Kodachi otoshi"|小太刀落
* 4. Nihongo|"Mijin (omote)"|微塵
* 5. Nihongo|"Mijin (ura)"|微塵
* 6. Nihongo|"Gan tsubushi"|眼潰

Gohon no midare

Nihongo|"Gohon no midare"|五本の乱A series of jo-kata created and added to the SMR-system taught by Shimizu Takaji around 1939

* 1. Nihongo|"Tachi otoshi no midare"|太刀落の乱
* 2. Nihongo|"Sakan no midare"|左貫の乱
* 3. Nihongo|"Kengome no midare"|間込の乱
* 4. Nihongo|"Kasumi no midare"|霞の乱
* 5. Nihongo|"Shamen no midare"|斜面の乱

=Okuden / ShiaikuchiMatsui, Kenji . 1993. "The History of Shindo Muso Ryu , translated by Hunter Armstrong (Kamuela, HI: International Hoplological Society)] =

Nihongo|"Okuden/Shiaikuchi"|奥"Fifth earliestfn|1 series of Jo-kata. Shown in the order taught taught by Shimizu Takaji

* 1. Nihongo|"Sengachi"|先勝
* 2. Nihongo|"Tsuki dashi"|引捨
* 3. Nihongo|"Uchi tsuke"|小手搦
* 4. Nihongo|"Kote dome"|十手
* 5. Nihongo|"Hiki tsute"|打分
* 6. Nihongo|"Kote garami"|水月
* 7. Nihongo|"Jutte"|左右留
* 8. Nihongo|"Mikaeri"|小手留
* 9. Nihongo|"Aun"|突出
* 10. Nihongo|"Uchiwake"|打附
* 11. Nihongo|"Suigetsu"|水月
* 12. Nihongo|"Sayu dome"|阿吽

Hiden Gokui

The sixth and last earliest knownfn|1 series of jo-kata, or secret forms, of the SMR system. After the first kata is taught the student receives a "Menkyo" scroll#6] . When all five kata have been taught the student is issued a full "License of Total Transmission " "Menkyo Kaiden".
* 1. Nihongo|"Yamiuchi"|闇打
* 2. Nihongo|"Yumemakura"|夢枕
* 3. Nihongo|"Murakumo"|村雲
* 4. Nihongo|"Inazuma"|稲妻
* 5. Nihongo|"Dobo"|導母

ee also

* Bujutsu/Budo - The "Way of War" or the "Way of the warrior".
* Daimyo - The aristocratic samurai landowner of feudal Japan. Employed samurai as warriors to expand their domains before and during the Sengoku Jidai period. Lasted until the Meiji restoration and abolishment of the feudal system.
* Iaido/Iaijutsu - Martial Art - The art of drawing the Japanese sword.
* Koryu - A term used to describe Japanese martial arts created before the 1868 Meiji restoration. Any art created that was created post-1868, such as Judo, Karate, Aikido, Taido, are considered to be Gendai Budo. Karate, although preceding 1868, does not qualify as koryu due to the fact it did not evolve in Japan but on the Ryukyu Islands (modern Okinawa Prefecture) which did not become a part of Japan until the 17th century.
* Samurai - The warrior elite of feudal Japan. The Samurai caste was abolished in the Meiji restoration's aftermath.
* Seitei Jodo - Modern, compact version of SMR with 12 kata taught in the Zen Nihon Kendo Renmei.

Footnotes

*fnb|1"Early" in this case refers to the Jo-kata that are present in the Shinto Muso-ryu Densho, (earliest scrolls of transmission with list of kata and lineage). Over time other SMR-jo practitioners have added newer series of Jo-kata such as Gohon-no-midare and Ran ai to the curriculum without adding it to the written densho."

References

External links

* [http://ejmas.com/jnc/jncart_taylor_0900.htm "A Brief History of ZNKR Jodo"]
* [http://www.koryubooks.com/guide/muso.html Entry on SMR at koryu.com]
* [http://www.koryu.com/library/dlowry11.html "Evolution of classical Jojutsu" by Dave Lowry]
* [http://www.jojutsu.com/ Jodo Kai Australia]
* [http://www.kampaibudokai.org/Jodo.htm KampaiBudokai article on SMR]
* [http://koryu.com/library/wmuromoto1.html "Muso Gonnosuke and the Shinto Muso-ryu Jo" by Wayne Muromoto]
* [http://www.koryu.com/library/wmuromoto2.html "Nishioka Tsuneo and the Pure Flow of the Jo" by Wayne Muromoto]