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Japan Times

Traditional Japanese swordsmanship — with modern matches

Two men, katana in hand and yet barely moving, are locked in a cinematic standoff, a calm before the storm reminiscent of a classic Akira Kurosawa film. Long seconds pass before one suddenly darts forward. His opponent, triggered like a chemical reaction, moves to meet him. Both draw their swords from their hoop-like sheaths — a shuffle, a slash and the clash is over in an instant. On July 12 at the Sumida City Gymnasium in eastern Tokyo, the eighth annual Hogyokukai championship took place with an estimated 500 participants and visitors in attendance. Men, women and children dressed in loose hakama trousers and gi uniforms watched, stretched and meditated before it came their turn to step into the red and blue square arena, katana — not sharp steel but thick, padded and flexible sparring blades — at the ready. Referees sat at each corner of the arena, and a fifth, Hogyokukai swordsmanship school grand master Takeda Hogkyoku, 62, declared the start of each bout, gliding around the combatants to cover hard-to-see angles. Two swordsmen, having observed the strict bowing etiquette that opens each duel, stand opposite each other as Hogyoku commences the bout with a shout: 'Hajime! (Begin!).' The pace and style of the bouts varied depending on the combatants. On occasion, there were the aforementioned standoffs followed by a brief yet explosive exchange of blows. Sometimes, one competitor dropped to a knee, adopting a defensive stance. And yet other matches saw both participants launch themselves toward each other with abandon in something akin to a jousting match. More commonly, however, both swordsmen engaged each other immediately with the duel often ending quickly — many within 10 seconds. Drawing and wielding a sword are deemed separate disciplines in traditional Japanese martial arts. | JOHAN BROOKS Sparring with katana can be deadly, but the Hogyokukai school believes a safer version of duels can be a way forward for the martial art. | JOHAN BROOKS Traditional martial arts, specifically those that don't place a major importance on live sparring, have been increasingly overshadowed in the popular consciousness by combat sports such as mixed martial arts (popularized by the U.S.-based UFC and other promotions) and muay thai. These pursuits, the traditional Japanese practice of iai (sword-drawing) included, have also been dismissed as impractical methods of self-defense. Some schools take it on the chin and remain entirely traditional, whereas others, such as Hogyokukai, a Tokyo-based kenjutsu (swordsmanship) and iaijutsu (drawing and cutting techniques) organization that like others has long emphasized correct form and movements performed via individual kata, took a look around at the competitive approaches adopted by other modern martial arts and asked: 'Why shouldn't we do this, too?' Hogyoku himself comes from a karate background, and having always thought about actual combat, saw organizing a formalized tournament between iai practitioners as both a move toward the future as well as a worthy pursuit of past samurai feats. The Mugai-ryu school of iai (to which Hogyokukai belongs) has a history stretching back more than 340 years; the founder, Tsuji Gettan, was born just six years after the passing of Miyamoto Musashi, Japan's most legendary swordsman. The two core components of the school's iaijutsu have long been tameshigiri (cutting of rolled bamboo) and yakusoku kumitachi (predefined kata with partners), but in 2016, Hogyokukai began incorporating jiyū kumitachi (free sparring) in training sessions as well as its annual sportified iaijutsu tournament that continues today. By the end of the day inside the Sumida City Gymnasium, it's time for the competition's winners to be announced. I'm standing near Hogyoku, who gestures to a stern-faced man at the front of a line of participants standing at attention. Kento Minowa took home the top spot of the men's competition and says he has been practicing martial arts since the first grade of elementary school. | JOHAN BROOKS Suzuki Tomoaki, 11, the winner of one of the children's competitions, trained for four years before her victory on July 12 but will soon be pulling back to focus on her schooling. | JOHAN BROOKS 'He's the only one who wasn't cut a single time,' Hogyoku tells me, clearly impressed. The man in question is Kento Minowa, 36, winner of the men's competition, who says he has been practicing martial arts since the first grade of elementary school. He later tells me he will next be taking aim at Hogyokukai's tameshigiri competition held in the fall. Giuliano Kumashiro, 37, the chief of Hogyokukai's international division and third-place finisher of the men's competition, says the organization has a diverse membership, including several foreigners. Of the 300 total members, 40% are women and 15% to 20% are children. Suzuki Tomoaki, 11, the winner of one of the children's competition, tells me she's been training for four years, and while she's very happy to have won, it's bittersweet — the day of the championship also marked her last day as a regular Hogyokukai pupil as she will be pulling back on swordsmanship training to focus on cram school. Japan's modern martial arts may be evolving, but as it turns out, even budding samurai have to study.