List of Musō Shinden-ryū techniques

is a iaijutsu koryū founded by Nakayama Hakudō (中山博道). It is to this art that most people refer to when they speak of iaidō. The techniques of Musō Shinden-ryū mainly come from the Shimomura branch of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū, with some additions by Nakayama.

Overview

The techniques of Musō Shinden-ryū differ in many details from those of its sister art Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū, though the biggest observable differences are found in the way furikamuri and nōtō are executed. See the particularties of Musō Shinden-ryū for more details.

Nakayama also studied the Tanimura branch of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū under Morimoto Tokumi (森本兎久身), a master of the same generation as Ōe Masamichi who rationalized the Hasegawa Eishin-ryū curriculum. He later adopted the revised curriculum of Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū for the Chūden and Okuden levels of Musō Shinden-ryū.

Techniques

This section aims to give the name, order, execution and explanations most common for each technique. The ordering is taken from Yamatsuta. The names following Shoden and Chūden are the original names customarily given to the series of techniques and refer to their creators. In parentheses are the names given by Ōe Masamichi to the three series when he revised the curriculum to its present form.

初伝 Shoden 大森流 Ōmori-ryū (正座の部 Seiza no bu)

The first level of techniques. They were originally taught separately as their own style of iaijutsu, the Ōmori-ryū. They are all executed from the seiza kneeling position except for the seventh technique, Korantō, which starts in a standing or tachiai position. All techniques, except where noted, make use of the Ōmori-ryū chiburui followed by a relatively slow nōtō starting from two-thirds down the spine of the blade. The only addition made by Nakayama is the twelfth and last technique of the sequence. Furthermore, the names of the techniques given in parentheses are names added by Ōe Masamichi.

一本目 Ipponme　初発刀 Shohattō (前 Mae)

Attack an opponent in front of you in seiza.

二本目　Nihonme 左刀 Satō （右 Migi）

Attack an opponent to your left in seiza.

三本目　Sanbonme 右刀 Utō (左 Hidari)

Attack an opponent to your right in seiza.

四本目　Yonhonme 当刀 Ataritō (後 Ushiro)

Attack an opponent behind you in seiza.

五本目　Gohonme 陰陽進退 Inyō Shintai (八重垣 Yaegaki)

Attack a fleeing opponent in front of you in seiza, and defend against a second standing opponent in front of you.

六本目　Ropponme 流刀 Ryūtō (受流し Ukenagashi)

Defend against an attack from your left in seiza by redirecting their cut and attacking the opening created.

七本目 Nanahonme　順刀 Juntō (介錯 Kaishaku)

Act as second in seppuku.

八本目　Happonme 逆刀 Gyakutō (附込 Tsukekomi ・ 追斬 Oikiri)

Defend against a standing opponent approaching your front in seiza.

九本目　Kyūhonme 勢中刀 Seichūtō (月影 Tsukikage)

Defend against a standing opponent approaching your right in seiza by attacking their raised wrists.

十本目　Jupponme 虎乱刀 Korantō (追風 Oikaze)

Standing, advance and attack a standing opponent in front of you.

十一本目　Jūipponme 抜刀 Battō (抜打 Nukiuchi)

Attack a person sat close in front of you in seiza.

十二本目　Jūnihonme 陰陽進退替業 Inyō Shintai Kaewaza

This technique is also called Gyakute Inyō Shintai (逆手陰陽進退). It differs from Inyō Shintai in that the second half of the kata starts by defending the right leg from the first opponent's final attack.

It is also sometimes given as the eleventh techniques, in place of Battō.

中伝 Chūden 長谷川英信流 Hasegawa Eishin-ryū (立膝の部 Tachihiza no bu)

All these techniques except the last (抜打 Nukiuchi) are performed from the tachihiza position. They are executed with the understanding that your enemy is very close, much closer than what is the case in the Shoden level. The nōtō used here is the Eishin-ryū nōtō as given in Inyō Shintai of Shoden. However, the movement is quicker and starts from the center of the spine of the sword.

奥伝 Okuden 奥居合 Okuiai (奥居合の部 Okuiai no bu)

Formerly called Shigenobu-ryū (重信流) or Hayashizaki-ryū (林崎流), this series comprise some of the oldest techniques that are recorded in the transmission scrolls of the Hasegawa Eishin-ryū and date back to the originator of iaijutsu, Hayashizaki Shigenobu. The recorded techniques differ a lot from the present techniques, which were revised and combined by both Ōe Masamichi and Nakayama Hakudō. In accordance, the names in parentheses here give the old names found in ancient scrolls, as given by Yamatsuta. The techniques are executed in absolute silence. The nōtō is performed swiftly beginning at the monouchi (the last third of the blade used for [...]).

座業 Suwariwaza

The techniques in this first series of okuiai are executed from the tachihiza position.

立業 Tachiwaza

The techniques in this second series of okuiai are executed from a standing or tachiai position.

組太刀 Kumitachi

Series of paired techniques, rarely practiced nowadays if at all.

太刀打ちの位 Tachiuchi no kurai

Series of twelve techniques performed standing, tachi versus tachi.

位取り Kurai-tori

Series of nine techniques performed standing, tachi versus tachi.

詰居合の位 Tsumeiai no kurai

Series of eleven techniques performed in tachihiza, tachi versus tachi.

大小詰 Daishō-tsume

Series of eight techniques performed in tachihiza, mostly jūjutsu against an opponent armed with a tachi.

大小立詰 Daishō tachi-tsume

Series of seven techniques, six performed in tachihiza and one standing jūjutsu against an opponent armed with a tachi.

詰の位 Tsume no kurai

7 techniques performed in tachihiza, with elements of jūjutsu and kenjutsu.