We warmed up with 雷光之剣 raikou no ken walking drills. After advancing and retreating, I added the sideways variations. And we finished with circling our opponent with each cut.
We continue our study of 剣術 kenjutsu kihon by assuming a kamae Hatsumi Sensei calls 陣中の平の構 jinchū no hira no kamae. This is an old kamae that can be used with a Tachi, but still makes sense with a katana. I kept things simple at first and used it for a counter thrust.
Next, I showed how Hatsumi Sensei taught us to use our own tsuka to receive the opponent’s attack. It is not a block- as the opponent cuts, his kote strike your tsuka flipping your blade back onto him.
Soke told us, “I don't need to put strength as he cuts, my sword just flips over. Just leave the hilt out there for him to hit. It's much different than in movies.”
Now I showed how to use the blade for kyojitsu by flipping it up in the space. When the opponent tries to address this, you use the curve of your tachi to hook his kote. This is used for leverage as you move into kumiuchi. I showed this on the inside and outside to create different illusions.
Adding to the deception, I then switched hands with my weapon. This happens during your evasion. The effect for the opponent is that your tachi can suddenly appear anywhere in the space. It is definitely an unconventional use of the sword.
Of Note: wrong place wrong attitude