kusari gama

[Confound]

There hasn't been a new thread in this section for quite some time, and this has been chewing on me for quite some time...

Does anyone here study kusari gama? Kendou is great, and it is one of the few things that makes life in Japan bearable, however, I really wanted to study kusari gama (someday I'd like to study jodo as well, but that's a long way in the future). Supposedly, one of the koryu native to the area where I live now is a kusari gama ryu, but I've been unable to track down any practitioners.

Any hints?

c

[Matthew Lagden]

taking my life in my hands here but what is kusari gama?

[munenmuso]

I think its a scythe-like weapon attached to a chain with a metal weight at the end of it used to grapple and disarm swords in the olden samurai days. Originally used by farmers to cut ricestalks and grass during harvest season. There is a thread somewhere showing a kendoka against a kusari gama.

[Haowen]

Hmm... harvesting rice stalks with kusari-gama....

<visions of deadly ninja farmers flying through the fields whirling their kusari-gama as the rice stalks fall in slow-motion>

And aren't nunchakus just grain threshers. Thank goodness nobody gave those ancient farmers a pencil sharpener. That would have been the end of civilisation. :)

[mingshi]

Some photos of a real Kusarigama:

http://www.rivertop.ne.jp/rivertopsabu/nif/1042gt.html http://www.hamono.co.jp/coment/coment170.htm

A Kusarigama consists of 3 parts:
Kama= sickle
Kusari= chain
Fundo= metal weight

Shishido Baiken, one of the defeated enemies of Miyamoto Mushashi, was a well-know master of the Kusarigama. (Mushashi won by pulling his Kodachi out?! This may also be half-fictional.)

Got my hands on the tape of The 11th Nippon Kobudo Taikai recently. It features some Kusarigama techiques of Nito Shinkage Ryu and Suio Ryu. From what I observed:-

The metal weight and the chain form primary defence for the person. Basically, you'll be swinging the weight right from the start (acts much like a shield). There are 3 basic ways to swing it: helicopter, vertical, and butterfly/8-shape.

A hit of the weight can go directly onto your opponent' body parts, eg. Kote, Men . A hit towards the hilt of you opponent's sword can be so strong that will make him drop his sword.

If the chain part (the far end 1 inch that is attached to the weight) is in contact with anyhing, it will wrap/tie the thing up. Eg. use the chain to tie your opponent's Kote, or their sword. After tying, you can pull the chain, and use the sickle to hook on your opponent's neck, or their forehead. Or go for empty-hand techniques.

Nito Shinkage Ryu is the one who also uses Kusarigama in both hands :D

There were a few threads in E-budo about Kusarigama.... I guess it's under Jodo forum there.

Have fun:)

[roar]

To little activity in the kobudo department

I saw a nice embu- fight in Kyoto between kendo and kusarigamma at the world championships in -97. I think two kusarigamma were used, the shinai was tangled in the ropes, the shinai was forced backwards trough jodan, and both kusarigammas were thrusted to the kendokas kidneys.
Veery nice

Most jodo-people I know of, do not do kusarigamma. those who does, have practised jodo for twenty years or more, and know already most of the jo-curriculum(64 katas?), as well as the kenjutsuforms, hojojutsu and jittejutsu. Not many, of the whole jo-crowd.
The kusarigammakatas of smr jodo looks quite interesting.
It would be easier I guess, if you have the opportunity, to find an obscure ryu who has an easier access to kusarigamma-practise.

[Confound]

There are 64 jodo kata? Great scot. That's a joke right? I just started last week, but no one told me there were 64 kata.

c