Kendo Kata

[Blue Bogu]

Does anyone know where I can find a slideshow or picture teachg you the Kata. Daito and shoto???

[hamish]

Try buying Inoue sensei's kata book!? Take this link http://www.kendo-world.com/kw_publications/index.php to purchase.

Hamish

[bginop]

dont know about slide shows, but the actual kendo magazine website, has hachi dans doing all of the katas for you. That might help, or you can just ask your teacher.

[kanyil]

the kendoworld website has video clips of kendo katas for download.

[Magnus Stern]

Try buying Inoue sensei's kata book!? Take this link http://www.kendo-world.com/kw_publications/index.php to purchase.

This book is just lovely! I can higly recommend it, for kendokas on all levels.
I just have to quote a part from the explanation of NO. 2 (nihon-me):

"Zanchin is not expressed physically in this kata,
but a particularly strong sense of awareness should be demonstrated.
To understand this we need to turn our attention to the scenario of mortal combat.
In nihon-me, uchidachi loses their right hand, but this is not necessarily a terminal blow.
In such a situation some people would loose their will to fight,
but there may be other who would become even more determined to continue to the bitter end."

Am I the only one who get a little Monty Python feeling over this?

[Wout]

yeah you should always be aware, even if you chopped of all your opponents limbs, you never know if he can track you down and bite your legs off when you are asleep

[mystic_kendoka]

hehe i love that movie... the holy grail... my favorite is the part when they cross the abyss and have to go through the riddles with the bridge keeper...

[Sentunim]

I asked this question (or similar to it) a few days ago, and Paikea gave me these links:

http://www.wfkendo.com http://www.mushinkankendo.com/kendo_kihon_waza.html.

They are good.

[Blue Bogu]

Mushinkan Kendo Dojo is my dojo!!

[Sentunim]

Well, I guess thats good, because it will be exactly how your dojo teaches.

[ctan]

Hi! Actually, I was taught that for nihonme, the zanshin by shidachi is not physically demonstrated as in ipponme, but is implied by her kensen pointing directly at her opponent's heart at the end of the kote strike. The "feeling" is apparently supposed to be that if uchidachi tries anything, shidachi is poised to run her through the heart.

I've, personally, always felt this explanation to be rather fanciful since the reason why the kensen ends up pointing at uchidachi's heart is precisely because shidachi did *not* complete the cut through kote in the kata. But, I suppose the principle of zanshin is preserved in the context of the kata, maybe?

[Magnus Stern]

ctan!
Well spoken!
I fully agree with you. I've been taught to think about zanchin (in nihon-me) in the exact same way as you have,
but I have also wondered about the ending position. International conspiracy?
I think, as you say, it is for the preservation of the priniciple of Zanchin.

[DCPan]

I've, personally, always felt this explanation to be rather fanciful since the reason why the kensen ends up pointing at uchidachi's heart is precisely because shidachi did *not* complete the cut through kote in the kata. But, I suppose the principle of zanshin is preserved in the context of the kata, maybe?

Well, in that case, you'll have to rotate the blade anyway, to get the blade through the ribs into the heart.

If you "did" finish the kote cut, there's the suigetsu and the abdominal aorta and the corresponding nerve plexus on the major tributaries anyhow...not too shabby.

IMHO the "point" isn't that you can stick him in the heart if he tries something stupid, the point is you've maintained your sen.

[Kirin]

Video quality is not so great but check this site.
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/aaa/tagi2/kata/kata.htm

also in japanese animation
http://www.biwa.ne.jp/~nogawa/kata/kata/kata.html