Mune-Tsuki

[Kenshi]

Hi,

Whats the history of mune-tsuki as a valid point in competition? I mean, ive heard vauge rumours about it but nobody has really stated it [to me] definitively. Somehow I think that it was introduced as a valid point sometime at the end of the 70's, early 80's, then promptly stopped.... and it was against Jodan only ??????!?!?!?

Much vagueness.

Cheers,

[Alex]

Mune-tsuki used to be a valid point against Jodan players only. It was removed from the list of valid points about 10 years ago. I have heard that trhe reason it was removed was because fewer and fewer people were practising Jodan. The powers that be decided that if they removed that point,, it would encourage more people to take up Jodan, and hopefully stop it from dying out. Without Mune-tsuki, Jodan is a lot harder to deal with. Michael Komoto might be able to add some comments to this question as he used to be a pretty effective Jodan fighter...

[Ted Bouck]

OK,

Humbly to I ask, Is this the same as katate-tsuki?

Thx, Ted

[Kenshi]

Ted,

The Mune is the upper part of the Do, the embroidered bit.

Katate-tsuki is just one-handed tsuki.

Cheers,

[Ted Bouck]

Thanx, I hope I will not forget that again.

Actually, we do allow some mune-tsuki in keiko. I believe Jodan kamae is much more "interesting" when this mune-tsuki is allowed. Makes Jodan much more challenging. It also causes a much greater awareness of extension of Spirit/seme!!!

Thanks again George,

Ted

[Kenshi]

Ted,

Yeah, I consider it a valid strike, you just dont get a "point" for it in taikai ..... and, as explained before, you used to.

Cheers.

[mingshi]

does that mean that even if mune-tsuki is no longer a yukodatotsu, you can still tsuki in your opponent's mune (maybe just to push him/her away)? ...no matter which kamae is he/she in?

by the way, in the 1979 and 1987 version of AJKF shiai regulations, mune-tsuki is in the yukodatotsu section. Refering to the article by Kunimoto Kokubu, "The Trend of Postwar Kendo"
http://www.lib.nifs-k.ac.jp/annals/a...9/3-109_1.html
(in Japanese)
A diagram is at page 6

[A. Henriksson]

It´s not hansoku to do mune-tsuki. If you are touching your opponents upper body with your kensen in high spirits while the opponent scores ippon his ippon will not count. So mune-tsuki can still be usefull.