雪が降り始める中で本年2度目の居合斬り/2nd Iai Cut 2018 in falling snow
2018年に入り2度目の居合斬り
毎週木曜日の夜に居合（型、及び巻き藁試斬）の稽古をしています。本日2/1は2018年に入って2度目の実技。折しも天気予報では雨が夜半に雪に変わって、東京では今年2度目の本格的降雪になるとのこと。巻き藁を運ぶ時にはいつもの軽トラックでなく、自分の4WDを持っていきました。
2nd Iai Cutting in 2018
I make it a rule to exercise Iai (both of Kata and real cut) on Thursday night. It is 1st January and it is 2nd exercise of Iai on 2018. Weather report said rain will turn to snow at night and we would fallen snow on streets in Tokyo for the second time in this winter. Therefore I brought my AWD to carry Makiwara (bundles of Tatami, cutting object), not like usual light sized van.
(The English text continues to the latter half of the page)
しかし都内全域で交通網が大パニックになってしまった1週間前の大雪を警戒したのか、参加者は自分を含めて2名のみ！おかげで用意した巻き藁を思う存分斬ることができました。
これは左袈裟斬り下ろしの切断面。達人の方から見ればまだまだかもしれませんが、かなり上手く斬れた方です。袈裟斬りの場合は角度が60度でなければならず、ほぼその角度に収まり、切断面もうねりがなく平らになっています。刃筋がぶれると、斬れるには斬れても切断面が波打ったようになります。
こちらは右袈裟斬り下ろし。少し“今ひとつ”と言った感じ・・・。角度がやや大きいうえに、切断したところが膨らんで見えます。これは刀で“斬った”と言うよりも、“ぶつけた”という部分があったため。まだ修業が足りません。
稽古をしている間に雨はみぞれに変わり、外に出るころには雪になっていました。やはり軽トラックで来なくてよかった。
2nd Iai Cutting in 2018
I make it a rule to exercise Iai (both of Kata and real cut) on Thursday night. It is 1st January and it is 2nd exercise of Iai on 2018. Weather report said rain will turn to snow at night and we would fallen snow on streets in Tokyo for the second time in this winter. Therefore I brought my AWD to carry Makiwara (bundles of Tatami, cutting object), not like usual light sized van.
*Kata
-a sought of choreography which contains certain movement of Budo pattern
However attendees were only two of us as people were afraid of traffic panic which happened 10 days ago by snowfall in Tokyo. Anyway I could try cutting so much as possible.
This is the section of Makiwara at Hidari Kesa Kirioroshi (Slanting cut down to left side). Even though this is far from being master piece, it is quite good sample. For Kesa sut down, the angle must be 60°, the picture is very close to this. And the surface of the section is very flat. If the blade is not straight lining, surface becomes waving.
This is Migi Kesa Kirioroshi (Slanting cut down to right side). This is not good enough…. The angle is steeper and the top of Makiwara looks swelling. This shows it was a “hit” rather than “cut”. I still need exercise.
The rain turned to sleet during training and it started snowing when we went out from the building. It was right choice to have come by my AWD.