Heihō Kadensho Part 1: Shoe-Offering Bridge

Before we launch into the first volume of the Heihō Kadensho, I'd like to talk about two other historic documents that have helped form the Yagyū canon.

These documents are as follows:

• Yagyū-ryū Heihō Mokuroku (Illustrated Catalogue of the Shinkage-ryū Martial Arts),          illustrations by Yagyū Muneyoshi (1601) with commentary by Matsudaira Nobusada (1707)
• Muneyoshi wrote the Illustrated Catalogue as a gift for his friend, the Noh actor Komparu Shichiro Ujikatsu. The text features illustrations of Yagyū stances by Muneyoshi and accompanying martial instruction written by Matsudaira Nobusada (then a student of Shinkage-ryu) at the request of Ujikatsu's descendants.

• Fudōchi Shinmyō Roku (Divine Record of Immovable Wisdom), Takuan Sōhō (17th century)
• Takuan likely wrote the Divine Record as a letter to Yagyū Munenori. Sato speculates that it may have been written at the request of the shogun Iemitsu and was given to Munenori. Either way, Takuan's thoughts on the significance of the mind was clearly impressed upon Munenori.

Hiroaki Sato published English translations of both documents in The Sword and the Mind (2003). William Scott Wilson's translations of the Heihō Kadensho and Heihō Mokuroku appear separately in his book The Life-Giving Sword (2004). Wilson's translation of the Fudōchi was published in The Unfettered Mind – Writings of the Zen Master to the Sword Master (2012).

If you compare Sato and Wilson's notes on the Heihō Mokuroku, you might run into an authorial confusion. Sato credits the illustrations in the Heihō Mokuroku to Yagyū Muneyoshi while Wilson credits them to Yagyū Sekishusai. These two names actually refer to the same person, also called Yagyū Sekishusai Taira-no-Munetoshi. Although Sato renders his name with a "y", I've also seen it spelled with a "t". I'm not sure why this is. At the very least, we can say Muneyoshi was the father of Yagyū Munenori, as well as a disciple of Kamiizumi Nobutsuna (born Hidetsuna) and the inheritor of Shinkage-ryū after Nobutsuna.

I've also seen the actor Ujikatsu referred to as Takeda Ujikatsu, head of the Konparu-ryū school of Noh theatre. Sato renders this name as Komparu since this is closer to its pronunciation in Japanese. The ん kana is pronounced "m" when it's before certain other consonants, like "m", "b" or - as in this case "p". This shouldn't be as confusing as referring to somebody by a different given name or some other part of their name, though.

Since I made this blog to encourage Ko-ryū scholarship within the SCA, I hope these and other bibliographic details will be useful for others seeking the same goals as I am.

I'll be referring to these documents to provide additional context for reading the Heihō Kadensho and understanding its martial content. This is especially true of Muneyoshi's Heihō Mokuroku. Sato and Wilson's respective translations of this work have been invaluable sources for understanding the techniques of Shinkage-ryū. As part of this series that focuses on reading translations of historic Ko-ryū, I will dedicate another series of posts specifically to examine the techniques of the Heihō Mokuroku. In that series, I will also describe katana drills for Heavy Rapier that I developed based on my findings. As we will see in those future posts, a careful reader can pick out key differences in the martial instruction of Sato and Wilson's respective translations.

Without further ado, let's dive right into The Shoe-Offering Bridge.

The Shoe-Offering Bridge

The first volume of Munenori’s treatise is comprised of the following sections.

• The Three Elements
• The Five Kinds
• Tengu's Selection: Eight in All
• Supreme Maneuvers: Six in All
• Plotting Stratagems within the Tents
• Jo, Ha, Kyū

I should note here that I am using Sato's section titles. Wilson does not provide titles for the content in The Five Kinds, Supreme Maneuvers, Plotting Stratagems, or Jo, Ha, Kyū. I believe that these titles were added by Sato for the sake of delineating sections of the text that deal with distinct content. Therefore, I have chosen to use them for the sake of clarity, organization, and ease-of-reference.

In this post, I will focus on The Three Elements, Plotting Stratagems, and Jo, Ha, Kyū. The content of these sections makes up a majority of The Shoe Offering-Bridge, whereas the remaining sections consist only of the names of techniques that were illustrated and described separately in the Heihō Mokuroku. Sato actually merges his translation of this volume with the illustrations and descriptions of the Heihō Mokuroku even though they are separate documents. Outside of the Heihō Mokuroku, the techniques of Shinkage-ryū would have been passed down as oral teachings.

The Three Elements

Munenori’s Three Elements are as follows: "Posture, Arms & Legs, and Sword"

Along with these elements, Munenori lists the following instructions. Sato and Wilson's translations do not differ greatly on these points.

• Hold your body sideways to your opponent.
• Regard your opponent's fists as equal to your shoulders.
• Make a shield of your fists.
• Stretch out your left elbow.
• Put your weight on the forward knee and stretch out your rear knee.

(Yagyū Munenori, Heihō Kadensho Vol. 1, trans. Sato, The Sword and The Mind, pg. 24)

These points and what follows instruct us in the most basic posture of Shinkage-ryū, called "the wheel." Munenori's explanation for this title, as well as the first "technique" of the book, is as follows.

"Because you can rotate your sword, we have named it the wheel. Hold your sword sideways. Let your opponent cut toward your left shoulder and as he does so, rotate your sword and win. Keep your posture low."

(Munenori, trans. Sato, pg. 25)

In the video below, I've reproduced what I think is the rotating motion of the wheel. Basically, your dominant hand allows the sword to dip, generating kinetic energy while acting as the axle of the wheel. Meanwhile your non-dominant hand uses that momentum to drive the tip of the sword in a circle, as if it were the spoke of the wheel.

The sword I'm using is a Castille standard katana blade with a threaded tang. I purchased the blade in November 2019 and crafted my own wooden tsuka (handle) and 1/4" mild steel tsuba (guard).

https://youtu.be/I5mIEafzwXM

This feels like a large motion, but here is how I imagine it being implemented: if my opponent is cutting at my left shoulder and my blade is held forward, I can parry their cut with the back or side of my blade. Even if my opponent attacks me with a thrust, I can use a smaller version of this motion to beat the thrust aside or disengage before cutting my opponent's wrist.

Before moving on, I'd like to address the issue of relative distance in measure between mismatched weapons. If someone is using a longer weapon than I am, I will enter their measure before they enter mine. Therefore, if I implement the wheel against someone armed with a katana (or any sword of similar length assuming we're the same height), I would be in range to cut their wrist on the following strike. This is because our measures are equal. If I implemented the wheel against a rapier fencer instead, I might have to take additional steps forward to put the fencer in my measure before cutting their wrist.

Regarding the posture of the wheel, these are most obvious conclusions we can make: you should stand in profile to present your body as a smaller target area while resting your weight over your front foot. Additionally, your stance should be low. This echoes Munenori's words, and it is my interpretation of the second point "Regard your opponent's fists as equal to your shoulders." However, you may find Wilson's translation ("Your shoulder should be on a plane with your opponent's fists") somewhat easier to understand.

It's interesting to note that Munenori doesn't specify whether your feet should be pointed in the same direction or opposite directions. Necessarily, your front foot should be pointed towards your opponent because that's the direction you have to travel in order to hit them. So then, which way should your back foot point?

Sato and Wilson's translations of the fifth point refer to "stretching out" or "extending" the right knee. One possible interpretation is that you should create a wider angle in the hips. However, there isn't a specific reference to the direction your knee (and therefore your foot) should be pointing. Ultimately, I think pointing your feet in opposite directions confers different biomechanical advantages than pointing your feet in the same direction. We can look at these advantages along dynamics of reach, exposing weak points, balance, and the type of steps you expect to take.

Pointing your feet in opposite directions creates a wider angle in your hips. In turn, this confers several advantages. For instance, it's easier to stay balanced and rest your weight on your back leg when your feet point in opposite directions. You can also think of resting your weight on your back leg as compressing a spring that will launch you forward with explosive force. This explosive forward motion is highly sought after when training a lunge. While some masters might prescribe a front-weighted stance, you are more likely to see SCA fencers stand in a neutral guard featuring a back-weighted stance and a wide angle in the hips. Additionally, creating a wider angle in your hips aligns your spine and shoulders, making it easier to hold your body in profile.

On the other hand, the main advantage of pointing your feet in the same direction is that you can take more efficient passing steps. One reason Munenori might favor a passing step is that he recommends a front-weighted stance. This difference in weight distribution primes us to take a passing step forward with our back foot rather than extending our front foot in a lunge.

It's a fact of biomechanics that you can't change the position of your foot if your body weight is resting on it. If you rest your weight on your right foot and pass one foot in front of the other, your left foot is the only one that will move. Therefore, since a front-weighted stance primes you to take passing steps, it might make more sense to keep both feet pointed generally forward. Doing this would make your passing steps more efficient, because you are continually stepping forward in straight lines rather than swinging your hips around in wide arcs.

So, which direction should your feet point? At this time, I think this is open for debate. I've listed the advantages of both methods, but I can't make a stricter call about which of these Munenori would generally prescribe. In a lot of cases, I think it depends on the weapon you're using and the weapon you expect to face. While rapier fencers utilize passing steps as well as lunges, they shouldn't depend on passing steps. Personally, I think kenjutsu practitioners can utilize efficient passing steps to overcome a rapier fencer's significant range advantage.

All of this is not to say that Shinkage-Ryū happens only with one position of the feet and not the other. In fact, you can see some illustrations of samurai in the Heihō Mokuroku who stand in a posture featuring a wide angle in the hips. Although their feet are hidden beneath billowing hakama, the fighters' bent knees reveal their foot position. The Tengu of the Tengu's Selection is the only character whose feet are an exception, as they are naked bird talons.

Regarding the third element, the sword, we can deduce that Munenori holds it out from his body with his right elbow bent and his left arm reaching around his torso. None of these points say as much, and this is an initial assumption I made based on common sense. However, I think this is supported by the third and fourth points. Once again, they are...

• Make a shield of your fists.
• Stretch out your left elbow.

The fourth point seems straightforward enough. After all, if you hold your body sideways to your opponent and turn the edge of your sword towards them, you'll have to your left arm further to keep both hands on the sword simultaneously.

What do we make of the third point, though? What does Munenori mean by "Make a shield of your fists?" I think this point makes more sense when taken together with his advice on posture shortly afterwards.

"In general, your posture is intended to prevent your opponent from slashing you. It is like setting up a castle and digging a moat to hold your enemy off. It is not meant to slash your opponent. Don't attack casually, but hold yourself carefully lest your opponent slash you. For these reasons, this is the posture you must learn first."

(Munenori, trans. Sato, pg. 25)

Let’s unpack this metaphor. Holding yourself in posture is like “setting up a castle and digging a moat.” In this case, the “castle” is your body and the “moat” is a posture that places something between your body and your enemy’s sword “to prevent [them] from slashing you.”

"Make a shield of your fists" appears alongside other instructions on posture, and a shield is held between you and your opponent's blade. Therefore, it's safe to assume Munenori is talking about something that allows you to deflect an opponent's blade. Also, I think you should hold your fists so that your knuckles face in your opponent's general direction. If your knuckles face your opponent, then the edge of your blade will face them as well.

For those of you who are more accustomed to using a rapier, this may sound unusual. Bear with me.

Imagine a straight line drawn between your torso and your opponent's torso. If your opponent is armed with a rapier and you are fighting a Heavy Rapier match, they will try to thrust along this line to attack you. You can defend yourself by gaining their blade and deflecting their point away from the imaginary straight line. If you were also armed with a rapier, it would make sense to point it directly at your opponent and defend in this way. However, if you are armed with a katana, I don't think this same advice is applicable.

The primary difference between the rapier and the katana that I want to draw attention to is the design of their guards. A rapier favors the thrust, because its complex guard (featuring any combination of quillons, bells, bowls, finger rings, and a knucklebow) can easily deflect an enemy's point while thrusting. Conversely, a katana favors the cut. Its simpler guard (the tsuba, basically a flat plate) is designed to protect your hands when an enemy's edge happens to slide all the way down your own blade. Therefore, I think it makes more sense to use the katana's whole length and even the tip (per "the wheel") to deflect your opponent's blade rather than relying on the katana's guard. After all, having two hands on the handle means that you can move the tip of the sword more efficiently than if you were just using one hand. 

Of course, this is all in reference to guarding against thrusts. If you are interested in seeing the principles of Shinkage-ryū in action to defend against cuts, I'd recommend checking out these two videos produced by Fight Vision.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=692HqWS2P70

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyj0vWSmTtk

These videos offer two different walkthroughs of a few techniques in Muneyoshi's Heihō Mokuroku. I'll be observing them more closely in my upcoming series dedicated to that work, but for now they can be a good visual reference. Check them out to get a sense for how Shinkage-ryū practitioners hold themselves to effectively move their arms, legs, and sword during simple exchanges.

Before we move onto the next section, I'd like to raise a point about Munenori's writing style in the Heihō Kadensho. Common sense and a rudimentary knowledge of biomechanics may have allowed us to make some good assumptions about many of the points he made. However, I think it's important to understand Munenori's use of metaphor while reading the martial content of the treatise. The reference to posture as a "moat" and the fists that manipulate the sword as "a shield" will be especially important going forward.

Incidentally, the language of “digging a moat to hold your enemy off” does not always mean that you are putting an object in between your body and your opponent’s sword. Indeed, there are other ways of shifting the imaginary straight line between you and your opponent that don't involve forcefully deflecting their blade. As we will see in the Heihō Mokuroku, the techniques of Shinkage-ryū utilize voids as much as parries for the sake of defense. In this way, a "moat" could be empty space. Therefore, the “moat” that holds off your enemy could be Munenori's way of referring to parries with the blade or voids depending on the context.

Plotting Stratagems within the Tents

Munenori places great importance on the role of the mind in Shinkage-ryū. The focus of this section, therefore, is on strategy through mental simulation. Munenori wrote Plotting Stratagems as a form of historical commentary on a passage from The History of the Former Han completed by Pan Ku (A.D. 32-92). Sato's translation, copied below, includes Pan Ku's passage and a portion of Munenori's commentary.

"'By plotting stratagems within the tents for encampment, he ensured a victory a thousand miles away.'

What this means is that by plotting various stratagems beforehand, you can defeat an enemy a thousand miles away before you ever meet him on the field. If you are willing to apply this observation to swordsmanship, regard your mind as the tents of the encampment. If you keep your mind alert, watch your opponent's moves and actions, and variously try double-dealing on him to see how he reacts, you may regard this as plotting stratagems within the tents. And if you observe well how your opponent reacts and then defeat him with your sword, you may regard this as "assuring a victory a thousand miles away.""

(Munenori, trans. Sato, pg. 51)

Based on this, foresight, strategy, and deception seem to be just as important within Shinkage-ryū as martial ability. We'll also see that phrase "double-dealing" appear throughout Sato's translation. Later on in Volume Two, The Death-Dealing Blade, Munenori will describe "double-dealing" as a means of obtaining truth through deception. Wilson chooses the translation "stratagem" rather than "double-dealing" and he provides additional context in the following footnote.

"Up to this point, the word "stratagem" has been hakarigoto (籌): a scheme, contrivance, design, or stratagem. The word is probably based on the root meaning of hakaru (謀る), which is to balance or measure. Here, however, Munenori uses the word hyori (表裏), which is variously defined as double-dealing, dishonesty, or deception. Written with the Chinese character for "inside" followed by that for "outside," it carries the sense of showing one thing on the surface, while having something else in mind. Munenori declares that this hyori is the basis of the martial arts."

(trans. Wilson, pg. 110, footnote 12)

For fencers, this should feel familiar. No matter what weapon you choose, having the ability to mask your intentions while incentivizing your opponent to react predictably is incredibly useful. Being able to "obtain truth from deception" is a great power of the mind that applies itself to swordsmanship. In the tents of the mind, battles can be simulated as mechanical and psychological puzzles. Victories, defeats, and the choices that led to those results can be accounted for by carefully arranging the information at your disposal and influencing your opponent's expectations.

This type of strategic mindfulness should not be ignored in fencing practice. Recently, I attended a virtual panel by David Biggs and David Coblentz where this came up. At one point in the discussion, they got to talking about different tournament mindsets that can come out in a match. David B's take was that pushing yourself to "get angry" and win a fight through aggressiveness is counter-intuitive to training. Basically, you're setting an upward limit on the level of skill you can expect to reach if you can't stay calm enough to think through a match. David C added that staying calm against a borderline-suicidal opponent is also a demonstration of advanced fencing ability. This way, you can mitigate the risk of serious injury even while landing a good shot.

So long as I'm sharing recent class notes, I'll raise a point I picked up from another panel held by Master Wistric and Baroness Bruce on SCA rapier melee. If you find yourself in a position to direct a war meeting, you always have the option of implementing what you already know to be effective. Don't walk into the tents and insist on plotting with your generals for long hours if this isn't necessary, you'll only agonize over uncertainty.

Jo, Ha, Kyū

This section consists of a half-page listing the 27 kiriai (fighting portions) that Munenori says comprise Jo, Ha, Kyū.

What is Jo, Ha, Kyū? Sato leaves this section title untranslated despite having translated three techniques of the same name in the Tengu's Selection. Sato's translation for these three terms is "Introduction," "Development," and "Finale" whereas Wilson's is "Preface," "Breach," and "Dispatch."

In this section, Munenori is probably referencing these three techniques from the Tengu's Selection. Because we haven't looked at those techniques yet, this section is going to be harder to unpack in that direction. However, Sato provides an explanation credited to Yagyū Mitsuyoshi that can help to contextualize Jo, Ha, Kyū in a slightly different way.

"Mitsuyoshi says "In attacking too, there are jo, ha, and kyū. Jo is before you attack. Ha is while you are attacking. Kyū is while your sword is exchanging blows with the enemy sword." In other words, each of the three sword positions [jōdan, chūdan, gedan] in each of the three combat techniques consists of jo, ha, and kyū, making a total of twenty-seven positions."

(trans. Sato, pg. 52, footnote 1)

From this, we can see that Jo, Ha, Kyū can be three different moments during an attack in addition to being the names of "the three combat techniques." At first glance, we might be inclined to say that Jo, Ha, Kyū is the Japanese equivalent of a term like 'contratempo' that would be more familiar to European martial arts students. I think it's tempting to point out a possible equivalency, but this feels inaccurate. Tempo and contratempo are technical terms that specifically refer to the timing and simultaneous execution of actions. Conversely, "Jo, Ha, Kyū" seems to be a general structure that can be interpreted differently depending on the context.

In Noh theatre as well, there is Jo, Ha, Kyū. Wilson even traces the influence of Jo, Ha, Kyū in Shinkage-ryū back to this structural device of Noh drama, with which Munenori would have been familiar. Sato contextualizes Jo, Ha, Kyū as a concept in Noh in the following footnote.

"Jo, ha, kyū the names of this and the two techniques which (and used for other things as well), are dance music terms that originated in China. The founder of the Nō theater, Zeami (1363-1443/45), used this concept extensively and argued that the three movements of introduction, development, and finale could be applied to the arrangement of plays for a day-long performance, as well as to the performance of the briefest musical note. The concept of jo-ha-kyū has also been adopted in many other fields such as kemari (football) and renga (linked verse)."

(trans. Sato, pg. 45, footnote 1)

 

Based on this information, Jo, Ha, Kyū even appears to be scalable as well as contextual. In a martial context, Jo, Ha, Kyū could potentially be found in any exchange of arms happening at any level.

It's also worth noting that, in all the interpretations of Jo, Ha, Kyū we've seen so far, three concepts seem to be common. At first, something is introduced. Then, a complexity arises. Finally, there is resolution. This interpretation is not, by any means, the final word. However, I do find this helpful for thinking about the concept as a mnemonic structure for fencing practice.

Allow me to explain; we've already heard arguments from Munenori about the importance of the mind and the activity of "plotting stratagems" in swordsmanship. From the largest battle to the shortest duel, every martial exchange is a situation in which opponents can anticipate counter-attacks and deceive each other. In this way, two opponents create advantages from disadvantages. Therefore, I think Jo, Ha, Kyū can be taught as a practical structure for strategic thinking.

If fencing is a game of thinking several steps ahead and deceptively baiting your opponent to attack in predictable ways, I think Jo, Ha, Kyū could be trained as a grounding mindset for developing stratagems in the middle of a duel. Let me explain how this works.

First, you introduce a posture to deceive an opponent into attacking predictably. Then, you use that deception to subvert your opponent's expectations and guard yourself against your their attack. Finally, you strike your opponent and the exchange is resolved.

You can think about Jo, Ha, Kyū in this interpretation as three blank spaces that can be filled with appropriate guards, disengages, and attacks. You might find this structure helpful, or you might find another way of becoming an intellectually-ferocious duelist.

After covering Jo, Ha, Kyū, it would be worthwhile to introduce the three stances "jōdan," "chūdan," and "gedan" that also comprise this section. The following is Sato's footnote describing jōdan, chūdan, and gedan.

"Jōdan, Chūdan, and gedan are sword positions at the beginning of a combat. Jōdan is the sword held with both hands positioned in front at the level of your head, the sword pointing upward toward its tip; or with hands positioned above your head, the cutting edge of the sword turned up, its tip tilting away from the enemy. Chūdan is the sword held directly forward, in both hands positioned at the level of the navel. Gedan is the sword held low, its tip downward."

(trans. Sato, pg. 52, footnote 3) 

Wilson's notes on these positions does not differ, though he also adds that jōdan is used "to strike the head," and that chūdan is "to thrust at an opponent's chest or neck." (trans. Wilson, pg. 110, footnote 14). Wilson does not specify any particular attack that is made from gedan.

Initially, I would have liked to include a transcript of a discussion I had with Robert "the Ronin" MKA Robert Martin. I had a lot of questions about jōdan, chūdan, and gedan and he provided a very informative take on these concepts. However, I feel it would be more appropriate to dedicate a whole blog post to this interview rather than extending this section further. For now I feel we have a decent introduction to the concept of Jo, Ha, Kyū as well as the positions jōdan, chūdan, and gedan.

Based on all the information available at this moment, I've reproduced these sword positions of jōdan, chūdan, and gedan in the pictures below. Looking back, I could probably stand to loosen my grip on the handle.

DISCLAIMER: Some of these guards are not formed as well as they should be. Please refer to "Feedback and Corrections (Heihō Kadensho Part 1)" for a better demonstration of Jodan, Chūdan, and Gedan

Jōdan (side)

Jōdan (front)

Chūdan (side)

Chūdan (front)

Gedan (side, left foot forward)

Gedan (front, left foot forward)

Conclusions

We have reached the end of the Shoe-Offering Bridge. Before we put the first volume of the Heihō Kadensho behind us, let's review what we picked up so far.

Yagyū Munenori began this volume with three elements. These are Posture, Arms & Legs, and Sword. Munenori also listed five points that instruct us in holding and physically manipulating these three elements. Additionally, he offers a metaphorical teaching on the use of posture as a "moat" that prevents an opponent from attacking you.

The sections afterward include a table of kiriai (fighting portions) for three specific techniques (Jo, Ha, Kyū) as well as philosophical commentary on strategy as an activity of mental simulation.

Taking all of this together, we can implement the following principles to inform our practice of Shinkage-ryū in the context of SCA fencing.

1. Hold your body sideways.
2. Keep your stance low.
3. When your fists face your opponent, your sword's edge should face them as well.
4. Stretch out your non-dominant elbow to extend your reach.
5. Rest your weight on your front foot.
6. Use your posture in conjunction with your arms & legs and your sword to prevent your enemy from striking you. This will involve parries with the blade or voids depending on the context.
7. Rigorous mental simulation and careful deception is key to achieving victory.
8. Narrative frameworks and other mnemonics are useful for conceptualizing strategy.

If I had to lay out areas of further study and experimentation, I would start with the angle of the feet. I already listed the advantages of two different methods (both feet pointed forward vs. pointed in opposite directions). However, I think this is still an open question that deserves more attention.

Although I didn't cover it in this post, the very end of the Shoe-Offering Bridge also contains a dedication left by Munenori for his descendants. He explains that the master should copy this volume for their student to recognize their status as a disciple following a period of exhaustive study. Following this, Munenori explains how the volume got its name. The story is on the lengthier side and I didn't want to extend this post further, so I'll let you read it for yourself and find out.

Sincerely,

Charlie Denton