I was recently asked about my thoughts on what was required to pass the 6th and 7th dan grading examinations. Over the years I have heard various theories. One of my favourites was from a successful Japanese candidate for 6th dan, who explained that throughout your tachiai you should have the feeling that you are writing the hiragana character “no” の with a writing brush held between your buttocks.
In the EKF’s grading guidelines we get the slightly less fun but arguably more relevant interpretation as follows:
Like many of the guidelines for passing grading examinations, the meaning becomes clear once you have reached the required level, but appears as if it is designed to confuse those preparing for the next stage.
To the best of my understanding, “Jiri “ or “Jiri itchi” means the unity of technique and theory, so you not only need to deploy successful techniques, but you also need to look like you know why you are deploying them. To put it another way, you should do nothing that has no purpose.
Techniques should correspond with real opportunities to strike, but whereas with 4th and 5th dan the focus is on breaking through the centre with seme, you now need to add the more subtle principle of “hikidasu”, or pulling your opponent in, so that you can respond with debana waza or ojiwaza.
Many people are given over simplistic advice, such as “wait 30 seconds, give a loud kiai and make two good attacks”. This sounds ideal, but it is perhaps too simple a way of saying that as you stand from sonkyo you must make strong mind contact with your opponent and then strive to make opportunities to attack. If you can only make one strike in the brief time available, so be it. On the other hand, if you make or are given 20 clear opportunities to strike you must take advantage of them. The rule is don’t attack when there is no opportunity, but do when there is.
This should be overlaid on all the things you had to get right for the previous gradings – correct footwork, posture, kamae, tenouchi etc. and of course don’t drop the writing brush.
Hello sensei,
I’m just throwing stuff out here, but I notice that jiri and riai seem similar but that they are also very different. In the least, they use the same kanji for “ri” (reason). Jiri (事理) would be “the reason for this thing”. If you say that jiri is the unification of technique and theory, could one then say that: understanding of bunkai + understanding of riai = jiri ??
Cheers,
Thomas Sluyter
Close!
Understanding of the unity of practise and theory (JI-RI-ICCHI) leads to RI-AI, the pursuit of which is one of the fundamental goals of our (physical) shugyo.
Yamaoka Tesshu said that JI represents the physical expression of waza, and RI is the kokoro (heart/mind).
“bunkai” is not a term we use in kendo.
or ‘itchi’ … oops !
Thomas – My written Japanese is extremely limited but I believe that you have the correct kanji. As I understand it. Ri means theory as in riai, riron etc. Ji means (physical) technique. The unity part is the itchi as in ki-ken-tai-itchi.
“…and of course don’t drop the writing brush….”
Thanks for the giggle, sensei! Nice article as usual!
Thanks geoff
That’s the best advice I have ever received on requirements for passing 6th dan, just got to put them into practice now
At least the character for “NO” is easier to do than “TA”. Can you imagine shimmying that one out via one’s bum actions?
[…] the context of kendo, Geoffrey Salmon Sensei describes it as “pulling your opponent in” [Salmon13]. Some, as in [Danno13], refer to it as sasoi (誘い) which translates to an invitation to or […]
[…] of kendo, Geoffrey Salmon (Kyoshi 7th Dan) describes it as “pulling your opponent in” [Salmon13]. Some, as in [Danno13], refer to it as sasoi (誘い) which translates to an invitation to or […]
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