About Koshiki-no-kata
Alessio Lisi
The origin of these notes reports to the teaching
tradition coming from Kano Jigoro through Nagaoka
Suichi, Ushijima Tatsukuma and Abbe Kenshiro to
Cesare Barioli.
Kano Jigoro - Yuko-no-katsudo, November 1921.
“Koshiki-no-kata inherits the movements of the Takenaka's branch of Kito's tradition. For this reason we have adopted it in the school, in order to better understand both the nobility of judo's fighting in general and the process of transition from judo to jiu-jutsu”.
Nobility of judo's fighting . One of the ethic point to make clear for the Budo is the difference between a serial killer and someone who fights for a good cause. This is what it is said “the swords giving life”. An example of this is the one of Tsukahara Bokuden, who preferred to scoff at a bully, abandoning him on a deserted island, instead of killing him in a duel. Mr Kano wanted to promote this kind of nobility through the school programmes and whished that the high grades communicate it through the “silent teaching”. He also recommended the practice of Koshiki-no-kata after the basic training.
From Toka Mondo (Questions and answers under a candle holder) :
“Kito-ryu-no-kata consists of 14 omote movements and 7 ura. These movements have been created to improve and strengthen our inner power not to beat enemies”.
Improve our inner power not to beat enemies . In Judo, based on the Three Culture, the topics of Koshiki-no-kata take over after shobu-judo (judo to fight) and after rentai-judo (be healthy to be usefull), they are part of suishin-judo (the moral principle). Koshiki-no-kata express the moral of the jiu-jutsu (the swords giving life) as well as Itsutsu-no-kata epress the moral of the judo (harmony within the Universe).
Question . Why is it so difficult to get away from the desire of victory practicing other disciplines?
Answer . Because what they teach is a series of techniques aiming only to win, if you look beyond these techniques there is nothing. The problem of these schools is that they do not have any teacher teaching the spirit of judo instead of taking care of the physical aspect only and giving an impulse to the spirit of competition.
In some books Kyto-ryu uses only the word “judo” instead of “jiu-jutsu”
Question . Can Kito-ryu eliminates these desires?
Answer . The founder, Terada Masashige created the 14 omote movements to teach how to get over the desire and the preoccupation of winning. Maintaining an inner peace to get melted to the spirit of the Universe, always looking at ourselves. We can assert that our Master is the Honesty. The moment of victory is the instant when two vital energy get fused. Who possess a pure spirit, free from any material desire, can reach the conclusion of a quicker action, so that he can win.
Question . In the school of Kito there is not a clear technical methodology, it stays that the aim of the fight is to win. How can we throw down our enemies without a method?
Answer . As I have already explained, use the techniques of a method to obtain a victory is something related to the martial arts, there is nothing to discuss o to explain about this. The school of Kito teaches how to live a good life without fearing the death. It is all about harmonizing the vital energy and the body, with this spirit we can contrast the spirit of the enemy.
Nage-no-kata, Katame-no-kata, Kime-no-kata and Ju-no-kata need Tori on the right side of the Kamiza (“ the right side of the Kamiza ”, which is the side of the Kami, means in the joseki, which is the side of the experts). Koshiki-no-kata and Itsutsu-no-kata invert this position. In these two Forms, reflecting respectively the moral of jiu-jutsu and judo, Tori, principal actor, goes back in the side of the mu-dan (beginners). In the same way, the 12° dan wears a white belt.
Kito-ryu bases its methods on the concepts of inn and yo ( in and yang in Chinese). In the book titled Ten-no-kata ( Book of the sky ) it is written:
“The term Kito may be read as well Oki Taoru (stand up, lay down, go up – get down). The term Ki has a nature Yang, To has a Yin nature. We can win with the method Yang and Yin”
The method of acting yo follows a strategy that we define “to impose our own rhythm”. The inn side governs the method defined “to adapt ourselves at the rhythm of the other”. In the omote part of the Koshiki similar couple of attacks are managed alternating “to impose our own rhythm” (ki) and “to adapt ourselves at the rhythm of the other” (to).
Eyond “to impose our own rhythm” and “to adapt ourselves at the rhythm of the other” though, the first two techniques of the Koshiki-no-kata (tai and yume-no-uchi) show muyoshi , which can be interpreted as the barehanded version of “the sword giving life” of the ken-jutsu.
From Chi no kan (Book of the earth) it is written:
“Muyoshi is a very important element in the school of Kito . Nowadays, in the style of yawara or torite, they are used methods to bring their pupils to victory and these methods are exclusively based on yoshi (rhythm).
Muyoshi is completely different. When an enemy has his own rhythm, we have to keep concentrated on shinki. With this spirit we can defeat all kind on enemies (strong, weak, quick, slow, etc.). Some teachers teach how to use the rhythm as a training method to win, the school of Kito teaches muyoshi instead. When we take a wrong rhythm, we loose with ourselves and the right spirit. We can assert that rhythm exists before the breath, after the breath exits muyoshi”.
Il Ten no Kan (Book of the sky) states:
“When the important moment of the action is coming, our body's behaviour can influence the action of the enemy. If we keep Fudo (the calm, focused spirit) we can win. Kito is the body unified to the spirit of God (the Universe). If during the fighting we realize that the spirit of God is an enemy to us (it is not unified), then the emotion can overwhelm us and we will be defeated; in that moment the body is useless. If we can keep the state of fudo and shinki (the union with the vital energy) instead, we will move with the spirit of the Universe, the maximum of the vital energy”.
Muyoshi is keep the attention (fudo), keep concentrated in the tanden (shinki) and reach the condition of an empty spirit. This is the way to act in an ethic way. Muyoshi is the “ empty rhythm ” or “ the rhythm of the emptiness ”, what animates the Universe. In the Koshiki-no-kata this concept may be found in the first part of the first two techniques. Tori feels perfectly the attack (fudo) and at the right moment, using just a movement neutralize it, showing his superiority (muyoshi). As Uke keep insisting, then Tori throw it down.
Reassuming . In the judo of Mr Kano, the Koshiki-no-kata is the kata practiced in the Takenaka's branch of Kito's tradition. It demonstrates how to apply inn and yo in the fighting. Nevertheless it starts with a demonstration of muyoshi, which is the pick point of the spiritual research and can bring over the fighting itself, it can bring the demonstration that fighting is useless.
The strategy of Sun-Tsu suggests that first the strongest nation has to try to convince the weakest one to avoid the conflict with all means, weakening it even more or corrupting the generals. After all this has been unsuccessful they may use the force.
The Art of War of Master Sun has been very popular amongst the bushi.