The Annals of Mac North

Archive for April 13th, 2006

The advancement of iai continues now that I’ve finally started (shodan is considered the beginning). I’m learning the waza of the school’s _four_ different ryu (schools of study - like savoy or hollywood in Lindy). Last week I learned the first 4 waza in Omori-ryu, and this week I learned another two.

One of the two tonight is called “juntou” (順刀), which is the form used by a friend or kaishakunin during the ritual of seppuku (honorable suicide). The other waza, inyoushintai, was quite difficult because there are many transitions between standing and kneeling, one with a particular balance. I like learning new non-standard forms. I feel like I’m finally digging into the art and the local nature of my dojo. It’s a shame there’s only 3 months left.