Postby Henri de La Garde » Sat Apr 05, 2008 12:27 pm
As a practitioner of both WMA and JSA here in Japan, I think you will have a very difficult time attracting the attention of any JSA practitioners of the type you have currently mentioned.
I understand that JSA practitioners of Koryu styles do have somewhat of a snobbish reputation, and I certainly would not wish to add to this. But let me outline some of the difficulties I foresee.
First, Japanese classical sword traditions, or Koryu, are not about practical use of the sword. Period. I know this might come as a bit of a shock, but practitioners of these traditions, far from being snobs, feel somewhat misunderstood. None of them are interested in achieving practical skill with the use of the katana, simply because they are focused on preserving the traditions they represent. Most of them will focus more intensely on following the instructions of their school than they will on what they personally deem as 'practical' or 'combatively effective'. For better or worse, most Koryu practitioners, Japanese or Western, see themselves as lucky enough to receive training in an art which has been far better represented by others throughout time than themselves. Out of deference and modesty, as well as respect for their teachers, the people who would be most interesting to see in such a cross-training experience are those least likely to participate in it.
Secondly, it is extremely rare to find anyone, Japanese or otherwise, who trains even semi-regularly in a style which includes armored techniques with the sword or other weapons. Some rather rare styles use armor with grappling techniques, to preserve those basic elements of grappling in armor in the specific cultural and historical context.
Thirdly, most training in Koryu styles, though not all, is devoid of freeplay. This does vary from school to school, however, the normal expectation is that Koryu stylists do not engage in competition. Risuke Otake, current headmaster of Japan's oldest school, the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu, was asked in the late 1940s to have a bout with a Kendo practitioner. At the time, the government was investigating Katori Shinto Ryu to see if it should be declared an 'Intangible Cultural Asset,' a distinction it subsequently received and holds to this day. Otake promptly agreed to fight the Kendo man, adding only that it would be a fight to the death. The shocked government representatives asked him what he meant - even at this time, the Japanese had spent so much time with the more popular, competitive sport forms like Kendo that they knew far too little of their own, far-older traditions - and Otake responded by explaining that his art was the real thing, not a mere competitive sport.
I believe this attitude still permeates the schools which would actually be worth cross-training with, and is used as a shallow defense by the other schools which are not worth cross-training with.
My suggestion, should one be interested in trying some friendly bouting with an experienced practitioner of a Japanese style, is that you take the long term approach. First, try to meet some of these senior Western practitioners, either in Japan, or more difficultly, in the United States. Build a friendly rapport, by discussing commonalities in your arts. After a 'courtship' of sorts, move your relationship on to the next level, and propose some sort of cross-training session so that you can each experience a taste of each other's arts. If this works well, after several repetitions, then propose the idea of the camera. Koryu people are very decent, very friendly, and in my limited personal experience, not at all a snobby lot. However, like all endangered species, they are a skittish bunch, distrustful of outsiders and really scared that something they do might sully the ancient reputation of what their teachers have carefully preserved and generously passed on to them. So tread lightly, for best results. (Please feel free to PM me if you want more free advice on this, just remember, free advice is always worth exactly what you pay for it, of course!).
I would be fascinated to see what this project could come up with. Good luck, and best wishes for your training everyone!
If proposed in a modern context I'm pretty sure they'd be disregarded by the ARMA. So surely there are more?