Kiai is Not a Sound

真之神陰兵法

I studied several approaches to classical Japanese swordsmanship before moving to Seattle in 2016. Chief among them was an unofficial line of Kashima-shinden Jikishinkage-ryū maintained at the Hōbyōkan following the teachings of Namiki Yasushi and Itō Masayuki.

Since that time I have continued traditional katageiko, conducted analyses of kata in a process called kuzushi and performed combative pressure testing called tameshi-ai. In doing this, my practice has become increasingly influenced by my continued study of internal martial arts. Time spent making pilgrimage to sacred sites in Japan has refined my thinking, to the point where I feel strongly my approach is something unique.

Visiting sacred places has been an important component of my martial arts training over the years. In 2005, while visiting the Gassan Dai Jinja ( 月山大神社 ) shrine on Mt. Haguro in the Dewa Sanzan ( 出羽三山 ) area of Yamagata Prefecture, and the Hagurosan Kōtakuji Shōzenin ( 羽黒山荒沢寺正善院 ) in Haguro-machi, I decided to commit my full efforts towards learning Chinese Internal martial arts and classical Japanese swordsmanship.

Almost twenty years later, I spent time visiting Kyoto and Nara, including the seat of Honzan-ha Shugendō, not far from the Kyoto Budōkan (the site of the Meiji-era Butokukan), the shrines and temples at Kuramadera associated to historical figures such as Yoshitsune and Kiichi Hogen and the Todaiji in Nara. Doing so, I thought deeply about my continued martial practice — should it continue independently or should I try to rectify my Japanese swordsmanship with an existing tradition. I spent time thinking about my continued endeavors and came to the realization I needed to focus on continuing to develop my skill at traditional internal martial arts instead of attempting to rectify my Japanese swordsmanship (which had evolved since the pandemic to become increasingly influenced by the former) with existing official lines of practice. The defining aspect of my kenpō is the integration of internal martial arts principles into my practice and also that I was not willing to give up on that path.

I now sometimes use the name Shin-no-shinkage heihō 真之神陰兵法 to describe my ongoing Japanese martial arts practice. This is a variant of the name Ogasawara Genshinsai used to describe his swordsmanship after his return from Beijing, replacing the character for heart (心) with that for spirit (神). Ogasawara's time spent in China during the beginning of the Edo period had a profound effect on his swordsmanship. I am similarly influenced by teachings from Taoist martial arts.

More formally, I call my practice Gassankan Heihō Kenjutsu [ 月山館兵法剣術 ] — the methods of strategy and Japanese sword arts practiced as part of the Gassankan.

I still practice the kata of Jikishinkage-ryū but I want to draw a clear distinction between my own continued practice and the efforts of others who hold formal lineages of these and related arts. Shin-no-shinkage heihō importantly does not include the character for ryū (流) in its name – this is a personal practice and not a new line of transmission. I practice kenpō (劍法) as part of the cultivation of shugyō (修行) – mindful austerity.

In my own training, I emphasize Taoist aspects of the art, including complementarity (yin and yang) and five element theory and draw inspiration from esoteric Buddhism and Shugendō when I view my practice as a form of shugyō:

• I have evolved my practice to constrain my expression of kiai to be more akin to the vocalizations found in internal martial arts: flowing from, or aligned with, a movement, rather than driving a movement.
• I no longer forcefully coordinate breathing with each movement, but instead keep my breathing relaxed and steady and utilize sophisticated reverse breathing methods from Tàijíquán instead of the ibuki style of breathing often used during traditional aun kokyu.
• Emphasis is placed on developing a connected body that integrates force with each action in an optimal manner while remaining relaxed and able to adapt suddenly when needed.

I begin with formal katageiko (form practice) that includes methods of walking, cutting, breathing and foundational methods called hōjō that consist of paired partner practices introducing five element theory. Once proficiency is developed with foundations, an austere set of tactical forms called to-no-kata are introduced.

I then explore kuzushi and conduct pressure testing called tameshi-ai. The use of the small sword called kodachi is then introduced and serves as a point of departure for armored grappling methods called kogusoku.

Older versions of the foundational practice are then conducted with steel swords called habiki-to. Armored teachings from related lines of practice are explored in a set of teachings I call hiko-goshin. Finally, practice is explored with a variety of traditional implements with different characteristics and ranges, exploring the Shinkage-ryū kuden:

one mind, any weapon

As I have been fortunate to study other lines of Shinkage-ryū, I am able to preserve variants of core teachings mentioned by Ogasawara (including kuka, empi, and tengusho) in my continued training. I use examples drawn from them as points of departure for futher analysis in my exploration of Shin-no-shinkage heihō. The precise nature of these explorations are private to my school but are another reason why my kenpō practice is independent and unique.

While I think I still attempt to cultivate the spirit of Shinkage-ryū in my kenpō, I do so independent of official lines of transmission. In cultivating a more withdrawn approach to my study, I am reminded that the final level of practice of Jikishinkage-ryū, called marobashi or marubashi (丸橋), is silent. It is time for me to take that silence as the path.

The phrase hyakuren jitoku ( 百錬自得 ) means that through a great deal of practice you can better understand yourself. I am grateful for the opportunity to know myself a little better for having trained. I am grateful both for the chance to have worked with several people as my understanding has evolved and for my conversations with experts in the field. I am better for those interactions.

End Notes

1. My students continue formal Jikishinkage-ryū katageiko in the manner I taught them, which is representative of the practice maintained at the Hōbyōkan in the line of Namiki Yasushi and Itō Masayuki.

A collected set of works on Shinkage-ryū heihō is available as a book: The Truth of the Calm Spirit: The practice of Shinkage-ryū Heihō as Taoist Internal Alchemy, 2025.