35 METHODS OF SRATEGY – HEIHO PART 5

Soke; Anshu Christa Jacobson teaching Heiho at Hombu Dojo

35 INSTRUCTIONS ON SRATEGY – PART 4
Hyoho Sanju go kajo — Miyamoto Musashi; 1614
_________________________________________

In 1614 two years before he wrote the Gorin no sho (Book of the 5 Rings) Musashi wrote a work called “Thrity-five Instructions on Strategy”. It was written for Lord Hosokawa, by his guest Miyamoto Musashi. The Gorin no sho (Book of the 5 Rings) is considered a more elabora te piece off of this work.

To truly understand these teachings and the nature of this text is extremely difficult as Musashi used special terms and verbal meaning to express his respect for Lord Hosokawa, which is very hard to understand the exact meaning to translate into English.

In the translations I am using the terms that was used in the Gorin no sho (Book of the 5 Rings) as they are the more popular terms for identifying Miyamoto Musashi’s works.

STRATEGY NINE
(KNOWING THETHREE LEVELS OF STRATEGY)

Someone who adopts guard positions in strategy and displays different guard positions while handling the sword sometimes slowly, sometimes fast practices strategy of a low level.  Someone who has refinement in strategy and who appears magnificent die to elegant bearing, practices at an intermediate level.  The supreme strategy will appear neither strong nor weak; nether slow nor fast, neither magnificent nor bad, but broad, straight and calm.  You should examine this well

(*note* in the test musashi uses the term “ge”, “chu” and “jo” when using these terms in expression, they are more than just low medium and high they also refer to level of skill or quality.)

STRATEGY TEN

(A GRADUATED CORD MEASURE)

You must always have a graduated cord measure in your mind.  If you measure your opponent by adjusting the cord to him, you will be able to ascertain clearly his strengths and weakness, his straightness and crookedness, where he is relaxed and where he is tense.  With this measure you must size up all aspects of your opponent – round, square, short, crooked or straight.  You should examine this well.

STRATEGY ELEVEN

(THE PATHWAY OF THE SWORD)

Without knowing the pathway of the sword, you cannot handle it feely.  You cannot properly slash you opponent if you put too much force into it, if you do not have a sense of the back and the side of the blade, if you shale the sword around like a knife or a spoon for serving rice.  You must train in hitting you opponent well, always knowing the pathway of the sword and moving it calmly, following its weight.

I hope that you all enjoy your lessons today from the Hyoho Sanju go kajo. Thank you all for your support! I wish you all the best in your journey of the arts!

Anshu Christa Jacobson
Headmistress of the Budo Ryu; School of the Warrior Way
21st Soke of the Tomo Ryu Tradition
Headmistress of the Budo Ryu – School of the Warrior Way
Founder of the Budo Ryu Online University
Owner of the Ninjutsu Super Store
Chief Editor of the Shinobi no Mono Magazine
Founder of the Ninjutsu International Federation
Professional Model and Artist

January 23, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: anshu, Anshu Christa Jacobson, artistic, Budo, Budo Ryu, Bujutsu, class, Eishin Ryu, grandmaster, Heiho, iaido, Iaijutsu, Keiko, kendo, Kenjutsu, Kobayshi, Kunoichi, lesson, Military, model, nakashima, nude, Ryu, Samurai, sensei, soke, Strategy, teaching, Tomo Ryu, Training, war | Leave a comment

35 METHODS OF SRATEGY – HEIHO PART 3

Soke; Anshu Christa Jacobson

35 INSTRUCTIONS ON SRATEGY – PART 3
Hyoho Sanju go kajo — Miyamoto Musashi; 1614
_________________________________________

In 1614 two years before he wrote the Gorin no sho (Book of the 5 Rings) Musashi wrote a work called “Thrity-five Instructions on Strategy”. It was written for Lord Hosokawa, by his guest Miyamoto Musashi. The Gorin no sho (Book of the 5 Rings) is considered a more elabora te piece off of this work.

To truly understand these teachings and the nature of this text is extremely difficult as Musashi used special terms and verbal meaning to express his respect for Lord Hosokawa, which is very hard to understand the exact meaning to translate into English.

In the translations I am using the terms that was used in the Gorin no sho (Book of the 5 Rings) as they are the more popular terms for identifying Miyamoto Musashi’s works.

STRATEGY SEVEN
(SIZING UP THE MA)

Different schools give different instructions on the way to assess the “ma”, but I find that they tend to fix or rigidify your strategy; that is why I advise you not to take into consideration what you have learned before.

Whatever the discipline may be, it is repeated exercises that you arrive at the point of being able to assess the “ma”.  In general you should think that when your sword reaches your opponent, he can also reach you.  When you want to kill an opponent, you have a tendency to forget your own body.  You must reflect well on this.
Let us recall that “ma” is not exactly distance but is description of the space-time of a distance / relationship.  “Ma” also refers to the action of the mind by which this spatial and temporal phenomenon is grasped.
(*Note, in this text Musashi is doubtless alluding to the habits acquired by Lord Hosokawa in the Yagyu-ryu*)

I hope that you all enjoy your lessons today from the Hyoho Sanju go kajo. Thank you all for your support! I wish you all the best in your journey of the arts.

Anshu Christa Jacobson
Headmistress of the Budo Ryu; School of the Warrior Way
21st Soke of the Tomo Ryu Tradition
Headmistress of the Budo Ryu – School of the Warrior Way
Founder of the Budo Ryu Online University
Owner of the Ninjutsu Super Store
Chief Editor of the Shinobi no Mono Magazine
Founder of the Ninjutsu International Federation
Professional Model and Artist

January 12, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: anshu, Anshu Christa Jacobson, artistic, Budo, Budo Ryu, Bujutsu, class, Eishin Ryu, grandmaster, Heiho, iaido, Iaijutsu, Keiko, kendo, Kenjutsu, Kobayshi, Kunoichi, lesson, Military, model, nakashima, nude, Ryu, Samurai, sensei, soke, Strategy, teaching, Tomo Ryu, Training, war | Leave a comment