Heritage and traditions - Paul Mitton
The Kashima-Shinryu is a traditional Japanese martial school with a 500-year
history whose sword practice, according to Stanley Pranin's Aiki News Encyclopedia
has had a clearly demonstrable influence on the development of the Aiki ken.
Morihiro Saito's kumitachi are assumed to have been derived from Morehei Ueshiba's
study of exercises learnt with this particular school of Japanese sword.
In February 1964 Seki Humitake of the Kashima-Shinryu swond tradition met and defeated the
then highest-ranking (5th dan) proponent of Shotokan karate in a no-rules contest (taryu-jiai).
In November of the same year Seki defeated an 8th dan Aikido expert in a similar taryu-jiai.
As a result of these victories, Seki was appointed chief-instructor-in-waiting of the KashimaShinryu.
Two years later, upon the death of his mentor, Kunii Zen'ya, Seki became the chief instructor
(shihanke).
Kunii Zen'ya had been nicknamed the modem Musashi because of his history of deadly encounters,
the first of which had occurred with two thieves in 1910 when Kunii was only sixteen years old.
Kunii Zen'ya had broken with a centuries old family tradition to name Seki Humitake as the 19th
shihanke of the Kashima-Shinryu school. Seki was not of the Kunii family line. However his two
victories against the highest-ranking proponents of Karate and Aikido in taryu-jiai had convinced
Kunii of Seki's true warrior spirit. Two years later all such contests were banned by the Japanese
government because of the serious injuries and deaths, which frequently ensued.
Is this true? Yes, says Seki, who remains the current headmaster of the Kashima-Sinryu tradition.
If so, I wonder who then was the 8th dan Aikidoka who indulged himself in the equivalent of an
illegal bare-knuckle fight, only to lose? Perhaps things really were considerably different thirty
years ago in Japan. Or perhaps Seki Humitake has begun to believe his own propaganda.
Nowadays, given the illegal nature of no-rules contests, students progress through demonstrated
ability in practice, traditional exercises and formal tests rather than by winning duels with
adepts from other schools. However the spirit of such an enterprise still lingers on in the
world of Judo, where to progress through the ranks one still has to defeat opponents of similar
or higher grades in contests. The formal exercises do not test a student's ability in actual
combat, but they do test a thoroughness of understanding, and as such, in throry, should vouchsafe
his ability to train students, who should be able to fight if ever called upon to do so.
It is interesting to trace some of the historical routes to the current, fairly standardised,
system of rankings and dojo practice.
Bugei (the martial arts - a word that pre-dates budo) schools may date themselves back 500 years
or more. The lineage may be true, but as organisations they are much more recent.
Martial teachers traveled regularly. Feudal ties required their posting to different
parts of the clan's domains, wherever there was disquiet. Two to six months is the average
time recorded for most swordsmen remaining in one post. Some students would follow the teacher
when they could, but these would be few. I imagine the difficulties we would face even now,
when travel is accessible to everyone, in following a teacher who relocated every six months.
During these times martial schools had little practical existence beyond the man who taught it.
Longer apprenticeships required more stability, a regular venue with regular and appropriate times.
This in turn required an established organisation and a period of relative political calm.
Most martial training in medieval periods (whatever the country) occurred outdoors. This was no
doubt partly so that students could practise in environments similar to the battlefields for
which they were preparing, but partly also from simple logistics. There were few that could
afford a large enough indoor arena dedicated to the practice of martial arts, particularly
when the teacher would only be staying but a very short while.
The Tokugawa period in the 17th century ushered in a time of extended peace. Unemployed
samurai now flocked to Edo (the capital), and in the absence of warrior pay, began to
seek a living by teaching martial skills. Now indoor arenas did begin to appear. They
were necessary to attract and keep repeat business, which required a regular venue, open
in all weathers. They were also necessary to maintain the secrets of the trade from prying
(non-paying) eyes.
Students were selected carefully, for their ability to pay, for their loyalty, and for their
self-discipline. The teacher's martial secrets were his most valuable assets and not to be
passed on freely by the students. Moreover students who involved themselves in brawls were
bad for business. This applied particularly to beginners who might give a bad showing,
having mis-learned or mis-applied the techniques. It also applied to a student who might
mis-behave and cripple or kill someone, which could be equally as disastrous to a teacher's
reputation. Hence the elaborate screening procedures, letters of introduction, and the oaths
of loyalty which were often renewed at each new level of training.
The following is the current oath (kishomon) forthe Kashima Shinryu, which is at least 300
years old:
Being most grateful for permission to become a student of the Kashima-Shinryu, I will
never reveal even a little of the traditions I learn to outsiders. I will return all
scrolls and other texts I may receive as soon as I have finished studying them, and I will
always handle them with the utmost care.
Needless to say I will devote myself to practice morning and evening, concentrate on the
intuitive principles and refrain from doing wrong. Moreover, I will not test myself against
other styles without obtaining permission in advance.
I will not cause the senseless destruction of life, nor will I criticise others.
From the time I take up my discipline I will never engage in any shady or deceitful acts.
Even when I cannot avoid expressing my own views, I will always comprehend and observe instructions.
Should I ever turn my back on the above promises, I should suffer unto death the divine
punishment not only of the august divinity of Kashima, but of all the myriad gods and spirits.
Under these terms I hereby affirm this request for instruction.
As schools became institutionalised, it became possible to issue diplomas of different sorts.
These began as simple graduation certificates given to those who had mastered what the teacher
had to offer. But as instruction became more professional and commercial, more elaborate systems
of intermediate ranks began to appear. The first diploma was known as kirigami or pledge.
The next levels were shomokuroku, "little catalogue" (apprentice), shoden or first step into
the tradition (novice initiate), chuden, midway into the tradition (intermediate initiate),
okuden, the heart of the tradition (deep initiate), kaiden, the tradition accomplished
(initiate licensed to teach).
It was the Judo pioneer Jigoro Kano who developed these levels into the current dominant
standardised kyu and dan grades often symbolised by coloured belts worn over practice uniforms.
He introduced the coloured belt system in the late 19th century as a means of identifying the
skill levels of students he did not know when he visited judo clubs throughout the country.