David Scott © 2016

 

San No Ken

Clip 7. San No Ken

 

The beginning of San No Ken is the same as for Ni No Ken, up until after the tsuki by oshiete and manabite’s ura defence with hanmi.

Oshiete then changes hanmi stepping forward with the left foot and executing a cut to manabite’s inside left knee.

Manabite also changes hanmi, but by stepping back on the left and maintains the contact between the bokken (using what would be the hasaki – sharp edge of the real sword) to control the attack.*

Picture 6. San No Ken detail

*    It is interesting to compare the relative distances between the point of engagement (the crossed bokken) and the centers of both manabite and oshiete here in San No Ken. Oshiete is using the monouchi part of their bokken to execute the attack and manabite is using the middle third of the bokken blade to control the attack. This has oshiete extended outwards to make the cut while manabite has the control point closer to their centre. This arrangement is also required in taijutsu.

 

Oshiete and Manabite both “move back” into hanmi bokken in chudan (chudan gamae). Oshiete maintains left hanmi and manabite right hanmi. This results in the punctuated engagement appearing as if gyaku hanmi.

Picture 7. San No Ken detail – both partners move back into hanmi

 

Initially, when Sensei first taught San No Ken, we moved back and straight up to jodan. Sugano Sensei added this step of both partners making distance by moving back into hanmi in the chudan position, presumably in recognition of their mutual vulnerabilities and to punctuate manabite’s practice of the second strategy. At this point in San No Ken, that is after oshiete has made the cut to manabite’s knee and manabite has defended this attack, manabite can make a tsuki to oshiete’s throat, but oshiete also has an opportunity to parry manabite’s bokken up and thereby open manabite up to an attack. Consequently, both oshiete and manabite need to make distance.

Manabite then rises up to offer their right wrist on the ken sen as a target at jodan thereby offering an invitation for oshiete to attack.

Oshiete follows manabite’s lead moving up into jodan and having been drawn in to attack takes a step forward into right hanmi and cuts kiri tsuke aiming through the now high right wrist of manabite.

Picture 8. San No Ken detail – Invite attack

 

Final move - Omote

Manabite in right hanmi moves omote to make the final kiri tsuke. That is moving the right (front) foot forward and to the right and bringing the back foot across to the omote line as they move their body in to execute the kiri tsuke. This will be known to some people as ichi no tachi or “the old number one”.

Picture 9. San No Ken detail – final move: Omote

 

Alternative final move - Ura

Manabite moves their back foot (left) to the left as they open their body and move ura to cut kiri tsuke in right hanmi. (This will be known to some people as san no tachi or “the old number three” movement as a counter in response to a shomen uchi).

Picture 10. San No Ken detail – final move: Ura

 

Although Sugano Sensei mostly instructed us to finished San No Ken on the omote side, he also taught the ura finish. A student from our dojo once asked Sensei directly on which side they should finish San No Ken and he said, “omote”. Then as the student walked away Sensei called them back and asked where they were training and who their teacher was. Having been told the student was from Adelaide, Sensei said “you can do either side”. This may present as a challenge to people who prefer to hold on to the idea of a fixed form and maintain that only one way is correct. They will, of course, be able to assert that Sensei gave them direct instruction that it should be done this way or that – just as I am here somewhat paradoxically putting myself in the same position. It is clear from Sensei’s interaction with the Adelaide student that he considered both the omote and ura finishes acceptable.

It was characteristic of Sugano Sensei to teach something one way and then another: to establish a form and then break it down. He would also juxtapose these movements by practicing them together. He would then find a way to discover even greater freedom in the practice. It was also characteristic for him to teach different things to different people in different contexts. In accordance with his teaching method, I do not now see only two ways to practice San No Ken. Rather, I see an invitation to consider what other options there might be.

A considerable depth of understanding is required in order to come up with viable technical options that also fall inside Sensei’s teaching system and conform to feasible intentions for practice. We no longer have Sugano Sensei here to provide direct instruction. Since his passing, it is apparent that one way ahead is for his students to get together and openly share their understandings of his teachings. Some discussion and debate could benefit our ongoing inquiry. Each one of Sugano Sensei’s students has a perspective to offer that will facilitate our understanding of the “whole elephant” that was his teaching.

San No Ken has indeed gone through several variations. When Sensei first taught San No Ken in Australia, we finished the sequence differently. Oshiete took the initiative after their cut to the knee and rose first (with a jumping change of hanmi) to execute kiri tsuke after using the mune of their bokken to force manabite to raise their bokken for their final movement kiri tsuke executed on the omote side.

Also (as mentioned above), the punctuation moving back into chudan hanmi was initially absent. We used to practice moving back directly to jodan (also sometimes passing through chudan hanmi) before the final move. This move, taking less distance than the final version described above, was initiated by manabite to allow them to practice the second strategy. Finally, Sensei made the point that manabite has the possibility of introducing a tsuki, which necessitates oshiete moving back. And oshiete has the possibility of parrying manabite’s bokken up and then attacking kiri tsuke. As a consequence of this mutual vulnerability, both partners move back.

 

What is San No Ken about?

It is important to study the evolution of the practice as Sugano Sensei taught it in an effort to understand his intention and discover how the forms he evolved fit in with his overall system of instruction. This might be facilitated by reflecting upon a number of questions. For example, among the many variations possible why would one form of the practice be preferable? How does this practice connect to or contrast with other forms of Aikido practice? What can we deduce from these observations? Why are we practicing these forms? How might they be relevant to other aspects of our lives?

San No Ken is an extension of the previous exercises in the series inviting us to learn more about moving maai. We are still responding to each other, breaking maai, practicing mikiri and kiri tsuke, parrying with hanmi and also creating and responding to openings. We are learning about distance as well, especially the subtleties and relative differences as related to both defence and attack.

We are also learning about the importance of maintaining an upright posture even when making or defending against low level attacks. Depending upon the version being practiced, we might also be practicing moving ura in response to a frontal attack.

Given that in San No Ken we can finish either omote or ura, we can use this sequence to practice moving freely to either side. This point seems to me to take the training to a new level. We are given the opportunity to practice moving spontaneously (without thought) to either omote or ura. Mostly, when we are invited to practice in a way that gives us the freedom to choose which side we finish on, students tend to adopt a pattern in the practice that has them alternate from one side to the other. Even if invited to vary what they do in accordance with a random sequence, they can be observed thinking about which side they will finish on. There are detectable micro movements that belie their intention. We can essentially watch someone think. The goal to which I aspire in this training is to move freely without thought in a manner appropriate to the circumstances. Of course, adding variations invites us to challenge our fixed habits and expectations and approach greater freedom.

 

 

 

 

Next Chapter: Yon No Ken

Back to TOC