Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Sanshin

I know, I know - it's been a while...

Lately I've been giving great thought to the concept of Sanshin ("three hearts"). This term is fundamental to understanding Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, in the sense that it is part of the foundational training. At it's most basic level, this is taught as a set of five techniques, first learned as solo movements using the entire body in specific ways.

The Sanshin no Kata, as it is commonly called, has also been known as Gogyo no Kata (Gogyo meaning "five elements"). This is because each kata is named after an element. The elements are earth ("Chi no Kata"), water ("Sui no Kata"), fire ("Ka no Kata"), wind ("Fu no Kata") and void or nothingness ("Ku no Kata"). Unfortunately, many misconceptions had been made about these elements in the early days of this material being taught in the West. But, according to Japanese history, these elements were actually an old form of numbering, as in "first", "second", etc. They have nothing to do with anything mystical or elemental in nature.

The Sanshin forms are an old method of teaching concepts such as timing, distancing and angling. At a base level, they represent methods to develop good body mechanics, control of balance, use of space and angles and other such fundamentals. They are not limited to unarmed, solo techniques, either. As one progresses, other levels to the Sanshin become available.

Lately, I have been inspired to teach the Sanshin no Kata more deeply, more thoroughly, in my Intel classes. Practicing these have also been a major focus for my own solo training. The movements are so incredibly multi-layered that I cannot help but repeat them over and over, constantly aware of subtle shifts in movement and balance.

Last night, in my Intel class, we worked on the first of these Sanshin no Kata techniques - Chi no Kata. In all the Sanshin no Kata, they all start from Shizen no Kamae, which is a natural standing position. Then, the person moves back into a posture called Shoshin no Kamae, a kind of "on guard" position where the lead hand is extended forwards and the rear hand at the hip. The body then moves forward, with the arms swinging in a natural pendulum swing until both rear foot and hand are projected forwards. The forward moving hand ends in a three fingered fist called Sanshitanken.

What's important to note is the natural swing of the arms and legs during this movement. However, before any of this can happen, there is a fundamentally critical lesson in the movement from the standing Shizen no Kamae into the Shoshin no Kamae. Because moving from one to the other involves pulling the right leg back into a kind of bladed posture (left foot and knee pointing straight at the opponent), most people will shift their weight and knee in a prepatory movement.

This is dangerous.

To do this correctly, the move has to be done in a singular move, along a singular line, so that it contains no prepatory movements. The center line of the body leans over the line of the left (lead) leg, then the right (rear) leg moves back to a position where the ankle is in line with the heel of the front leg. This makes the body flat, along a singular line. This is difficult to do and requires practice. But, if done correctly, the body is off the attack line of the opponent, presenting a narrow target, and the rear hand is hidden in the posture.

As the rear hand is brought back in preparation for the forward swing/strike, the opponent cannot see it. As you move forward, you shift your weight forward along your balance line, over your front knee. Then, the pendulum action occurrs in a very narrow line, so that both the step and strike are hard to detect. This is a precise use of angles which afford maximum efficiency and little effort.

The Sanshin no Kata contain many such hidden lessons. The next kata will hold similar concepts which I am excited to undertake and present to my class.