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**tramadolwithall** · 04-06-2007, 01:02 AM

Personal opinions on Shinkendo ...
Obata Toshishiro has a bunch of experience in several different gendai and koryu arts. He had thoughts to incorporate what he had learned into a unified system of swordsmanship. From what I have seen of them, his principals and system were sound, and revolved around very solid technique. It is my understanding that the system has changed as it evolved. He has been tirelessly promoting it in order to expand Shinkendo around the globe. His system and standards have both been simplified over the years in order to make it more palatable to modern tastes, and so expand the school. Glitzy demonstrations such as cutting with two shinken as shown in the linked video clip, have become his way of generating interest. Shinkendo is still a viable school of kenjutsu/battojutsu. The senior instructors that I have met have all been well grounded in basics and quite knowledgeable. Unfortunately, Obata sensei's changes have not sat well with some of his senior students, and so a number of them have left the organization in recent years.
Shenkendo has nothing at all to do with kendo. Shinkendo is still a decent kenjutsu/battojutsu system, but you now have to be more careful about who you are learning from (sort of like Bujinkan).

The principals of shu-ha-ri are still utilized in today's sword arts. Schools can be made today in exactly the same way they have been made for hundreds of years. Contrary to what the movies would have you believe, sword duels were not very common during the Edo period (1600 to 1867) as they had to be approved or forgiven by the Shogun or his appointee. Many sword schools were developed during this period by people who had trained in other schools, and decided that things would be better done a bit differently, or they had a dispute with their school and struck out on their own, or for a dozen other reasons. By the late 1600's, everyone who had fought in the battles of the Sengoku Jidai were dead. Therefore, there were a very small number of people in Japan that actually had battle experience with their sword. However, there are quite a number of schools that were created by these very people.

Thank you for the explanation, if i'm not mistaken under the light of what you said, even some post Sengoku jidai koryu coud've been or are about theory and imitation more than battle-tested applications, or is it a mix of all the above?
Shu Ha Ri, the concept was discussed on this board, based on what i understood, how can one access the Ri stage in an art where you can't test on a live and resisting target?

04-06-2007, 01:02 AM	#32
tramadolwithall Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 446 Senior Member	Personal opinions on Shinkendo ... Obata Toshishiro has a bunch of experience in several different gendai and koryu arts. He had thoughts to incorporate what he had learned into a unified system of swordsmanship. From what I have seen of them, his principals and system were sound, and revolved around very solid technique. It is my understanding that the system has changed as it evolved. He has been tirelessly promoting it in order to expand Shinkendo around the globe. His system and standards have both been simplified over the years in order to make it more palatable to modern tastes, and so expand the school. Glitzy demonstrations such as cutting with two shinken as shown in the linked video clip, have become his way of generating interest. Shinkendo is still a viable school of kenjutsu/battojutsu. The senior instructors that I have met have all been well grounded in basics and quite knowledgeable. Unfortunately, Obata sensei's changes have not sat well with some of his senior students, and so a number of them have left the organization in recent years. Shenkendo has nothing at all to do with kendo. Shinkendo is still a decent kenjutsu/battojutsu system, but you now have to be more careful about who you are learning from (sort of like Bujinkan). The principals of shu-ha-ri are still utilized in today's sword arts. Schools can be made today in exactly the same way they have been made for hundreds of years. Contrary to what the movies would have you believe, sword duels were not very common during the Edo period (1600 to 1867) as they had to be approved or forgiven by the Shogun or his appointee. Many sword schools were developed during this period by people who had trained in other schools, and decided that things would be better done a bit differently, or they had a dispute with their school and struck out on their own, or for a dozen other reasons. By the late 1600's, everyone who had fought in the battles of the Sengoku Jidai were dead. Therefore, there were a very small number of people in Japan that actually had battle experience with their sword. However, there are quite a number of schools that were created by these very people. Thank you for the explanation, if i'm not mistaken under the light of what you said, even some post Sengoku jidai koryu coud've been or are about theory and imitation more than battle-tested applications, or is it a mix of all the above? Shu Ha Ri, the concept was discussed on this board, based on what i understood, how can one access the Ri stage in an art where you can't test on a live and resisting target?
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