Baka Gaijin

Whilst we are with the Naginata ladies of the Chiyoda Castle...... Their tradition is ably continued by the ladies (and token gentlemen) of the Yoshin Ryu who give a spirited performance of their School's core curriculum.

My all time Naginata favorite Toyoharu Chikanobu The Chiyoda Castle Series The ladies of Chiyoda Palace c.1896 (The description from the MET sums the scene up: "The Inner Precincts of Chiyoda Castle,” Chikanobu imagines a world he never saw—the inner precincts of Chiyoda Castle—better known as Edo Castle—which housed the shogun’s mother, wife, and concubines. The area was off limits to all men other than the shogun himself or his young male heir. The Evacuation (otachinoki) described here probably refers to the Great Fire of 1844 that destroyed much of the castle. Female guards, garbed in black robes tied with a bamboo-motif obi, assist in the emergency evacuation, carrying naginata,"

Thank You Peter

Utagawa Kuniyoshi Nabe Buta (Pot Lid Defence) - Miyamoto Musashi attacks Tsukahara Bokuden with long and short Bokuto. c.1845

Utagawa Kuniyoshi Fashionable Octopus Games c.1840

Artist Unknown Various Mechandise fighting in a Dojo enclosure c.1880

Kawanabe Kyosai Children making shapes with a Fusa Himo including Yari Jutsu - spear fighting and a woman holding a Naginata. c.1865

Toyoharu Chikanobu The Chiyoda Castle Series Bokuto and Naginata Training c.1895

Utagawa Toyokuni Jujutsu c.1815

Hirezaki Eiho Bokuto and Naginata Practice c.1900

Utagawa Kunisada Tengu teaching Ushiwaka (Minamoto No Yoshitsune) under the watchful gaze of the Tengu King Shojobu c.1810

One for Piers Susuki Kinsen c.1900

Toyoharu Chikanobu The Chiyoda Castle Series The Last Shogun Yoshinobu watching Gekken practice c.1897

Just for the fun of it: From the Archive of the Edo Tokyo Museum: By Tsukioka Yoshitoshi The Dojo of Sakakibara Kenkichi c.1873

Families usually did not stamp the habaki of their ancestral swords with Arabic numerals.

Takes a while to download, but worth the wait Old Bean. https://www.city.hag...photo/bakumatsu1.jpg https://www.city.hag...ingakusha/photo.html Putting this on the visit list for October November!!!!!

猿でさえ木から落ちます。

Looks like the flowering head of a type of bullrush....

Ganbatte!!!!!!

"Yes, it could be a perfect shape for skulduggery." I've come across the term "Hiden Buki" in respect of weapons concealed in everyday objects. There are a number of Koryū who have this within their tradition, notably Hōten-ryū (法典流) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hōten-ryū

Was it originally in this Koshirae or in a fan perhaps? The eyes have it...............

Good afternoon John The late Donn F Draeger wrote about its complexities. https://en.wikipedia...wiki/Donn_F._Draeger Check out: Classical Budo Classical Bujutsu Modern Budo and Bujutsu

Then one could always adopt the principle of the thumb and index finger replacing the Tsuba to enforce Maai 間合い and encourage Riai 理 合. The operative Kiai being Ouch!!!, Tish!! or an Anglo Saxon Expletive using four letters, if Maai is mistaken.

Usual forms for a standard Bokuto used by many Gendai Budo schools https://tozandoshop....ections/bokuto-tsuba More https://www.ninecirc...uba-dome-for-bokken/