Introduction

First of all, this is a sword school in the Japanese Style. Hopefully you already knew that, but it being said it should be fairly obvious that we use Japanese swords primarily the Katana and smaller Wakisashi (Also spelled Wakizashi) together in a set called a Daisho. The Ideals of the Ookami School require that you at least have a set of Bokken or Bokuto (Thats wooden swords, sorry if I use too much Japanese.) to practice with. However live steel is eventually necessary so you may get used to the weight and feel of your weapon. Traditional garb such as Obis, Hakamas, or Yukatas, etc. are not required but if you wish to or plan on fighting in these it is recommended that you also practice in them. Remember its all about comfort and familiarity.

Table of Contents

Basics

• Grip
  
• The Cut
  
• Blood Shaking
  
• Sheathing
  
• Stances

• Itto
  • Prime
    
  • Second
    
  • Third
    
  • Quartes
    

• Nito
  • Scorpion
    
  • Willow
    
  • Ni Ten
    

Grip

First one should discuss the grip, I have come across many amateur swordsmen who hold their katanas awfully, and this is my one pet peeve as far as bad technique goes. Your strong or lead hand, usually the right, goes on top about a thumbs breadth from the Tsuba, or Crossguard, where the handle ends and the blade begins. If holding a second sword the left hand should be set similarly, however if it is also on the katana then it needs to be held very near the end of the handle, this is the very essence of the katana for as you strike the lead hand pushes and the second hand pulls to provide a more powerful cut. At all times the fingers largest or second knuckle should be on the front of the handle so that the curve of it rests firmly in the crook of the hand. The grip should have a slight floating feeling between the thumb and forefinger. The middle finger should not be overly tight or overly slack and the last too fingers should be firm and tight to prevent dropping the sword.

The Cut

The single most important ideal of the katana is The Cut. By cut I do not simply mean to slice something or to touch your enemy with the blade. This is just slashing. When you cut your spirit is resolved. It is decisive with a resolute spirit. Even if you slash strongly and defeat your enemy, it is still just slashing. You must realize this difference. This is a mystery derived from the Niten Ichi-Ryu style, it is the one thing I recommend cutting practice for. An indispensable mystery hat can easily dounle, or even triple your cutting power. When you have truly mastered the cut you will greatly increase your power without a highly increased effort. The resolved strike pushes aside what it cannot cut like a boat through water. In this same way you may knock aside an enemies blade. Learn this well.

Blood Shaking

One of the most important parts of any swordsmanship is the shaking of blood, guts, and entrails from your blade before you resheath it. The Ookami style doesn't require any particular variety of shaking as I believe it is best for each swordsman to hold his own unique view of the sword. However, as a defined style I feel I must at least place some sort of definitive explanation for those using the ookami ryu as their only source. Therefore the "official" shaking technique is a variant of the Muso Shinden Ryu's chiburi. I'll detail it here for any who desire it. After you have stricken and are sure your opponent is dead the blade is held straight out to the right, wrist up with the Ha facing forward. The left hand is holding the saya at the koiguchi directly in the middle of your body, preferably in a belt or obi of some sort. Next, the right elbow is bent to 90 degrees and the blade is now pointing straight back with the Ha up. The blade is then rotated over the head as the arm flipped out so that at the end of the movement the arm is straight out to the right, with the wrist down, blade pointing forward and Ha facing out. This should be fast, definitive, and steady flinging gore from the blade before the sheathing.

Sheathing the Blade

Of course one may draw a blade at any given time simply by pulling on it, and you may just as simply put it back. However, a truly graceful swordsman will do this smoothly and without looking to his belt. This is of course, even more difficult than it sounds unless of course you know the secret behind it. That is of course the purpose of this site. This section teaches the graceful art of Noto, the smooth sheathing of the sword following chiburi, or the blood shaking. Now, this assumes that once the blade has been drawn its empty saya should be pulled forward so that the koiguchi is aligned with the center of the body. Now usually Noto is performed O-chiburi, after the blood shaking, but this is not necessary. For the sheathing the left hand grips the saya at the koiguchi so that the crook between the thumb and hand is directly atop the opening. Now the katana is brought across blade up so the flat side rests against the skin between the thumb and forefinger. The blade is drawn back across this until the tip passes the hand and drops neatly into the saya opening. Now you simply push the blade down into the saya and slide it back to the side. That's it, you're done. Practice this alot until its smooth and easy every time.

Stances

In the tradition of most Japanese sword schools, there are different stances for each weapon or combination of weapons. While I hope to eventually add at least some basis of style for a wide variety of weapons, at the moment I have only the single katana and two sword or niten styles. It should be remembered that these are not rigid poses to hold, but simply starting points from which to move and strike. In Itto they are called Prime, Second, etc. starting with the highest and moving lower in the style of Italian and Spanish rapier play (just a personal preference, nothing but the name is derived from such). In Nito I have named them more creatively based on their appearance.

Katana- Itto

Prime- The katana is held high to next to the head with the blade up. The blade is arched and poised like a scorpians tail ready to strike. The legs should be bent and the stance as low as possible since the body is exposed. This position can be used for stabbing or for long, powerful cuts. If the sword is on the lead hands side of the head it is possible to deliver stronger and quicker strikes, but defense is sacrificed. If on the weak hands side, attacks will suffer slightly, but defending is easier as the arm crossing the body does not conflict with the blade. You must decide which to use based on comfort and circumstances. I mainly use prime after parrying strikes at my head to strike quickly with the tip then shift to second or tierce. Some decide to release the second hand for prime and allow easier movement to both sides. The picture shows two gentlemen in prime, although in an excessively low stance.

Second- This stance was rather popular in the Kill Bill movies. The sword is held vertically up and down, with the elbows jutting out. The body is held more or less straight allowing for almost normal movement and making this one of the more agile stances. I prefer it because it leaves my body free to dodge then counter strike. The position of the sword allows for a huge range of strikes, parries, and blocks. However, the lower portion of the body is unprotected. When in second try to start your steps from the rear leg, and dont bring your rear foot more than halfway across your lead foot to avoid tripping, especially if fighting in a hakama. Be sure to vary your strikes, especially from here or your opponent will predict you and slice your belly before you know what hit you. In the true Ookami spirit, try several versions of this stance, experiment with which side you prefer to hold the katana, experiment with your preferred lead foot, though don't get too set in particular footing and be sure to practice stepping and switching feet in many directions at different points of attack and defense.

Third- Easily the most common and simple stance, anyone who's ever held a katana has probably tried it. The sword is held with both hands front and center of the body. There's no limit to the variety of manners with witch to strike from here. From a basic straight forward cut to a wide swinging strike the whirls over the head and lops from the shouder across the chest. Be sure to experiment with all manners of footings, angles of the blade, strikes, blocks, and parries. Develop a set of about 5-8 footings, 6-12 strikes, and 3-10 blocks and parries that you are most comfortable with and practice linking them together in attack strings. At first set out the sequence in your head and run through it repeatedly, adjusting weaknesses as you notice them. Eventually you should be able to intuitively strike block and move through these positions with ease and that subtle force all who practice a "zenned combat" seek to obtain.

Quartes- Quartes is a fairly dangerous stance to fight with being that it has very limited defensive potential, however it has a very high power and can cut from below. It is recommended that you do not hold this stance in closer combat, though it is good for a charging strike and to cut at someone in a heavy defense or waiting just outside normal striking range (though in that situation I'd recommend the Gatotsu). Anyways, on to the position details. The feet are fairly wide, very similar to Prime, but the sword is held low and towards the back or side, Ha down so that it may be swept upwards in a powerful strike. After a large downward strike its a simple matter of adjusting your hands without changing grips to get into Quartes and then quickly strike again and return to a more defensible position.



Katana and Wakisashi- Nito

Scorpion- The first of the Nito stances, it is similar to Itto's Prime. The katana is held over head on the right, ha up, tip pointing forward as in Prime, however the left hand has the wakisashi across the front of the body either diagonally or horizontally. The legs should be wide and the body low as to create a strong base. Be suer to step with your strikes, planting your feet firmly each time. The basic strategy of any Nito stance is to strike with the katana, block the counter strike with wakisashi, and then attack the open spot with the katana. Of course it won't always be that simple and variations are necessary. The scorpion stance is good for not only striking high, but also the wide stance and large area of coverage allow for a powerful defensive stance when engaging multiple foes or not wishing to lose ground in a fight.

Willow- Willow is a rather bizarre and dangerous stance completely unique to the ookami style as far as I am aware. Feet are set shoulder width facing forward. The swords are held down and to the sides with the ha facing the ground. The body remains exposed, drawing in an attack. The swords are then sent quickly into action blocking and stiking as necessary. Practice simultaneously striking and blocking quickly at all angles. This is an extremely dangerous technique and in all honesty should probably be listed as a special technique. However, I used this regularly facing relative amateurs to great success. My personal favorite is a sidestep to the right, block with the wakisashi, then strike the tsuka against the back of the opponents head as they trip over an outstretched leg. This stance is also good for intimidation and just looking plain cool. You really wanna freak some one out, go to willow and walk slowly but surely towards them, leaning forward slightly as you get close. In another "amateur duel" I have actually caused the person to throw down their bokuto and flee in this manner.