GARY T. KUBOTA / GKUBOTA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Iaijutsu grand master Sekiguchi Komei on Maui earlier this month demonstrated the art of quick-draw swordfighting passed down for more than 300 years. He is the 21st grand master.
WAILUKU >> Like a marshal in the Wild West, a samurai in a Japanese city would have his weapon sheathed but want to draw it swiftly if threatened. Ancient sword tactics
rely on fluid motions
By Gary T. Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.comA quick draw was essential.
Maui resident Robert W. Montgomery, a sixth-dan black belt in the Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaijutsu school, said the fighting techniques taught by Sekiguchi Komei were adapted to urban conditions, where individuals could be ambushed and assassinated.
"They had to respond quickly," he said.
Sekiguchi, who conducted an exhibition on Maui, compares the movement of the sword to a sumi brush in calligraphy, where the sweep is fluid, one motion, becoming one with the artist.
Unlike kendo and a number of other martial arts, iaijutsu is not practiced as a sport and there is no national or international competition to determine the best.
Sekiguchi said in iaijutsu, each blow is deadly and the student spends time meditating on intricacies of motions, as he learns about 40 to 50 katas, or prescribed movements.
The lessons from this school of martial arts had practical application in an urbanized feudal Japan.
Sekiguchi teaches how to respond and defeat an enemy in a multitude of situations, including a seated position.
In a class at the Okinawan Cultural Center on Maui earlier this month, he devoted more than 15 minutes teaching students how to unsheathe the sword in three steps.
He checked the position of their wrists and hands and had them make the same moves repeatedly.
He also taught them close-combat techniques, and how to prevent an opponent from removing a sword and then taking away the opponent's sword to end the duel.
During an iaijutsu demonstration, Sekiguchi's face is impassive and focused upon uniting his movements into a single motion.
As a part of his training, he practices Zen meditation and strives in his katas to move with intuitive intelligence, absent of thought or logic, which causes hesitation.
The techniques and philosophy have been passed down through the centuries. He was selected to be the 21st head of the martial-arts school through a former grand master.
Sekiguchi said Hayashizaki Jinsuke Minamoto No Shigenobu, the original grand master who lived from 1546 to 1621, developed the idea of certain swordfighting techniques, after considerable meditation in the mountains and coming to terms with the assassination of his own father.
Hayashizaki developed techniques that allowed a person to survive an unprovoked attack in a city environment.
Other martial-arts schools involving the use of the sword were in practice, and some have evolved into kendo.
Sekiguchi, whose home is in Tokyo, travels annually to various locations where there are iaijutsu practitioners.
There are about 100 practitioners in Japan and another 100 in other countries.
Sekiguchi said that unlike some martial arts, an iaijutsu practitioner does not need a dojo or fixed place to practice his martial art.
He said the practitioner carries his art within him.
Sekiguchi said he studied judo, karate and kendo for many years but became attracted to iaijutsu as a Japanese martial art because of its tradition.
It's the same reason he also enjoys calligraphy and ikebana, or the art of flower arrangement.
If you don't practice iaijutsu, it will disappear, he said through a translator.
Montgomery, a retired businessman, said he became interested in iaijutsu while working as the general manager and president of Apple Computers in Japan.
Montgomery said iaijutsu helped him develop patience, respect and the ability to assess situations, including the development of business strategies.
"I used to have a temper," he said.
Iaijutsu classes are taught twice a week at the Okinawan Cultural Center. For more information, call Montgomery on Maui at (808) 573-1965.
