*Gassyo Tsuka Kudashi (合掌柄下)* is a teaching method designed to learn the correct way to place one’s hands on the hilt of the sword during drawing. “Gassyo (合掌)” means “palms together” or “prayer gesture,” “Tsuka (柄)” means “hilt,” and “Kudashi (下し)” means “to lower.”
It is also known as *Kudashi Gassho (下し合掌)*, where “Kudashi” means “to lower,” and “Gassho” retains the meaning of “palms together.” Both names describe the action of lowering both hands from the gassho posture to the sword’s hilt.
In Tenshinryu, it is important to keep your armpits closed when placing your hands during the act of drawing the sword. Keeping your armpits closed refers to maintaining contact between the inner upper arms and the sides of the torso. If there is a gap between the inner upper arms and the torso, especially if the elbows are spread out to the sides rather than positioned forward, this is referred to in Tenshinryu as “Kani-ude (蟹腕)” or “Kani-no-ude (蟹腕)” (“crab arms”) and is strictly admonished.
This Gassho Tsuka Kudashi is a movement that is incorporated as part of the technique in Jizo-Nuki (地蔵抜).
In actual top-speed sword-drawing, the elbows are not kept completely attached to the torso. In Kyu (急) no Ri 離 (Sosho 草書), the elbows naturally open outward to some extent, as forcibly keeping them closed does not optimize the movement. However, for beginners, the instinctive (habitual) tendency of the body often causes the elbows to open widely outward, resulting in movements far from optimal. While it may improve to a certain degree with experience, this improvement will only reach a “better than before” level, not a truly optimized one, and it will remain at an immature stage far from mastery.
Therefore, through training methods like this, it is essential to develop the correct muscles and neural pathways to thoroughly correct such tendencies.
Procedure
1. First, bring your palms together in a prayer gesture (gassyo 合掌) in front of your face or chest.
(Starting the gassho in front of your face is more effective, but if it is difficult, starting in front of your chest is relatively easier.)
2. From there, close both elbows inward and attach them to your sides.
3. While keeping your elbows attached to your sides, slide them backward and lower both hands.
4. Hold the scabbard with your left hand and place your left thumb on the guard (tsuba 鍔).
5. Move the sword slightly forward using your left hand.
6. Keep your right hand as vertical as possible, maintain an open palm, and place it on the hilt (tsuka 柄).
Points to Note
– During the movements, ensure that your elbows never separate from your sides.
– As a method for checking and correcting, practice repeatedly placing your hands on the sword while holding a towel or similar item under your armpits to ensure it does not fall.
– Be careful not to grip the hilt (tsuka 柄) with your right hand; instead, place your thumb and the other four fingers around the hilt, as if pinching it.
Practice Guidelines
At first, practice slowly, and as you become accustomed, perform the movement as quickly as possible. However, this training method involves only placing your hands on the sword without drawing it, so even at maximum speed, ensure that your elbows never separate from your sides. Additionally,as you progress, not only should you keep your elbows from separating, but you should aim to press your elbows into your sides, as if embedding them into the torso. This mindset will result in even better movement.
This training method not only helps you learn the correct movements of both arms but also teaches the motion of moving both ribs inward. While there is no fixed number of repetitions, as a guideline, practice slowly about 20 times and quickly about 30 times daily until you become accustomed to it. As with all training methods and techniques, even after reaching a certain level of proficiency, revisiting this training method occasionally can
help improve and optimize your physical abilities, as well as further enhance your skills.
You cannot draw the sword without first placing your hands on it. For this reason, the act of placing your hands on the sword can be considered one of the most important movements. This is the first step toward mastering Tenshin-ryu’s sword-drawing technique, where you do not draw the sword after placing your hands on it but rather draw the sword the moment your hands touch it.
Approach this practice with focus and dedication.
合掌柄下（がっしょうつかくだし）とは、抜刀時に正しく刀に手を掛けることを学ぶための教えです。文字通りに、合掌姿勢より柄に双手を下すという程の意味で、別名「下し合掌（くだしがっしょう）」とも呼ばれます。
脇が開（あ）かないように注意するというのは、多くのスポーツで言われることです。天心流でも、抜刀時に手を掛ける際に、脇が開かないようにすることが重要となります。ここで言う「脇が開く」とは、上腕内側と脇腹に隙間が出来る状態であり、特に両肘が前ではなく横に開くことを意味します。天心流ではこれを「蟹腕」（「かにうで」または「かにのうで」）と呼びます。
この合掌柄下は地蔵抜（じぞうぬき）において技法の一環に含まれる動作となります。
実際には完全に両脇を閉じて抜刀するわけではありません。
急の離（草書）では両脇はある程度開きます。無理に閉じてもそれは動作として最適化にはならないからです。
しかし初学においては、身体の本能的（性癖的）な挙動として両脇が大きく開いてしまい最適化からは程遠い動作になります。
慣れれば相応に「マシ」になりますが、それはマシ以上のレベルとはなり得ず、最適化には到底至らない未熟な段階を越えることは出来ません。
そのため正しい筋肉と神経を発達させて、こうした挙動を徹底的に矯正する必要があります。
手順
１、まず顔の前、または胸前程で合掌をします。
（合掌は顔前より始めるとより効果的ですが、難しい場合は、胸前より行うと比較的簡単です）
２、そこから両肘を内側に閉じて両脇腹に付けます。
３、両肘を脇腹に付けたまま、後ろにスライドさせて、両手を下ろします。
４、左手で鞘を持ち、左手拇指を鍔に掛けます（拇指で鍔を控える）。
５、左手でやや刀を前方に動かします。
６、右手を出来るだけ垂直を維持するようにして、平手のままに柄に掛けます。
注意点
動作中、両肘を絶対に脇腹から離さないようにして下さい。
確認方法、修正方法として、両脇にタオルなどを挟み、それが落ちないように手を掛ける稽古を繰り返すと良いでしょう。
右手は柄を握らないように注意し、拇指を他の四指で挟むように掛けます。
稽古の目安
初めはゆっくりと、慣れるに従って可能な限り素早く行うと良いでしょう。
但し、この稽古法は抜刀を伴わず「手を掛けるだけ」ですので、最速で行っても両肘は絶対に両脇腹から離れないようにして下さい。
またただ両肘を両脇腹から離さないだけでなく、長じてはより両肘を両脇腹に押し付けるように、あたかも胴部の内側にめり込ませるような心持ちで行うと、より良い動作になります。
これにより、単純に両腕の挙動だけでなく、両肋骨を内側に絞る動作を学ぶことが出来ます。
特に決まった回数はありませんが、ゆっくりと20回程度、素早くは30回程度を目安として、慣れるまで日々繰り返していただくと上達が早まります。
そしてすべての稽古法、技法に共通しますが、修得した後も折に触れてこれを行うことで、身体能力の向上と最適化の確認と、さらなる向上が見込めます。
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