Myoute

I will now explain 妙手 (myoute), one of the old practices in Tenshinryuu. Please watch this first.

Now, please have a look from the side, too.

This is not a movement where you simply cut straight down right in front of you, then reverse your hand and cut straight up again with the blade facing upward.

While I cut down right in front of me, I use my palm to rotate my sword clockwise by 180 degrees so it faces upward, then I cut up.

It should look like this.

Please have a look from the side.

While cutting straight down, use your palm to rotate the sword clockwise by 180 degrees, then cut up.

Please first practise this movement with your right hand.

Once you’re able to do it with your right hand, please practise it your left hand as well.

When doing 妙手 (myoute) with your left hand, while you cut straight down, use your palm to rotate the sword counter-clockwise so it faces upward, then cut up.

Please watch from the side.

This movement is very important to train your palm.

We would like you to practise this every day.

I am now going to explain the palm’s movement in detail. As especially the 妙手 (myoute) when cutting down is quite difficult, please watch carefully.

When practising this without moving the sword, rotating it is rather difficult due to its weight. Therefore, we do the rotation by gripping the tsuka first with the ring, then middle, then index finger.

Let’s do it one more time.

Rotate the sword by gripping the tsuka step by step like this.

It’s actually more accurate to describe the movement as sliding the tsuka rather than gripping it.

I think it would be easier to do this with a light sword first, such as a wakizashi. Since we perform this all at once it’s going to be a sliding movement with our palm.

Move your ring, middle and index finger one by one and rotate the sword.

Now I’m going to explain 妙手 (myoute) in a horizontal movement.

The movement to rotate the sword with your palm is the same as the vertical one from earlier.

Halfway through cutting/slashing horizontally from left to right, turn around the sword (by 180 degrees) with your palm, then cut back horizontally from right to left.

It’s this kind of movement.

Let me perform it at a different angle.

It’s this kind of movement.

We have to practise this with our left hand as well so we can do it with both hands.

Please practise until you can smoothly turn around the sword.

This has been the explanation for the horizontal 妙手 (myoute).

Next, please let me explain the 妙手 (myoute) when you cut down right in front of you, then horizontally. First of all, please watch this.

Please have a look from the side.

Halfway through cutting down in front of you rotate the sword with your palm clockwise by ⑨0 degrees, then finish off the cut horizontally. Perform this kind of movement.

Please practise this not only with your right, but also with your left hand.

This has been the explanation for the 妙手 (myoute) when first cutting down, then off to the side.

*NOTE: In order to not hit the low ceiling the following will be performed while sitting, but usually it’s fine to do it while standing.

Next, please let me explain the 妙手 (myoute) when first cutting up until right above you, then down right in front of you.

This movement is used in techniques like 地天返 (chitengaeshi – roughly “earth-heaven reversal”).

Please watch first.

We cut up until right above us, then down right in front of us, but beginners might end up making a big circle with the 切っ先 (kissaki – “tip of the sword”) when turning around the sword before cutting down.

It shouldn’t be like that, but instead while making sure your sword stays on a straight line all the way up, use 妙手 (myoute) to turn around the sword, then cut down again.

Please make sure your movement when cutting up until right about you, then down right in front of you stays very thin.

Please watch from the left.

First, cut up until right above you, then use 妙手 (myoute) to turn around the sword and cut down.

Please watch from the right.

Beginners may want to follow the movement of the kissaki (tip of the sword) with their eyes and then, while confirming that their sword makes a straight line, go on to cut down again.

Please take your time to do it slowly and properly while checking if you’re cutting/slashing up and down on a thin straight line.

This concludes our explanation of the training methods for 妙手 (myoute).