手の内 (te no uchi) is a term that carries different meanings, but in martial arts it is used to indicate especially the way of grasping/gripping a sword or the respective hand form etc.
This is of extraordinary importance for it is the only point of contact between the sword and oneself.
About the 手の内 (te no uchi) for 太刀 (tachi)
When gripping a 太刀拵 (tachigoshirae) like this one, the hand position differs from that one for 打刀 (uchigatana).
As for the right hand’s position, we have to imagine that we’re wearing armour, fight at a close maai and since we want to increase our chances to lock swords and push, we place it even farther away from this 縁金 (fuchigane).
We hold it so far away from the tsuba that if we were to place a raw egg in between, it would fall down.
The so-called 兜金 (kabutogane – lit. “helmet metal”) which is at the tsukagashira part of the 太刀拵 (tachigoshirae), and the metal fitting named 猿手 (sarute – lit. “monkey hand”) are structurally not that strong. Therefore, if we wrapped our hand around the tsukagashira part and held it like we did with the 打刀 (uchigatana), it might easily end up getting damaged or the 猿手 (sarute) might get in the way and prevent us from freely moving our hand around it.
As such, we won’t place our left hand at the tsukagashira part, but rather slightly above it.
As you can see here, we will use the sword with both hands inevitably kept extremely close to each other.
Of course, when actually in motion our hands will slide along the tsuka, so they aren’t necessarily fixed to this position. However, please keep in mind that compared to how we usually hold the uchigatana, both fists are close to each other on a 太刀拵 (tachigoshirae).
手の内 (te no uchi) variation I
In kenjutsu and the like, as a basic rule, the left hand barely holds on to the tsukagashira, away from the right hand – we use the sword under this principle. However, in actual combat, both hands move around freely. The left hand may also move closer to the tsuba.
Keeping the right hand away from the tsuba like this has the benefit of making it easier to move around the sword within your hands. Also, we can lower the risk of getting our fingers smashed by the opponent’s tsuba when locking swords with them.
手の内 (te no uchi) variation II
Especially the 手の内 (te no uchi) for tameshigiri
This hand form called 竜の口 (tatsu no kuchi), just like with the hands’ positioning, may change depending on the circumstances.
Especially for tameshigiri, when cutting tatami and so on, where you will meet a lot of resistance, with this 手の内 (te no uchi) you will have a lot of play here and hence be in danger of losing to that resistance. In such a case, it’s better to narrow down the 手の内 (te no uchi) by pushing down these three fingers.
Squeezing the 手の内 (te no uchi) like this will make you stronger against the resistance and it’s extremely effective in tameshigiri and the like.
However, in actual combat there are hardly any simple things such as cutting the opponent right in half, cutting their torso into two equal pieces or cutting down their arms.
Even if you were successful in doing those things, your sword might get damaged or you might leave a big opening for the enemy and you’d suffer an embarrassing defeat against multiple enemies.
Because of that we put a lot of importance on generally making shallow cuts and in principle we make use of the 手の内 (te no uchi) of 竜の口 (tatsu no kuchi) with which we are able to swiftly handle the sword with complete and unrestricted control.
Important point about 手の内 (te no uchi) I
When gripping the sword, we hold the tsuka with our 手の内 (te no uchi) completely attached to it. It is crucial to apply the pressure evenly when forming the 手の内 (te no uchi).
When gripping the sword and cutting stuff, you might one way or another end up gripping too hard and putting too much strength into it, so please make sure to distribute the pressure equally and, as much as possible, loosen your 手の内 (te no uchi) and relax when holding the sword.
With this explanation some might take it the wrong way and and think that we let the sword become loose or play around in our hands or that there is some space between tsuka and hand – but that is not what we mean.
We leave no space with our hands and attach them completely and evenly.
Holding the sword loosely means holding the sword with just the exact force necessary to hold it up without applying any excess force from our arms or palms.
Squeezing the 手の内 (te no uchi) and wringing the cloth don’t mean putting in force to hold the sword either. It means we squeeze with the work from our body alone without applying any kind of force whatsoever.
Important point about 手の内 (te no uchi) II
When holding a cylindrical object, one tends to grip it with a round hand shape. However, since a sword’s tsuka generally becomes flat, it’s important to divide the palm along the life line and try to hold the tsuka between the two parts.
It’s this motion.
Hold the sword by blocking it off from both left and right with your palm, as if you were closing a book.
This has been the explanation for 手の内 (te no uchi) and how to grip the sword.
Tsuka and 手の内 (te no uchi) – this is the only point that connects the sword and oneself. This spot is so to speak the key point for handling the sword.
Please be sure to handle the sword with the correct 手の内 (te no uchi).
If you mess up this 手の内 (te no uchi) part, no matter how many other parts you practise with utmost effort, there will be fatal mistakes in your movement.
Please make sure to pay attention to your 手の内 (te no uchi) during practice at all times and try to internalize the correct 手の内 (te no uchi) at an as early as possible stage.
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