Ogre Crush

We warmed up with 坐り型 suwari gata kihon and ukemi. First with basic 膝行 shikkō forwards and backwards. Then receiving a punch or a kick and rolling away.

We began class with 鬼砕 oni kudaki. Many people in the Bujinkan may not know that this technique is applied differently for 高木揚心流 Takagi Yoshin Ryū than it is with 九鬼神流 Kukishin Ryū. Our focus in this class was the Takagi method.

I shared a variety of grips to get the best leverage. My current favorite is the “monkey grip.” But every grip has its place depending on the response of your opponent.

This sets you up well for the osoto gari. When I demoed this my uke became airborne and pancaked on his back. In actual combat, you may drive his head into the ground.

Hatsumi Sensei gave some guidance for us when he said, “Have the intention of applying oni kudaki as a counter to the other person’s attack, not as your own attack. When you think they are going to attack, you have to see them as an oni.” This is a deep clue. Experiencing the opponent as an oni allows you to dispel their spirit.

What I learned from Soke is to attack first. Most people take oni kudaki in response to an attack, but Hatsumi Sensei told us to “Foresee that he is going to attack (意識を前 ishiki o mae) and put it on him then. You have to read the opponent’s intention before you try something. You have to think not only of the oni kudaki, but what’s happening on either end of it.”

I spent some time in class helping the students learn to read the opponent’s intention this way. It is quite a surprise when their movement is anticipated and caught. But make sure not to get caught by a feint.

Even more advanced than reading their intention, is shaping the kukan to create the form of oni kudaki. This is a way to apply shadow techniques. Applied this way, the attackers fall into the lock of their own accord. It takes very little physical effort on your part.

I amplified this with a hidden knife. It was an odd experience because the less I did, the stronger the response. Imagine a ghost knife carving up an oni and you may get the picture. My students definitely felt it!

Of Note: antecedent