Toyama Ryu Tameshigiri Demonstration

Soga Yoshiharu, 8th dan Toyama Ryu/Soga Ryu demonstrates his sword work at the General Welfare Center in Yokosuka, Japan

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People & Blogs

Tags:

• Toyama
• Soga
• Tameshigiri
• Battou

[ChaosNanite]

I'm very interested to hear if somebody has more info about the kata (name, ryu, etc) with batto at 3:19 and notto at 3:27. Specifically, I am interested in the chiburi at 3:22. I have never seen anything like it before, where the blade is drawn over the left leg. Though, I am familiar with drawing it over the right leg as shown at 2:29. Any help would be greatly appeciated!

[curlywolf]

@ChaosNanite hi. that series of cuts was just something to get him from his last target and across the floor to his next one. and the notto is just the left leg version of the right leg you noted. until i ask him, i want to say that Nakamura Taizaburo (Soga Sensei's teacher) employed several. This might have come to my teacher from him. I'll ask.

[whizzkid11k]

Was this purely a form demonstration to the public or was it a class or a contest?

[curlywolf]

short answer: yes. demo to the public.

longer answer: it was during a culture day to let foreigners (mostly U.S. servicemen and families) see and try Japanese culture.

[JesusFuckingChrist84]

I remember seeing his other performance, he always ends his performance with the cutting of the bamboo, gotta love it.

[curlywolf]

actually he ends it with shochu...

[GoldenButterfly1]

This was a good example of Japanese swordsmanship. I do not know what Soga Ryu is, but I can identify the Omori Ryu kata of Shohatto. It is a good example of just how muddled the Japanese sword arts are. Unlike us, the Japanese dont spend a lot of time pointing fingers at folks that dont fit too well into thier view of martial arts. This example had one of the oldest kata known in it, and it was still integrated into an art that only recently formed.

[firefox8192]

what katana is this, who is its' maker whare was it forged

[techwizzy]

holy crap... thats one asian man you don't want to mess with.

[CoolLikePenguinNuts]

Listen to all the people and kids talking while he's doing this. In another era there would have been a beheading. What a vanishing truly unique culture.

[KoriKitti]

Mr. Soga causes some serious harm to the poor bamboo rolly-thingies. :[ I hope one day I shall be as competent as him. :] I'm sure anyone who knows a thing about Iaido, can tell from the fact that I forgot what the targets are called, that I have a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG way to go. ha ha.

[Myounage]

That opening. Off to go play Shogun 2 it is.

[KalKyuLayTor]

That a small piece of the round-up mat makes a pretty loud thump when it hits the floor at 2:14, I wonder how dense it is.

[Sageo11]

Az egyik legszebb tameshigiri-kata amit valaha láttam!

Szomorú - de tény - hogy japánban, hiszed vagy sem, a két nemzeti sport a baseball és a golf. Egyáltalán nem tisztelik saját, egyébként roppant civilizált hagyományaikat.

[JVThrillz]

Amazing demonstration. Does anyone know the song at the end?