 About The Doctor."In the world of combat survival, the superior fighter makes use of all advantages at hand, including the influences of the mind. As a means of increasing the difficulty for an enemy, ninja of old developed the strategy of kyojitsu tenkan ho, or the interchange of the concepts of falsehood and actuality. A strategy for winning that relies on the presentation of truth and falsehood in ways that permit the antagonist to be deceived, kyojitsu tenkan forms the basic approach for all ninjutsu activities and thinking. Because the ninja is dealing freely with the concepts of truth and falsehood, fluidly bending one into the other, he must be well grounded in his own concept of reality. To prevent becoming lost, misguided, or swallowed up by his own deception or awareness altering, the ninja must maintain seishin, or purity of heart. In this sense, the word pure means "complete" or " total." The ninja carries the truth in his heart, though he may appear in many psychological guises to others. His intentions remain resolute, though others may have no idea what those commitments entail. Because he is totally honest with himself at all levels of introspection, he can venture into the realm of falsehood and untruth without defiling himself or his spirit. He can willingly plunge into the cold darkness, knowing full well that he has the power to create his own light from the brightness he carries in his heart." Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi
Learn Ninjutsu - Kyojitsu Tenkan Ho - The Hidden Secret of All Ninja Techniques
Within the realm of the martial arts, the self-protection and combat system developed by Japan's ancient shadow warriors still stands the test of time in a way unlike any other martial art of the time. In fact, the ability of the Ninja to employ striking, grappling, and any other tactic that you can think of, is what modern mixed martial artists are trying to duplicate. Rather than limit themselves to primarily punching and kicking, or just throwing techniques like many of the more conventional martial systems did during the Meiji Restoration Period in Japan in the mid 1850's, the Ninja's combat arts employ a wide range of both armed and unarmed techniques, tactics, and strategies. In fact, I like to say that the Ninja's arts are like the old Prego spaghetti sauce commercials used to say here in the States... "it's in there!" What I mean is that, in Ninjutsu, anything that can be done to you, or by you in a self defense situation, is either a part of the art as a skill or tactic... ...or it is an attack scenario that you must prepare yourself for in the training! Nothing is off limits. But, with all of the lists of kata. With all of the scrolls from the traditional lineages that have come together to form the foundation for modern Ninjutsu training, there is one technique that lies within each of these, that makes them more powerful than the written description or step-by-step form ever teaches. This technique is called, Kyojitsu Tenkan Ho. Kyojitsu tenkan is the juxta-positioning - the alternating - of truth and falsehood. And, while many people believe this to be just a reference to the Ninja's spying and information gathering activities in ancient Japan. I can assure you that it is much, much, more than that! Others believe that kyojitsu is nothing more than what we might call a "psych-out." And again, the concept goes far deeper than this low-level, beginner technique - common to almost all martial systems. No. Kyojitsu tenkan ho, while difficult to describe through the written word, and even more difficult to grasp - is the technique the Ninja uses to set up his opponent so that he falls for the actual technique that the shadow warrior IS doing. Confused? Let's look at it another way. Only this time I'm going to ask you a question? How likely are you to find an attacker who wants to beat your brains in, and... ...he's also willing to allow you do your cool technique to or on him? Right. Not very likely! In fact, I'd venture to say, ummm... NEVER! So, if your attacker isn't going to just let you do your cool move on him, then what? You could just force it on him, right? But, doesn't that mean that you'd have to be bigger, faster, or stronger than him to do that? So, how then, if in a self defense situation where you're going to be the underdog - you're going to probably be smaller, weaker, less skilled, and maybe even less armed than your assailant...how can you get your technique on this person when the odds are stacked against you? And the answer is... You do it by creating a reality that your attacker believes, while you simultaneously do something different. What I mean is, you do something that makes your attacker believe that you intend to do one thing, while you're really using that movement to set up your real technique. Again, this is not the typical psych-out that we see when somebody jabs to get his opponent to flinch so he can punch him with a right cross. Here's an example to illustrate my point: Let's say that, in true Ninja fashion, that I watch how my attacker moves and attempts to get at me. And, based on my prior study and research into the way the different fighting styles do things, I recognize this person to be a "block" oriented fighter. That means that he uses conventional karate-style blocking to deal with incoming strikes. Now, also in true Ninja fashion, I use this knowledge about my attacker to launch "what appears to be" a downward hammer-fist strike at my attacker's head or face. Then, when he instinctively raises his arm to block my apparent strike, I drop my elbow at the last second and open my fist into a knife-hand, which slams into his upraised forearm - breaking it! Can you see that this is not a psych-out? And, if it is, it was the attacker who did the psyching. Here's what really happened: Since I knew that he was a blocker, I launched an attack that, if he didn't block it, would do a lot of damage. But, when he took the bait and gave me the real target - his forearm, which is what I wanted the whole time - I changed my strike at the last second to deliver the breaking blow I planned on. Do you understand why this works so well? It works because... My opponent cannot defend against an attack he cannot see. Of course he saw the fist. But, what did my fist, and direction of my strike, tell him? It told him that I was going after his head. And besides - his arm was nowhere in the picture at that point. So, to him, his arm was a weapon - not a target! This is the secret technique! Knowing what is in your attacker's mind - what he or she believes is true - how he processes his world, and in this case - how he thinks about fighting... ...and then giving him something that has "the appearance" of that reality. That way, while they are chasing an illusion, your attacker is, in reality, setting themselves up for their own defeat. To a true student of the shinobi arts, even the opponent, in essence, becomes a tool for the Ninja to use against himself. And, in so doing... ...he becomes an accomplice to his own butt-kicking!Kiai: The Fading Cry of the Martial Artist Published by Jamie Clubb on October 1, 2005 | Leave a response
Iain Abernethy "Bunkai-Jutsu" Perhaps one of the most neglected natural martial arts weapon is the voice. It appears to be little more than a ritual in most dojos, dojangs, kwoons or gyms of today. The power shout or "Kiai" in Japanese, "Kyup" in Korean and Qi He in Chinese is usually delivered at a relevant part in a traditional drill or to announce the scoring of a point in competition. It has been literally translated into English to mean "Spirit Meeting", "Energy Attuning" or relating to a physical expression of Chi or Ki energy. In today's practice of martial arts we see this area of study regulated to a rather redundant position. At best kiai is used to add vigour to a students form. At worst it is an unconvincing shriek or grunt. When we consider the scope of human expression I believe that the essence of kiai is far more than just a war cry. A modern time requires a more contemporary translation of this very important section martial art training. From my own experiences and from those who I written and demonstrated effective kiai, I see the practice being defined as "voice with intent." The power of the human voice is an effective tool that can do a multitude of tasks from releasing inhibition to controlling a wild animal. Before we look into the various martial applications of the voice let's compare what certain specialists in kiai have to say about it. The first example that leaps to my mind is the world's most famous historical samurai, Myomoto Musashi. He wrote in his "The Book of Five Rings" that there were three kiais: the pre-emptive shout, the in-fight shout and the victory shout. The first scared the opponent or threw him off his guard by causing a sudden rush of adrenaline in his body. This also served as a good way for the shouter to expel any of his own fears or inhibitions as he went in for the kill. The second shout reinforced the physical attacks by giving them a psychological sting. The last, and most debated, shout served as a warning to others. The modern maestro of self-defence, Geoff Thompson applied this strategy to modern street warfare. This wasn't always the traditional single syllable shout. Rather his pre-fight kiai was designed to line his opponent up. It came in the form of either aggressive dialogue that would frighten his adversary into a "flight" response or deceptive dialogue – usually a question – that would engage the adversary's brain for a split second so that Geoff could get his pre-emptive strike in. The in-fight kiai came in the form of aggressive dialogue used for the same reason as Musashi's war cries were intended. The post-fight or victory kiai was, in most cases, Geoff's propaganda to anyone else who fancied attacking him or getting revenge on the fallen man's behalf. He would shout taunts and challenges to those gathered around in a similar manner as a king's champion in bygone days would do after a coronation. Many people interpret Musashi's last kia as a shout for joy. The text is quite vague over its purpose. No doubt shouting did provide some therapeutic release after winning a fight to the death. Nevertheless I see this as a by-product for the real reason behind the victory shout, which seems more logical to be in line with the manner Geoff used. Using Geoff Thompson for another example of practical kiai application in its rawest form, I refer to an incident he mentions in his books and videos of "Three Second Fighter" and "The Art of Fighting without Fighting." He tells the story of a man who deterred three would-be attackers by assuming a low Karate stance and using a loud kiai shout. In Geoff's words, "the guy couldn't fight sleep, but he had a good kiai." Likewise Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi, the 34th Grandmaster of Togakure ryu Ninjutsu, recounts a very similar tale in his book "Ninjutsu: History and Tradition." Ninjutsu cultivates the art of a spirited shout into a system they call Kiaijutsu. They depict four types of kiai "The Attacking Shout", "The Reacting Shout", "The Victory Sound" and "The Shadow Shout." All are designed to distract, dissuade or overwhelm the opponent's mind by sheer force of intention. The story Hatsumi tells gives an example of "The Shadow Shout." Hatsumi's sensei told of a huge martial artist from a rival school, Sekiguchi ryu, entering the Togakure ryu dojo and challenging anyone in the school to a match. A small junior student jumped in to accept the challenge. He was older than even the dojo sensei, but had a much lower rank. The invading student prepared to start his bout when, without any formality, the little junior student "leaped onto the hardwood floor with a roaring shout and a thunderous stamping of feet. Though an older man, the student's wide shoulders, scar-crossed face, and neck with its bulging veins gave him a fierce look." The Sekiguchi ryu student stumbled backwards and immediately bowed in submission out of sheer fear. In his "Bunkai-Jutsu" book, renowned applier of practical Karate, Iain Abernethy, gave another example of the famous sensei, Matsumura, who also used kiai to defeat an opponent. My traditional Ju Jutsu sensei used to apply kiai as an alternative to a strike when you was try to get someone's balance or apply a lock. We even practiced using the shout in a drill where a student rushed us. The sudden noise can set of a responsive signal in your opponent's brain giving you that split second window to act. In a self-defence scenario there is also the added the advantage of attracting further attention. Therefore a kiai can be turned from a defence weapon into an SOS signal. A child struggling from his abductor can alert other adults to his plight by shouting "you're not my father!" Returning the use of kiai as a stalling or reflective weapon, I turned my attention to less obvious martial arts connections. Most animal trainers use the power of noise and, in most cases, their own voice to manipulate the actions of animals. My mother is an animal trainer and comes from a long line of animal trainers stretching back over three hundred years. My father became a world renowned trainer of exotic and dangerous wild animals. They have both told me time and again that the voice is by far the most important tool in training animals. It is even more important than food rewards. Attaching kindly words to food rewards is a method of training known as positive reinforcement that makes an animal feel good about performing certain behaviours on command. A powerful assertive voice can be used to reprimand an animal or as a defensive weapon if the animal should attack the trainer or another animal. Such comparisons can be applied to teaching children; words of encouragement are used by teachers when effort and improvement are displayed and more assertive tones are used if a child is unruly, disruptive or aggressive. My father takes such methods to extremes. He uses what Geoff Thompson would call a negative fence, when he moves backwards to get a lion to perform a fake attack or "roust." All the way he calls the lion in a commanding tone drawing the animal forward roaring and lashing out with its claws until he stops, always maintaining a distance between him and animal, uses another tone make the animal rear up and then with a relaxed tone, "aaaalright!", he sends the lion back to his place. In martial arts the negative fence is used to create a vacuum, where an experienced fighter will draw back in order make his opponent come forward and walk into a strike. Kiai comes in the form of submissive or taunting dialogue. When we see how animals use their own form of kiai to communicate and as part and parcel of their fighting methods, it is not surprising that sound is such an important tool in animal training. Tibetian Spaniels were especially used in the Buddhist monasteries for their willingness to bark at any person who came near. These tiny dogs could do little harm to anyone, but their high-pitched barking was enough to alert the pacifist monks to the presence of potential intruders. Of course, some people go a stage further and have small dogs with very deep-throated barks. They seem to be Geoff Thompson and Hatsumi's shadow-shouters of the animal world. In the western world the sound of a deep throated aggressive bark reinforced by the actual image of a slavering Alsatian or Doberman is an example of a human using an animal "fence." By observing the animal kingdom we can learn a lot about how humans operate on a base level. We can learn how to feel another person's intentions through the sounds that they make. Understanding voice patterns, so often described in Geoff Thompson's self-protection videos and books, helps us gauge a person's intent. For example single syllable words, like a dog's low growl, signals that an attack is imminent. This is one way of understanding why some martial artists refer to kiai as "Energy Attuning." Many animals use sound before their physical strike, be it a hiss, a growl or a snort. They will often use a particular sound to dissuade an opponent from fighting with them. Sometimes it is aggressive, other times submissive. Once they are fighting, they will reinforce their attacks with further noises. When their opponent is submitted in some way, they will use further noises to dissuade any future attempts at fighting. The comparisons with Musashi, Geoff Thompson and Hatsumi's human kiais are obvious.
Kiai is a very natural tool inherent in us all. You have only look at the rituals of primitive tribes of the world to see how the making of noise is used to signify aggressive intent and strike fear into the opponent. On a domestic level I see it in a somewhat diluted form when we struggle to open the lid of a jam jar. This brings us to the line that distinguished what isn't kiai. As natural and in tune with our instincts as kiai should be I don't believe it is ever involuntary. Therefore a sudden cry of shock or pain is not kiai. I don't believe kiai is ever half-hearted either. Iain Abernethy writes that kiai should be projected through "your voice, actions, thoughts, feelings and eyes." Have a look at a genuine Maori war dance and you will see a good physical example of pre-fight kiai being expressed with full intent. Understanding kiai can help us manipulate so many situations. As a training aide you can banish inhibition when you go for those final few reps on a weight or to add power to your technique. The noise shouts down your negative feelings and asserts your control over your body. Whichever way you look at it, the sounds of the mouth are a form of communication either to yourself or to others. As martial artists I believe we should all cultivate our own form of Kiaijutsu. So, rather than allowing kiai to become a relic of your art, a dew claw or appendix of the martial anatomy, that only appears when you want to impress the grading panel or a tournament judge, let's apply it to win all our battles, both external and internal. And remember the beauty with kiai is that you can win a battle before anyone has landed a blow. It really is the often praised art of fighting without fighting.An article previously on Veritas. Kiaijutsu
"Kiaijutsu is usually assumed to be a loud shout, but that is only its most trivial expression. First of all, kiai is always a psychophysical method to organize one's own energy and will. At the same time, it is a method of affecting another's inner world." -- Ellis Amdur Kiaijutsu (The Art of Harmony), like Aikijutsu (Aiki and Kiai are the same characters in opposite order), is a method of harmonizing oneself with another person in order to make them do what you want. Like Aikijutsu, Kiaijutsu can be used to find out another's intent, deceive others about your intent, or to manipulate an opponent's strong points in order to gain the upper hand in both sport and real combat. Among other things, the Kiai can add power to your strikes and kicks, help you overcome fear and pain, and (when timed properly) can help you sustain a blow to the torso area with less or no injury. Much of the Kiai's strong points have to do with intent because, even though many Asian martial arts use the kiai, Kiaijutsu as an art is Japanese. To the Japanese, Ki translates as "spirit", referring to intent, feelings, and mind-set that, which many believe, is represented by an actual psychic energy. Kiaijutsu can be amazingly elaborate. Some arts, such as the Ninjutsu of the Togakure Ryu and the Kenjutsu of the Jikishinkage Ryu, have four types of Kiai. For example, the Togakure's Kiaijutsu consisted of the Attacking Kiai, Reacting Kiai, Victorious Kiai, and the Shadow Kiai. The Jikishinkage's Kiaijutsu also had four Kiai that were similar in type, but were named after the Seasons. Being that the Kiai is overwhelming popular as a yell, many find it suprising that the Shadow Kiai and the Winter Kiai of the two school above are actually silent. More suprising is the fact that those two Kiai are actually the most useful of them all. Of course, this comes with a price. Such Kiai are the most difficult to master. There are other types of Kiai outside of the main four also serve purposes such as suddenly appearing larger, freezing an opponent in place, appearing vulnerable, or actually becoming vulnerable and using that to win. The teachings of Kiaijutsu say that masters of such art are actually able to freeze multiple opponents or knock people backwards or even knock people over with this skill. Many myths and legends speak of people who could kill small birds from several yards away with this shout. The skill of knocking individuals over with the Kiai has even been witnessed in modern times. The author of this article has even frozen people in place from several yards away and even was able to knock someone over on one occasion with Kiaijutsu. The individuals in question felt as if being hit by a shockwave which stopped or knocked them over. The author has also felt the power of a similar Kiai as it froze him in place and blurred his vision. To perform the basic Kiai, one must be like the bow and arrow. To start, inhale as one would normally do in meditation by expanding the stomach and drawing Ki into the One Point (also known as the Hara or Dan Tien). When you inhale, its not dissimilar to that of an archer drawing back the bow when preparing to fire upon an enemy. When exhaling, one would tighten the abdominal area and let out a "Ha!" sound which is not dissimilar to releasing the arrow that is being fired at the opponent. The reasoning behind tightening the abdominal area is so that the sound resonates from the One Point and is not forced out of the throat. Forcing this yell out of the throat will make your throat hoarse and can lead to one to lose their voice, making their vocal Kiai useless. The Kiai being spoken of here is for general purposes such as making strikes and kicks stronger, overcoming fear and pain, and sustaining blows without injury. The downside is that there are other Kiai that serve a single one of these purposes more efficiently, but the upside is that this Kiai can somewhat effectively serve many purposes simultaneously. For the next part of this article, the four Kiai of the Togakure Ryu Kiaijutsu will be discussed in enough detail that one could practice them. Note that the sounds described are useful to that of a native Japanese person. Sound and tone structures of other languages (such as English) may require other sounds to be more effective among others who natively speak another language. However, the sounds are good for training to feel for where the source of the specific Kiai is and how it feels as it resonates through the body:
Reacting Kiai: This sound is very heavy, intense, and is used to create a sense of disappointment in the opponent upon successfully defending against his or her technique. This sound hisses up through the body from the tightened midsection. The sound "Toh!" is common for Japanese speakers. As stated before, however, native speakers of other languages will use noises fitting their local tone qualities. Victorious Kiai: This sound is very triumphant and energetic. This shout comes from the solar plexus (Upper Dan Tien to those who study Qigong and Taijiquan) and is used upon successfully dealing a series of strikes to bewilder and discourage the opponent from fighting any further. The sounds "Yah!" and "Yoh!" are common for Japanese speakers to use. "Shadow" Kiai: This is the Kiai of the four that is most powerful. At the same time, though, it is the most quiet of the four. In fact, the Shadow Kiai is silent. If any sound were to be used, it would be an almost-silent "uhmm" that some use when exhaling while practicing Ki Breathing. This Kiai is meant to transform your state of mind by simultaneously and spontaneously combining the aspects of the three previous Kiai and bringing one to the highest level of involvement in the fight. In this state-of-mind, attacks are always used with such precice timing before a defense is even needed. One is in touch with his/her opponent's Ki and therefore there is no suprise to react to. In this mind-set, the options of winning, losing, past and future are removed and the concept of action in the present is all that exists. The only sound that exists at this point is your breath rhythm to the events. Being that Kiaijutsu involves harmony with another's Ki, other skills come about while practicing this art such as sensing another's intent long before physical action takes place. Even if nothing took place afterwords, one would have not even have to doubt that they felt the sakki, or "force of the killer", from another. One would just merely know from that point that the person was once committed to the deed but never followed through with it. Sakki is the Ki that is projected outword when one has intent to harm or destroy someone or something. All living things naturally project this when determined to do something of the such. If such force is strong, even average people with no Ki training can feel it. That is why one must be determined to win when stepping into an arena or is about to engage in combat. Your sakki may become so strong that you'll appear very feirce to the opponent. Sometimes it may even be to the point that they back down. This is even true if the opponent is of higher skill than you. With such intent being put to use with a Kiai, you can appear so demonic that you could win with pure intentions alone. A way to train projecting your intent is to sit in a public area, doing nothing out of the ordinary, while focusing on another random person and thinking, "Look at me," over and over until they do. Another way to go about this is to do something a bit unusual while focusing on a random person and thinking, "Don't look at me," over and over. As you grow stronger at projecting your intent on another person, your Kiai will grow stronger. Another training tip helps your focus. If your focus is specifically directed at the individual you Kiai at, it will concentrate your intent upon the individual and make it that much stronger. To strengthen your focus, light a candle in a dim-lit or dark room and focus on every move the flame makes. Your ability to focus may not last for a very long time at first, but in time you'll be able to focus for longer. On a final note, this one directed at practitioners of Radical Ki and Dragonball Z-based Ki, every skill mentioned above has been practiced for thousands of years in the Asian martial arts and every skill mentioned above can replace several types of Ki Blasts, Ki Power-ups, Ki Shields, and even the ever popular Super Human/Ascention/Limit Break/Super Saiyan as well as add new skills to your arsenal. Not only that, but these skills are proven to be combat-applicable unlike the Ki Blast, Power-Up, and Ki Shield. I ask you politely to drop what you're doing with Radical or Dragonball Z Ki and give Kiaijutsu a fair chance. I am certain that it'll serve the vast majority of combat needs better than any Radki or DBZer skills will.
Another time, myself and two friends were having a free-for-all every-man-for-himself sparring match where we all three fought each other at the same time. At one point, it got a little too rough and they started taking it seriously. The one who had weaker martial arts skills started to run away after about ten seconds and the stronger one ran after him. I truly ginuinely did not want them seriously hurting each other. Out of instinct, I focused on both of them and did a Kiai in their general direction with the intent of "STOP!!!" on my mind. They did. They stopped in their tracks looking at me kinda strange (from 50 feet away) saying something to the effect of having the feeling of some kind of shockwave go through them. Its all about intent.
Kiaijutsu - the art of harmonizing with the universal force Kiaijutsu - shout of intention as a weapon
Stand with your feet shoulder width (not kendo stance). Raise your shinai up so that it is 30-45 degrees off vertical pointing back (jodan position) and at the same time rise up onto the balls of your feet. Then cut down into gedan and at the same time drop your body so your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor. When you raise, open up your chest. When you cut, make it big and round, like you are throwing your shinai away. Keep your back straight and vertical through the entire exercise. As you raise, breathe in so that your breath and your motion all stop at once. As you cut, breathe out and kiai "eh." Don't let all your air out, try to let only enough out to make the sound. Stop the sound, the breath out and the motion all at once. The combination of breathing and motion make it easy to make a correct, loud kiai. |
