Toda ha Buko-ryu

The Toda-ha Buko-ryu school was founded around 1560 (the last years of the Muromachi period ) by Toda Gorodzaemon ( 戸 田 五郎 左衛 門 ). Before starting his own style, Todo studied the methods of the Tuzo-ryu school . Due to eye disease, he became blind, as a result of which family traditions were passed on to his younger brother, and Todo himself became a monk, taking the name Seigan ^[1] .

In the Edo era (1600-1868), the Buko-ryu branch was separated from the main tradition. Its head is Hojo Ujikuni ( 北 条 氏 邦 , 1515-1571), the head of the castle of Hatigata ( 鉢 形 城 城 ) and the third son of Hojo Ujiyasu . Later, his wife, Daifuku Godzen ( Jap. 大 福 御前 ), becomes the 3rd successor to the school’s traditions ^[2] and the first woman to lead Toda ha Buko-ryu ^[3] .

After Daifuku, the school passed to the Sunee clan, where it passed from hand to hand for 9 generations. About who was the first guardian of traditions in the clan is unknown. According to the preserved official documents, the 13th Soke of the school was Sunei Ryosuke Takeyuki ( 強 矢 良 輔 武 幸 ). He moved his studies outside of Fukui Prefecture , based on Mount Bukô, where he developed the art of Naginatajutsu . In addition, Toda ha Buko-ryu retained methods of working with Tati , Yari , Kusarigama and Bo ^[1] . After Sunei Ryosuke, the school was headed by his wife, Sakoto, who, like her husband, expertly mastered the techniques of working with naginata . All subsequent Sakoto Soke Toda ha Buko-ryu were women ^[3] .

Nakamura Yoichi ( Jap. 中 村 陽 一 ) became the 20th Soke of Toda ha Buko-ryu and the first man in the line of the school's heirs after the 14th chapter of Sunei Sato ( Jap. 強 矢 佐藤 ). On October 19, 2008, he replaced Sensei Nittu Suzuo ( 新 田 寿 々 雄 ), who left untimely on June 1 of that year ^[1] .

On August 28, 2012, Nakamura- sensei died after a long illness at the age of 40. Currently, Toda ha Buko-ryu is supervised by the Sokedai Kent Sorensen, mainly a dojo in Tokyo , Japan , with the assistance of a number of Shihan from the USA and Europe ^{[1] [4]} .

The entire Toda ha Buko-ryu training program is divided into two parts: hon mokuroku and betzu mokuroku ^{[1] [5]} .

Hon Mokuroku is the first and main element of training, emphasizing the need to develop dexterity for successful work with naginata , which is the specialization of this school. It consists of 36 kata dedicated to the techniques of ordinary naginata and kagitsuki naginata . Hon Mokuroku , in turn, consists of 36 techniques and is divided into three parts ^{[1] [5]} :

• Shoden or “initial gear”:
  • Tati avase no koto : naginata against the sword (5 kata );
  • Ai naginata but koto : naginata versus naginata (11 kata);
• Chuden or "intermediate gear":
  • Yari irimi no koto : naginata against yari (5 kata);
  • Kusarigama aiki no koto : naginata against kusarigama (5 kata);
• Okuden or "deep transfer":
  • Kagitsuki naginata Tati avase no koto : “special” naginata against the sword (5 kata);
  • Kagitsuki naginata Yari avase no koto : "special" naginata against yari (5 kata).

The second part of the program, Betzu Mokuroku , is given less attention, since it is secondary. It is devoted to techniques for working with various types of weapons, for example with the standard Japanese sword katana . Betsu Mokuroku is seen as a research practice, so it is taught only to the best students. It consists of 15 techniques studied on the basis of three kata ^[1] :

• Bojutsu Goten Bunray : Bo versus the sword;
• Kusarigama Tati Gothen Bunrey : Kusarigama against the sword;
• Nagamaki Gokui Goten Bunrei : Nagamaki against the sword.

The initial practice is designed to concentrate the student's attention on basic movements and forms called kihon , by constantly studying and practicing them for a certain time. From the moment the student becomes more familiar with the methods of working with naginata , he can begin to improve his technique by tirelessly repeating kata , which are part of the school curriculum. Regardless of the level of training, each representative of the school should constantly practice kihon ^[1] .

Kata is performed by two partners, which are referred to as ^[1] :

• Sidati ( Japanese 仕 太 刀 , literally: "a sword that works") . This role belongs to a beginner who practices school methods and learns how to deal with naginata;
• Ukedati ( Jap. 受 け 太 ослов,, literally: "a sword that accepts") . This role belongs to an experienced trainee who helps the sidati by guiding his learning process.

It seems to the observer during practicing kata that the sidati wins and the ukedati loses. This is done on purpose, with the aim of developing the moral and physical qualities of sidati . Thanks to ukedati, a beginner improves his skills, such qualities as interaction, endurance, perseverance are significantly improved. Understanding of such concepts as pace, struggle, distance, enemy control, breath control and the like ^[1] appears.

For the qualitative development of the skills of the new student of the Toda ha school, Buko-ryu ukedati must have proven technical and mental qualities, as well as have a “modest and open heart”. It is under these conditions that sidati can develop into ukedati over time ^[1] .

The genealogy of the school soke is as follows ^[6] :

• Toda Seigan, founder;
• Hojo Ujikuni (1541-1597), 2nd Soke , according to the official records of the school ^[2] ;
• Daifuku Gozen, wife of Hojo Ujikuni, 3rd Soke;
• 9 generations of the Sunei clan ( 強 矢 家 ). Records of which of them was the first head of the school were not preserved ^[3] ;
• Sunei Ryosuke (1795-1877), 13th Soke;
• Sunei Sato, wife of Sunei Ryosuke, 14th Soke;
• Komatsuzaki Koto ( Jap. 小松 崎 古登夫 ), 15th Soke;
• Yazawa Isao ( Jap. 矢 澤 勇 夫 ), received the mankyo kaiden in 1869;
• Murakami Hideo ( Jap. 村上 18 , 1863-1949), studied with Komatsuzaki Koto and Yazawa Isao;
• Kobayashi Seio ( Jap. 小 林清雄 ), 18th Soke;
• Nitta Suzuo, 19th Soke;
• Nakamura Yoichi, became the 20th head of the school on June 8, 2008. He died in 2012.

• Osinkan
• Hokusei Dojo