Giho 51 Habami-Dachi / 阻み大刀
Being one of the beginner techniques, this is an essential technique for learning sayabiki.
In Tenshinryuu we generally do the battou at the same moment we place our hand on the tsuka, however there are also techniques like this one which we perform with our hand still being placed on the tsuka, although they are rare.
Battou with the kaisho 守 (shu)
Please allow me to explain to you the technique called 阻み大刀 (habamidachi – roughly “obstructing sword”). It’s also called 曳身抜 (hikimibarai).
At an extremely close maai to your opponent, put your hand on the tsuka and while you take a step with your right foot, hit the opponent’s solar plexus with your tsukagashira.
Then cut the koiguchi, pull back the saya and draw the sword, and afterwards support the back of the sword (called 峰 (mine)) with your left hand with 鉋手 (kan’nade – “carpenter’s plane hand”), hit your opponent at the top of their shoulders or upper arm with your sword, while your pull back your right foot and perform a pulling cut at a 袈裟 (kesa) angle, i.e. diagonally.
The actions after that aren’t set in stone, but normally we would assume 青眼の位 (seigan no kurai), do the chiburui and then the noutou.
Since the opponent is about to place their hands on the tsuka, we hit them with the tsukagashira in the solar plexus. There is also a version of hitting their forearm.
Then do the sayabiki, support your sword’s back with your left hand, hit the opponent at the top of their shoulders, then while you cut down diagonally, step back. After that assume 青眼の位 (seigan no kurai).
Recite 臨 (rin), 兵 (pyou), 闘 (tou), 者 (sha), 皆 (kai), 陣 (jin), 烈 (retsu), 在 (zai), 前 (zen) in your head, then do the chiburui and finally the noutou. There are no specifications for chiburui and noutou.
Demonstration with an opponent: kaisho 守 (shu)
Target Body Part
the body part to aim at this time
Solar Plexus
roughly 5 cm above the navel
Target Body Part
alternative example
Forearm
Strike down from above.
Cut down from the clavicle.
Cut down from between the deltoid and the brachialis muscle.
Demonstration with an opponent: sousho 離 (ri)
The technique’s characteristics and solo training method
This 阻み大刀 (habamidachi), where we are at an extremely close maai, perform tsukauchi and do a pulling cut with 鉋手 (kan’nade), is one of the beginner techniques.
Usually in Tenshinryuu, we don’t perform the techniques while still placing our hand on the tsuka, but rather we do the battou as soon as we place our hand on the tsuka as a general rule.
However, in 阻み太刀 (habamidachi), as a 兄弟勢法 (kyoudaigata – roughly “sibling technique”) of a technique called 尾鳥柄引刃返 (otoridzukahikibagaeshi), at the point in time you carry out the tsukauchi your hand is still being placed on the tsuka.
Since you can’t get out your sword to the front after hitting the opponent’s solar plexus with your tsukagashira, use sayabiki to draw your sword.
This technique is basically a prerequisite for 尾鳥柄引刃返 (otoridzukahikibagaeshi).
In case you’re practising by yourself, you can for example face a wall and do the tsukauchi, do the sayabiki so as to not let your tsukagashira bump into the wall and practise the technique this way.
Battou with the sousho 離 (ri)