US Federation of Toyama Ryu Batto Jutsu NewsLetter |
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| Editor's Note: With the new growth of the US Federation of Toyama Ryu Batto Jutsu, and the resulting new students, several issues are beginning to surface. While such issues may not seem that big a deal to those of us who have been around for a while, these seemingly innocent questions are very important to our newer, inexperienced members. It is with this concern in mind that this article , the result of extensive research and personal reports from various members of the Orlando Toyama Ryu Dojo (whose names have been changed to protect their privacy), was written. |
I know, I know. This is a personal question. Toyama Ryu being a very individualistic art, this question can only be settled by the individual. But it is a question that has relevance to our individual ability to perform correctly and with satisfaction. There have been times in the dressing room while we were donning our hakamas that the question of size came up. "Is mine big enough?" "Do I really need a big one?" "Mine's long, but not very thick. Will this be a problem?" You know, that kind of thing. Let me state up front that mine is fairly old and light weigh, compared to some of the younger guy's, but it has served me well. It is to these newer students that size could be an issue. Like two students of the Orlando Dojo, Song and Mason. Both young, but two completely different body types. Yet they posses ones that are identical! Having watched both perform, it didn't seem to present a problem for either. Now Kitten, one of the female students, when first starting out. She played with several in the beginning, including mine and Anime's huge one, finding all of them too big for her. She had particular difficulty sticking it back in when she was finished. But as with all of us, that skill comes with practice. I understand that after trying several of sifferent swzes she now has one of her own and is doing fine. Sensei Older, of course, is the authority on the subject. He has used many over the years of all shapes and sizes. He has this special ability to bend any one that has a flaw in its design; a skill of professional merit to help weed out the faulty ones, as well as a testament to his constant handling of them. |
| During my research I came across an article related directly to this issue by none other than Nakamura Taizburo Sensei and translated by Guy Power. If anyone shoould know thew answer to this question I figured it should be him. I will share with you some of the insights I gleaned from the article. His first statement, "Keeping in mind that there is really no standard size...should be tailored to the individual's body and personal likes". That summed it up. But he did point out some things to look out for. "Length can be measured when standing naturally erect". That seems reasonable. On Te-nu-uchi. or proper grip he states "Regardless of hand size...should be long enough to accommodate a two-finger gap" between the two hands as you grasp it. He adamantly opposes using a "baseball bat grip". "This grip reduces both the ammount of personal control...and power". He goes on to strongly recommend the standard Toyama grip with the pads of both palms on the top ridge as yoou grasp it. On the question of length he noted that "The longer...the more likely it is to break". Something to keep in mind, boys! As far as weight is concerned, he stated it is essential to use caution if it is ver heavy. Nakamura Sensei covers every issue from how the ammount of curvature it has affects technique to the proper placement of ornaments and their effect on your grip. It is a very informative article, complete with a chart showing the traditional "standard measurements" of every little thing. Well worth reading. What it all boils down to is that individual thing. If you are a serious student you will be exposed to many different ones and have the chance to play with many of them. This is to be expected. Just remember proper etiquette and never touch someone else's without their consent! Sensei Older says he is still looking for that perfect one. Maybe the day will come when you grip one firmly, and that special sensation of excitement surges through you and you realize " THIS IS THE ONE!" Robert Steele |
Does Size Matter? |
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