JUDGING THE REIHO

 by Phillip Starr

As some of you may already know, I'm an avid practitioner of iaido (pronounced “eeh- ai- doe” for you rednecks). It is the art of drawing and cutting with the Japanese sword. There is much, much more to every aspect of it than meets the eye, believe me...the way in which the hakama is worn and tied, the manner of gripping the saya (scabbard), the proper way to grip the sword itself...there are a thousand tiny, seemingly insignificant details that must be performed just exactly so lest the technique be rendered ineffective and consequently, incorrect.

The sword isn't gripped or swung like a Louiseville Slugger or a lumberjack's axe. Not at all. Something as seemingly simply as drawing the sword in a given kata (there are 12 fundamental forms and trust me, none of them involve cartwheels, side kicks, twirling the sword like a mini-skirted cheerleader, or any other such nonsense) may require years of daily practice before any of them can be done CORRECTLY, let alone effectively!

Heck, it took me more than six months to learn how to wear my hakama properly so that it supported my sword and actually assisted me in executing certain techniques! And learning to perform what appears to be a simple cut requires years of practice and careful study of many very tiny and seemingly insignificant principles!

On top of all that, there's the reiho (proper method of bowing in and out, and how to place the sheathed sword in your obi - belt). Like everything else, it has to be done just so. It's not a simple matter at all. It took me several months just to memorize the sequence of movements (it's much like a kata in and of itself) and then many months more before I could even begin to do it smoothly. Even now, I still often get my fingers tangled in the sageo (a long cord attached to the scabbard) as I endeavor to switch hands during the reiho procedure...

And so...with 12 kata, each of which involves what seems to be a thousand tiny details, I was told that on a given examination one's skill and performance of the reiho accounts for more than 50% of one's score! Your kata may be sterling but if your reiho even vaguely resembles a schoolboy trying to unhook his girlfriend's bra for the first time, you may well fail the exam...

A number of you may well wonder why this is? Why do they place such importance on how well you perform a bowing procedure? Isn't the object to learn how to wield the katana (Japanese sword) correctly? Well, yes and no...

If the reiho is incorrect or sloppy, it's a poor reflection of one's level of dedication and seriousness (about learning) the art. The kata(s) may look good to the casual observer, but they'll be flawed due to the same lack of practice and attention to detail.

And so it is with the bowing procedure(s) for your karate, judo, taekwondo, or (insert the name of your martial discipline). It applies equally to the moment(s) prior to the first movement of your form, when you're standing still. There's a correct way to do it and countless incorrect ways...it is a reflection of how you practice. It is a reflection of your discipline, of your spirit.