Continuing on with the discussion concerning what happens after the final, decisive "kiritsuke" movement in an iaido kata, I was recently contacted by an old acquaintance Petr Březina who had shared many useful sources of information about Muso Shinden Ryu koryu in the past.
This time he shared with me an interesting text concerning Zanshin attributed to Nakayama Hakudo Sensei. He had kindly translated the source text into English. I did a bit of a scan around myself to identify the original source, leading me to believe that the source text is 中山博道剣道口述集 (Nakayama Hakudō Kendō Oral Lectures Collection). I was pleased that this text had not been plagiarised and sprayed carelessly on the internet though this particular article seems to have been translated into Chinese and from this Petr had kindly provided the following translation:
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Nakayama Hakudo on Zanshin in Iaido
Zanshin in Iaido
In every kata of the drawing forms, one must first perform "chiburui" (blood-shaking) before returning the sword to its scabbard. While chiburui alone may not completely remove all traces of blood, its underlying meaning is "a temporary restoration of purity." The entire period from chiburui through the completion of resheathing is considered the zanshin of that technique, and forms a vital part of battojutsu (the art of drawing). Although each school of iaido prescribes its own method of chiburui, here are some notable examples:
Kanshin-ryu: A kaishi (paper handkerchief) or other wiping material is prepared and used to wipe the blade.
Munen-ryu: The tip of the sword is pointed straight downward to let blood drip off, then the tip is rotated to the left in a circular motion to flick it away.
Mashin-ryu: The sword is rested on the left shoulder and wiped against it.
Fuchishin-ryu: The thumb and index finger are pinched from the base of the blade and drawn toward the tip.
Hayashizaki-hon-ryu: With one hand (the right), the blade is lightly swept to the left, then returned in a wide arc to the right before being resheathed.
Other schools (Omori-ryu, Kikusui-ryu, Kaishin-ryu, Tamiya-ryu, Shingan-ryu, Tesshin-ryu, Hasegawa-ryu, etc.): each differs from the others.
There are also schools that perform no chiburui at all. The moment the sword is drawn, the left hand casts the scabbard behind. This attitude embodies the spirit of treating "a single cut as one's life" — once drawn, there is no turning back; it is a strike carried out with total commitment and readiness to sacrifice oneself. This method was once demonstrated in Kyoto by someone of the Takayama-ryu, but it should be regarded as a special exception.
Even within what appears to be the identical technique — a "straight downward cut" — no two schools perform it in exactly the same way. The path of the sword alone may vary: directly overhead, from the upper right, from the upper left, from the right shoulder, from the left shoulder, and in extreme cases even a movement resembling the hassō posture. At the same time, footwork, the bending of the rear leg, the direction of the toes, the forward lean of the upper body, the upright posture, and the backward lean — none of these are identical across schools.
Examples include: the half-upright stance of Munen-ryu, the kiriotoshi of Ittō-ryu (differing from the common form), the extreme forward lean of the upper body in Yagyū-ryu, and the wide-footed ryōashi-torae stance with feet pointing in opposite directions — the variety of body forms is beyond counting.
Despite all these differences between schools, zanshin must invariably be present throughout the process from chiburui to resheathing. This is the most important core of the art — and yet it is precisely what tends to be undervalued and carelessly passed over. Please pay particular attention to this and study it deeply.
While iaido sometimes includes cuts accompanied by a kiai (vocal shout), it is generally practiced in silence. This is regarded as an exceptionally important spiritual quality in this art, known as "hara no koe" — "the voice from the abdomen" (the inner voice). The proper order of training is: regardless of school, begin by practicing with a vocal shout; only when one's sword movement and voice are in full accord should one begin training in silence.
Next is "tenchi no kamae" — the posture of heaven and earth. When drawing and raising the sword, the tip should carry an energy that reaches straight up to the heavens; when cutting downward, it should carry a depth that reaches down to the very earth. This derives from the tenchi no kamae of the Jikishin Kage-ryu. Finally, once the cut is complete, one should return to stillness — and it is precisely this return to stillness that represents the most crucial aspect of zanshin. Only one who achieves this can be said to have truly realized zanshin.
The word "zanshin" is simple enough to say, yet its meaning runs extraordinarily deep. In shinai (bamboo sword) sparring, a strike without zanshin carries no meaning — it is nothing more than child's play. Those of us who train must pay special attention to this and continue to refine ourselves.
My senior, Hanshi Mitsuhashi Kan'ichirō, once remarked with great severity:
"Kendo without zanshin is not kendo — it is merely mutual brawling."
At the time I was still young and could not fully grasp the depth of meaning behind zanshin. But today, those words of my senior pierce directly to my heart. Even among contemporaries, the presence or absence of zanshin makes a profoundly visible difference in one's swordsmanship. It is something of extraordinary value and importance.
(Nakayama Hakudo (1869–1958) was one of the most distinguished Japanese masters of kendo and iaido in the 20th century, and a founding figure of modern iaido as both a martial and spiritual discipline.)
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