Shugyo in Japan: Practical Application of Esoteric Buddhism in Kenjutsu

Michael sensei gave a short talk at a meeting of the New York Token Kai about his most recent trip to Japan, which included an intensive retreat focused on the advanced practices of Kurikara Ryū Heihō (倶利伽羅龍兵法), a syncretic school of Japanese swordsmanship with roots in shugendō (修験道 / mountain asceticism).

As the oldest Japanese sword club on the United States, the New York Token Kai attracts people from diverse backgrounds interested in the study and preservation of nihontō (日本刀).

Many Japanese swords are decorated with exquisite Buddhist imagery, but these engravings can be more than just decoration or religious images. For some, they are a representation of practical martial concepts.

Kurikara Ryū Heihō is a comprehensive, progressive system of development for the sword practitioner based on these ideas. The pedagogy of Kurikara Ryū exemplifies the migration of Buddhist concepts from India to China and then Japan and their application to internal and external practices in some Japanese martial arts.

This video offers a high level overview of some of these concepts.