Japanese Traditional Swimming Methods - 古式泳法

In August of 2012 the Japan Swimming Association hosted their 57th Conference at the Yokohama International Pool, with a highlight on koryu swimming methods. Although I had previously come across the art of swimming or suijutsu in manga and the like, I did not know they were still practiced today. So this was quite eyeopening to me. In addition to videos on the web I read an article from Hiden Magazine 密伝 which I have abbreviated below.

日本泳法 is the name usually given to the art of swimming passed down from the traditional martial arts or Kobudo. The 18 traditional martial arts include - archery, horsemanship, swordsmanship and swimming is listed as one of them. The umbrella organization in Japan is the Japanese Swimming Federation 日本水泳連盟 and works to preserve these arts. The Ryuha still extant and recognized by the association include the 神統流 ,小堀流 ,山内流, 神伝流, 水任流, 岩倉流, 能島流, 小池流, 観海流, 水府流, 向井流, and the 水府流太田派.

Like other traditional martial arts, swimming developed naturally, and was not systematized until after the warring states period. During the warring states period, the marines were an important part of any army - with Shikoku, Kyushu, Nankai, Ise, Sunen 駿遠 and Hoso 房総 were areas where the art was partiularly well developed. The art was combined with that of manouvering boats and fighting on the battlefield in order to make it suitable for military use. It functioned as an aid to troops to help them ford streams and moats, and riding a horse in the water was also very important in warfare. Rivers, streams, moats and marshes were important traps on the battlefield. 

After the warring states period, with the rise of the Tokugawa, three generations of Shogun in the Bakafu goverment promoted the art of of swimming. The various Han (provinces) spent time researching and developing the swimming arts. From their beginnings on the battlefield, the arts developed into elaborate displays with a high level of skill for the edification of the Daimyo of the Han.  

These swimming techniques passed down until the Meiji Era,differ in several ways from the swimming that we know now. For instance diving consists of swimming underwater to reach the target destination, but in addition to that when one exits from the water it is done silently, and one is trained to have the presence of mind to defend against any attack. Another example is the demonstration using both hands to wave fans while in the water, while this may seem like a performance, these exercises strengthen the wrists so that one is able to attack and defend with weapons such as the tanto when in the water.

In order to cultivate a sense of danger and awareness that this is a martial art, in the past famous martial artists would train during flash floods, and negotiate the rapids or ford raging rivers.

The eighth grandmaster of 小堀流  stated that there was a direct connection between the skills of swimming and fighting skills and were practical skills. If one is to understand the purpose of these exericises then your appreciation of these performances will be deeper.

The competitions at the conference are different from those of normal swimming meets. There is less emphasis on time, and the emphasis is all on technique. For instance, swimming sideways or swimming while carry weights (5 kilos for men and 4 kilos for women) and are more similar to gymnastics. There is an empahsis on posture (such as upright swimming - similar to walking), (swimming with the body sideways) and swimmign with the body complete flat against the water or jumping high out of the water. There is also swimming in full armour.

Different ryu have their own different specialities - for instance - 山内流 has technique where they wave large flags across the water and  小堀流 has a performance where the two hands move completely freely. The 水府流太田派 has a technique where one swims sideways while looking backwards. (As this Ryuha practices swimming its techniques in the river, importance is placed upon safety and awareness at all times, and so the stance allows the swimmer to be aware of the surroundings, including what is happening behind them). The 向井流 swims forward with the body at a 30 degree angle to the water. (As both the 向井流 and 山内流 train in the sea, with waves surrounding the swimmer on all sides, it is importance to maintain a line of sight to the target at all times so as not to lose the orientation.)

In order to correctly assess and appreciate the speciality of each Ryuha it is important to understand the purpose of each technique. For instance the 神伝流 has three different variations on any given technique. They are 草,行 and 真 (grass, running and reality). 真 is like 楷書 in calligraphy, where the movements are strong and square, 行 reflects the swimmer adapting to the water conditions to maintain his position and swim in a flowing manner, and finally 草 means to become at one with the water and one does not see any disturbance in the water. 

For 岩倉流 the emphasis is on speed and reaching the destination as quickly as possible.        

Modelled upon Kendo, there are different ranks awarded to the marital artists, ranging from 泳士 練士 (Renshi), 教士 (Kyoshi), 範士 (Hanshi).