Notes on the Kito ryu no kata

 

 

 

These notes collect a part of the speech given during the course on the Koshiki no kata held in Sarnico on 30 June 2024. On that occasion I proposed some reflections on the philosophical aspects contained in the Kitō ryū no kata, and in the Koshiki no kata which is its heir, with particular attention to the concept of hontai 本体. These are complex and profound themes, but not 'esoteric'. To us, who approach them from completely different cultural assumptions and centuries later, they may appear so, but to the Japanese of the 17th century, the era in which the Kitō ryū tradition was established and developed, they were the norm. Its philosophical content is a considerable challenge, but one that can be overcome through the study of the original texts and sources. I want to thank masters Paolo Malaguti and Andrea Sozzi for the trust they have placed in me, and for giving me the opportunity to bring some of the results of my studies to the attention of a wider audience. I sincerely hope that they may be useful as food for thought and research to all those who train in Koshiki no kata, and appreciate the beauty of its movements and depth of meaning.

 

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