Are there any examples of schools that have katas with multiple opponents. I'm aware of things like sannin dori in Daito ryu, but I'm thinking more in terms of weapons. For example, are there any iai kumi tachi forms practiced against the multiple surrounding opponents often imagined in the solo forms?
I did kata with four people when I did aikijutsu, think it was kyushindo or something, I could never find other classes though.
We have several weapons kata of which the bunkai involves multiple attackers. Of our paired sets (whether same weapons or different weapons against each other) I can't think of any that are against multiple attackers...same goes for weapons continuation exercises, at least not formal ones. I'll have to ask, there are over 97 weapons forms in my aikido curriculum and I don't remember them all at this time. I made a comment about 'formal.' During seminars, or advanced classes, we will go off the cuff and kind of formalize kata bunkai with multiple attackers (sometimes with different weapons types)...or we will do continuation drills with weapons or hand techniques that are semi-formal. Semi-formal meaning its organized but not in the curriculum as a requirement. Although you are expected to know bunkai from weapons kata on tests.
Kata with multiple enemies.......... Yakumaru (Nodachi) Jigen-ryu would be a big one for this with their training methods. If you have a look at the training methods displayed on this clip at one of their embu (It doesn't really do it justice, since it's on a polished floor - This ryuha train outside all the time) from 5:17 onwards, you'll see multiple enemy contact drills. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVSONNESfyE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVSONNESfyE[/ame] This is a different line of the same ryuha doing the same training drill. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1WaRjaJOPU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1WaRjaJOPU[/ame] Have a look at Yagyu Shinkage-ryu kenjutsu they have a kata called "Ninin kakari" which is a multiple enemy training drill. Takenouchi-ryu have a number of multiple enemy kata in their armed grappling syllabus. Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu have a couple of techniques hidden away in their kenjutsu and naginatajutsu that are really multiple enemy training drills. There are loads of ryuha that have multiple enemy kata in their mokuroku, but whether or not they actually do them as kumitachi depends on the shihan and the ryuha's presecribed training methodologies. Hope this helps.
