Modern Koryu

Discussion in 'Ju Jitsu' started by righty, Nov 18, 2013.

  1. righty

    righty Valued Member

    I might have dragged you in with the title but it is sort of what I want to talk about since I've been asking all kind of questions lately.

    For those of you who train in a koryu art, what do you think of using modern technology to assist in training and maintaining the art. I'm specifically thinking of things such as the video recording of techniques.

    Do you think it would be useful?
    Do you think it would be accepted?
    Do you already make use of it?

    For arts that rely on the handing down of a complete syllabus all with correct technique I've always seen the likelihood of a 'chinese whispers' type effect creeping in. With this sort of thing you could create a sort of reference library that could looked at as a sort of quality control. But of course there are some risks with going this way.

    Just after your thoughts really.
     
  2. Dean Winchester

    Dean Winchester Valued Member

    I think perhaps you need to clarify what you mean by maintaining?

    Ultimately there will only be a few individuals who say what is or is not to be maintained.

    Training or personal practice I'm all for it but I might be a bit progressive. Heck I don't even use leeches anymore, when I'm ill I try them newfangled antibiotical thingies.




    Koryu do change you know. :)
     
  3. righty

    righty Valued Member

    Sounds like I don't know how much it changes. But I would be correct in saying it evolves less than other arts? Although it is not an easy thing to measure.

    Would you say that video etc would help keep the things you want keep the same, the same?
     
  4. Graham

    Graham Valued Member

    I train in koryu in Japan. In general in the koryu scene videoing isn't that unusual, but it's more for personal interest and personal learning that setting prototypical versions of techniques. They may get used in that way a little, in the past people have recreated lost kata from drawings, so it seems likely it will happen with videos too as some point.

    However in general, I don't think it would be very popular as a method of setting techniques in stone. It's accepted that different people have different interpretations of kata. Students try to imitate their teacher but eventually get to their own best way of doing it. Koryu kata aren't as rigid as outsiders think. Koryu is about survival and killing, effectiveness comes before correct.
     

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