Written by Kagita Chūbee, 20th sōke of the Hōzōinryū
The Techniques of the Hōzōinryū Sōjutsu
As I already wrote in the March issue one of the characteristics of the Hōzōinryū Sōjutsu is the use of a spear called Kamayari1 which has a blade in the form of a cross which sets it appart from the standard Suyari2. Thanks to its cross-shaped blade the Kamayari can not only be used for thrusting but in a lot of ways. One can beat down an opponent's spear in a cutting movement3 or in a rotating movement4 or slide5 along the shaft of the opponent's spear. The Hōzōinryū became Japan's largest spear style because the effectiveness of these techniques were recognized. In this issue I would like to deal with the techniques in more detail.
