My KishimotoDi Experience (Part 3–Keikogi and Kamae)


Me in KishimotoDi Uniform

Before he left Phoenix, Ulf Karlsson Sensei gifted me a keikogi (training uniform) for KishimotoDi. This uniform consists of a kendo uwagi (jacket) embroidered with the kanji for KishimotoDi, and a black, Okinawan-style, narrow-legged hakama called a no-bakama (field hakama). The older style no-bakama do not have a reinforced back plate, but this modern reproduction does, and is meant to be worn with a belt. Since I have no rank in KishimotoDi, I decided I should wear a white belt when I train with the uniform on.

Uwagi with “KishimotoDi” embroidered on the left side of the chest

In addition to the other techniques and methods I have mentioned in my previous posts, I wanted to mention the three primary kamae (postures) of KishimotoDi. They are really basics that I could have covered earlier, but I needed to take photos of them. Below are my (rather poor) depictions of them:

Tekko-Gamae (Iron Turtle Posture)
Sagurite-Gamae (Searching Hands Posture)
Hotate-Gamae (Standing Sail Posture)

These three postures are key to the applications of KishimotoDi kata, and can be found in Naihanchi, Passai, and Kusanku, respectively.

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