BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOGGING: WHAT IS KUMIJO? PART FOUR.

Today’s topic: San no Jo.

In the Kumijo, ukejo always starts in jo no kamae.  This is a left hanmi, with the jo held vertically in the left hand, in front of the left foot.  Uchijo always starts in hidari tsuki no kamae, ready to attack.  In Ichi no jo, uchi attacks with chudan, middle level thrust.  In Ni no Jo, uchi attacks with jodan, high level thrust.  In San no Jo, uchi attacks with hidari gedan choku tsuki, a low level thrust aimed at uke’s left knee.  When the thrust is warded off, uchi immediately attacks again with another thrust, at the chudan level.  I think that the keynote feature of the Kumijo is learning how to ward two or more rapid thrusts, and learning to use a series of rapid thrusts as a defense.

“ICHI”

Uchi attacks with hidari gedan choku tsuki.  Uke grips the jo from the top, thumb upwards, and turns a bit to his rear with the right foot, parries the thrust with gedan dome barai.  The move is identical in appearance to gedan gaeshi, but since there is no “gaeshi” movement, I refer to it as a dome barai movement.  Two things here are noteworthy: First, that uke “gives way” with his taisabaki, rather than use irimi as in the first two Kumijo.  Second, as a variation, uke could move forward with irimi, and use the dome barai as a barai uchi strike to uchi’s forward hand.

• Uchijo: Hidari Gedan Choku Tsuki
• Ukejo: Hidari Gedan Dome Barai

“NI”

Uchi then attack again to uke’s left floating ribs with chudan choku tsuki.  Uke evades the thrust with a taisabaki identical to the third movement in Ni no Jo, and knocks down uchi’s jo with the chudan gaeshi movement.  The chudan gaeshi can also be used to smash down on uchi’s hand or forearm.

• Uchijo: Hidari Choku Choku Tsuki
• Ukejo: Hidari Chudan Gaeshi

“SAN”

Now, uke begins the counter attack.  First, hidari gedan choku tsuki, aimed at uke’s floating ribs.  Uchi steps back a bit and parries with soto choku barai.  Uke promptly allows his jo to flow down and thrusts again to uchi’s sternum with another chudan choku tsuki, ending San no Jo.

• Ukejo: Hidari Chudan Choku Tsuki
• Uchijo: Soto Choku Barai
• Ukejo: Hidari Nagare Chudan Choku Tsuki

“HENKA”

From San no Jo to Yon no Jo: Given the uke is really, really close when the second thrust comes, it would be a bit late to try to move back further and parry with uchi choku barai.  What I have found to be useful is a katate no bu, or single hand movement.  Uke steps forward with the right foot with an irimi movement, and releasing the jo with his left hand, brings the jo up in a diagonal manner over his head to parry the thrust.  I call this katate uke nagashi.  If I wanted to more poetic, I might call it katate kasa barai, single hand umbrella parry.  From here, uchi can do a single hand reverse thrust to uke’s face, which I call katate gyate tsuki, or use katate toma uchi.  Either way, uke steps back and parries with migi kaeshi barai.  After that, both uchi and uke come back to hidari tsuki no kamae to go right into Yon no Jo.

Coming up next: Yon no Jo.

I’M PRETTY SURE THAT GEORGE W. BUSH IS NOT GOING TO PLANT WATERMELONS AT THE WHITE HOUSE FOR OBAMA’S ARRIVAL.

Apparently, the “jokes” tell otherwise. So today, I was at work, and my boss thought that would be something that I would find funny.  My first reaction was to tell her:

Why would you even say something like that to me?

Then I walked off.  I started to get really, really angry, for a number of reasons, all at once.  I mean, I get it, your guy didn’t win, he gave up, and THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN, so all you have to say to me about it is a racist joke.  So wow, I guess it really was just a “race”/skin color thing to some people.  Wow, this adult woman just said this to me, as if I would appreciate the “humor” in that, or as if I’m even-tempered or something.  The “joke” wasn’t even clever.  Any racist with a third grade education could have made that joke up.  Wow, so my boss is telling me this joke.  What a way to take advantage of the employer/employee dynamic.  Ordinarily, when something like this happens, say at a bar, I like to curse people out and/or slap them.  I have zero tolerance for things like that.  When I went to sit outside to cool off a bit, she came outside to talk to me.  It went something like this:

Autrelle, are you upset about something?

I would really rather not talk about it.

Well what’s wrong?  Are you mad about what I said to you earlier?

Yes.  It was completely rude, racist, and unintelligent.  I can’t believe that you had the nerve to tell me that.  I never imagined that you could say something as nasty as that.

I only told you that joke because I thought you would think it was funny.

How would I think that was funny and not completely racist?  In fact, I would like you to explain to me exactly how that is just a really funny joke, and not something racist and offensive.

Well, you know, how black people, they’re associated with watermelons?

(I just stare at her.)

I think, you know, they used to sell watermelons?

(I decide to start talking again because I’m visualizing doing something bad, and I need to get my mind away from that…) Wow.  That was the least convincing argument I have heard, ever.  Those are just racist stereotypes in “joke” format.  I still remain highly offended.

Well, Autrelle, there are SO MANY jokes like that out there, I only told you that one because it was the mildest one that I have heard.

Well I suppose I should thank you for sparing your really bad racist jokes.

Well, I’m sorry that if I offended you. (Note that she was not sorry for telling me the joke, or for painting herself as an ignorant racist to me, just sorry that I got offended.  I honestly think that in her mind, she doesn’t think that she has done anything wrong.)

There you have it.  I live in a wonderfully progressive city called Jacksonville, Florida, in the Riverside area.  Go figure.  I’m on fire right now.  Let’s hear your feedback people, and don’t hold back – I’m not going to.