Martial arts technique like the Lindy Hop Tick-Tock

[Peter Grilli]

Bruce,

No doubt you're right that Nakadai's lindy-like foot movement (in Seppuku)
comes out of a martial-arts context.  I don't know much about martial arts
coreography and terminology and can't help you with that.

But it is also very similar to a characteristic traditional Japanese
theatrical movement -- seen often in kabuki, and also in buyo --- where it
is part of a mie and underscores a moment of dramatic intensity.  At such
dramatic moments, the foot movement you describe is often accompanied by
highly exaggerated hand gestures, crossed eyes and a guttural throat sound
(almost like the actor is choking on his own blood).  In kabuki, the same
foot movement also occurs constantly in tachimawari fight scenes, and that's
why I expect there's also a martial-arts application.

There must be a term for this movement.  I don't know what the word is, but
will try to find out from kabuki-actor friends and let you know.

Peter Grilli
  -----Original Message-----
  From: owner-KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
[mailto:owner-KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu]On Behalf Of Bruce Baird
  Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2007 9:53 AM
  To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
  Subject: Martial arts technique like the Lindy Hop Tick-Tock


  Colleagues (with apologies for cross posting),


  In the Kobayashi Masaki's _Seppuku_, towards the end of the movie during
the final fight scene, Nakadai Tatsuya's character Tsugumo Hanshiro does a
sliding movement across the room which looks like the lindy-hop tick tock
(tic toc).  In lindy, you put your hands on your knees and then point your
knees and feet out and then point them in, and repeat for several counts
(and you remain in one place during this--its an accent you add to your
dance).  In the movie, Tsugumo is wielding a sword so obviously his hands
are not on his knees, but he slides across the floor by means of pointing
his feet simultaneously both out and then both in and then both out again,
and alternating weight from the heel to the ball of the foot as a means of
lateral locomotion across the floor.


  I assume this is a known sword fighting technique to allow you to move
laterally without having to cross your legs and experience of moment of
unbalance.  But can anyone picture what I am talking about and corroborate
my assumption and tell me what this technique is called?


  Best,


  Bruce


  Bruce Baird

  Assistant Professor

  Asian Languages and Literatures

  University of Massachusetts Amherst

  Butô, Japanese Theater, Intellectual History




  717 Herter Hall

  161 Presidents Drive

  University of Massachusetts Amherst

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  Phone: 413-577-4992

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  baird at asianlan.umass.edu








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