Batto Do / Toyama Ryu Kata

The eight Toyama Ryu kata were adapted from the original training kata from the Toyama Military Academy. Each Kata teach the student how to move, draw, defend, and attack efficiently with the sword. The Kata’s present scenarios where the enemy attacks from different directions and instructs the student how to deal with the situation. These katas are a training tool for Japanese Swordsmanship.

Each of the kata teaches a different lessons to the student. It is important to know the purpose of each detailed movement, but it may take the student time to understand the nuances. Basic movement must be learned first. It is through the understanding of the subtle details that we reach a true understanding of our art. There are lessons to be learned the first time a kata is done, and still lessons to be learned after doing that kata hundreds or even thousands of times. It is not about the memorization of many kata, it is about the true understanding of a few.