Gekken (Truth and Falsehood)

By Mike Femal

Hataya Sensei describes gekken as the study of truth and falsehood in swordsmanship. It is the art of hitting your opponent when and where he does not expect you to and determining where and when your opponent will strike you. If you can predict your opponent’s attack, you can block and counter.

The rules are pretty simple. If you hit your opponent anywhere without being hit at the same time, you win. One good strike, and the match is over. If you both hit each other at the same time, you continue. The idea is not to beat on each other, which leaves both people pretty bruised, and would essentially leave you both dead in a real fight. The gekken swords are stiff and can be used to effectively block. On the other hand, big strikes hurt even if they leave no lasting damage.

Years ago we tried sparring with chambara swords. The swords don’t hurt much, but they bend and can not be used to block effectively. The Gekken swords developed by Hataya Sensei’s dojo are quite different. They can be used to block effectively, but they hurt when you get hit hard. They don’t hurt as much as bokken or shinai, and some head-gear is easier to wear than bogu. We brought some Gekken swords back from Japan. Just about everyone including me got hooked. We started trying them before the head-gear had arrived, and had some pretty brutal classes. The head-gear made the experience a bit less painful and eliminated the guilt of smacking your opponent in the head. That leaves plenty of opportunities at painful hits – I mean negative re-enforcement for poor blocking.

There is one truth to Gekken that you can not escape. If you get hit hard - it hurts. If you get hit several times in the same place - it really hurts. After the initial class where everyone just wailed on each other, the technique has improved allot. Jesse and Adrian tried Gekken at the taikai in Machida. Jesse managed to make it through a number of rounds before being eliminated. He also accumulated a number of bruises in the Machida dojo spearheading our understanding of Gekken. It really is all about truth and deception. It is easy to get faked out by your opponent and leave yourself open. Broadcasting you intent gets you killed, but feigned movement can be more effective than hiding your intention.

The other aspect of Gekken is that it is an amazing cardio workout. It is a full body workout that leaves you tired, sweating, and wanting more. James and I have started practicing Gekken every night right after work. I come by the dojo and we practice for about and hour before heading home. I use this to keep pushing myself. Maybe I’ll try my luck at the Gekken tournament at next year’s taikai.