KABUKEN is CREATIVITY in the use of the sword and in movement.

Traditional Japanese swordmanship (Iaido, Kenjutsu and a myriad of similar disciplines) has bequeathed us mountains of postures, combinations of movements or katas (individual or in pairs) initially oriented to recreate hypothetical situations of attack and defense on the battlefield.

Thus, the need to preserve for the next clash the physical and mental health of the warrior, made it necessary to confine combat techniques to the strictly practical range.

But because in the 21st century mere survival is no longer the primary goal of Japanese swordsmanship, KABUKEN allows itself the luxury of innovating and executing its own kata (without worrying about whether some movements would condemn us in a hypothetical battlefield or not).

In this way the single practitioner, having no enemy to worry about, can now free himself from the tension of combat and begin to flow with the movements of his body and his sword… on ANOTHER level. Some call it “meditation”.

KABUKEN advocates the creativity of the practitioner in the movement and use of the sword, but without forgetting the main purpose of the tool: to thrust, strike and cut.

In KABUKEN we don’t use the bokken or the iaito like a golf club, but we do transcend the technical limitations imposed by the imperative need for survival of the warriors of medieval Japan.

However, the starting point of KABUKEN remains the same: learning the basic techniques of cutting, defense and displacement that Iaido and Kenjutsu masters of old have been teaching their students for centuries (with the variations provided, of course, by each master, school or ryu).

In this line of work of exploring creativity and freedom of movement with the sword, KABUKEN abandons all excess rituals and etiquette.

KABUKEN is a martial art in itself, but without the martiality -I insist again- of traditional disciplines such as Iaido and Kentujsu. If you are as bored with protocols, formalisms and Japanese “words” as I am, then KABUKEN is for rebels like you.

KABUKEN is the essence of FLUENCY and energetic EFFICIENCY.

In a certain way, KABUKEN can be seen as a dance: that of the practitioner and his sword in union and in perfect communion with the natural forces.

Not in vain, well looked at, and in strictly functional and technical terms, unsheathing a sword is much more than simply pulling it with our grip.

Drawing and cutting with fluidity, or without resistance, is the result of choosing (intuitively or voluntarily) the right pulleys, angles and levers. Always in order to generate -with the appropriate muscle groups- the inertia necessary for the physics of movement to work its magic on the flight of the mass of the sword on its natural way through space.

And all for the simple purpose of performing our exercise with the minimum possible energy consumption. Optimization of the effort dedicated to the development of the practice, which incidentally reduces the fatigue -or wear and tear- of the joints and muscle groups involved, and maximizes the quality of training (since muscle pain or stress usually take our concentration away).

With KABUKEN we learn to use the focus points to achieve the most natural, fluid and efficient movement.. with the minimum effort required, of course.

KABUKEN appeals to the spirit of the warrior within many of us..

In essence, KABUKEN is the yin and yang of modern Japanese swordsmanship. It is the communion between the masculine and feminine sides of swordsmanship.

The feminine side of our technique is the Yin: the ease of movements, the fluidity in the turns and circles; the dance, in short, of the great flights of the sword.

The masculine aspect of KABUKEN is Yang: the forcefulness and power of a cut that we execute not only with wrists and arms, but with the combined energy of the whole body (conveniently channeled through the abdomen -or hara-).

KABUKEN is the fusion of the masculine and feminine qualities of Japanese swormanship, regardless of the gender of the practitioner.

KABUKEN is realism and… a lot of fun.

When we do a kata, we try to make the intention and the distances of the practitioners as realistic as possible.

Does it make any sense to throw a cut at an enemy at five meters knowing that we will not reach him? Well, there are plenty of videos on social media like that.

In addition, we train in natural scenarios, whenever possible, with all the drawbacks that for our practice suppose. It is not the same to execute a kumitachi kata on the smooth and well-kept floor of any dojo, than to execute it on a stony ground or on a sandy bench. It may be the same kata, but in practice they are often nothing alike.

Can you picture yourself fighting in medieval Japan over a mountain of corpses of fallen warriors, friends and enemies? Surely there were many more distractions and challenges than in the comfortability of any dojo.

It goes without saying that in KABUKEN we are spared the mountains of corpses, logically, and it is the natural environment itself that puts at our disposal an infinite number of scenarios and training conditions.

KABUKEN means physical protection.

In order to ensure the physical integrity of the kabukaris, every effort is made to avoid unnecessary accidents.

To this end, the kata are studied beforehand, the number of movements required is adjusted, and they are adapted to the aptitudes of the practitioners.

In addition, after years of training and beating, my experience in working with leather has allowed me to design very specific protections for the practice of KABUKEN.

Undeniably efficient and exclusive, at KABUKEN we use our design protections to minimize the risk of accidents and injuries to the most fragile and exposed parts of the hands: the fingers.

Recapping…

As my own evolution of Iaido and Kenjutsu and as a particular interpretation of each individual student, the more earthly people will perceive KABUKEN as just another physical activity; the more mental, as a discipline of active meditation; and the more mystical as an additional form self-expression of their spirits… through the katana this time.

In summary, KABUKEN is your personal twist on traditional Japanese swordsmanship wherever you, as a pioneer of this new branch, may be led by the art of swordplay.

Give it a try

We teach regular classes (individual and group) as well as KABUKEN one day seminars in Lozoya (Madrid).

In open spaces when the weather permits; or indoors when not.

If you are an initiate you will learn from scratch; if you already have a background in the art of the sword, we will find a way to optimize and enhance your skills.