Kata
Empi
えんぴ
In the current Hikita transmission of Shinkage-ryu, Empi is the group name for six kata—Empi, Enkai, Yamakage, Tsukikage, Ukifune, and Uranami—in that order. Empi is also the name of the first kata.
The six-kata sequence
- Empi
- Enkai
- Yamakage
- Tsukikage
- Ukifune
- Uranami
Historical background
The name Empi can also be confirmed in Kage-ryu before the establishment of Shinkage-ryu. The 愛洲陰之流目録 preserved by the Tokyo National Museum consists of four scrolls, of which the first is identified as 猿飛. In their study, Miyamoto Mitsuteru and Uozumi Takashi introduce the catalogue as important historical material for understanding Kage-ryu, a source tradition of Shinkage-ryu.
For Shinkage-ryu as transmitted in Higo, Higo Budo-shi records six sword forms called 猿飛, 猿廻, 山陰, 月影, 浮舟, and 浦浪. The historical spelling 浦浪 is retained here when referring to the source.
The name Empi and this six-part composition therefore show a notable commonality between Kage-ryu and the Hikita transmission of Shinkage-ryu.
This does not demonstrate that the specific movements of the forms recorded in older catalogues are identical to those transmitted today. This site presents facts confirmed from documents separately from the forms in the present transmission.
Kata
The Hikita-line Empi mokuroku and the present forms
The following photographs were taken with scenes corresponding to the illustrations in the Empi mokuroku transmitted in the Hikita line in mind. They offer a visual introduction to the relationship between those illustrations and the forms currently transmitted; they do not demonstrate that their specific movements are completely identical.
猿飛Empi
猿廻Enkai
山陰Yamakage
月影Tsukikage
浮舟Ukifune
浦波Uranami
