Feather Breathing

"All movement is enabled by breath. Martial arts originate with the breath."

This was said by Shinkan-Ryu Ken, the godfather of pre-modern sword arts.

The autonomic nervous system controls many of our unconscious bodily activities like heart rate, breathing, digestion, urinary and sexual arousal etc.

It is further divided into the sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PSES). The SNS regulates the fight or flight response and will increase adrenaline levels. The PSES does the opposite and puts the body into rest.

Feather breathing is a traditional samurai technique in which one places a feather under one's nose and breathe on it. If the feather moved, one would be dismissed as a samurai.

The trick is to breathe out slowly and comfortably. This greatly prolongs exhalation but once practised, one can do it effortlessly. This is one of the many ways to train abdominal breathing which is fundamental in martial arts.

Smooth and slow abdominal breathing stimulates the PSES and leads to a higher volume of blood flow and oxygenated blood. It also calms the mind. Ichigorou had mastered this technique.

The round had begun.

Ichigorou felt crushed under the pressure of Hikaru's killing intent. He could see a dark obsidian aura radiating from Hikaru's body, making him look like a giant towering over with a sword and ready to behead someone.

Ichigorou changed stances to what looked like waki-gamae. His sword was pointed to the ground behind him 35 degrees from the belt.

This stance hides the sword behind the body to deter any opponent who didn't know the range of the sword. It also conceals the orientation of the blade so that opponents have difficulty guessing their next move.

Hikaru didn't know what he was up to but it was all meaningless to him. He was going to do a smash with his unholy strength. He didn't care if he broke Ichigorou's sword. He didn't care about the tiny risk that he would kill his sensei from a concussion or a cut in his throat.

He was prepared to write it off as a freak accident as a result of a legendary strike of modern sword arts. Manslaughter in a kendo sparring match. What a media whirl storm would that be?

The spirit of the sword is the breath.

'Feather breathing release!'

Ichigorou breathed in deeply from the chest and felt a burst of energy. He charged into Hikaru's attack range. Seeing Ichigorou stepped into his sword length, Hikaru launched a downward strike like a released spring coil.

Ichigorou changed the direction of his charge in an instant with a side-step. He moved with a speed that created an afterimage that Hikaru sliced through. Said afterimage was only seen by the spectators. Hikaru saw that Ichigorou added a step that shouldn't have existed in his pace.

He had suddenly sped up.

'Was the old man hiding his true speed? Or did his true skill wake up from dormancy after not battling a worthy opponent for so long?' Hikaru thought.

Only a few descendants of samurai know the long-lost sword arts and breathing techniques. Therefore, most practitioners of feather breathing don't know its true form.

Ichigorou had learnt the infinite feather breathing technique which means he maintains it day and night even while asleep or exercising. His body has become a lot more efficient than a regular person's and so is not limited by the same restrictions.

When he releases feather breathing and instead breathe through the chest, his SNS kicks in with an adrenaline boost. He enters battle mode with enhanced strength and agility.

Ichigorou diagonally batted Hikaru's blade causing it to snap into two when colliding with the floor. He then slashed at Hikaru's side. At the same time, Hikaru thrust his broken bamboo sword onto Ichigorou's wrist.

It seemed like a draw. However,

"It is over Hikaru." Ichigorou declared.

"What do you mean?" Hikaru asked.

He knew that Ichigorou had decided that Hikaru lost the match but wanted to clarify if he was going to be kicked out of the club.

"That point did not count."

"What do you mean that didn't count?" Chiho came in between them. One can note the irritation in her tone.

"He still stabbed you with a broken sword. If that was real-"

Ichigorou called for silence with a raised hand.

"If Hikaru had strictly followed the forms of Kendo and its spirit, he would not have broken his sword. More importantly, a Kendo swordsman's strike would never score a point if not swing with a sword embodying the Kendo spirit."

A sword was the heart and soul of any swordsman. For Hikaru to have simply used his sword as a tool and exposed its weaknesses to the enemy, it was an indication that he had no "spirit". A true swordsman would never have allowed his sword to break such is a disgrace.

"Hikaru, you have defiled the zanshin. Renounce this behaviour... This club, no... Kendo does not tolerate this kind of 'conduct'."

Kendo meant the way of the sword. It is a martial ART. The concept of kendo was to discipline the mind and body through the application of the principles of the katana. This would train one to treat others with sincerity, courtesy, honour and this concept believed that this will promote peace and prosperity among all peoples.

For a hit to count as a point, one needed zanshin (continuation of spirit) in their strikes. Hikaru had attacked with malice in a sparring match. There was no courtesy or respect. He had disrupted the peace and culture. Being the anti-thesis of Kendo, there was no way they would let him stay in the club.

"You say that yet, you used Kenjutsu."

Kenjutsu covers all Japanese swordsmanship which typically predates the Meiji Restoration period. Some of modern Kendo's techniques are derived from it.

Kenjutsu refers to "the technique or method" of the sword whereas Kendo is "the way of the sword". Although Kenjutsu is older, it was developed through war times. Kenjutsu had the objective of learning how to kill someone with a sword.

Kendo was developed during peacetime or in a war where guns were used and swords were obsolete. Modern Kendo techniques and strategies are optimised for scoring points and winning tournaments. One isn't better than the other unless one was talking about killing since Kenjutsu practised with live swords