Grandmaster Takamatsu and his sword dance (Kenbu)
Demonstration at the Budokan of Kashihara Temple, 17 October 1970
剣舞を舞った高松先生
もう四十年も前になるだろうか、七人の弟子を、高松先生がお気な時に、一度先生に会わせておこうと、原の自宅に連れていったことがある。 先生は一人一人の弟子に、掛け軸とした絵を、穀美みながら一巻ずつ手渡された。そして腕に針を刺し、ローソクに火をつけ、美化針棒の神に祈り、橿原道場では剣舞を舞って下さった。ちなみに高松先生は、日本剣舞大会で日本一を受賞されたこともある。若い頃は神戸一の美男と新聞にも書かれたほどなので、歌舞伎の寿海さんから、養子になってくれと言われたことがあったそうだ。高松先生が寿海と武号を名乗られたのも、そんなことがあったからであろう。 その師の接待を大切にして、エンを切ることなく師影を奉じ、一貫できている者は、平成21年、十五段の瀬能英夫、大栗紘一の二人だけであるということを、灯として行えておこう。なぜ、ここで「逢和瀬」のまぼろしを書いたかというと、私と一度だけ会って写真を一緒に撮っただけで、私と長年稽古したなどと自己ピーアールする不届き者が、世界のあちこちにいたからである。
Master Takamatsu Performing the Sword Dance (Kenbu)
It must have been almost forty years ago when I took seven disciples to visit Master Takamatsu at his home in Nara, hoping to allow them the chance to meet him at least once while he was still with us. The master, carefully observing each disciple, handed them each a scroll with an illustrated image, one by one.
Then, Master Takamatsu pierced his arm with a needle, lit a candle, and prayed one ritual to the gods. At the Kashihara Dojo, he honored us by performing a sword dance. Incidentally, Master Takamatsu was once recognized as the best in Japan at the National Sword Dance Tournament (Kenbu Taikai). In his youth, he was even mentioned in the newspapers as the most handsome man in Kobe, and at one point, he was invited to be adopted by the kabuki actor Jukai. It is likely for this reason that Master Takamatsu took the name Jukai as his warrior name.
Out of those first group of disciples, only two people, Hideo Seno and Koichi Oguri, who achieved the rank of fifteenth dan in 2009, have managed to maintain their connection with their teacher without interruption, honoring his image with devotion over time, like a light that never fades.
I mention this “illusion of encounters” here because I have experienced individuals who, despite meeting me only once and taking a single photo, have irresponsibly promoted themselves around the world, claiming to have trained with me for many years.
(Written by soke Masaaki Hatsumi in his book ‘The Essence of Budo’, and published by Kodansha International in 2011).
