13 Basic Techniques of Saijutsu Performed by Yonamine Kosuke in 1982

In this video, Yonamine Kosuke performs 13 basic techniques of the sai. I have numbered them and tentatively described them by terms (which are by no means standardized terminology, but just a best guess). Also, I wanted to keep text short so as not to distract from the video too much. I would guess that sai basics were not defined at that time and that he chose some combinations that fitted his needs and intentions. Some combinations are similar to what is found in the sai kata of Taira lineage, but others are unrelated. Notwithstanding, this is a good set and might be used by any practitioner. Here is a short description. Note 1: All techniques start from both-handed Chudan-kamae. Note 2: Perform each combination about three times on each the right and left side. Note 3: 9 and 10 are almost the same. It seems that 9 begins isolated, while 10 is the same in a more flowing execution. Note 4: I have made a mistake in the description for No.1: in brackets, it should read “rear h