Training Like a Samurai: A Week of Yabusame, Etiquette, and the Katana in Japan
Michelle Khare
Michelle Khare set out to learn the disciplines a samurai would have studied, compressed into one week in the mountains near Nikko, Japan. The question behind the trip is what it actually took to become one of history's most disciplined warriors. Her final challenge was a graded run of yabusame, Japanese mounted archery, judged by the headmaster of the school that has taught it for centuries. Along the way she also trained in formal etiquette and katana technique, and she kept running into the same lesson: form and composure count for more than the result.
The Schools and the Final Challenge
Across feudal Japan, the video explains, certain schools were tasked by the shogun with teaching the samurai class everything from swordsmanship to archery to etiquette. The first school Khare visits is Ogasawara-ryu, which she describes as more than 800 years old and one of Japan's oldest schools of etiquette, archery, and mounted archery. According to the video, the Ogasawara family taught generations of shoguns and samurai "how to walk, bow, and shoot with grace." Ogasawara Sensei, the school's headmaster, would be her teacher for the week.
Before arriving, Khare admitted that her idea of samurai came largely from The Last Samurai, one of her favorite films. The local producer, Yasu, said its story is "completely fictional." The crew was also briefed on how to greet the headmaster, with a deep bow of around 30 degrees. Several people told Khare they were surprised he had agreed to take part.
On arrival she watched a yabusame demonstration. The ritual dates to the 13th century: a rider gallops down a straight track and shoots arrows at wooden targets. It served as a Shinto rite to honor the gods and spirits of Japan, and also as a way to train and test the samurai class. Her final challenge would be a full yabusame run graded by Ogasawara Sensei. When she asked how many foreigners had attempted this, she was told fewer than 20.
Learning to Ride All Over Again
Her main instructor for riding and mounted archery was Michael No, a member of the school for 12 years. He said he was drawn to yabusame partly by its danger. He also said it helped him become a more balanced and considerate person, and in his view a better one. He admitted that most people could not learn yabusame in under a week, but watching her channel gave him some confidence she could make progress.
Khare had prepared with four weeks of horseback riding lessons in the United States. Footage from those lessons shows her bouncing through the trot and learning that the reins do not hold the rider on the horse. Her American instructor had her drop the reins with her hands at her stomach. She said that training was crucial, but she still had only about a month of experience. Michael warned that the Japanese riding position would be "completely different" from what she had learned, and the video explains that she would not be allowed to attempt yabusame at all if her riding wasn't good enough, which she agreed made sense given the danger.
The differences began before she was even in the saddle. Riders bow to the horse, step in left-right-left, slip out of their sandals, and mount wearing traditional dress and socks with no shoes, as samurai did. She had trained in boots at home, so the socks felt very strange. Even walking was harder, because this was a different horse: "his head's going one way, but his shoulder's going another way."
The stirrups were the biggest adjustment. Michael compared a standard English stirrup with the Japanese one, which he said has no equivalent in any other culture. It has nothing at the side to keep the foot in, so riders "have to be quite good." Khare had assumed the sled-shaped stirrup meant the foot sits straight inside it. In fact the foot sits at about 45 degrees, partly off the stirrup, which she called terrifying. When she lost a stirrup at the canter, Michael explained why that is so dangerous: the rider is standing, all the weight shifts to one side, the saddle can turn, and "you'll just come off."
Etiquette as Physical Training
A central element of good yabusame, the video explains, is keeping the head perfectly level at a gallop, so the archer looks like they are gliding on a flying carpet. One way to build that control is through the school's etiquette practice. The transcript renders its name as "reiho," and describes it as the traditional Japanese system of etiquette covering walking, sitting, greeting, gift-giving, and more. The video credits the Ogasawara family with developing it and teaching it to the samurai class.
Khare had to lower her body using only her knees, without leaning forward or sitting down, while keeping everything straight. She said it looked simple but used every muscle in her body just to stand, sit, or take a single step. When she was handed a heavy object described as about 200 years old, the practical reason became clear: the more you move while carrying that much weight, the more energy you waste.
There was also a lighter moment. The school owns a stunt saddle used in The Last Samurai, and Khare, a fan of Tom Cruise, got to ride it.
First Contact With the Katana: Sparring Seki Sensei
For sword training, Khare traveled to Asayama Ichiden-ryu, which the video describes as about 400 years old. She studied under its 22nd headmaster, Seki Sensei, with his student Shogo Yamaguchi translating. Her only sword experience was fencing in middle and high school, years earlier.
Seki Sensei suggested she start with sparring. Khare pointed out that he had been training since age three, for about 50 years. Shogo described facing him as "like fighting a giant… a wall," feeling "those decades of training" like an ant facing an elephant. Shogo also said that people who know swordsmanship from movies may picture simple swinging, but in practice "there's so many precise techniques." The bout ended quickly and painfully for Khare, though she noted he was going very easy on her.
She then started what she called "ground zero," as a beginner in sword arts. She spent hours learning only to draw and sheathe the katana. The video introduces iaido, a form of swordsmanship meant to kill an opponent with a single blow, and says it is something Americans rarely understand. Khare found "beauty and art in even just putting the sword away," but said the beauty has a purpose: protecting yourself. One drill had a partner try to stop her draw, and she learned to grip firmly. Everything had to happen in one motion, with no pauses between steps.
The Wooden Horse and the Feeling of Floating
Back at Ogasawara-ryu, Michael explained that despite the galloping seen in performances, about 80% of their training happens on the mokuba, a wooden horse. It lets riders check posture and practice archery safely. The saddle on it was a real wooden antique from the Edo period, which he estimated at 300 to 400 years old.
Watching Michael showed Khare that her standing posture in the stirrups needed serious work. She compared the position to "holding a horse-stance squat with a cast iron rod in the middle of your foot." Michael told her that much of the practice is uncomfortable, but "uncomfortable is the way." Once riders find stability, he said, they get a very stable feeling of the horse "just floating under you." He stressed that form matters so much because yabusame "is not a sport. It is a ritual. It is a tradition," and keeping a standard is essential to keeping the tradition alive.
Khare said she felt that floating sensation only for brief moments when her position was correct, but it was something she had never felt before. Asked why preserving the tradition mattered, she was told that as long as there are students, it will survive. She remarked that many traditions around the world disappear, and it is remarkable that this one has lasted.
Danger on the Track
Moving from the wooden horse to the real track made Khare anxious. She had seen how fast the horses run and how excited they get. She said openly that she didn't want to do anything dangerous, and Michael replied that "everything we're doing is dangerous." He confirmed that people have lost their lives and that he has seen many accidents. He promised not to push her into danger but also not to hold her back, and told her to stop or ask if anything felt like too much.
Her first canter between the targets ended with the horse getting away from her and Michael shouting for her to pull him up. She said it was scary and that she had felt good until then. She describes "Have we gone too far?" as the question she asks herself every time she gets on the horse. Michael's advice was to go again right away so the spook would not turn into a fear in her head, in the same way you get straight back on after a fall. Her second canter went smoothly, and she thanked him for pushing her to do it.
Nature as an Opponent
As the week continued, the weather got worse. It was freezing in the mountains, the dojo floor was so cold she could not feel her feet, and training went on through rain, sleet, and wind. Khare had expected physical and mental difficulty. She had not expected weather and terrain to be one of her biggest obstacles.
At the sword school, she was told this is part of the art. Shogo explained that their techniques use nature to their advantage. The footwork is designed for unstable ground, such as rain, puddles, or roots, and there are techniques for using bright sunlight against an opponent. Khare's conclusion was that you cannot tame nature and have to become one with it. Meanwhile, she noticed Seki Sensei walking around with a tree branch.
Samurai Training Beyond Combat
Shogo described the breadth of samurai training. A saying holds that samurai trained in 18 martial arts, including the staff, the naginata and other pole weapons, spears, archery, and riding. He added that calligraphy, Zen meditation, and tea ceremony were also part of their training, along with etiquette and conduct in society, since samurai tried to be a model for others in Japan.
In a tea ceremony segment, the host explained that everything has a reason: which foot you step in with, which hand picks up a utensil, which utensil suits the season. He described the ceremony as a way to connect with people and also with nature, which "is what's supporting us in our lives and what we consider as gods. So everything can be gods basically."
Cutting Tatami With a Real Katana
The sword training's milestone was cutting a tatami mat with a real katana. Seki Sensei's side explained how a real blade differs from a training sword: its surface, its curve, and its carbon steel. They said that in Japan the katana is considered the samurai's soul and that gods are believed to reside in it. The narration adds that real katanas are hand-forged one-of-a-kind pieces that can take three to six months to make, that high-end ones can cost up to $20,000, and that a license is required to carry one in public. Khare compared the moment to breaking boards and bricks in taekwondo, where a martial artist gets to see the effectiveness of what they have learned.
Her first cut went poorly. Her body rose and her blade twisted. Seki Sensei could read this from the cut surface of the mat, which was slightly bent from the twist. Shogo explained that twisting adds unnecessary stress to the katana, and a smooth cut means "letting the katana do the cut for you." The mat's cross-section works as a skills test, like the rings of a tree. Her later cuts got smoother. She was then told she had been cutting a half-size mat and was offered the thicker one. Her cut through it was called the best of the day. Shogo added a caution: cutting is only one part of training alongside kata and iaido, and Seki Sensei does not want students obsessed with mat cutting.
Earlier, while the instructors were working on her archery release, she had been told to stay relaxed, not get in the katana's way, and feel what the sword wants to do. The release drew praise as "better than I expected."
The Mental Side: Nerves, Visualization, and the Kiai
Khare asked Michael how long he trained before performing his first ritual. He said about two years, and that he was very nervous in front of the crowd. When she froze during a practice run, he told her: "It's only not a problem for the horse… whatever the problem is, it's in-yō head." She said she wanted to reach a clear, calm state, at ease and able to "just do it." After another frightening moment on the horse, she realized she had trained many hours a day without giving herself any mental space. She began visualizing the run: the smell of the grass, the cast iron under her foot, the hoofbeats, the bounce of the saddle, the wind.
She also pressed Michael to teach the ritual's calls, which she said he had been avoiding. The call he taught, rendered in the transcript as "In-yō," was explained as meaning yin and yang, and each call is tied to a specific moment in the sequence of drawing and loading. On her first try she missed a call and "messed everything." She was told she had been far too timid and that the call should carry power. On a later practice run she loaded and shot twice, which Michael called "very, very good." Through the translator, she heard he had called it a proud moment. When she asked him directly, he downplayed it as "a decent job."
The Silent Archery Test
Before the final run, Khare had to perform a traditional standing archery ritual for Ogasawara Sensei. She had four arrows and needed to hit the target at least once to move on to yabusame. The ritual is done in complete silence, and she had learned it only the day before. Michael reviewed the sequence with her, including that she should look at the target only once the arrow is loaded. He told her the headmaster would be judging her form and composure, though hitting the target still mattered.
The wind was strong that day, and she was wearing a different outfit from the one she had trained in, which added to her nerves. The test itself is shown mostly without commentary. The video then states that Sensei approved her demonstration and gave her permission to attempt the final yabusame.
The Final Yabusame Run
The final challenge gave her three chances at a perfect run: hit and break two targets at full gallop while Ogasawara Sensei watched to make sure the ritual followed tradition. Yasuko Hosokawa, a school member, told her she had also been very nervous performing for Sensei. Khare said the two of them had felt like they were having real conversations even though they shared almost no language.
Michael said the track was dry and in better shape than the day before, but the wind came in gusts. His advice was to get ready after a big gust and go as soon as it stopped, and not let the wind into her head, because anything that affects her also affects the horse. Between runs, Khare reminded herself of what she had been taught: focusing on form rather than on hitting the target is what brings the result.
The wind dominated the attempts. During one run she said she could not even hold her form and that the bow was being blown out of her hands, and her final attempt waited for the wind to ease. Afterward she said she felt good on the first target but not the second, and that she had been slipping out of the stirrups. She felt she had done better the day before.
What She Took Away
Khare did not present the run as a clear success. She said she was grateful to have attempted it at all and that she valued "the lesson of the form versus the result." What she valued most was the chance to learn and bring the lesson into everyday life. She described it as a lifelong practice, which she said is why everyone at the school trains for years. Michael said there was a lot for her to reflect on and that she could come back and try again someday, or try something else. He confirmed she was invited back and called them "bros for life." When the group tried to translate the phrase into Japanese, they settled on keeping it in English.
This video is sponsored by Native.
I don't want to do anything dangerous, right? But everything we're doing is dangerous, you know. Yeah, I sense that. There is serious risk to life. People can lose their life. People have lost their life. Performing. Absolutely. Yeah.
Have we gone too far? Across feudal Japan, there were schools tasked by the shogun to teach the samurai class everything from swordsmanship to archery to etiquette. And recently, I heard that one of these schools still exists.
This week, I will be traveling to the mountains of Japan to train with legendary masters to learn the way of the katana. I'm about to spar Seki Sensei with 0.0% experience. And Yabusame, the ancient art of horseback archery. You probably picked one of the toughest things to learn how to do so quick. It's not just pick up a bow, ride a horse, and shoot. They have etiquette for every single thing that they do.
What did it really take to become one of the most disciplined and feared warriors in human history? Challenge accepted.
We are currently headed to Nikko, Japan, which is a small mountain town a few hours outside of Tokyo. For the next week, I'm going to be attending a school that has been around for over 800 years.
Ogasawara-ryu is one of Japan's oldest schools of etiquette, archery, and mounted archery. The Ogasawara family served as instructors to generations of shoguns to teach the samurai class of Japan how to walk, bow, and shoot with grace. And now their current headmaster, Ogasawara Sensei, is about to become my teacher.
From what I have seen and read, the samurai approach to perfection is one of peace. Wait a minute. You just decided that based on watching from— No. So you're citing The Last Samurai? Can you not do this to me? Hey, Yasu. How accurate is the Tom Cruise movie The Last Samurai?
First of all, the whole story is completely fictional. Yeah. So what you're saying is, like usual, Americans have inserted themselves into the story. Pretty much.
Guys, when we meet sensei, make sure that you bow as deeply as you can. I guess usually around 30 degrees, so it'll be okay to show respect. Who knows? Yeah, of course. I'm nervous. We're about to meet a living samurai.
We are waiting for Ogasawara Sensei to arrive. I'm pretty nervous. He's a very revered man. I'm so excited to learn from him this week. Everybody here is like, I can't believe that you got Ogasawara Sensei to agree to do this. Sorry. My God.
Michelle, this is...
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Oh, that was amazing. Wow. What we just witnessed is a ritual known as Yabusame, a performance of mounted archery dating back to the 13th century involving a rider galloping down a straight track shooting arrows at wooden targets. Its purpose was not only as a Shinto ritual to honor gods and spirits of Japan, but also as a way to train and test the samurai class.
And for my final challenge, I will be attempting a full Yabusame run that will be graded by Ogasawara Sensei himself. How many foreigners have tried Yabusame? Video? So less than 20 people have tried what I'm going to do at the end of this week. Yes, that is correct.
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So we're changing it from a Western saddle to a Japanese. Australian saddle. Australian to a Japanese. Yep. Austral— Okay. Sorry. Okay. Australian. Australian. Australian.
My name's Michael No, and I've been a member of Ogasawara-ryu for 12 years now. Paul, good boy. Yabusame and horses is an aspect of martial arts that I have chosen. Up. There you go. Apart from it providing for me, for my aspects of danger and other things that attract me— Lay down. It also has helped me a lot in my life to become a more well-balanced person, a more considerate person, and I really do believe a better person. Absolutely. Okay, good boy. Come on.
When I heard about Michelle coming and wanting to learn Yabusame in less than a week, most people couldn't achieve that, but when I saw Michelle's channel, it gave me more confidence.
I'm so excited to learn from you. This weather is crazy. You train in rain, shine? So rain and that, it's just a sort of discomfort. So we'll put up with it. Since you've done some riding, it's probably good to just see a little bit how you ride first. You'll find that the techniques that we use, the riding position, etc., is completely different to what you've learned.
Before I came here, I actually got four weeks of horseback training back in America. Kick. You're pulling back. I'm bouncing all over the place. How do I not— Wait, can we slow down? That bounciness, that's the trot. So there's four different gaits: walk, trot, canter, and gallop. Oh my God. Okay, that's one lap.
If I get to Japan and I am not good enough at riding, they will not let me attempt Yabusame, which makes a ton of sense because this is dangerous. You're thinking that the reins are keeping you on the horse, right? And they're not. Keep both of your hands by your stomach and just drop the rein. Good. Good. Attagirl. Well done.
And that training was absolutely crucial. But at the same time, I've only been doing this for about a month. You probably picked one of the toughest things to try to learn how to do so quick. It's not just pick up a bow, ride a horse, and shoot. They have etiquette for every single thing that they do.
First, before we get on, we're going to actually bow to the horse. Yeah. Very good. And then you can walk in left, right, left. Okay. Now take your reins. And then you're going to slip out of your sandals. We're out here in the traditional garb and socks. No shoes, socks. Because that is what samurai— Okay, good. Can you get your foot in there? No. Lift your own foot up in. Tuck it in. Oh my God. People shorter than you get on horses taller than this. Okay, there you go. You did it. You can do it.
See, at home I was training in boots. Yep. So it feels so different wearing socks. Yes. Yeah, exactly. And what's his name? Cody. Cody. I'll stand in the middle over here.
Right out the gate, even things as simple as getting this horse to walk is so much more difficult because it's a different animal. So even now his head's going one way, but his shoulder's going another way. In addition to that, using the stirrups is totally different.
So this is a standard English-style stirrup that you would see. And then we come to a Japanese stirrup, which there's no stirrup like it in any other culture. But they have to be quite good riders because their foot can slide out of the side of the stirrup because they have nothing stopping it here.
When you look at these stirrups, they look like a little sled. So I assumed your foot goes perfectly straight in the sled. It's a foot sled, right? That's apparently not how they work. Your foot is almost like 45 degrees perpendicular in the sled. So my foot is actually halfway off the stirrup, which is terrifying.
It will feel very uncomfortable, but that's it. Toe there. That's it. This is the way. Are you ready to canter and do it? Can you canter a circle? Yeah. Okay. I think so. Yeah.
Oh, my foot. Sit down. Sit down. Sit down. So if you lose your stirrup like that, it's really, really dangerous. Okay. Because you're standing up and all your weight goes onto one side. There's a chance that the saddle will turn. You will just come off. You'll just come off. That's it. I'm just so not used to half my foot being off of it. It's really freaky. It's absolutely going to be different. Everything. Okay.
And to think at the end of this week, I need to ride the horse, drop the reins, pick up a bow and arrow, shoot the bow and arrow, hit a target without falling off. There are no seat belts on this thing. None.
And one of the most essential elements of a good Yabusame performance is the ability to keep your head perfectly flat while galloping on the horse. They say the archer is supposed to look like they're gliding on a flying carpet. But it's also one of the hardest skills to master. And the best way to learn it is to practice what is known as reiho.
Lower your body with your knees without leaning forward. No, not sitting down. Just keep keeping that here. Yeah. Here in the air. Yeah. And then make sure everybody's straight. Do you find some part is hard? All of it. Yeah.
This is a very challenge. It looks so simple, but in reality I'm using every muscle in my body to try and perfectly stand up, sit down, or even just take one step. Reiho is the traditional Japanese system of etiquette which encompasses everything from walking, sitting, greetings, gift giving, and more. And the Ogasawara family is credited with developing this form of etiquette and teaching it to the samurai class centuries ago.
Oh, it is so heavy. Oh my goodness. That's very heavy. It's about 200 years old. This one, this is 200 years old. Oh my gosh.
So it's a practical application because the more movement you have, the more energy you're expelling when you're carrying that much weight.
So The Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise is one of my all-time favorite movies. This is one of the stunt saddles from the movie The Last Samurai. Yeah. So with my boy Tom. Yeah, my boy Tom. This was within Tom's vicinity, and I'm going to ride it.
And as you might already know, this year my goal is to recreate some of Tom Cruise's craziest stunts. We've already done a few homages, but I am most excited to attempt Tom's stunt from Mission: Impossible 5, where he's hanging off the side of a plane as it's taking off. So please subscribe so you don't miss it when it comes out.
Now, it wouldn't be a true samurai school without learning how to use the most iconic weapon in Japanese history, the katana. And so I'm traveling to the 400-year-old Asayama Ichiden-ryu to study under legendary swordsman Seki Sensei and one of his students, Shogo.
Seki, the 22nd headmaster of Shindu. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am so, so privileged to get to train with you, Sensei and Shogo. This is such a huge honor to be here today. Yeah. Do you have any experience with katana stuff?
I've never wielded a katana. However, I did fencing in middle school and high school. It's been a really long time since I've picked up a sword-based weapon. And I know this will be totally different.
Then to start your training, I actually have an idea for you. Yes. Okay. Wouldn't it be fun if you could start the training with some sparring? Let's say what? Yeah, you can start from there. I'm going to spar Seki Sensei? Yes. No, he's only been training since he was three years old for about 50 years now. I'm convinced he's immortal and has been around for thousands of years. What? I'm about to spar Seki Sensei with 0.0%, 0% experience.
Seki Sensei is a living legend. He has dedicated his whole life to training martial arts, and he loves it. And we're not aiming for the head, I'm guessing. Means go ahead. Yeah, if you're brave enough. Oh my, I'm shaking right now.
Facing Sensei is really like fighting a giant. He's a wall. Hey, go ahead. Okay.
The moment you face him, you feel those decades of training, and you feel like a tiny ant trying to fight an elephant or something, you know? Woo! [Laughter] He's just walking at me.
To me, this is one of the pinnacle skills that a samurai must know. If you watch movies and stuff, your image might be just swinging it. When you actually get into it, there's so many precise techniques.
Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Are you okay? No.
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But you were going super easy on me.
So for everybody wondering, I did finally earn my black belt in Taekwondo, which I'm super excited about. After I failed my black belt test in that episode, I spent six months just training for the brick break. And finally, the week before Christmas, I did it.
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She looks good, doesn't she? But today, back to ground zero, white belt in kenjutsu.
That's the point of view abusing. Where does it go? Oh gosh. Oh, because don't pull it out. Okay. Yes. Okay. Yes. There we go. Are these sharp katanas? No. Okay. Okay. Oh my gosh.
There is something we Americans will rarely comprehend: a sort of swordsmanship called iaido. Its purpose is to decapitate, disembowel, kill the opponent with a single blow.
I have literally been here for hours just learning how to draw and sheathe the katana. There really is beauty and art in even just putting the sword away, but also that beauty has purpose to it, to help protect yourself.
Stop him when he tries to draw. You can stop him, right? Grip firmly. See? Ow.
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Okay. And ultimately everything needs to be in one motion. This is one motion. There's no pauses or stops in between.
Too dramatic. Be right though. Okay.
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Mokuba is one of the foundations of Ogasawara-ryu. Even though we ride horses and you see us galloping, I would say 80% of our training is done on the mokuba, the wooden horse. So this is a way to safely check posture and practice archery. Yep. Absolutely. And to just build that form.
So you're sitting now in a real Edo-period saddle. This is a real wooden antique saddle. So this would be at least 300, possibly 400 years old. That's amazing.
Watching Michael really illuminated to me I've really got to fix my form when I'm standing in the stirrups, and that's everything. It's just so much muscle engagement. Open your knees more and put— Yep. It's really hard. Oh my goodness. Yep. It's literally like holding a horse stance squat with a cast-iron rod in the middle of your foot. My God.
So you'll find it uncomfortable. A lot of things are very uncomfortable about this, but you have to learn that uncomfortable is the way. Is the way. Okay. And literally when you get that stability, you will feel this really, I don't want to say magical, but a very good feeling, a very stable feeling of the horse just floating under you.
The form is very, very important because it's not a sport. It is a ritual. It is a tradition. Maintaining a standard is essential to maintaining the tradition of Ogasawara-ryu.
There is something really special about the flow. When you finally get in this crazy freaking position and hold your body the right way, it feels like you're floating. I have not experienced that feeling before. So it's really, really exciting to experience for half a millisecond when I get it correct. You got me right. When you get into the right position, it feels so cool. Yeah, it really does feel like you're floating.
Why does it matter to you to keep this tradition alive? As long as there are students, it will always survive, right? So many traditions all around the world disappear over time. And it's pretty amazing that this one has remained.
All right, let's get out onto the— Okay, we're going to the track. Yeah. All right. Michael says, "Okay, let's go to the track." I'm like, "Okay, sure." I'm honestly getting a little bit anxious because looking down this is crazy. And we're not galloping today or anything. I know, but seeing how fast you go, and I saw the horses get very excited. Yeah, we'll be all right.
Now, honestly, I don't want to do anything dangerous, right? But everything we're doing is dangerous, you know. Yeah, I sense that. I'm not going to push you into danger, but I also don't want to hold you back. So if you feel like, no, it's not comfortable, it's too much, don't do it or just ask me. Okay.
There is serious risk to life. People can lose their life. People have lost their life. Absolutely. Yeah. I've seen lots of accidents. It happens. Things happen.
I'm going to take him off now. Okay. Okay. Hold on. Just give me a second. Okay. Now remember, just breathe, walk, trot, and then try to canter roughly from the first target to the second target. Okay. It's so cold. Okay, good.
If you feel like you can a little, canter a little. If it's too fast, pull him up. Lower your reins. Hold both reins in-yō right hand. Slow. Yeah. Yeah. Slow. Pull him up. Pull him up. There you go. Easy.
Walk back. Come back here. You did good. That was pretty scary. Yeah. You all right? Yeah. I felt good until that happened. I was excited. Okay.
Have we gone too far? Is the question I ask myself anytime I'm on that horse. Because you just got a bit of a spook there with the canter. I feel personally the best thing to do is to just do that again. Do it again. Oh yeah. And just go past, get over that spook thing so that you don't have that complex in-yō head. The best thing to do when you fall off, get straight back on.
All right, let's do it. All right, canter. Good. Easy. Easy.
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Good. Okay. Good. Feel better? Yes. All right. Thank you. Thank you for encouraging me to do that. No.
As the week continues and the training gets more intense, the weather is proving to be wild and unpredictable. It is freezing cold in the mountains. This floor is ice cold. I can't feel my feet right now. I travel hours through the mountains between each school, carrying lessons from the last into the challenges of the next.
It's all about not getting in the way of your katana. You got to be able to feel what the katana wants to do. And to do that, you have to be really relaxed.
That was good. Very good. Actually, the release was really good. Better than I expected.
And the closer I get to my final challenge, the training becomes more demanding with every loading of the arrow, draw of the bow, and strike of the blade.
Oh my gosh, that's so cool. That was very, very cool. You're going to be doing this now. Okay. With a real katana. Yes, that's right. Oh my gosh. Challenge. Challenge. Challenge.
Today is the day I'm going to cut a tatami mat with a real katana. Here we go. It's very wide to hold it. This is a... He's going to let go. Hi.
See, you can probably see that the katana itself looks very different from the training sword, right? They do. Yeah. The surface looks completely different. The curve is so beautiful. It's made from the real steel. The carbon steel, called. Yep.
So, in Japan, the katana is very special for samurai. It was the soul of samurai. We believe that katanas have gods residing within them.
Real katanas are one-of-a-kind works of art. Hand forged by a master, they can often take three to six months to make. And some katanas on the higher end can actually cost up to $20,000. And in the right hands, they're so lethal, you actually need a license to carry one in public.
I'm very excited about this. It reminds me a lot of in taekwondo when I attempted to break a board, attempted to break a brick. It's a big milestone as a part of a martial artist's journey to see the effectiveness of what we've been learning.
Be careful. Be careful. It can really cut. Yes. You want to start trying? Okay. Left foot forward. Jōdan stance. Okay. Ready, everyone.
That's how you have to lower your waist. Is that okay? I'm so sorry.
So your body went up and you did this. Okay.
Sensei was just joking that Michelle can write her signature next to the... Oh, no. Michelle was here. He's just kidding.
See, you can see the surface is a bit bent, right? Yes. Because you twist. It's a bit of extra unneeded stress on your katana.
Smooth. That is letting the katana do the cut for you. So Sensei can tell how I've moved the katana based on the pattern of the tatami mat after. Exactly. As he's able to see what kind of movement you did, right? That's another way to test your skills, too. Yeah.
Yes. Good. Okay. So, it's a little smoother. Okay. Yes. Yes. It's a little bit better. Yes.
I have bad news. This is actually the half-size mat. You probably noticed. Yeah. Remember the thicker one? You want to challenge that one? Wow. Yeah.
Okay. Be careful. Let's enjoy the ride. Oh, I like that. Garrett, I need you to take several steps back. Okay, Kevin looks like he's at a safe distance.
Oh my. Nice. Nice. And it really did it. That was the best one today. It's like the cross-section of a tree. It tells a story.
But this is just part of the training of all the kenjutsu kata and the iai that you have to do. So, he doesn't want you to be obsessed with the mat cutting.
Samurai trained in a lot of martial arts. There's actually a saying that goes they train 18 different martial arts. For example, they would train with the staff. They might train with the naginata, which are long pole weapons, spears, bows and arrows, riding horses. There were a lot of different martial arts they trained in. Training calligraphy, for example, training Zen meditation, training tea ceremonies and such. This was also part of the samurai training as well.
Etiquette, discipline, how the samurai acted in society, how they would try to be a model for all the other people in Japan. There's reasons to everything that you do.
Which foot you step in from, which hand you use to pick up this utensil, which utensil you are using for this season. It's summer, it's winter, it's spring. Living together with nature. I personally feel tea ceremony is a way to connect not only with people. Yes. Yes. It's almost perfect. Yeah. But a way to learn for you to connect nature, too.
Nature itself surrounding us is what's supporting us in our lives and what we consider as gods. So everything can be gods, basically.
Something I've been struggling with this week is working with nature, which is something I would have never anticipated being a major obstacle to this whole journey.
Oh, you okay? Are you okay? Your back is so... Yes. Oh my gosh. This is literally fighting in the nature.
We have a lot of techniques to use nature as his advantage, where our footwork is based on fighting on grounds that are a little bit unstable. It might be raining. Yeah, it could be a puddle. There might be roots. Of course, if it's very bright, have the sun against her face, there's a certain technique that you can use to use that light against your opponent.
I knew it would be physically challenging. I knew it would be mentally challenging, but I never thought that I would be trying to wrangle Mother Nature as a part of this. This is so obvious, but you can't tame nature. You have to become one with it.
Meanwhile, over here, Sensei is wielding a tree branch. Are you guys seeing this? He's just walking around with a tree branch. See, he is so one with nature.
There you go. Good. Heels down. Good. Let go. Let go.
How long did you train before you performed your first ritual? I think it was two years. Wow. What did it feel like when you went out there for the first time? Very nervous, of course. Also, it wasn't just like, "Yeah, I'm here. Cool. Let's go." Honestly, I felt, feel very nerve-wracking with the crowd and everything. That's crazy.
This is not even a problem. It's not a problem for the horse. Whatever the problem is, it's in-yō head.
I feel there is a state of mind that I want to achieve, that I actually can be clear and calm. So, you're not feeling tense. That would be something great to obtain and something that I want to strive for, too. Actually feeling at ease and at peace and just being able to do it.
Don't hold. Don't pull. Kick. Kick. Kick. No. There you go. Okay. Oh my God. You all right? Yeah. Just stop for a moment.
You okay? You all right? Yeah. It's just scary. Sorry.
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I've been training so many hours a day and I haven't taken really any time to mentally give myself space to think about everything my body has been going through.
I started visualizing myself performing yabusame. The smell of the grass, the feeling of the cast iron under my foot, the galloping of the horse, and the beating of the hooves on the ground, the bouncing of the saddle, and the wind.
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It's going to be a good day, Michael. It is. It's already a good day. It's a very good day. I'm learning how to be a more positive person because of you. You've been a great influence on me. I'm such a gloomy, dark person.
How do you say queen in Japanese? Queen. Oh, joō-sama. Joō-sama. Yeah. Yeah. Jo. Jo. Joay.
Okay. I have a question. Yeah. Michael, I feel like you've been avoiding this part of the lesson. I need to learn how to do the yell. You may. You're going to go here and then you're going to go for the first one. In. Yeah. In-yō is meaning yin and yang. You like yin and yang. Yin and yang. It means yin and yang. Slowly drawing.
So you missed your call, though, over. Oh wait, shoot. Oh, dang it. I missed it. I messed everything. Yeah, you did. Oh my God. Wait. The second one starts when? At the drop, from here, from taking the arrow out. And the first one is from here. You got my right out the... As you raise. Oh my God. Okay. One more time. Yeah. One more time.
I was too timid. Yeah, way timid. Gosh, you can hear echo when you do it. Okay. Yeah, it should feel power. Should feel power.
Come on. I can do this. I can do anything. I can do anything. Okay.
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Enjoy your... Enjoy. Wow.
Oh my God, Mike. It was really good. No, you did. It was awesome. Oh my God, that was really fun. That was so sick. That felt so good. You got it done. You loaded. You shot twice. So that's really very good. Okay, awesome. All right, take him for a walk.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Heck yes. Was good. We just don't want to get her to have a big head. But it's very, very good. So it's a proud moment.
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Huh? He said this is a very proud moment. Who did? Who did? Michael. Michael. Michael said he's proud of me. Michael, you said you're proud of me. Who told you that? Oh my God. I think it was a decent job. It wasn't bad. It was okay. Thanks. I'll take it.
But before my final challenge, I was told I have to perform a traditional Japanese archery ritual for Sensei. I will be given four arrows and I must hit the target at least once in order to move on to yabusame. But the catch is the entire ritual is done unspoken, in complete silence, and I only just learned how to do it yesterday.
Was I supposed to look down and up? Look at... Yeah, now I look. No, the only time you're going to look at the target is once you're loaded here, up, down, across, here, and then look at the target and raise. And you won't rush because you'll see he's watching you.
But at the end of the day, if you do a bad job, it's not me who did a bad job. Okay. Okay. Okay.
It's so windy. Windy. You say windy and I wasn't...
It's almost test time. I have four arrows. Try and hit a bullseye. Sensei. What is Sensei looking for in this test? He's looking for your form, your composure.
But of course, we want to hit the target. I want to show him that we've been working really, really hard, but the wind is really crazy right now. So, I don't know how that's going to impact things. I'm also wearing a totally different outfit, too, than what we've been training in. I'm already quite anxious about the archery component of both this as well as yabusame, but we've done it through rain, sleet, and shine. And now we have this wind involved, and I have no idea how that's going to impact things.
You'll have four arrows. The goal will be obviously to use the best form that you have and to hit the target. Four tries. Four tries. Okay.
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Heat. Heat.
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Okay.
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With Sensei's approval of my demonstration, I've been granted permission to perform my final yabusame ritual. I will have three chances to complete a perfect run, which means I will have to hit and break two targets while at full gallop, and Ogasawara Sensei will be watching closely to ensure the ritual is performed accurately per tradition.
Yasuko, have you ever performed yabusame for Sensei? Were you nervous? Yes, very much.
I've really, really enjoyed hanging out with you, Yasuko. I know we don't speak the same language and pretty much all I can say is hello and thank you to you, but I feel like we've had a lot of conversation. Oh, really? Yeah. Yay.
I'm getting a bit nervous. Yeah, just breathe and relax. The track's good. It's dry. It's better conditions than yesterday. And the wind, it's coming in gusts. It settles for a few minutes. But the best thing to do is after a big gust, get ready. And as soon as the gust stops, go. Don't let this wind or anything get in-yō mind at all. And if it affects you, it'll affect the horse.
Breathe slowly. Okay. You ready? Okay, I'm ready. Go. Go. Hey. Hey. Hey.
Dang. Oh yeah. Feel okay? Yeah. Saddle feels stable. Feels good. Feels tight. Yeah. Yeah.
Me focusing on the form instead of thinking about hitting the target will bring the result. I need to focus on the form and less on hitting the target. Right. With the right form, I should hit the target.
Let's go. Okay. You ready? Go. Go. In-yō go.
Why? The wind is just killing me.
I feel like I can't even do the form correctly. I can't... Just doing that and the bow is flying out of my hands. It's... Oh, how difficult. It's really hard to combat. Combat.
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What is going on? Well, the wind's just crazy. So, once it's eased up, you're going to do your run. Just get ready. Okay. Heels down. I'm going to do this. You are. I'm going to do this. Okay. Ready? All right.
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In-yō, in-yō... Kick, kick, kick.
Dang.
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How was it? How did you feel? I felt good on the first target and not on the second target. I was slipping out of the stirrups and it's really difficult to do this with the wind. And like you said, like everyone said, it's not about hitting the target, and this was really, really challenging with all the wind and the elements today. Right. I'm just grateful to have gotten to do this at all.
Some of this stuff. I struggled today because I felt I did better yesterday, Mike, but I really appreciate the lesson of the form versus the result. Oh, no. What I appreciate is the opportunity to learn and bring this back into my everyday life. And I think it's a lifelong practice, which is why everyone here practices for years. And what a privilege it is to learn this lesson and to continue to learn for the rest of my life.
There are heaps of stuff to think about and reflect on and stuff, but one day you can come and try again or you can do something else. Oh, I'm invited back. Yeah, of course you are. We're bros for life. We're bros for life. Hell yeah. How do you say that in Japanese? Bros for life in Japanese. Shinu. Special. Soulmate. Soulmate. Soulmate. Bros for life is good. Let's keep it in English.
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