Correct Muromachi period "warrior" way to tie obi?

[Mal]

Hi all,
I'm a newbie at all of this. I have been shown several ways to tie an obi for iai, and am trying to find the "authentic" Muromachi period warrior style of tying an obi. I have begun training in Tatsumi Ryu and wish to use correct traditions in all things in the dojo. Any info or pics would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Mal

[David Craik]

Would your sensei not be able to instruct you of the correct way to tie the obi in your tradition?

If not, though I can't imagine why, contact Mr. Liam Keeley at keeley@netspace.net.au

Surely your own instructor is in contact with him.....

[Mal]

Yes quite right David, Sensei Liam has showed me one of the ways I know, and another senior student showed me a different way. I just felt a little embarassed at asking Sensei which one is correct. (not wanting to offend either of them).
I will take your advice and ask sensei for his preference in his dojo.

Thanks

(being a newbie, I still don't know the boundaries for what might be considered a stupid question, although simply not knowing something isn't stupid, the stupid thing is not to seek help with gaining knowledge.)

Cheers

Mal

[David Craik]

No such thing as a stupid question Malcolm. Bear in mind that the Muromachi period covered a span of over two centuries, so there was very likely some variation. What matters of course, is the way it is supposed to be done within the Tatsumi-ryu heiho, and on this I'm fairly certain Mr. Keeley is a subject matter expert, certainly more so on your tradition than any person to be found here.

Perhaps both ways are quite acceptable and historically accurate.

[Neil Yamamoto]

Malcolm,

Beginners are supposed to ask questions, even if they think it's a stupid question and it's a sensei's job to answer, even if they roll their eyes and shake their heads at you, or get mad and call you names. In fact, I was told to ask questions until I exhausted sensei's patience, and was told to shut up, then wait for a while and ask more.

As you get better, the quality of your questions is expected to improve. You go from "How do I tie my obi correctly"(multiple ways are correct, depending on the tradition) to "Is there any connection between the kendo kata of shiho and Tatsumi ryu's kata of the same name?"

And, questions are usually best answered while sipping the beers you bring to sensei. Just my take on asking and getting answers.

[Mal]

Neil & David, thank you for your quick responses, as I've said, being new to all of this I was not sure about asking questions of my sensei.
Your replies have clarified this situation for me, so again thanks for you patience and understanding.
I look forward to future correspondence with all of the forum members, and would like to commend you on the work you're doing.

Thanks

Mal