Itokentō

Itokentō ("Closed-Spirit Fighting") is a style of Kāichrén Martial Arts featuring a focus on close-range combat based on the utilization of of all parts of the body, especially the shoulders, elbows, knees, and shins. It is a Chokuntō Combat Sport, with a historical reputation for being known by military officials and other figures of power - with one of its most notable modern practitioners being the former leader of Neo-Korea, Hikaru Sakuma. It is called "Closed-Spirit" fighting because it explicitly disregards the philosophical or spiritual concepts interlinked with most forms of martial arts in East Hiakemiria, instead focusing exclusively on the development of the capacity for combat above all else. This focus on the purity of combat development means that it is primarily trained through one-on-one combat with limited rules - leading to practitioners of Itokentō regularly being harmed in training, and has lead to a general reputation of being self-destructive and incapable of the necessary restraint inherent to being a martial artist.

Itokentō is believed to derive from Kunio Okamura, the developer of the Kyōjin-Yōshiki ("Murderous Blade Form") - due to the two styles sharing certain movement techniques and a similar philosophical focus towards the purity of the utilization of a weapon / art for combat and nothing else. It is historically related to the Jien Martial Arts of Léitíquán and Tófěntī, both of which focus on similar styles of close-ranged combat, although both possess a greater philosophical basis and focus on developing internal spiritual balance. Whle still primarily practiced within Neo-Korea, members of the Kāichrén Diaspora have spread the style abroad, especially to Meridon and Aureumterra. The term for practitioners of either gender is Ikusanin.

Etymology

As mentioned, the name of the style derives from the exclusion of the Ikusanin from any moral, philosophical, or spiritual concepts in connection to martial arts - the "closure" of the practitioner to any concerns aside from fighting is what forms the fundamental basis of the style's conception. According to some historians, the style was originally named in a similar fashion to the Kyōjin-Yōshiki, with Kunio Okamura supposedly having taught the style as the "Shoken Yōshiki", or Executioner-Fist Style. It is believed that the style was renamed by his foremost student, Nishio Uchihiko, in an attempt to legitimize the style in comparison to the more entrenched techniques of contemporary figures - by stating its spiritual reasoning in the name itself, he believed it would be more accessible to those afraid of the implications of the style being exclusively for murder or execution. The legitimacy of this theory is questioned by many practitioners, however, who state that the change was a product of Kunio's development of the style diverging from the explicit violence of the Kyōjin.

This debate is related to an interlinked struggle between those who believe that the Kyōjin-Yōshiki and Itokentō were contemporary developments, and those who believe that Itokentō was developed after Kunio had been banned by the Daiichikyōwakoku from training others in his style or utilizing a blade by himself. Throughout most of history, Itokentō was believed to have been created later - but recent developments in archaeology and the finding of a series of notable records from the period have pointed towards the two being jointly developed, with the two being part of an never-created "Unified System" (Kumiawairu) of directly-focused combat arts Kunio wished to create.

History

Disputed History

The origin of the style, as mentioned, is believed to originate from Kunio Okamura in the early 150BCE period, who is reputed to have developed the style either alongside or after his development of the Kyōjin-Yōshiki. It is believed that this development was a response to outside pressure, either the first attempt to ban his teaching of the blade (for those who believe in concurrent development), or directly after the ban. Kunio was believed to have possessed previous experience in fist-based martial arts which he had tossed to the wayside in exchange for a focus on his more favored bladework, with the style he had learned most likely a variant of the Léitíquán style due to his travels throughout Jungg'o during the course of the Bun'ya Wars.

When the right to train others in his sword techniques was revoked by the Daiichikyōwakoku due to his role in the murder of a local politician, he went into isolation for an approximate year, before beginning to instead teach a style of martial arts. In his old age, he was not able to train as many as he had done with the Kyōjin, and he therefore took a disciple - the name and origin of this disciple is highly disputed, with the current consensus being that, in opposition to earlier theories, he trained two disciples - Nishio Uchihiko, who popularized the style in the Nán Yánshēn, and Chen Peizhi, who took the style to the north, causing his own variation to fuse with the other martial arts in existence within Jungg'o at that period. The "Two Disciples" theory replaced the dominant one of the pre-KDS era, where it was believed that Nishio had been the only trained individual, while Chen had stolen the style from him and taught it to others.

His teachings would gradually be spread to members of the military by Nishio and then Nishio's successors, with numerous variations on the style being developed and coming into conflict with one another throughout the course of the BCE and early CE period. This spread to the military would result in one highly notable trainee of the style, Nakamikado Kanemoto, who came to prominence in early 800CE.

Early History

Nakamikado, a former trainee for the military of the Sabi Republic, would resign shortly into his commission, finding that he was not a fan of military life and wishing to perform different work. He would travel across the Yanshen, and through such would come into contact with many variations of Itokentō, which he was already familiar with to some extent due to his training. He would join a number of these schools throughout his traveling, and - upon seeing the similarities and divergences between them, resolved to attempt to create a "unified" variation of the art. While in most circumstances similar attempts had only created new variations, he would be effective in establishing a unified system through a process of, essentially, organizing large-scale tournaments where his students proved most effective. This process of consolidation carried out through the exchange of style-specific secrets as rewards for victory in the tournaments would see Nakamikado become the foremost practitioner of the style, eventually resulting in the gradual shuttering of opposed styles in favor of his own.

Using this influence, he would publish the Gekitotsu Sukensho, or "Tome of Clashing Fists" - a broad overview of the style's development throughout history, instructions on how to train and develop certain fundamental aspects of the style on one's own, and a list of basic techniques alongside the earliest advanced ones - in an attempt to get those who read the tome to travel to training centers to learn the rest, in what was one of the earliest exploitations of the sunk cost fallacy. The Gekiototsu would also lay out the basic standards of these training centers, allowing for those who had some level of practice to found their own - working to some extent off the same blueprint as the one which Nakamikado operated on his own.

While Nakamikado would die shortly after the publishing of the Gekitotsu, his legacy would live on in the maintaining of a unified style, taught by his many disciples. The style would develop slowly throughout history, until the beginning of Marquesan colonization caused a great struggle in the practicing of the art, and triggered a series of notable reforms to assist in the covert practice of such. What would not last was his attempt to introduce a definitive philosophy to the system, which was ignored in majority by all except his direct students, whose own attempts to spread such largely failed.

Colonial Period

More specifically, the practicing of a majority of martial arts was banned during the colonial period - with training centers closed by force. This occurred as an attempt to prevent the capacity for public resistance to the occupation to pose a threat to Marquesan soldiers. This would lead to martial arts becoming a covert practice - and therefore, to the legitimization of schools which attempted to combine the practice of the art into basic movements and actions which could be disguised as others, something that Itokentō had experimented with. This experimentation would be rapidly expanded, with headbutts, joint locks, and grappling as a whole entering and being incorporated into the system.

In general, Ikusanin would begin to gain their now-common reputation as being underhanded or otherwise overly-violent in this period, with a number of teachers returning to the initial justifications of the art, with the last vestiges of the Nakamikado philosophies atrophying and no longer being taught. The colonization itself provided a large amount of the impetus for this change, with the inherent glorification of violence in the system leading to many practitioners joining with revolutionary groups or forces - and therefore spreading the underhanded variant of the style covertly to those groupings as well, a process which played a key role in increasing the capacity of pro-independence paramilitary forces to engage in violence, both against one another and against official colonial policing forces.

The leader of the 5th Native Cavalry and eventual Kantoku of Kaesong, Hamamoto Jaeon, was a practitioner of Itokentō, and had spread it amongst his men - which was not relevant to the actual process of independence or their struggle against Marquesan forces, but did play a role in the system's spread after his rise to power.

Post-Independence

Throughout the course of Kaesong and Kāichrén Democratic State history, the style would continue to be respected and associated with Pan-Hiakemirism, gaining state support for its practice and being taught regularly to military cadets. In general, the style would not change to any particular extent, excluding the gradual creation of state-sponsored competitions which attempted to reduce the risk of harm through the mandating of gloves and other protective equipment for practitioners, although this change had already been occurring in most circles due to the lack of desire to continue being forced to pay for medical costs in the event of severe harm occuring.

The most notable event to occur in the style's development during this period was the first Zennō Kyōgi, or "All-Styles Tournament" organized in 1930. The Zennō brought together 10 styles of combat, with an even split between Jien Martial Arts and Kāichrén Martial Arts, and had their foremost practitioners compete in eliminative brackets. Itokentō would make it to the final stage of competition, with its representative Koizumi Ryota facing Xiong Guowei, a practitioner of the Zǔhéquán boxing style. While Guowei would win the contest after a brutal bout which resulted in both fighters needing to be hospitalized, Ryota's effective performance and showmanship would see him become a key figure in the style, with his own variation on the system being incorporated into general teaching and his near-victory leading to many new structures for the teaching of the system being established. This period would also see aspects of Chamorran Martial Arts be incorporated into the system, with Punchon Kannai ni' Ma'a'atan, or Closed Hand Punching being doctrinally and technically similar enough that the two fused on the Chamorro Islands.

The Kāichrén Civil War would see many practitioners flee abroad - and throughout the course of the war, there was a severe loss of historical records due to fighting in major cities. It would take until after the end of the war and the establishment of Neo-Korea for a number of practitioners to return, and therefore it took a number of years for the system to re-establish itself even with state support, although it would eventually become the most prominent system within the nation once again.

Contemporary History

In the modern day, Itokentō remains the most popular martial art within Neo-Korea, with the practice of such being a notable hobby, and numerous cities possessing major hubs for such. The most notable modern practitioner of the style is the 48 year old Kinoshita Sango, the Sutakōsha ("Great Inheritor") of the system as recognized by a 2/3rds majority of other notable practitioners. This role was gathered due to her exemplary performance in the Zennō Kyōgi which occured from 2024-2030, where she won two out of the three tournaments which occurred over the 6-year period. She is the first female Sutakōsha to be officially recognized during her lifetime.

Features

General Characteristics

Esentially, Itokentō is focused on opening of the opponent's body - this can be done both forcefully and by catching them off-guard and extending the Ikusanin's actions from there. It also focuses on consistent attacking, under the belief that if no respite is given once initiative is seized than it is possible to eliminate even a more-skilled opponent before the exhaustion of the practitioner occurs. Essential to this process is the weakening of an opponent through the targeting of vital areas once their body is open to attack, including strikes to the neck, interior sections of the legs, solar plexus, eyes, ears, and when possible attempting to break bones. On the defensive, this focus on the breaking of bones occurs - with many of the defensive techniques of Itokentō designed to lead to opponents striking hardened portions of the body, such as the elbow in an attempt to reduce the combat effectiveness of that limb.

Power for these strikes is generated primarily through rapid movements of the hip in combination with a charging step - essentially causing the momentum of the step to be moved to the arm through the movement of the hip, which then strikes in whatever fashion is desired by the practitioner. The only techniques which do not incorporate this motion are those relating to headbutts or those which incorporate grappling - these motions usually being either the initiating strikes for an action relying on movement or being used to end a sequence of movement by keeping the opponent off-balance and regaining distance before then moving to strike again. Movement is linear in fashion - with the motion of an Ikusanin supposed to be limited to prevent exhaustion, due to the burst-fighting nature of the style.

Stances and Movement

The most crucial movement in Itokentō is the Heiōsa, or "Closure Motion", a single long step designed to move directly into close range with the opponent. This step is designed so that the hand lands while the foot is still in motion, which is combined with the rotation of the hip to impart force. This step is combined with a horse-derived stance which focuses on keeping the elbow extended in a sideways orientation, to allow for the most common opening attack of inserting said elbow into the neck or stomach. The horse stance utilized by Itokentō has a higher position of gravity than other styles, which had lead to it being referred to as a "Hound Stance" by other systems.

Other stances utilized include the Wyvern Stance (Waikame), which allows for hand strikes to lower segments of the body and is used in defending against ranged kicks, Bandit Stance (Sanzomae), which distributes the majority of weight onto the back leg to allow for the utilization of the few medium-ranged kicking motions incorporated into the style, with this stance also being used for evasion, 4-6-Stance (Shiroku-hō), which distributes 40% of weight onto the front leg and 60% on the back, acting as the most common guarding stance while retaining the capability to move into a Heiōsa or engage in one of the limited "jumping stances" which allow for rapid retreat.

Training

Training is mainly carried out through the holding of stances and the training of using said stances in rapid motion, mainly accomplished through both sparring and group instruction. Included in this training is also a focus on hard physical exertion - including striking at hard objects in order to harden the knuckles and elbow - and being struck by objects in turn in order to develop the capacity to work through pain while in movement, working until exhaustion in order to train stamina, and a number of other techniques designed to harden the body. Bags are often filled with sand and struck with the shins, in order to specifically harden the most commonly used portion of the body for lower-focused combat.

Influences

Notable People

• Kunio Okamura
• Nishio Uchihiko
• Chen Peizhi
• Nakamikado Kanemoto
• Hamamoto Jaeon
• Hikaru Sakuma
• Kinoshita Sango

In Popular Culture

Despite its popularity, Itokentō is often associated with villainous, or at least generally arrogant or hostile figures within most media. This connection is believed to be a residual result of the portrayal of the style as underhanded or generally malevolent in early post-colonial media, alongside the role of Kunio in its development.

• Mayonaka Fantajī: The tritagonist of the franchise, Okura Ai, is a practitioner of Itokentō who incorporates such into her Dream-Cards, and is also portrayed - in a counter to the natural expectations one would have of her due to her descent from a shrine maiden, an impulsive, quick to violence, and generally hostile individual - although her close friendship with the protagonists and loyalty to said friends make this a mixed example.
• Fankumei Monogatari: A number of the historical figures capable of being summoned throughout the game practice variants on the martial art, with the most impactful practitioner throughout the story being the ambiguously-loyal and mysterious but charming and helpful Ōkina Kyōju. Kyōju's role as the final opponent of the first "Daiuchū", which reveals his connection to the main antagonist and results in his death, are crucial to the development of the story. His desire to see the growth of the Seikaiju in an attempt to see if it chooses "Evil" or "Good" in the moments after its birth, due to his own inability to determine his fundamental character due to his own shameful enjoyment of suffering, is portrayed sympathetically.
• Konsāti Franchise: The "Martial Artist" class, when included, is usually portrayed using a variation of Itokentō.