Mohawk Valley Community College recently celebrated its international festival on March 26th, 2008.  Carolyn West Pace, Ph.D., one of the advisors for this event contacted Headmaster Crandall and requested him to perform traditional Japanese iaido for the festival.  The half-hour performance on the theater stage included an oral presentation of the many intricacies that make Iaido so traditionally Japanese.  Takenouchi-Hangan-Ryu-Matsuno-Crandall is a 300-year old style that is not only embedded in the use of the sword, but in the philosophy of the samurai.

The first performance was by Cheryl Freleigh who demonstrated Nukiuchi, a form that fights off a single attacker who has surprised and attacked from around a corner.

The second performance was by Tashi Nathan Morris who demonstrated Ri-ken, a form that fights off a single attacker from behind.

The final performance was by Headmaster Crandall.  Headmaster Crandall performed Ninin-giri with the sword passed to him from his late Headmaster Tsuneyoshi Matsuno.  This sword was Headmaster Matsuno’s practice sword for forms and cutting.  The sword was purchased from his Master Masayoshi Nakajima, the 5th Headmaster of Takenouchi-Hangan-Ryu in 1983.  This sword was made during the age of wars, Kamakura-Muromachi in the 12th-13th century.  The sword was used in many of the battles during this time and was sharpened many times over the centuries.  As a result, it has lost 1/3 of its size in blade structure.  This sword is not used for cutting now and is seldom used by Headmaster Crandall for katas because of concerns of it breaking unexpectedly.  This performance was dedicated to his Master Tsuneyoshi Matsuno as a result of this was used in his memory. 

For more information about Takenouchi-Hangan-Ryu-Matsuno-Crandall, click here.