back) while shouting “men, men, men” in a loud voice. Then the striker moves quickly from tōma to issoku-ito-no-ma (one-step striking distance), and the process is repeated. A final strike to men is delivered to complete the exercise. When receiving Kirikaeshi with the shinai, the shinai is held in a low hasso gamae stance (waist level), alternating between left and right. The receiver uses tenouchi to shield against the partner’s shinai. Variations There are several variations on the standard kirikaeshi. Dō Kirikaeshi Though this variation starts exactly the same, the naname uchi is replaced with alternating dō cuts, beginning with reverse (or gyaku) dō. The receiver maintains a jōdan-no-kamae while receiving the dō cuts. This is known as a more difficult variation for having a small margin of error. Alternating Kirikaeshi This variation alternates between naname uchi to the men and to the dō every two cuts. Double Kirikaeshi This variation has both attacker and receiver performing the naname uchi. Much like blocking the attacker's shinai in the standard kirikaeshi, the receiver's naname uchi will hit the attacker's naname uchi causing them to bounce off each other, making way for the next cut. The same as the standard kirikaeshi, the target is the yokomen for both sides. Footwork is optional. Continuous Kirikaeshi This variation is a standard naname uchi to the men, but instead of the standard 9 strikes (4 forwards, 5 backwards), either an alternate number (50 and 100 are relatively common) or distance ("From here to the other side of the dōjō", for example) is utilized. As opposed to standard Kirikaeshi, this variation of the drill builds endurance and stamina rather than improving precision. Kirikaeshi may be practiced differently depending on which tradition or federation the student belongs to. This article describes the common form of kirikaeshi as taught by the All Japan Kendo Federation. References Japanese martial arts terminology Kendo