You and the enemy are both seated in seiza, with the enemy sitting behind you and facing towards you. The distance is somewhat closer than in Mae: the enemy is able to grab you by raising their hips, or to cut you with a one-handed cut from a seated position.
From the starting position facing the front, turn around clockwise to face the rear, and sit down in seiza. The right foot stays in the same place when turning so that, when seated, your right knee is on the same line as the enemy’s left knee.
Quietly placing both hands on the sword, start drawing the sword in the same manner as in the previous kata. That is to say, the initial draw is performed with the same feeling of seme towards the enemy’s eyes.
Although the manual does not specify when to raise the hips in Ushiro, it is agreed that the basic form entails first rising to a kneeling position and then beginning to turn. Some argue that this is slower than immediately turning while raising the hips, and they are correct in this. However, it is important to note that at this point in the kata, one cannot yet see the enemy, and thus can only have a vague idea about what is going on. The enemy could be preparing to cut, or — more likely, given the close distance — be reaching forwards to grab hold of one’s saya and clothing in order to restrain one from fighting back. In the latter case, the distance between the combatants means that simply by raising one’s hips, one can easily get outside the enemy’s reach and afford more time for a counterattack. In the former case, one will still be within reach of the enemy’s sword, and in either case they still have the option of drawing to cut from behind. It is for this reason that the manual instructs to “quietly” place the hands on the sword: there must be no sign to the enemy behind that one is planning to draw, and so the hands must softly go to the sword without the elbows betraying one’s intentions by moving.
When turning counterclockwise towards the enemy, the right knee must remain in place, as it is the axis around which the body rotates. Because the original seating position is off the centre line, this is necessary to return the body to the centre line on which the enemy is seated. The fact that the enemy is not located directly behind oneself must also be kept in mind when visualising the target of the draw. The feeling is not so much one of drawing as one turns, but more one of turning by drawing: the threat directed towards the enemy is the essential part of the technique, and thus the tsukagashira going towards the enemy to the rear will necessarily pull the body around. The right hand pushing towards the target and the left hand pulling the saya back in the opposite direction will facilitate the turn.
The actual nukitsuke is the most widely misunderstood part of Ushiro, and for this reason deserves special attention. In order to understand what it must look like, one must be fully aware of the distance to the enemy. The distance at the start of the kata is closer than in Mae, meaning the enemy can reach you even with a one-handed cut even without raising their hips; they can also grab hold of you to restrain you or pull you down by raising their hips, but because you act before they have actually begun moving, they will still be seated when targeted by the nukitsuke. However, because you rotate on the right knee, your body is actually moving away from the enemy before the turn. Therefore, the same distance as in Mae will be established at this point. It is useful to practise with a partner, starting from this position to find the correct distance.
Upon completion of the turn but before the sayabanare, the right foot will have already swung around into its final position, but the left foot will be still on the right side of the new centre line. In order to bring it to its correct position, it is not enough to move the left foot directly to the side, as the left knee will still be bent at more than 90°. To see why, note that the toes will move in underneath the heel as one raises the hips from seiza, thus causing the heel to be pushed back towards oneself during the turn. Although it is possible to avoid this by not standing the toes up and instead rolling the left foot over, the manual clearly describes the following step as being not only to the left, but also forwards: 左足をやや左寄りに踏み込んで敵のこめかみめがけて激しく抜きつける. In English: “taking a step in and slightly to the left, vehemently perform nukitsuke aiming at the enemy’s temple.” The word used is fumikomu, which translates to stepping in towards the enemy, and is often contrasted with fumikaeru, meaning to step across to the side. Therefore, it is implied that the toes must be raised before the turn as is generally taught, and the step during nukitsuke must cross the centre line and move enough forwards to bring the left knee to 90°.
Perform the rest of the kata as described for Mae, with the feet exchanged.
“behind” ↩