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Summary

Yoshigasaki Sensei demonstrates the rapid exhalation in Bokken Misogi together with a seminar participant. He then explains what he observes in this participant:

“He has a concept. He believes that the fast movement (he demonstrates the slow exhalation) is exactly the same as the slow one, just faster (he demonstrates the fast form).
That is the theory for materials. For example, if an engine runs at 1000, 2000 or 3000 revolutions per minute, the movement is always the same. In other words, a good engine always runs just as well, whether at 3000 or 6000 rpm. That is fine.
In life, however, everything changes with speed. So if I do it slowly, it looks like this (he performs the movement with the bokken slowly). When it gets faster (he performs the movement quickly), the form changes.
The slow execution looks harmonious. But if you do it quickly in the same form, it isn’t harmonious.
You can see this when you exhale strongly with ‘HA HA’. It is not the chest that moves, but the diaphragm.
When you use your voice, the chest moves; without using your voice, the diaphragm moves. You need to know that.
HO ...
The problem is that it is difficult to engage the diaphragm when using your voice. So if you start straight away with ‘HA’, it moves here, in the chest. To avoid this, you start with ‘TO HO’. That is how you engage the diaphragm.
This serves as preparation, because afterwards you can use your chest.
So when you perform the exercise quickly, you shouldn’t use the chest, but only the diaphragm.
(He demonstrates the quick execution using the diaphragm). So this exercise makes the diaphragm work. That is what it is all about."