Ken tai Ken – Kote Gaeshi with Ōdachi

If the Maai is short, at a normal sized Katana range, Tori can parry a Shōmen Uchi by raising his sword horizontally, perpendicular to Uke’s blade, holding it with both hands—one on the handle and the other along the blade, in a manner reminiscent of European half-swording. He then enters, shifting his sword to a diagonal position over Uke’s neck without changing his grip.

As a variation, he can slide his tsuba along Uke’s blade, then rotate his sword, hook Uke’s arm with the long handle, and throw him while executing a cut. Uke is thrown both to avoid the cut and because the movement of his hooked arm naturally places his wrist into a Kote Gaeshi position.