Sōtaiyō

The Sōtaiyō (双太陽, Twin Suns) was a supplementary style of Zanjutsu combat which was initially taught by all three spiritual realms, specifically Soul Society, Horiwari and Heisekai. Following the events of The Collapse the only place one could study this form was the Reikai, which housed Kentaro Hiroshi's new Shinō Academy, which was ran by Head-Instructor Shiju Shūdō and his Second Ashido Kanō.

Description, Application & Practitioners
The opening stance for Sōtaiyō varies between practitioners, with no apparent staple, for their are as many opening stances as there are practitioners. A common one appears to be both blades held out before the practitioner at slight angles, either pointing up or to the sides. Sōtaiyō, at its core, is combat involving the use of a that exists in two pairs. For centuries the only Shinigami affiliated with the Gotei 13 who possessed such blades where Captains and. Lieutenant Shūhei Hisagi's Shikai also comprised two "blades". would emulate this occurrence upon the forging of his true Zanpakutō during the, also gaining dual-blades.

As far as form and style goes there is no concrete method of battling with dual-blades. Thus far no two practitioners have utilized the same form or style, with subtle to major differences between each practitioner. Kenji Hiroshi, whose false Shikai Aoi Inazuma existed as dual-blades, used a highly counter-focused Form I stance in battle. Hisagi utilized a speed-centric approach that complimented the unique shape of Kazeshini, which appeared to be closer to Form III than anything else. Kentaro Hiroshi was likewise known to occasionally utilize a dual-bladed variant of Form II to introduce trickery into his swordplay, even after he developed the Niten.

Behind the Scenes

 * The author, Kenji-Taichō, would like to accredit Another Poetic Spartan for helping to construct what is written here through his messages.


 * The author, Kenji-Taichō, would also like to credit the various individuals involved with Star Wars related works, which inspired most of this article.

Trivia

 * Kenji was known to teach the style to his students through a combination of demonstration and diagrams drew on a chalk-board, the latter of which often depicted himself defeating Van Satonaka.