Fourteen years ago, when practising suriage-waza, our sensei told us that we were doing harai instead of suriage. My opponent seemed very confused. He asked me after the practice if I knew that although harai-waza was a shikake-waza (initiating attack), suriage-waza was an oji-waza (counter-attack). I understood his point. In fact, my response was the same, I didn't quite get sensei's advice. There were so many things to figure out those days that somehow we forget to ask our sensei what he meant by contrasting suriage with harai.
Latter after I have been corrected again and again about my suriage being harai, I did check in the textbooks and thought about it. Harau means "to deflect by knocking opponent's shinai". Then suriage or suri-ageru is deflecting the opponent's shinai by swiping it up. This movement is quite difficult to master and that's why many beginners do the easier harai. But why such a technique as men-harai-men doesn't exist, or at least it is not in the "Official Guide for Kendo Instruction" of All Japan Kendo Federation? My modest guess is that suriage was the more efficient move when those techniques were employed in combat.
Today at Mumeishi we practised harai-kote and kote-suriage-kote in contrast. It is true that harai-kote is usually practised in the way that the attacker simply knocks aside opponents shinai and hits kote. Although, when it comes to use such a technique in jigeiko this simply doesn't work. Terry sensei taught that the timing for harai-kote is when the opponent is in the move and his shinai is easy to be deflected. So I checked for clarity what was written in "Official Guide for Kendo Instruction" about harai-kote: "Harai-wasa are techniques which are employed when the opponent is ready in kamae or in the defensive stance, and there is no opportunity to attack; it consists of striking after deflecting the opponent's shinai to the upper-left or right, or to the lower-left or right, and breaking the opponent's stance. It is particularly effective when the opponent either begins an attack or steps backwards..... Harai-kote- Engage the opponent in chudan. Apply seme with the kensen. When the opponent prepares to attack by lowering their kensen, deflect the shinai up to the right, and strike directly at the opponent's kote."
