That's not neccesarily true. There are techniques taught in Aikido and Kendo in which emphasis is placed in hitting with the blade instead of only slicing .... also when confronted with the samurai armour, slicing was not as important as piercing the weak points of it.
also, I hate to contradict this gentleman directly, but I cannot stress enough that tameshigiri (cutting practice) is extremely dangerous for both practitioner and sword. If you have never had formal instruction in swordplay before, first, please do not purchase a quality katana, and second, please do not dishonor centuries of tradition and ceremony by attempting to use one.
Ok, not trying to be "that guy" but I know that most ryu-ha teach that a cut is made withonly the monouchi, which is about the last third or so of the blade, not the entire length, since the ha is more dull towards the habaki, and the geometry of the blade's curvature is designed to make this the optimal area for cutting. Again, I ask more out of curiosity than accusation. arigatou.
P.S. I am, however, very impressed that you can remain in saiza for that long...
Ok, not trying to be "that guy" but I know that most ryu-ha teach that a cut is made withonly the monouchi, which is about the last third or so of the blade, not the entire length, since the ha is more dull towards the habaki, and the geometry of the blade's curvature is designed to make this the optimal area for cutting. Again, I ask more out of curiosity than accusation. arigatou.
For anyone who watches this thinking they are going to learning anything about Kenjutsu.... I advise you just keep moving. This is nothing my misinformation, and misunderstanding. He has no knowledge of how a Shinken actually works, he has no idea of how to actually cut with a shinken, how to hold a shinken, etc...
@BarefootZenMan Actually, as far as base-level explanations go, he does a great job. It's easy to conceptualize what you need to do with a sword form his explanations. To become good, you'll obviously need more. But comparing this against the numerous kenjutsu classes I've taken, logic, and myth-busting in the backyard, this guy is legit.
First of all, European longswords and other types of sword were not heavy at all, why would they be? What advantage would that give? You dont want to be luging a big bit of steel around the battlefeild for hours on end. Second, when it comes to plate armour, you will find that the general trend was to taper the sword to stab through the weak parts, like the neck the armpit or the groin, coverd usualy by padding or mail. Please dont make statements without doing the research first.
First, I would like to say thank you for posting this video I really appreciate it. I enjoyed your presentations and am grateful to learn what you have taken great pains to learn.
As a practitioner of European swordsmanship and a professional historian I feel it incumbent upon me to say that you are misinformed about European swords. They are not particularly heavy, nor were they used to "beat" an armored opponent to death. Your video perpetuates an grossly incorrect stereotype.
What you have also done in your video is explain the advantages a "katana" has over a ninjato in terms of cutting. as long as you are swinging correctly with a more curved blade you auto-maticaly have more of the blade working for you when you make contact.
How you are going perform a cut will differ according to, weapon, target and style but the concept is still the same. Not bad video again for beginer's basic concepts.
@muffinsNsausage Ninjato is a blade, thats what it's originally is LOL just saying. not saying the martial art is a tool, just saying the original purpose of the blade.
Well said, I so often see many people improperly chopping with a katana like it was an ax. My sensei is a surgeon and he stressed from the beginning that my sword is a four foot razor blade ment for cutting and not to chop.
this was really good, my sensei had to yell at me for six months for me to see the difference, the apple thing made it suddenly very simple. It is totally useless for anybody not actually training kenjutsu, but i liked this
@themoonsmoon Most swords are made with a point, designed to enable stabbing. You can stab with a katana as well. However swings and cuts are very natural techniques for all types of swordsmanship. Ninjato is straighter than a katana but that doesn't preclude it being used for slashing techniques.
In other news, I found these 2 parts pretty informative, at least from a beginner's perspective. Thank you very much for posting this.
@Dragonpwnage23 It's a matter of opinion whether he was being biased. I just cannot accept that he makes Western swordsmanship seem less advanced than Eastern sword styles. The reason Eastern styles, esp. Japanese styles survived was because firearms were mostly a non-issue after the Tokugawa Shogunate took over. Since the Japan's an island nation, notoriously hard to invade, samurai could go on and continue to practice/teach their arts with impunity. But this is a very complicated subject.
you should refrain from giving your expertise on european swordsmanship. european sword are a very variable tool, examples: spatha (one handed sword) from ~600 AD weigh 750-800grams, arming swords (typical knightly sword) from ~1100-1300 weigh 900-1200 grams, german long swords (two handed) from 1400-1600 weigh 1500-1900 grams.
for fighting in plate there are special techniques that exploit the gaps in plate armour, you don't usually beat someone to death in armour. it is possible though.
Haha 60 pound armor? It was more accurately around 45 lbs (20 kg), and the weight is VERY well distributed across the body. As for the sword weight, they were actually about as light as Katana. The only time European swords ever got heavy was much later, around the 14th-15th century. This was due to the peaking of armor-smithing. They needed longer, heavier, thrusting weapons to pierce. Japanese swordsmiths didn't have to worry about such things, even in the later years.
But actually: European straight swords do also "cut" the same way as a curved katana. Such a cut is basically a chop combinded with a slice at the same time. The only difference is the ratio between chop and slice in a cut. A curved blade "slices more than it chops" and a straight blade "chops more than it slices". But they all do both in a cut. Pure choping/hacking is of course not suited for swords.
i am a SCAtian trying to apply these principles to Armoured combat, where the validity of the blows is dictated by the force behind them, PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE OUT HOW!!!!!!!!
that is because you dont use real weapons with edges and points.The validity of the blows is force x technique x precision.. Precision and technique will not overcome armour. Force alone may overcome armour sometimes but if all 3 are used (i.e. aimed at a joint or meeting point like on the breastplate) then a dead opponent is guaranteed.Thrusting works great if your blade is strong enough but needs to be landed perpendicular to the target for penetration.
Not only am I glad to see this good video, but I'm happy to see a line 6 spider amp in the background which gives away your status as a guitar player. :]
This is a good video that corrects some myths and errors concerning Japanese Swordsmanship. But his comments on Western Swordsmanship was nothing but myth. The fact is European swordsmanship does the same thing, but in a different way. The average weight of a Katana is ~3 pounds depending on the era, the average wait of the European long sword is... ~3 pounds depending on the era. Japanese focused on cuts, with a close-ish range, Western tend to do a little more thrusting and were long-ish range
European swords were often 10-20lbs or more. Claymores were upwards of 30 lbs. Roman swords were small and light, but after the fall of Rome, the Germanic tribal swords took over, and they were MUCH larger. The Zweihander was the german equivalent (precursor, maybe even?) of a claymore and they easily breached 25lbs.
@LabRat4680 wait what? You're crazy. European swords ranged between say 2 lbs and 7 lbs (7 lbs being the heavy range of a zweihander the Landsknechts would use, and 2 lbs a 1 handed sword)
Inch by inch, european swords were historically actually lighter then the japanese counterparts.
Very nice. Just a technical point in that a chop is one dimensional as it goes along a straight line. A cut is two dimensional as it goes both down and back. But otherwise an astute observation.
Technically only a thrust really goes in a straight line (and is one dimentional). A chop curves quite a bit and is 2 dimentional... technially a cut will also be 2 dimensional unless you twist the blade mid cut... but there is a new sort of movement in the draw (although on the same 2nd dimensional plane).
i dont know much about kenjutsu yet bu tit seems that the techniques or concepts this guy puts forth are bery legitamate and correct i have done some tamashegiri and the cutting motion does work better than chopping and uses les enegy
Just like when you use your hands... you don't strike a hard surface like you strike a soft one. Why chop through bone when there's so much flesh to cut through?
essentially the answer is that a "basic men strike" is sloppy. Those blades aren't intended to go through bone. You can make them with enough brute force, but that's not what they're designed for.
Cutting with a chop is just as technical that a chop slice.
Chop relies on tip velocity and big arms movement are in fact counter productive when a two handed strike is delivered and the vast majority of the power is generated by the engagement of the hips.
As they put it in the manual using to much force in the teaching of the master is fighting like a peasant (the medieval colloquialism for a person untutored)
Yes the sword were different, late medival sword were in homogeneous steel, folded steel with differential hardening was then dropped in the 1200.
So basically a medieval long sword have a blade of 80-100 cm. and a 10 to 20 cm handle amd they weighted 2 to 3 pound. And have a centre of gravity much close to the handle than a katana (hence the smaller handle).
Cut were not use against plate armour because it does not work, I have been hit in the face by a solid lance jousting, no damage what so ever so there no way a sword strike will produce enough energy to rattle you cage.
When fighting in armour you thrust where there is no plate and there will usually be some form of mail defence to over come so you have to couch the sword as you do a lance.
You do have a good understanding on chop-slice which is very common in kenjustsu, especially in the tokugawa period, though I believe that some school have more emphasis on the chop part than other. None the less I totally agree with the cutting mechanic.
Now I would refer you to European sabre or Yatagan, where the cutting mechanics are the same, though according to the period of time and geographic location the same type of weapon could more chop or slice orientated.
very interesting video, you wouldn't happen to have a school set up in New York city would you or any place in NYC that I can learn this concept along with the techniques ?
Medieval and Renaissance swordsmanship involved a lot of technique. I just hate it when people say that one style is better than another, because it's just not true. European style was designed for its context.
And no, I'm not being biased, all swords require technique, anyway, I'm Asian...
@symphonicpoi ....never thought that I'd get a reply to a year old comment.... well.... I cannot say that a katana would be better than a European blade in all aspects. The katana has a keener edge for the most part, but it is not quite as good a thruster as the longsword. Every sword is based on compromises, and every sword and style is designed to work around those compromises. ....Anyways.... I'd like a link to wherever the empirical proof about the katana's "betterness" comes from.
@jadekayak01 No, not at all, just someone who's got a passing interest, and hates ignorant talk being bandied about. This "superiority" concept is damaging wherever it comes from, especially when associated with cultures and practices. It was employed by Europeans to justify conquering most of the world, and it is likely that an inborn prejudice against something or another causes most of the terribly unbalanced views expressed today. Even when reversed, it disrespects centuries of history.
@johntheactor .too right on the "superiority" idea but unfortunately u-tube and wikipedia are brilliant forums for "EXPERTS" of every field.Also Europeans are not the only ones who tried to conquer the world but are probably the most recent ones.I live in a unique country for the old British Empire-the only country where a treaty between the invading British and (almost) indigenous Maori was signed,but broken at every opportunity by the British-New Zealand
I am a staunch swordsman of the samurai tradition and have cross trained in medieval arts and fencing as well.
Only a true moroon would say one blade style is superior to another.All styles had a specific set of problems to deal with.You really need to compare apples with apples not cucumbers.The highest quality Japanese blades were generally better than other cultures high quality blades but this is a quality of construction abd material area,not use of.
@johntheactor I think you're getting worked up over nothing. Nowhere in there did he say that one style was better than another. He just said that there were different principals at work in each style.
@peppermintrhino I concede that I might have over-reacted, but he does imply that Medieval and Renaissance fighting styles relied on hacking and that they used heavy steel sword to cause blunt force trauma, which is simply not true. European styles emphasized efficiency and were utilitarian, not barbaric. European styles used "rather" light swords (2.5-4.5lb), not heavy blades. He's right about the cutting physic, since swords should do most of the work.
@johntheactor haha there is a matter of Bias here as well, I much prefer japanese fighting style i think a Samurai could own a medieval Knight. The japanese could have owned the world back before the Edo era if not for their foolish in-fighting and civil war.
@johntheactor Really good point. A lot of people love to say that one style is superior, but each has their own strengths and weaknesses. In a match between two people focusing on thrusting, a rapier will have an edge over the katana, which is traditionally accepted as better at slashing and so on.
"cutting" with a nihonto IS hacking or slashing-watch Japanese masters performing tameshigiri-no drawing(as you called it) motion at all.Why are you wearing a peasant martial arts gi instead of a hakama and jacket.Maybe you are ninjitsu as no Samurai sword arts state to cut close to the hilt but to use only as much of the tip as necessary for the cut i.e. cutting the wrist off requires only 3" of the tip,the neck requires a bit more-around6 1/2" to 8" depending on the person
u don't speak like an asian, ur just saying ur asian because u dn't want to seem biased...i agree with this video. all medieval swords were just power and no techniques..jap sword and fighting were the best..im not being asian either...im white.. =p
@TheYellowpower Frankly, I am very proud of my Asian heritage, but it doesn't hurt my argument if I weren't. Sword styles are developed independently, but most of the techniques overlap, just like firing a handgun or using staves. When you strip the fancy trappings away, there is only so much that a bladed object in a person's hand can effectively do, excepting a few examples. There is no way a style can be superior. Only one secret to superiority exists. It is individual effort.
I agree with chopping/axe bad and that people use the sword like an axe... however when he says to make contact at the lower part of the blade... that is the slowest moving part. The tip is much faster. I rather slice through with the end third.
People often arrange the difficulties which they are most worried about, through people whose job security is from gradual progress toward the terror. Those largest groups from the dynamics involved, will actively cultivate incompetency, that's what causes the study of the sword to resemble public-schooling.
Very helpful instructions.
SilentKnight1337 3 days ago
That's not neccesarily true. There are techniques taught in Aikido and Kendo in which emphasis is placed in hitting with the blade instead of only slicing .... also when confronted with the samurai armour, slicing was not as important as piercing the weak points of it.
JohnLennon100 3 weeks ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Korean Martial Arts: Why and How They Steal Other Countries' Martial Arts
watch?v=E7l2Ezy2RAw
hayek218 1 month ago
That is one fine apple!
Jivje0is0pr0 1 month ago
that apple has disgraced his Dymio with bad conduct and was ordered to commit harai kiri!!
samuraichuck87 3 months ago
ok so it needs to be on a straight angle or the tip of sward pointed down more?
iunnosomeguy1 4 months ago
also, I hate to contradict this gentleman directly, but I cannot stress enough that tameshigiri (cutting practice) is extremely dangerous for both practitioner and sword. If you have never had formal instruction in swordplay before, first, please do not purchase a quality katana, and second, please do not dishonor centuries of tradition and ceremony by attempting to use one.
iamnoman85 5 months ago
Ok, not trying to be "that guy" but I know that most ryu-ha teach that a cut is made withonly the monouchi, which is about the last third or so of the blade, not the entire length, since the ha is more dull towards the habaki, and the geometry of the blade's curvature is designed to make this the optimal area for cutting. Again, I ask more out of curiosity than accusation. arigatou.
P.S. I am, however, very impressed that you can remain in saiza for that long...
iamnoman85 5 months ago
Ok, not trying to be "that guy" but I know that most ryu-ha teach that a cut is made withonly the monouchi, which is about the last third or so of the blade, not the entire length, since the ha is more dull towards the habaki, and the geometry of the blade's curvature is designed to make this the optimal area for cutting. Again, I ask more out of curiosity than accusation. arigatou.
iamnoman85 5 months ago
Arigatou gosaimas sensei
Lot of ZEN in your movements
jhonnyfilosofer 5 months ago
fuck all of you... the 18 dislikes were the apples
this guy rules
ededdandtwiztid 6 months ago 2
This guy is so right. Eastern swords are NOT axes. Thank you!!
Callihan343 6 months ago
I agree with you, but sum it up faster. You can conserve energy in your teaching as well.
DnCMiller 6 months ago
that apple looks tasty lol
hobbitg3 7 months ago
For anyone who watches this thinking they are going to learning anything about Kenjutsu.... I advise you just keep moving. This is nothing my misinformation, and misunderstanding. He has no knowledge of how a Shinken actually works, he has no idea of how to actually cut with a shinken, how to hold a shinken, etc...
BarefootZenMan 7 months ago
@BarefootZenMan Actually, as far as base-level explanations go, he does a great job. It's easy to conceptualize what you need to do with a sword form his explanations. To become good, you'll obviously need more. But comparing this against the numerous kenjutsu classes I've taken, logic, and myth-busting in the backyard, this guy is legit.
horukye 7 months ago
@horukye Then I worry about your kenjutsu classes.
BarefootZenMan 7 months ago
cut that apple xD
NimerionTech 8 months ago
First of all, European longswords and other types of sword were not heavy at all, why would they be? What advantage would that give? You dont want to be luging a big bit of steel around the battlefeild for hours on end. Second, when it comes to plate armour, you will find that the general trend was to taper the sword to stab through the weak parts, like the neck the armpit or the groin, coverd usualy by padding or mail. Please dont make statements without doing the research first.
cqc75 9 months ago
I'm not going to lie...
That is one sharp knife. xD
stellarsquad 9 months ago
First, I would like to say thank you for posting this video I really appreciate it. I enjoyed your presentations and am grateful to learn what you have taken great pains to learn.
As a practitioner of European swordsmanship and a professional historian I feel it incumbent upon me to say that you are misinformed about European swords. They are not particularly heavy, nor were they used to "beat" an armored opponent to death. Your video perpetuates an grossly incorrect stereotype.
benjohsmi1 11 months ago
What you have also done in your video is explain the advantages a "katana" has over a ninjato in terms of cutting. as long as you are swinging correctly with a more curved blade you auto-maticaly have more of the blade working for you when you make contact.
How you are going perform a cut will differ according to, weapon, target and style but the concept is still the same. Not bad video again for beginer's basic concepts.
OMFGHUGEWOLF 1 year ago
Nice line 6 amp you got there, sensei! I've got one of those :)
heero7yui 1 year ago
is a ninjato basically a straight katana?
muffinsNsausage 1 year ago
@muffinsNsausage no, most ninjato are cheaply made balde, Katana is a piece of art, Ninjato is a tool
aesops52220 1 year ago
@aesops52220 well that's not very nice, you just hurt ninjato's feelings
muffinsNsausage 1 year ago
@muffinsNsausage Ninjato is a blade, thats what it's originally is LOL just saying. not saying the martial art is a tool, just saying the original purpose of the blade.
aesops52220 1 year ago
@aesops52220 yeah it's called sarcasm but whatever
muffinsNsausage 1 year ago
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@aesops52220 well that's not nice, you just hurt Ninjato's feelings.
muffinsNsausage 1 year ago
Well said, I so often see many people improperly chopping with a katana like it was an ax. My sensei is a surgeon and he stressed from the beginning that my sword is a four foot razor blade ment for cutting and not to chop.
nhaluta 1 year ago
don't mean to be off topic, but I have the exact same line 6 amp.
Conkonovae 1 year ago
this was really good, my sensei had to yell at me for six months for me to see the difference, the apple thing made it suddenly very simple. It is totally useless for anybody not actually training kenjutsu, but i liked this
frankhaugen 1 year ago
once again another good video :)
yusifabdalbarr87 1 year ago
i thought ninjato was for stabbing
themoonsmoon 1 year ago
@themoonsmoon Most swords are made with a point, designed to enable stabbing. You can stab with a katana as well. However swings and cuts are very natural techniques for all types of swordsmanship. Ninjato is straighter than a katana but that doesn't preclude it being used for slashing techniques.
In other news, I found these 2 parts pretty informative, at least from a beginner's perspective. Thank you very much for posting this.
dflynchimp 1 year ago
omg he wasntbein biast he was makeing a reference between the two styles
Dragonpwnage23 1 year ago
@Dragonpwnage23 It's a matter of opinion whether he was being biased. I just cannot accept that he makes Western swordsmanship seem less advanced than Eastern sword styles. The reason Eastern styles, esp. Japanese styles survived was because firearms were mostly a non-issue after the Tokugawa Shogunate took over. Since the Japan's an island nation, notoriously hard to invade, samurai could go on and continue to practice/teach their arts with impunity. But this is a very complicated subject.
johntheactor 1 year ago
you should refrain from giving your expertise on european swordsmanship. european sword are a very variable tool, examples: spatha (one handed sword) from ~600 AD weigh 750-800grams, arming swords (typical knightly sword) from ~1100-1300 weigh 900-1200 grams, german long swords (two handed) from 1400-1600 weigh 1500-1900 grams.
for fighting in plate there are special techniques that exploit the gaps in plate armour, you don't usually beat someone to death in armour. it is possible though.
BuscoBeast 1 year ago
Tell that to a rapier fencer.
onimotoko 1 year ago
thank you sensei
Born2Fight4Life 1 year ago
Stopped watching when he started talking about the "ninja-to".
NullShade 1 year ago
@NullShade I stopped watching when I noticed the 'Nin' kanji on his keikogi!
Crecybowman 1 year ago
Haha 60 pound armor? It was more accurately around 45 lbs (20 kg), and the weight is VERY well distributed across the body. As for the sword weight, they were actually about as light as Katana. The only time European swords ever got heavy was much later, around the 14th-15th century. This was due to the peaking of armor-smithing. They needed longer, heavier, thrusting weapons to pierce. Japanese swordsmiths didn't have to worry about such things, even in the later years.
guilemaster147 1 year ago
Nice vids! :)
But actually: European straight swords do also "cut" the same way as a curved katana. Such a cut is basically a chop combinded with a slice at the same time. The only difference is the ratio between chop and slice in a cut. A curved blade "slices more than it chops" and a straight blade "chops more than it slices". But they all do both in a cut. Pure choping/hacking is of course not suited for swords.
KidFoxxx 1 year ago
look up nami ryu or jame williams tameshigiri that is how you cut
xxmrbrooksxx 1 year ago
i am a SCAtian trying to apply these principles to Armoured combat, where the validity of the blows is dictated by the force behind them, PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE OUT HOW!!!!!!!!
alucardrh 1 year ago
that is because you dont use real weapons with edges and points.The validity of the blows is force x technique x precision.. Precision and technique will not overcome armour. Force alone may overcome armour sometimes but if all 3 are used (i.e. aimed at a joint or meeting point like on the breastplate) then a dead opponent is guaranteed.Thrusting works great if your blade is strong enough but needs to be landed perpendicular to the target for penetration.
jadekayak01 8 months ago
haha, i just tried this concept on a pizza box with a pocket knive - the difference is AMAZING! :)
MasslRockss 1 year ago
where have you bought ur katana?
donghancheung 1 year ago
Damnit, now I've got a craving for an apple.
FuckSlice 1 year ago
Not only am I glad to see this good video, but I'm happy to see a line 6 spider amp in the background which gives away your status as a guitar player. :]
drakeyxkaos 1 year ago
This is a good video that corrects some myths and errors concerning Japanese Swordsmanship. But his comments on Western Swordsmanship was nothing but myth. The fact is European swordsmanship does the same thing, but in a different way. The average weight of a Katana is ~3 pounds depending on the era, the average wait of the European long sword is... ~3 pounds depending on the era. Japanese focused on cuts, with a close-ish range, Western tend to do a little more thrusting and were long-ish range
applejuiceii 1 year ago 10
@applejuiceii
European swords were often 10-20lbs or more. Claymores were upwards of 30 lbs. Roman swords were small and light, but after the fall of Rome, the Germanic tribal swords took over, and they were MUCH larger. The Zweihander was the german equivalent (precursor, maybe even?) of a claymore and they easily breached 25lbs.
LabRat4680 1 year ago
@LabRat4680 wait what? You're crazy. European swords ranged between say 2 lbs and 7 lbs (7 lbs being the heavy range of a zweihander the Landsknechts would use, and 2 lbs a 1 handed sword)
Inch by inch, european swords were historically actually lighter then the japanese counterparts.
kardentyrell 11 months ago
@kardentyrell What rock are you smoking???
/wiki/Zweih%C3%A4nder
LabRat4680 11 months ago
Thank you for teaching these important kenjutsu fundamentals, Tenshinryu-sensei. And also, what is your opinion of a sakabato?
staffsarge192 1 year ago
It has to be as a "wave" moving movement. Get it? Let it flow....
ptlofts 2 years ago
Very nice. Just a technical point in that a chop is one dimensional as it goes along a straight line. A cut is two dimensional as it goes both down and back. But otherwise an astute observation.
hollowdusk 2 years ago
@Hollowdusk
Technically only a thrust really goes in a straight line (and is one dimentional). A chop curves quite a bit and is 2 dimentional... technially a cut will also be 2 dimensional unless you twist the blade mid cut... but there is a new sort of movement in the draw (although on the same 2nd dimensional plane).
dasgregorian 2 years ago
i dont know much about kenjutsu yet bu tit seems that the techniques or concepts this guy puts forth are bery legitamate and correct i have done some tamashegiri and the cutting motion does work better than chopping and uses les enegy
icychillgrill3 2 years ago
what about the basic "men" strike lol
its a chop and a push lol
KyoOmaya 2 years ago
@KyoOmaya
Just like when you use your hands... you don't strike a hard surface like you strike a soft one. Why chop through bone when there's so much flesh to cut through?
dasgregorian 2 years ago
that totally doesnt answer my question lol
KyoOmaya 2 years ago
essentially the answer is that a "basic men strike" is sloppy. Those blades aren't intended to go through bone. You can make them with enough brute force, but that's not what they're designed for.
dasgregorian 2 years ago
Comment removed
Kiensai 1 year ago
I just put a video from our training.
Cutting with a chop is just as technical that a chop slice.
Chop relies on tip velocity and big arms movement are in fact counter productive when a two handed strike is delivered and the vast majority of the power is generated by the engagement of the hips.
As they put it in the manual using to much force in the teaching of the master is fighting like a peasant (the medieval colloquialism for a person untutored)
willaumep 2 years ago
Yes the sword were different, late medival sword were in homogeneous steel, folded steel with differential hardening was then dropped in the 1200.
So basically a medieval long sword have a blade of 80-100 cm. and a 10 to 20 cm handle amd they weighted 2 to 3 pound. And have a centre of gravity much close to the handle than a katana (hence the smaller handle).
willaumep 2 years ago
Cut were not use against plate armour because it does not work, I have been hit in the face by a solid lance jousting, no damage what so ever so there no way a sword strike will produce enough energy to rattle you cage.
When fighting in armour you thrust where there is no plate and there will usually be some form of mail defence to over come so you have to couch the sword as you do a lance.
willaumep 2 years ago
Hello
You do have a good understanding on chop-slice which is very common in kenjustsu, especially in the tokugawa period, though I believe that some school have more emphasis on the chop part than other. None the less I totally agree with the cutting mechanic.
Now I would refer you to European sabre or Yatagan, where the cutting mechanics are the same, though according to the period of time and geographic location the same type of weapon could more chop or slice orientated.
willaumep 2 years ago
Very good. 5 stars.
69Techno69pt 2 years ago
very interesting video, you wouldn't happen to have a school set up in New York city would you or any place in NYC that I can learn this concept along with the techniques ?
jmaxx112714 2 years ago
... ma per favore....
loziosergio52 2 years ago
Very good explanation... but that is a VERY cheap ass sword, sensei.
Monarch3436 2 years ago 2
super ,je sais maintenant quel sport pratiquer pour apprendre le maniement du katana ,merci
shuudark 2 years ago
XP
Medieval and Renaissance swordsmanship involved a lot of technique. I just hate it when people say that one style is better than another, because it's just not true. European style was designed for its context.
And no, I'm not being biased, all swords require technique, anyway, I'm Asian...
johntheactor 2 years ago 28
its been proven many time that the samurai sword is better in always
its been put up against the best swords in the world and beaten them
all
symphonicpoi 1 year ago
@symphonicpoi ....never thought that I'd get a reply to a year old comment.... well.... I cannot say that a katana would be better than a European blade in all aspects. The katana has a keener edge for the most part, but it is not quite as good a thruster as the longsword. Every sword is based on compromises, and every sword and style is designed to work around those compromises. ....Anyways.... I'd like a link to wherever the empirical proof about the katana's "betterness" comes from.
johntheactor 1 year ago 2
@johntheactor are you john clemments from arma
jadekayak01 8 months ago
@jadekayak01 No, not at all, just someone who's got a passing interest, and hates ignorant talk being bandied about. This "superiority" concept is damaging wherever it comes from, especially when associated with cultures and practices. It was employed by Europeans to justify conquering most of the world, and it is likely that an inborn prejudice against something or another causes most of the terribly unbalanced views expressed today. Even when reversed, it disrespects centuries of history.
johntheactor 8 months ago
@johntheactor .too right on the "superiority" idea but unfortunately u-tube and wikipedia are brilliant forums for "EXPERTS" of every field.Also Europeans are not the only ones who tried to conquer the world but are probably the most recent ones.I live in a unique country for the old British Empire-the only country where a treaty between the invading British and (almost) indigenous Maori was signed,but broken at every opportunity by the British-New Zealand
jadekayak01 8 months ago
I am a staunch swordsman of the samurai tradition and have cross trained in medieval arts and fencing as well.
Only a true moroon would say one blade style is superior to another.All styles had a specific set of problems to deal with.You really need to compare apples with apples not cucumbers.The highest quality Japanese blades were generally better than other cultures high quality blades but this is a quality of construction abd material area,not use of.
jadekayak01 8 months ago
@johntheactor I think you're getting worked up over nothing. Nowhere in there did he say that one style was better than another. He just said that there were different principals at work in each style.
peppermintrhino 1 year ago
@peppermintrhino I concede that I might have over-reacted, but he does imply that Medieval and Renaissance fighting styles relied on hacking and that they used heavy steel sword to cause blunt force trauma, which is simply not true. European styles emphasized efficiency and were utilitarian, not barbaric. European styles used "rather" light swords (2.5-4.5lb), not heavy blades. He's right about the cutting physic, since swords should do most of the work.
johntheactor 1 year ago 5
@johntheactor haha there is a matter of Bias here as well, I much prefer japanese fighting style i think a Samurai could own a medieval Knight. The japanese could have owned the world back before the Edo era if not for their foolish in-fighting and civil war.
RussianCivilian 1 year ago
@johntheactor true that . its the person who determines victory or defeat not the style
TAKEMARU666 1 year ago
@johntheactor Really good point. A lot of people love to say that one style is superior, but each has their own strengths and weaknesses. In a match between two people focusing on thrusting, a rapier will have an edge over the katana, which is traditionally accepted as better at slashing and so on.
twilightdragon87 1 year ago
@johntheactor well said good sah!
Conkonovae 1 year ago
"cutting" with a nihonto IS hacking or slashing-watch Japanese masters performing tameshigiri-no drawing(as you called it) motion at all.Why are you wearing a peasant martial arts gi instead of a hakama and jacket.Maybe you are ninjitsu as no Samurai sword arts state to cut close to the hilt but to use only as much of the tip as necessary for the cut i.e. cutting the wrist off requires only 3" of the tip,the neck requires a bit more-around6 1/2" to 8" depending on the person
jadekayak01 8 months ago
@johntheactor
u don't speak like an asian, ur just saying ur asian because u dn't want to seem biased...i agree with this video. all medieval swords were just power and no techniques..jap sword and fighting were the best..im not being asian either...im white.. =p
TheYellowpower 5 months ago
@TheYellowpower Frankly, I am very proud of my Asian heritage, but it doesn't hurt my argument if I weren't. Sword styles are developed independently, but most of the techniques overlap, just like firing a handgun or using staves. When you strip the fancy trappings away, there is only so much that a bladed object in a person's hand can effectively do, excepting a few examples. There is no way a style can be superior. Only one secret to superiority exists. It is individual effort.
johntheactor 5 months ago 2
@TheYellowpower responding to a 2 year old comment? that's just low dude... really low...
DemangoProductions 5 months ago
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@TheYellowpower responding to a 2 year old comment? that's just low dude... really low...
DemangoProductions 5 months ago
I agree with chopping/axe bad and that people use the sword like an axe... however when he says to make contact at the lower part of the blade... that is the slowest moving part. The tip is much faster. I rather slice through with the end third.
Alel4131 2 years ago
People often arrange the difficulties which they are most worried about, through people whose job security is from gradual progress toward the terror. Those largest groups from the dynamics involved, will actively cultivate incompetency, that's what causes the study of the sword to resemble public-schooling.
brentpieczynski 3 years ago
I'm still looking 4 a video about holding a katana or ninja to propperly, some 1 can post me a link or make a video there4?
skaracar 3 years ago
Part 1 of this series covers that.
Cohult 3 years ago 4
that is probably the best explanation of this push-pull concept that I have seen. thanks for sharing
phoenix120000 3 years ago 3
Thank you for all three tutorials.
TauSyntax 3 years ago
BRAVO
SandayuRyu 3 years ago
Thank you.
xD
yhbrolol 3 years ago
I gotta remember this for cutting practice in kendo. So its more drawing the blade across a target than slicing through it?
Samuraigothlord 3 years ago
yes.
supadox 3 years ago
very interesting!
oishiisushii 3 years ago
this would make a great programme lol cooking with samurai
Keitou 3 years ago 3
Great video! I find this to be very informative and helpful. ^_^
AkaiShizuku 3 years ago