Renaissance Martial Arts - the Web Documentary: Part 1of10

[Loredannon]

Thank you for making this series!

[ShakespeareChannel]

Very good documentary. Please also take a look at the fencing scene in the first part of my amateur documentary, The Real Edward the Vere, on my youtube channel. It's about the life of the Earl of Oxford, the main character in Roland Emmerich's recent movie, Anonymous.

[11kman1]

and.. as a living history and culture, that identifies them as a nation. i gotta tell you , some western weapons and techniques were far more practical,efficient and less sophisticated then some katana techniques. i know..i practiced kenjutsu, kendo for almost 5 years, now i practice ninjutsu (practical and useful techniques and great for balance transistions), ocasionally muay thai and german longsword, it fits me better..i thought the katana/kendo does..but not that much it seems

[belmontsmild]

in one picture, the guy is being stabbed in the dick and the blade exits in his ass.. wtf are they depicted fighting naked for with shields tho? 

[grafight]

The problem is that only the rapier and sabre fencing techniques have been passed down to the present, so the Eastern Martial arts seem far more complete.

[11kman1]

@grafight we easterners were more practical..we did not study praised arts of combat but more of a combat science. when the first firearms were developed we abandoned sword and armor and took up the gun.. whereas the japanese for example if not for the portugese, later the americans breaking their blockade since the tokugawa shogunate, they whould be still fighting with swords i guess.. and they preserved the martial arts as a resistance form against the foreign influence..and

[fahreneit]

@11kman1 The Japanese took up the firearms immediately when started trading with Portuguese in 1542. The firearms along with phalanx like formations armed with very long spears used by ashigaru (men at arms loyal to a local damyo) led to the unification of Japan under one damyo, the Shogun. The shogun cleverly limited the use of firearms (teppō) and blocked the ports of Japan, because he feared rebellion against him. The Japanese also were the first who standardized the caliber of bullets.

[11kman1]

@fahreneit yes , its true. i agree with all this, but anyway the japs have their own specific way, its not the easiest way or the most practical, they adopt and adapt technologies of other cultures in an original manner. there more civilised in certain aspects, respect and all that..some things may seem stupid and a waste of time to us westerners but we seem supid to them if we dont understand.. we are more practical, we threw away all the knowledge of those european swordmasters

[11kman1]

@11kman1 because they fell out of use, when you have a repeating carbine, what use do you have for a sword. the japs adapted too but they kept their martial arts. i strongly believe that if japan was to be left alone, they whould still have samurais and daimyo to this day. they never loved the western technologies and guns..but they respected their power. with a gun even a filthy beggar could defeat the best swordfighter in those islands..that was unaaceptable, and as u say the shogun acted then

[TheGreaterGood80]

Great history, but poor, ego-stroking narration. Yes, we know Euro martial arts are great and effective, just don't need so many long winded sentences chock full of fancy esteemed words to reiterate that they are great. Instead just get into the techniques themselves.

[purdeythedog]

Totally agree - she tells us nothing specific; everything is generalities. It's like listening to a child writing a history essay who knows no more than what they learned the day before in class & needs filler.

[roflatopus2]

@TheGreaterGood80 It's more defensive than egotistic. It's a common belief that western culture didn't have any philosophy or martial arts, and it's untrue.

[TheGreaterGood80]

@roflatopus2 I think it's becoming less true over time. Because of the popularity of MMA and UFC, people are starting to finally realize that Western boxing, fencing and Grecco-Roman wrestling are legitimate martial arts.