Interesting Facts on Samurai Sword Manufacture
March 18, 2008
A samurai’s sword is his most sacred and prized possession. Not only did the samurai rely on his sword to defend him, but spiritually the sword held greater significance as the samurai actually believed his soul inhabited the sword. Therefore it comes as no surprise that the same discipline and respect in which the samurai wielded his sword, went into the actual making of the sword itself.
Swords weren’t simply ‘cast’ in a mould and then sharpened. A Japanese samurai sword was made by an intricate process of heating the steel, hammering it flat, then folding it, then hammering it flat again, and folding. This process of repeated hammering and folding would be done up to as much as 30 times, or until the maker was satisfied it had been done properly.
There are quite a few reasons for this labour-intense procedure. Firstly, any air pockets which might develop during the heating of the steel would be eliminated. Having an air pocket in a seemingly solid blade would be a weak point, and any weak point would be seen as neglect and any dedicated artisan would produce the highest quality blades as if his own life depended upon the very blade he was forging. Secondly, in the repeated folding and hammering, what might be described as ‘layers’ were produced. Take a book and roll it up it parallel with the spine, these internal layers would look something like this, almost like the rings of a cross section of a tree trunk. This added much strength to the blade.
Samurai Swords ? Choosing a Sword to Buy
March 10, 2008
It’s undeniable that a well placed and mounted samurai sword or samurai sword set looks fantastic and an ads character to any room of the home, but is it worth spending upwards of $650 on such a sword or sword set? This all depends on your reasons for buying a samurai sword.
If you are merely purchasing a samurai sword for display purposes and positioning it as a focal point in a room then you certainly don’t need to spend anything like the amount suggested above, you can just go for a relatively cheap manufactured replica with the necessary sword stand. Sword stands come in a variety of applications ? table standing, wall mounted or single standing sword stands. How you display your samurai sword or set is up to you, although I personally think they look fantastic on the wall above the fireplace. It gives the room a real atmosphere.
If you’re interested in martial arts however, buying a quality forged blade is an absolute must, both for safety in the Dojo and simply because it will be required for cutting. Handling swords is extremely dangerous alone, never mind trying to cut through objects and swing about a manufactured replica not meant for that purpose.
5 Steps to Choosing the Right Martial Art for You
March 3, 2008
One of the questions I get asked most frequently, in several different variations is about which martial art an individual should study. Generally which martial art, and more importantly which school to choose are fundamental decisions someone should make. My answer is usually something along the lines of, "choose the school and the system that you are going to stick with and stay with it for the rest of your life."
The reality is that the answer is going to be different for every person. What I will attempt to do in this article is give you a set of general guidelines. I will talk in very broad terms about different martial arts, and what to look for in a school. Ultimately every teacher, at every school, in every system is going to be completely different.
1. Dispelling a common myth
Just like with religion and politics, many people honestly believe that what they do is the best thing in the world. One only has to make a cursory study of the psychological principle of cognitive dissonance to see why this is so. So many schools out there claim to be teaching, "the ultimate, deadliest, most secret, guarded system of self defense ever invented by the gods of combat." To be quite blunt ? they are full of crap.
Samurai Sword Facts
February 24, 2008
The first samurai swords we’re actually straight bladed, single edged weapons imported from Korea and China known as chokuto, which were later replaced with the curved blade variety at the end of the 8th Century. The name of the curved blade swords which replaced them was Tachi. The reason for this transformation was samurai found that a curved sword could be drawn from the scabbard more swiftly and provided a far more effective cutting angle.
The point of a samurai sword is called a Kissaki. This is the hardest part of the sword to polish and forge and to hand create a quality one would require an extremely skilful artisan. The value of a sword is determined largely by the quality of the point.
Samurai would use wooden swords (Bokken) for practice for safety reasons as well as for preserving their real swords from unnecessary damage.
The samurai would give names to their swords as they believe in the sword lived their warrior spirit.
There are three main types of samurai sword. 1: Katana: The longest type of sword, over 24inches, generally used for outdoor combat. 2: Wakizashi: Around a third shorter than the Katana at between 12 and 24 inches, this was worn in indoor establishments by samurai for its obvious better manouverability indoors. 3: Tanto: A small knife used in much the same manner as a Wakizashi.
A Samurais Power Is In His Little Finger, Not His Samurai Sword
February 16, 2008
In the 12th Century the Shogunate was formed. The head of this regime was the Shogun, the supreme ruler. Under him where his regional ‘daimyo’ or ‘dukes’. Under each ‘daimyo’ served the Japanese samurai. When a samurai stepped out of line, became too unruly or displeased his ‘daimyo’, the samurai would often have to go through a procedure known as yubizume. This procedure is a very barbaric punishment in which the first joint of the little finger on the sword hand would be amputated.
Not only would this be a very painful punishment, but it served a much cleverer purpose. When holding a samurai sword the finger which has the strongest grip is the little finger. Each finger right up to the index has a weaker gripping strength. You can test this yourself. Make a tight fist with what would of been your sword hand, and take a slim object of equal circumference throughout such as a pencil or pen. Now, without causing you harm, take the non-sharp/drawing end and starting with the index finger end of the hand, while retaining a fist, slowly work the pencil/pen into the grip.
Benefits of Martial Arts Training For Kids
February 8, 2008
Admit it. When the going gets tough at home, we’ve all plopped the kids in front of the television and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, we can get started on dinner, maybe check email or sort that massive pile of laundry.
But when your five-year old yells at you "Mom, Kids Rule!" or your ten-year old horrifies you with language that would make a sailor blush, you realize there must be something amiss with what these "family programs" really teach our kids. And sadly, its happening all over the media today, from sports to cartoons, and our children are learning things that we, as parents, vowed we would never teach them. Old fashioned values like respect and self-discipline, seems to have been forgotten, replaced by the dreaded "bling bling" pop culture of today.
Just the thought of your angelic three-year old morphing into a designer-clad, smart-mouthed, money-worshipping, me-obsessed, lay-about is enough to make any parent consider that threatening military school brochure, but there is a solution out there to consider.
Martial Arts training.
From Ninja Turtles to The Karate Kid
Who Created Tai Chi Chuan (Tai Chi Boxing)?
January 31, 2008
I have read a number of books, articles, and novels, and have watched movies and television series that touched on the origins of Tai Chi Chuan (Tai Chi Boxing), and the question, "Who Created Tai Chi Chuan?" made me concern very much!
Although knowing the origins or the source of Tai Chi Chuan is not going to have much effects on your learning and practicing of the art, it is my responsibility to share with the masses of what I have found out. And understanding the origins of something that we loved so much about will make us appreciate the understand it better, if not improving our skills.
The legend was too well-known. And most people will tell and re-tell the stories of a priest named Zhang Sanfeng of the Wudang Sect who found this special martial arts called Tai Chi Chuan. I was fascinated by these legends, and found myself believing them too? until I researched more deeply into its historical backgrounds. Some legends said that he got the inspiration to create Tai Chi Chuan from observing the fight between a snake and a crane, and some said in he learned it from an immortal in a dream.
Fight Simulator Theory for Reality Based Street Defense
January 24, 2008
This is such a powerful tool that it should leave no question unanswered for you and allow you to create an infinite number of techniques and drills. As this is a principle rather than a technique based system, here are the principles:
PRINCIPLE1: you get what you train for
PRINCIPLE2: if you want a specific answer, ask a specific question
What’s the problem with martial arts and artists? Why do they argue so much? Why cant we find one style that is the best? After all we all only have two eyes, two arms, two legs and one head. (Except if your from a “close community”). Never mind Dragon style, Tiger style, Twisted Badger, Irrational Donkey style… what about “human style”?
The problem is this:
you can’t just fight. It hurts. Bits of you will break. That’s why its called “fighting” not “hugging” or “tickling”. You’re trying to hurt each other. The only way to learn it is to do something dangerous and painful- its a double bind.
That is why one of streetfightsecrets.com ’s prime objectives is to get as close to reality as possible as safely as possible. How do you do that?
Eight Simple Rules for Saving Your Life
January 15, 2008
Let’s put the non-lethal fantasy to rest.
1. Never trust your assailant. No matter what they say, no matter how believable they may sound. If they need a ride some place or need you to go into a hallway or a room. No matter what- don’t move. The real reason your assailant wants you to move is because he can’t do what he needs to do in your present location. Since he can’t do what he wants to you in your current location he needs to move you. A more recent example is the BTK killer Dennis Rader, the serial killer who terrorized Wichita for 31 years, naming himself BTK for “bind, torture, kill”. Rader would convince his victims that he was only going to rob them and steal their car, but he needed to tie them up so they wouldn’t call the police right away. Once the victim was tied up, he was able to do as he wished.
Tai-Chi for the Masses–and Others
January 7, 2008
Kuang Ping was the T’ai-chi set favored by Yang Lu-Chan, the man who brought forward the “Yang” style in the mid-1800’s, now so popular throughout the world. Kuang Ping is what the man trained with himself. The popular “Yang” set was/is something for the masses–not for the aficinado, the athlete, the martial artist.
I learned Kuang Ping from Kuo Lien Ying (that’s him above, taken in the late 1960’s), third generation student of Yang Lu Chan. I was already an accomplished runner and martial artist when I started training (1970), so it was difficult to please me in the arena of athletics–but 75 yr-old Kuo was definitely impressive! Eventually I studied five T’ai-chi sets, but his was/is definitely the most dynamic and challenging.
I teach two sets currently: a short Yang style (for beginners and the unfit) and Kuang Ping. They are both available on tape.
T’AI-CHI CH’UAN: A Few Words
This soft or “internal” art is, in all aspects, a psycho-physical exercise, a boxing system, and a meditation method. Most of the tens of millions of practitioners are into it for health and meditation, so they move very slowly during the training. But what most people don’t realize is that since the art is founded on using the principles of change, you can-and should-move the body and mind according to the need of the moment.
