Soke Hatsumi Video

[BigJon]

Is anyone familiar with the Video "Ken, Tachi, Katana" From Soke (Hatsumi)? If so what is the history of the double edged sword? I have seen old paintings, and references of "Chinese style" Japanese swords, but very few. Is this sword associated with a particuliar school? -Or is it a little bit of old and new?

Thanks, Jon Gillespie

[ninjaman]

That video nearly blowed me off my feet - here Soke is demonstrating the way of the sword through the ages. From the bronze age to this day (well, yesterdays Japan). His knowledge and understanding of the martial arts is truly of no ends.

The double edged sword, as far as I remembered it from the video, is one step in the continous development of the sword. Soke is showing the pecularities of using a weapon with two edges as opposed to the katanas´ one edge.

I do not know if this weapon is from one of the nine schools. I myself have never encountered it, but my humble experience is hardly any evidence that there doesn´t exist such swords within the Bujinkan.

Sensei has said that the budo we train is 2600 years old, so I guess somewhere in our tradition double edged swords were used.

Johan Grönwall

[kabutoki]

hi there !
teh curved blade we know today was not the first kind of sword in japan. the first blades in japan were those double edged, straight blades (maybe connected to the longsword of tai-chi i.e.).
these swords were called chokuto along with other names. there are famous pictures of court nobles wearing the straight sword. one of the most famous pics shows shotoku taishi wearing a sstraight sword with a beutifully decorated pommel.
the invention of the first curved blade was probably in the beginning or middle heian-period. it is said that the famous swordsmith amakuni made the first curved blade because too many of his straight swords didnt survive the battles.
the people also figured out that it is much easier to draw a curved blade.
the reason hatsumi shows the sword might be that he wanted to show the evolution of the japanese sword and the changes in the way to use it.

hope this helps a little
karsten

[BigJon]

Thanks for the replies guys! I think this is a great video..another part of it I am not clear on, is the placement of a katana between the helmet headpiece...


Jon Gillespie