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Stéphan Thériault
13th September 2000, 03:15
I was just re-reading some parts of Dr.Friday's "Legacies of the Sword", and was wondering about something he wrote. This is on pages 96 and 97:

"Swords, glaives, spears, and staves are designed for cutting, stabing, or bludgeoning adversaries, but these are not their only uses...in any encounter in which one opponent wishes to avoid killing or maiming the other, using a weapon in a jujutsu-like manner to immobalize or throw the opponent can offer the most efficient means to victory."

This brings to mind scenes from Steven Seagall movies, in wich he uses a staff to apply a joint lock or to throw somebody. So I was wondering how common it is in japanese martial arts to use their weapons in a "jujutsu-like manner"?

Neil Hawkins
13th September 2000, 08:44
I have seen variations from a number of schools that used non-lethal applications of lethal weapons.

For example, sticks can be used to trap, entangle and throw. I have seen swords used either in the saya or using the back of the blade to strike and block. Chained weapons lend themselves to non-lethal entrapment, you can use the back of the haft on the kusarigama to strike, and Yari can be used to entrap and throw as well.

Most of these are from primarily jujutsu schools that also teach weapons, like Tsutsumi Hozan Ryu, Takenouchi ryu and Shin-no-shindo Ryu. Of course gendai arts like Aikido these techniques as well.

Neil

Richard A Tolson
13th September 2000, 17:42
Very common. To the point of almost typical.