Swords

Now this is an awesome topic!!!

I have always been interested in Bushido since I was a kid and was captivated by martial arts everywhere I saw movies or read a book about Martial Arts. I also became interested in Nihonto later on, but unfortunately I never learned the art of swordmaking.

When my parents and I went to Spain I was able, after a long while, to convince my parents of letting me join a Dojo to learn Karate. Althou after a while I lost interest, which I later realized the reason why, and it was because there are many senseis that teach you that martial arts is just a physical art, that there is nothing else behind it, and unfortunately my first experience in a dojo was with this type of Sensei.

However i was fortunate enough that I did not learn from that kind of mindset and found a much better Sensei that I could hope for.

One day as I was walking around in Legazpi, which is one central area of Madrid in Spain, I saw a banner in an old gym that said they were teaching a martial art called Koga Ryu Ninjutsu. I went inside the gym to find out exactly what this martial art was about. I learnt that day that Juan Hombre Dopazo, the man that became my Sensei, was the first one to bring the real art of the Ninja to Spain and probably in Europe. I saw Sensei Dopazo kneel down in the middle of the Dojo and ask 4 students attack him, as they attacked he seemed to be in a trance, his eyes looking forward as in concentration and he was able to stop all 4 students and throw them to the floor without getting up. After seeing this I knew I had found one of the best Senseis, if not the best, I could find.

While in this school, I learned Koga Ryu Ninjutsu, i learned how to use different weapons, and how to fight without weapons, I specialized in four main weapons. The Bo, the bow, the tanto, and the Katana. The Ninjato sword is of less quality than a katana, and originally Ninjas used at first farmer's tools as weapons, which is the origin of most martial art weapons for those who could not afford a sword.

I learned for two years under Juan Hombre Dopazo, even after he was paralized from the waist down due to a car accident, and even then he was pretty much unbeatable, and an excellent Sensei.

Contrary to common belief, learning any Martial Arts is not about being able to beat the crap out of other people, it is about learning about yourself and your connection to the universe. Also you learn self discipline, honor (yeah, some people still have this) and respect to those that are respectful towards you, your elders and your Sensei. Real Martial Arts are a way of life, just like Bhuddism. Of course, you also learn self defense, but any modern Sensei would tell you that using your skills is a last resort, and only if you can't find another way out of your predicament.

Ninjutsu, or Ninjitsu as it is also known, started as the Martial Art of the peasants, a way for them to defend themselves against the samurai and robbers. Althou at first it was known as Nonuse, meaning "the art of stealth." It was a martial art that was taugh from generation to generation and only to other family members. It was a resistance movement in its humble beginnings. The practitioners of Ninjutsu became known as Ninja much later.

When some of the wealthy landowners saw the effectiveness of Ninjutsu, they decided to contract these people for infiltration and spionage purposes. Later on it was used for sabotage, and assasinations. This is when Ninjutsu took the bad name of the Art of the assassin, and this is how most people know about this Art.

Because of this Martial Art, I became fascinated with swords, mainly katanas, as well as all otehr sorts of white weapons. I haven't bought one sword, and I still train with the same wooden straight katana I made over 18 years ago. Whenever I buy a sword, it would only be one, and only the right one for me. It is not that I am planning on using it to cut up anyone, but it is a tradition that I have come to appreciate and grew up with.

Unfortunately when I came to South Florida, there was no Koga Ryu Ninjutsu Dojo, so i had to make do with other Martial Arts, Kenpo Karate, Taek Won Do and Aikido, which were some of the Martial Arts our Sensei also taugh us about. All Martial Arts have something to teach you, and the best way to learn about this Art is by learning as many different Arts and techniques as you can.

Whenever i find the right Nihonto, I will buy it.

[edit on 8-6-2004 by Muaddib]

Ah, btw, somebody was talking about the movie kill bill...... That's the worse martial art movie I have ever seen. Well, there might be worse, but...what's her name...Urma Thurman....the woman that plays the main character, she seemed to be swinging a baseball instead of fighting with a sword in most of the fight scenes. I hope people don't take that movie too seriously, appart from being a movie.... Althou the one good martial artist in that movie is Lucy Liu. She practices and is quite good at Kali-Eskrima-Silat. She should have been the main character, she is much more beautiful, hot, and a better Martial Artist than Urma.

[edit on 8-6-2004 by Muaddib]

There is an old Japanese Samurai story that goes something like this...I may not have it exactly right, but the point is still there...

There are two Samurai...an old man and a young man. The young man told the old man..."How long did your smith take to create your sword?" The old man said "I made it myself and it took me three years to perfect." The young man says "Ha, a swordsmith took 5 years to make mine. It is honed to perfection and is surely better than yours!" The old man, not caring for a demonstration of the abilities of the young mans sword decided to take a nap. This infuriated the young man..."I'll show you my sword is better!" So the young man hacked tree limb after tree limb to prove his case...but still the old man did not seem impressed. "What will it take to get you to admit my sword is better?", said the young man...The old man said "Put your sword in that stream over there and let your silk scarf flow down the stream. Tell me what happens when the scarf meets your blade." So the young man did this...and the scarf was sliced in half upon meeting the young ones blade. "You see, old man, my sword will slice even a silk scarf that floating in its path. Now show me what your blade can do!" So the old man put the blade of his sword in the stream and placed his silk scarf in the path of the sword as well. The scarf, upon coming within an inch of the blade, stopped abruptly and went around the sword. "Young man, when your sword is so well made that no one or no thing will want to face it, then I will be truly impressed."

I don't know how much truth to that story there is but I have heard different japanese people mention that old story. There are actually two morals of this story from what I can gather...

1) The time it takes to make anything of truly exceptional quality isn't as important as the skills of he/she who is making it. Mike could build a Widget and Bill could build a Widget, but if Bill knows of a process that will get his Widget done quicker and with superior quality to Mikes Widget, then Bill will certainly have the better Widget.

2) Theres always someone better.

Typical Zen kind of story and enjoyable to read , thanks for that. As for Uma Thurman you have to remember most of these actors only have a certain time period to learn how to use something like the Katana. If you go back and watch Crouching Tiger -Hidden Dragon - both ladies have had their backgrounds in the Martial Arts.... As I said...if you want to see a great "Swords movie" wait til
Zatoichi comes out. Takeshi Kitano Is Supposed to be one of Japan's top action figures with a sword and this is not a tool he just learned yesterday.

By the way, Don't know if you know but there were some samurai involved in Kabuki....theatre. Some even dressed as women because for some reason women were not allowed to do acting. Part of Kabuki was the telling of tales of heros...and the only ones who knew how to really control a sword were Samurai. If you think about it makes sense...if your going to entertain a crowd, you should probably know what your doing!! So, like BuFFALO Bill who bought the WILD WEST SHOWs to the east, who employed real cowboys and real native americans, to act in his shows ....the Samurai were often involved in theatre....Kabuki...an honorable art form like caligraphy...and poetry writting.

[edit on 8-6-2004 by Scoey]

hey scoey.
do you know where i can find some trusted website that sells well good swords that i can be able to purchase from my own pocket. is masashi a good site. i look on the buegi site. and cough the prices are far too much to purchase.

Thanx

I want to get one of these. Simple, cheap and easy to clean.

Chinese Barbarian Sword

I sure wish the sheaths were better on swords. They almost never are for wearing or actually using.

reply to post by forsakenwayfarer


In my house there are 3 swords, one is beyond authentic, in fact it's original, one is authentic and one is strictly for hanging on the wall.

the original one belongs to my lodger who is a proper 'digs stuff out of the ground' archeologist. his sword, he didn't dig out of the ground, but he did buy it, it is an original english civil war sword not dissimilar to this one:

www.firearmscollector.com...

i have a combat quality authentic sword like this,

www.lancasters-armourie.co.uk...

except mine has a brown leather grip.

and another cheap one almost identical which isn't locked in the gun cupboard! (which incidentally also conatins two civil war muskets, my matchlock one, and my lodgers flint lock - they both are on full working order but we only get to shoot them a couple of times a year at special gun club meets as they use black powder which requires a licence to handle!)

i dont like swords but if we were back 1000 years ago i would say it is ok but we r in the 21 centurey so i don't thnk we need them

interesting..
anyone has experience with longswords, katana or highlander?
.

i have a katana, also about a 70 dollar one would love a real one.

reply to post by SnowWhite


Why do you ask?

I've a forged differentially tempered katana (not folded unfortunately), still razor sharp mind, not an ornament at all.

reply to post by maintainright

.
folded sword?
you mean lik the highlander movie?
.
i'm looking for battle ready swords.
long and dagger.
As well as foldable crossbow



[edit on 19-2-2008 by SnowWhite]

[edit on 19-2-2008 by SnowWhite]

most "battle ready" sword is the katana. ever watch mythbusters. It was almost indestructable. Very flexible. Its also extremely sharp when angled correctly.

Do you have any experience with longswords,
crusader, highlander or movie replica?
.

reply to post by SnowWhite


After a couple years on this forum I cannot believe I have never seen this thread! I am a lifelong student of Kashima-Shinden Jikishinkage ryu. And love talking swords and what not with others. As has been noted before, do not let the movies fool you as actual sword fights DO NOT fall in such a manner lol. You would be beyond exhaustion if you had to fight some of those battles they show like in Kill Bill, great entertainment, but very little reality.

My style is less the " for the beauty" and more " for the kill" it emphasis maximum damage with the least amount of exertion, and is devastating in the hands of a master. My sword is hand made as is the tradition ( Kashima Shinden is my families martial art ) when it was time for me to have my own sword, I found a smith and spent 3 months with him making it myself, and it is infused with my own blood as is our custom, to bind the sword to the swordsman. If anyone has any questions I would be more than happy to answer to the best of my ability

I have two swords. The only two I will ever need.
The first one is a Paul Chen Handcrafted Tai Chi Spring steel blade. The design is for a flexible steel tip.
The technique is that it is strong enough to pierce the first 3 inches of muscle and fat of an enemy, the wielder than can apply pressure and bend the tip upwards or downwards to puncture an organ resulting in a quick instant death.




Take THAT wonton box!



Wushu Steel at it's best.



And finally, my intimidation/utility blade.

Originally posted by Hard Red
There is an old Japanese Samurai story that goes something like this...I may not have it exactly right, but the point is still there...

There are two Samurai...an old man and a young man. The young man told the old man..."How long did your smith take to create your sword?" The old man said "I made it myself and it took me three years to perfect." The young man says "Ha, a swordsmith took 5 years to make mine. It is honed to perfection and is surely better than yours!" The old man, not caring for a demonstration of the abilities of the young mans sword decided to take a nap. This infuriated the young man..."I'll show you my sword is better!" So the young man hacked tree limb after tree limb to prove his case...but still the old man did not seem impressed. "What will it take to get you to admit my sword is better?", said the young man...The old man said "Put your sword in that stream over there and let your silk scarf flow down the stream. Tell me what happens when the scarf meets your blade." So the young man did this...and the scarf was sliced in half upon meeting the young ones blade. "You see, old man, my sword will slice even a silk scarf that floating in its path. Now show me what your blade can do!" So the old man put the blade of his sword in the stream and placed his silk scarf in the path of the sword as well. The scarf, upon coming within an inch of the blade, stopped abruptly and went around the sword. "Young man, when your sword is so well made that no one or no thing will want to face it, then I will be truly impressed."

I don't know how much truth to that story there is but I have heard different japanese people mention that old story. There are actually two morals of this story from what I can gather...

1) The time it takes to make anything of truly exceptional quality isn't as important as the skills of he/she who is making it. Mike could build a Widget and Bill could build a Widget, but if Bill knows of a process that will get his Widget done quicker and with superior quality to Mikes Widget, then Bill will certainly have the better Widget.

2) Theres always someone better.

What you are telling is the story of Muramasa and Masamune, two legendary swords. One representing life, the other representing death.

Legends of Masamune and Muramasa A legend tells of a test where Muramasa challenged his master, Masamune, to see who could make a finer sword. They both worked tirelessly and eventually, when both swords were finished, they decided to test the results. The contest was for each to suspend the blades in a small creek with the cutting edge facing the current. Muramasa's sword, the Juuchi Yosamu (10,000 Cold Nights / 十千夜寒) cut everything that passed its way; fish, leaves floating down the river, the very air which blew on it. Highly impressed with his pupil's work, Masamune lowered his sword, the Yawarakai-Te (Tender Hands / 柔らかい手), into the current and waited patiently. Not a leaf was cut, the fish swam right up to it, and the air hissed as it gently blew by the blade. After a while, Muramasa began to scoff at his master for his apparent lack of skill in the making of his sword. Smiling to himself, Masamune pulled up his sword, dried it, and sheathed it. All the while, Muramasa was heckling him for his sword's inability to cut anything. A monk, who had been watching the whole ordeal, walked over and bowed low to the two sword masters. He then began to explain what he had seen. "The first of the swords was by all accounts a fine sword, however it is a blood thirsty, evil blade, as it does not discriminate as to who or what it will cut. It may just as well be cutting down butterflies as severing heads. The second was by far the finer of the two, as it does not needlessly cut that which is innocent and undeserving." In another account of the story, both blades cut the leaves that went down on the river's current equally well, but the leaves would stick to the blade of Muramasa whereas they would slip on past Masamune's after being sliced. Or alternatively both leaves were cut, but those cut by Masamune's blade would reform as it traveled down the stream. Yet another version has leaves being sliced by Muramasa's blade while the leaves were repelled by Masamune's, and another again has leaves being sliced by Muramasa's blade and healed by Masamune's. In yet another story Muramasa and Masamune were summoned to make swords for the Shogun or Emperor and the finished swords were held in a waterfall. The result is the same as the other stories, and Masamune's swords are deemed holy swords. In one version of the story Muramasa is killed for creating evil swords. While all known legends of the two ever having met are historically impossible, both smiths are widely regarded as symbols for their respective eras.

From wikipedia.

reply to post by LeTan



It goes on to show that Muramasa's swords were considered evil and blood thirsty as the sword takes on the intent of the creator,technically these two sword makers were not contemporary's so this story is impossible to have taken place but the moral behind it is still excellent.

u can have it, since it's of no practical use. You can't carry it, and you are 4x as likely to be attacked while away from home as when safely esconced in your "castle". I'll take the pocket pistol, any day, altho where it's not feasible, I favor a 3 sided, hollow metal, tapering cane/walking stick, 4 ft long, 3/4 lb, which I can use just like a sword, and is legal to carry pretty much anywhere. I made it myself, and wacking a tree with it at full force doesn't damage it at all! :-) It's also got an interrupted thread at its halfway point, letting me divide it into 2 halves, with a mere 1/3rd twist of my wrists, letting me fight with 2 short "sticks.