Drawing Techniques

[kundalini]

I was wondering if anyone here can give me some tips on my drawing technique as I don't exactly have one. I've searched the net for info on this but I can't find anything. My only reference is Akira Kurosawa films like Seven Samurai :confused2 From them i've seen that the katana should be held in the obi with the sharp side of the blade facing upwards. Is this correct? For along time I though it was the other way around but this way does seem good as the katana comes out of the sheath (sorry i'm forgetting the proper term.) at a good angle to do a fast downward cutting motion.

The problem I have with drawing the sword now is the hole thing that the sageo goes through. I obstructs where I have to place my hand. From what I have read your are supposed to have your hand on the sheath and before you draw you push on the tsuba with your thumb so the blade comes out about an inch or so. But to have my hand in such a place is inpractical due to where the sageo hole is. I'm sure their is probably some really obvious way around this that i'm missing.

Hope you can help. Thankyou.

[Khabbi]

Ask your sensei , he would be a better reference then "the seven samurai"

:smiley:


Khabbi

[kundalini]

Ask your sensei , he would be a better reference then "the seven samurai"

:smiley:


Khabbi
I think if I had one he would have said by now don't you, lol.

[Khabbi]

Why would you need to draw if you dont go to kendo or iaido ?



Khabbi

[kundalini]

I live in a tiny town in the England. Not exactly much chance of being taught Iaido here so you have to do your best to teach yourself some basics if you are interested in learning.

[Ren Blade]

From what I learned from a friend that used to train in Japanese swords:

The sharp side of the blade faces up. (Usually this is when you're on foot. When riding a horse, the sharp side faces down.)

With the sharp side of the blade facing up, place your left hand on the sheath close to the handle and right hand on the handle of your Katana.

Place your left thumb on the tsuba (the guard that's in between the handle and the blade of the sword itself), and push it with your thumb as you pull on the handle beginning to draw your sword.

As you are pulling your blade out, with your left hand on the sheath, pull back slightly while the blade is being pulled out.

As you are pulling the sword, with your left hand on the sheath, turn the sheath horizontally counter clockwise along with the sword itself with your right hand til the sharp side is facing away and the blade is horizontal. This sets up for a sideways cut.

As the blade is completely out of the sheath, step foward with your right foot as you cut horizontally towards your right and your left hand is still on the sheath.

[kundalini]

Thanks Ren Blade, that helps. Its just that there is only just enough room to fit my hand between the tsuba and the sageo hole and I have small hands. It just doesn't feel right when your pushing the tsuba with your thumb. Maybe its because I don't have an obi and have to hold the full weight of the sword and sheath in my left hand.

[Ren Blade]

Probably the reason it doesn't feel right when you push the tsuba with your left thumb is cause you're not use to it and haven't done it that way enough. As with anything, alot of things don't feel right unless you practice it more. So give it a chance. After a week of practicing everyday, it won't feel as awkward. In regards to the thumb on the tsuba, you'll find alot of traditional practitioners do it this way.

[Kendo-Militia]

Thanks Ren Blade, that helps. Its just that there is only just enough room to fit my hand between the tsuba and the sageo hole and I have small hands. It just doesn't feel right when your pushing the tsuba with your thumb. Maybe its because I don't have an obi and have to hold the full weight of the sword and sheath in my left hand.
Don't slice your thumb as your pushing on the tsuba.

[Yzakj]

Thanks Ren Blade, that helps. Its just that there is only just enough room to fit my hand between the tsuba and the sageo hole and I have small hands. It just doesn't feel right when your pushing the tsuba with your thumb. Maybe its because I don't have an obi and have to hold the full weight of the sword and sheath in my left hand.

Hey it's great to hear that you are interested in sword drawing! Well it really is a lot different if you don't have an obi, or at least some kind of belt to hold your saya (sheathe) in. If you don't have a sheathe, and start drawing without one you'll end up cutting corners to get the sword out because the belt is not there to hold it back.
And yes, with an obi it is easier, and harder at the same time. Easier because it holds it for you so you don't tire your left hand too much, and harder, because it hurts your side, and it's a bit harder to draw in a normal way because now you have to push back the saya in order to get the entire sword out. I would recommend maybe just getting some fabric, or a belt and tying it to yourself, then put the sheathe in, it might help. There are alot of small small things that is hard to tell on the internet, I am sure there is someone in England who can help you. Have fun, and like he said, don't cut your thumb off!

[kundalini]

Thanks for all the tips everyone. I tried to use a folded long sleeve t-shirt as an make-shift obi. Couldn't seem to get it tight enough to hold the katana securly enough to my side. How exactly should the blade to handle weight ratio be? Feels like the blade it dragging it down and making the handle stick up in the air. Its harder to move the saya away from the blade as you draw when in a obi I noticed. Guess its just practice eh?

And I don't know about finding a teacher in England. It is a big place you know, dispite what you American guys might think, lol. I think its about the size of Florida if you want a referance point.

Oh and I hope my neighboures don't think i'm planning anything when they see me practicing in my back yard. I'm sure in Japan they wouldn't think twice about it but in the America and Endland it must look a little odd from an outsiders perspective.

[Hyaku]

Thanks for all the tips everyone. I tried to use a folded long sleeve t-shirt as an make-shift obi. Couldn't seem to get it tight enough to hold the katana securly enough to my side. How exactly should the blade to handle weight ratio be? Feels like the blade it dragging it down and making the handle stick up in the air. Its harder to move the saya away from the blade as you draw when in a obi I noticed. Guess its just practice eh?

And I don't know about finding a teacher in England. It is a big place you know, dispite what you American guys might think, lol. I think its about the size of Florida if you want a referance point.

Oh and I hope my neighboures don't think i'm planning anything when they see me practicing in my back yard. I'm sure in Japan they wouldn't think twice about it but in the America and Endland it must look a little odd from an outsiders perspective.


Where exactly do you live in the UK?

Hyaku

[Yzakj]

The drawing is indeed different with the saya in the obi, just be sure to use your left hand just as much as your right hand (equilibrium). If you have a tight obi, you have to pull back really hard to get it out.

And what your neighbors might think? Well think about this, there are wayyyy weirder people out there, doing weirder things than drawing a sword. Not that drawing a sword is weird. At least you're not spending time doing drugs, or are you?..... :smoker:

[kundalini]

Where exactly do you live in the UK?

Hyaku
A little hole of a place called Morecambe.

[Halcyon]

A little hole of a place called Morecambe.
kundalini,

don't know if you've already checked out this web site for the british kendo association, but it should give you an idea whether there are any dojos or teachers near you.

http://www.kendo.org.uk/clubs.shtml

i realize that it might be frustrating not having an instructor close by, but i would highly recommend learning from someone who knows what they're doing, even if it means traveling a bit every week or every other week. it's admirable that you're trying to learn by yourself, but you may end up teaching yourself something that resembles iaido only in the most cosmetic sense.

[chidokan]

theres iaido dojo in Lancaster and Preston, dont know how easy it is to get there for you? I did come across one in Manchester one time, but cant find the address... a little farther up the M6 there is one at Cockermouth.
If you are interested, I am running a beginners/intermediate seminar on Sunday 25th January at Middlesborough University that would get you started, and I know a couple of the instructors from those clubs will be coming up. Loads of beginners there so you wont feel out of place.
If you are finding difficulty in getting kit we could lend you some to get started with until you get your own. Most dojo have spare hakama, iaito etc. There are quite a few sites you can get equipment from, some in the UK, some Japan, some USA, its up to you where you buy. Be a little more careful when it comes to buying an iaito, ask your teacher for advice when you finally get going. In the meantime a bokken will be enough to learn basics like cutting etc, dont worry about drawing and sheathing initially, especially if you have not used a sword before.

[kundalini]

theres iaido dojo in Lancaster and Preston, dont know how easy it is to get there for you? I did come across one in Manchester one time, but cant find the address... a little farther up the M6 there is one at Cockermouth.
If you are interested, I am running a beginners/intermediate seminar on Sunday 25th January at Middlesborough University that would get you started, and I know a couple of the instructors from those clubs will be coming up. Loads of beginners there so you wont feel out of place.
If you are finding difficulty in getting kit we could lend you some to get started with until you get your own. Most dojo have spare hakama, iaito etc. There are quite a few sites you can get equipment from, some in the UK, some Japan, some USA, its up to you where you buy. Be a little more careful when it comes to buying an iaito, ask your teacher for advice when you finally get going. In the meantime a bokken will be enough to learn basics like cutting etc, dont worry about drawing and sheathing initially, especially if you have not used a sword before.
Oh man I am offically a retard. Lancaster is a ten minute drive from here. If i'd just done a simple search in google I would have found this place ages ago. I didn't even consider it a possibility.

Have to wait a few months before I can even think about joining though as i'm flat broke untill after April, doh.

Anyway, thanks so much Chidokan. You're the man!!

[chidokan]

One of the motives behind the club is that it should not put people off if they are students, unemployed etc. and have no cash. Iaido should not be elitist like golf clubs and require exorbitant fees. Neil and his club will probably be coming up, so would give you a lift if you asked if you can make Lancaster. I know they have some spare kit that they can lend you, so dont use money as an excuse not to go and train. We have in the past subsidised people who would benefit from training with Japanese teachers at the summer seminars we run, although prefer to keep this quiet so as not to embarrass anyone. The idea is to practise iaido, not rip people off....
For anyone else, if you go to a class like this leave now and find another one. All you need to pay is a small amount of insurance and a minimal annual association fee, along with the usual fee to help pay for your hall. Most clubs are small and will split the costs between them. So called private lessons should be avoided, is the teacher afraid that someone will know that he is talking bollocks???!! :pirate:

[kundalini]

Thanks for the info mate. Good to know that most places are honest like that. The Lancaster Dojo is non-profit and actually very cheap. I can afford the fees but not the equipment like Iaito, Bokken, Hakama, Obi etc. But if you say they might have spare then it should be ok. I'd just go down and watch but I guess i'm just shy. I'm very sheepish when it comes to new people and places. I know ettiquette is important in Iaido and I feel like ignorantly wondering into a dojo that i'm trodding all over that.

[chidokan]

If they are not nice to you let me know...however that will be extremely unlikely. Neil has been in martial arts for years and has a nice friendly approach. Tell him you talked to me about going to try iaido and it will be fine.
Now get your backside down to the club and no more excuses. :laugh:

[kundalini]

If they are not nice to you let me know...however that will be extremely unlikely. Neil has been in martial arts for years and has a nice friendly approach. Tell him you talked to me about going to try iaido and it will be fine.
Now get your backside down to the club and no more excuses. :laugh: I feel the need to apologise. I lied about not knowing about the Lancaster dojo when I first posted on here as it felt wrong to ask for advice when a dojo is close and I didn't expect anyone from the UK to be on here really. I've wanted to join the Lancaster Shin Gi Tai since I was 16 years old but was too young at the time. When I turned 18 I was in college and had no job so I didn't pursue it. This grew into a habbit as I got older and older and more timid and i've made excuses to myself ever since. I am 20 years old today and things need to change. I'm sorry I deceived you. I am an honest man but sometimes I let myself slip and it can be a bit self destructive. I've wanted to do Iaido for so long that it feels so strange now i'm here.

Well i probably sound about as neurotic as they come, but now you know and my conscience is clear. I hope the chopping off of a few fingers isn't nessicary or sepuku (ok, no more Yakuza movies for me, hehe) :)

[Ren Blade]

Well, now that you know it's ok to show up and you have some money to go train, go to the school as soon as possible. Another day of not going is another day of not starting to learn and develop Iaido skills. And you're only going to get older.

[chidokan]

LIE?LIE?? All teenagers lie, I mean how can you POSSIBLY tell your parents the truth? :rolleyes:
However I am not your parent and you are no longer a teenager so you have to come clean....its a part of growing up you know. :smiley:

[VelvetNightmare]

I have a question. Do you draw and shealth a reverse blade katana the same way as a regular katana?

[chidokan]

if the edge is on the bottom, it really would not be recommended would it.....;)

[TJHara]

I have a question. Do you draw and shealth a reverse blade katana the same way as a regular katana?

I'm brand-new here myself (and I realize this is a way old thread, and I'm sorry for contributing to keep it alive), but I'd kinda' like to field this one since it was, in part, being an animé geek that compelled me to start learning the sword for real.

The reverse-bladed sword (I'm sorry, I can't bring myself to use sakabatou among serious sword people) of Rurouni Kenshin is a fictional weapon, and not very practical in its stated purpose at that: even with the thicker, blunted edge (muné) where the sharp cutting edge (ha) should be, such a weapon would still be potentially lethal as a bludgeoning object, as well as a thrusting weapon (even iaito, which are sharp on neither edge, can bite if you goof up on noto, the resheathing of the blade, and stab your hand).

That said, RuroKen author Watsuki describes the drawing action of the reverse-bladed sword (and I think he erroneously applies this description to battoujutsu overall) as "pressing the edge of the blade against the inside of the scabbard to increase its speed" (not an exact quote, I couldn't be arsed to search it out right now). No idea if that would work with his reverse-bladed sword, but as a student of Toyama Ryu battoujutsu, I can tell you that's exactly the wrong thing to do with a live blade, as over time that edge will start splitting the saya, until you ultimately lose your thumb in the act.

As to noto with the reverse-bladed sword, I think I've seen it performed two different ways in the animé. In the first, the saya is turned upside-down in the obi and the blade drawn (blunt) edge-down along the mouth of the saya, in sort of a mirror image of noto with an iaito or live sword. With this method, the tip of the blade doesn't properly drop into the saya as with a regular blade, so it's easier to miss the mouth of the saya. In the second method, our hero grasps the throat of his saya and extends his forefinger to guide the sword, (blunt) edge-up and run along the underside (or perhaps it was just the side) of the saya. That's also a little problematic, as it too leaves an opening to miss the mouth of the saya when you have to lift the point of the blade to seat it. Then again, I've also seen a real noto wherein the saya and blade are turned horizontally, such that you can't rest the blade on the saya to guide it in, and so there exists the same sort of problem.

So that's my take on it, Velvet. The reverse-bladed sword is a good metaphor and plot device for the character who wields it, but I for one am having much more fun learning a real sword style. And I hope that answers your question, and that someone here will catch me if I goofed on anything.

[Scathach]

I'm a bit new to these forums . . . but am I missing something? What the bleep is a reverse blade noto?

:ponder:

[TJHara]

I'm a bit new to these forums . . . but am I missing something? What the bleep is a reverse blade noto?

:ponder:

Noto with the fictional reverse-bladed sword popularized by Watsuki Nobuhiro's manga and animé series Rurouni Kenshin.

-TJ

[Julian D]

I have a question. Do you draw and shealth a reverse blade katana the same way as a regular katana?

You just do it like when you draw and sheath a lightsaber. Very carefully! (and with the exact same level of realism for both fictional weapons)

[Kaoru]

I'm brand-new here myself (and I realize this is a way old thread, and I'm sorry for contributing to keep it alive), but I'd kinda' like to field this one since it was, in part, being an animé geek that compelled me to start learning the sword for real.

The reverse-bladed sword (I'm sorry, I can't bring myself to use sakabatou among serious sword people) of Rurouni Kenshin is a fictional weapon, and not very practical in its stated purpose at that: even with the thicker, blunted edge (muné) where the sharp cutting edge (ha) should be, such a weapon would still be potentially lethal as a bludgeoning object, as well as a thrusting weapon (even iaito, which are sharp on neither edge, can bite if you goof up on noto, the resheathing of the blade, and stab your hand).

That said, RuroKen author Watsuki describes the drawing action of the reverse-bladed sword (and I think he erroneously applies this description to battoujutsu overall) as "pressing the edge of the blade against the inside of the scabbard to increase its speed" (not an exact quote, I couldn't be arsed to search it out right now). No idea if that would work with his reverse-bladed sword, but as a student of Toyama Ryu battoujutsu, I can tell you that's exactly the wrong thing to do with a live blade, as over time that edge will start splitting the saya, until you ultimately lose your thumb in the act.

As to noto with the reverse-bladed sword, I think I've seen it performed two different ways in the animé. In the first, the saya is turned upside-down in the obi and the blade drawn (blunt) edge-down along the mouth of the saya, in sort of a mirror image of noto with an iaito or live sword. With this method, the tip of the blade doesn't properly drop into the saya as with a regular blade, so it's easier to miss the mouth of the saya. In the second method, our hero grasps the throat of his saya and extends his forefinger to guide the sword, (blunt) edge-up and run along the underside (or perhaps it was just the side) of the saya. That's also a little problematic, as it too leaves an opening to miss the mouth of the saya when you have to lift the point of the blade to seat it. Then again, I've also seen a real noto wherein the saya and blade are turned horizontally, such that you can't rest the blade on the saya to guide it in, and so there exists the same sort of problem.

So that's my take on it, Velvet. The reverse-bladed sword is a good metaphor and plot device for the character who wields it, but I for one am having much more fun learning a real sword style. And I hope that answers your question, and that someone here will catch me if I goofed on anything.

One thing you forgot to tell him... Reverse blades are extremely dangerous to the user, and should NEVER be used.

Oh, and Sakabatou is just the Japanese word for reverse blade so you can use it. :)

Velvet-san, please put that thing away. Geez, I wrote tons of stuff on the use of this sword way back last year beause ome kid came here claiming he could do this that with it. It took me ages to talk him out of using it. I won. :D

So unless you want a lecture on the many ways you will lose a limb or you life by using that sword, I suggest that you put it on the wall where it belongs. I am not joking about the dangers of using one.

Please see my Wallhanger(display sword) thread as to why wallhangers are bad. It is definitely a wallhanger.

And, since you have had NO training with a legit teacher, you really have no buiness even playing with a sharp sword. Please find a dojo. Swords are not toys.

Kaoru

[Kaoru]

I feel the need to apologise. I lied about not knowing about the Lancaster dojo when I first posted on here as it felt wrong to ask for advice when a dojo is close and I didn't expect anyone from the UK to be on here really. I've wanted to join the Lancaster Shin Gi Tai since I was 16 years old but was too young at the time. When I turned 18 I was in college and had no job so I didn't pursue it. This grew into a habbit as I got older and older and more timid and i've made excuses to myself ever since. I am 20 years old today and things need to change. I'm sorry I deceived you. I am an honest man but sometimes I let myself slip and it can be a bit self destructive. I've wanted to do Iaido for so long that it feels so strange now i'm here.

Well i probably sound about as neurotic as they come, but now you know and my conscience is clear. I hope the chopping off of a few fingers isn't nessicary or sepuku (ok, no more Yakuza movies for me, hehe) :)


Hi!

As long as you promise to put down your sword, and attend a proper dojo, I'll spare you my usual lecture on what you were up to. ;) Chidokan-san beat me to your thread anyway. :D

Seems he is going to be successful with you. :) Please do go. You will be very happy you got yourself proper instruction with a qualified sensei. :)

Good luck!

Kaoru

[TJHara]

One thing you forgot to tell him... Reverse blades are extremely dangerous to the user, and should NEVER be used.

Yeah, I s'pose that's an important safety tip, too. Thanks for the catch, Kaoru-san!

So long as I've not yet acquired any credibility or standing here to flush by making this statement, I should admit I own one of these wallhangers, too. Yes, I'm that kind of geek. :D While it's not "sharp" by the standards of an iai/battou cutting sword, drawing and resheathing any blade of any sharpness is where injuries are most likely to occur...a semi-sharp blade will still do plenty of damage if you drag any length of it across your hand or fingers in the space of one or two seconds. Once you've put in enough time learning an actual sword art, handling a reverse-bladed sword also means fighting the instinctive expectation that the part that slices is on the outside of the curve of the blade. When you do noto by feel alone, without referencing your image in a mirror...

My school insists a student have no less than six months of practice before handling a shinken; I put in a year because it took me that long to get the money together for my Last Legend. Even after all that time with my iaito, my noto slowed way the hell down once it was being performed with a real blade and the cost of a mistake went up. So I agree that formal training is the way to go to develop the proper respect for any blade you handle for the rest of your life.


Oh, and Sakabatou is just the Japanese word for reverse blade so you can use it. :)

See, I was thinking here in terms of the credibility issue of showing up and announcing myself to all as a Kenshin fan, as Kenshin generally seems to be the first thing hauled out when someone wants to smack a noob or a wannabe. No offense intended, Velvet-san - it was one of my influences in actually taking up a sword art, and if it similarly compels you, it shouldn't matter once people know you're for real. Y'know, with a traceable lineage. Anyway, I guess now my cover's blown :D, so sakabatou it is.

-TJ

[chidokan]

I have just been looking at my Uni club members list to see who has joined officially and who hasnt. I reckon at least 80% are from the cartoon animation class, and I reckon if I quiz them the bulk will watch Manga 'samurai' stuff...and will have that as their motivation for initially joining. The reasons why you start are irrelevant, its how you proceed long term that counts. I drifted in via karate, aikido and kendo, finding 'sword stuff' from each of the above the common thread that I liked, decided just to do sword.

This question is bugging me - Kundalini, did you ever go to Neils class? If so I apologise for sending rottunpunk to your dojo....:redface:

[Light Samurai]

Thanks Ren Blade, that helps. Its just that there is only just enough room to fit my hand between the tsuba and the sageo hole and I have small hands. It just doesn't feel right when your pushing the tsuba with your thumb. Maybe its because I don't have an obi and have to hold the full weight of the sword and sheath in my left hand.
Actually, I started doing my drawing standing. I get a better draw when standing then when in seiza. -laughs- .

At any rate, this is Iaido, and not Iaijutsu, so I assume you guys pay a little more attention to drawing, where as I focus on killing the guy, with a decent draw - Not perfect. Although I aim for perfect, I can always mess up. =)

Peace.

[Scathach]

In Hokushin Shinoh Ryu most waza are done in seiza :confused2 . When I was a girl I swore I'd get on my knees to no one! Funny!

I moved from Hapkido to Aikido and Iaido was kinda an accident. Now school is biggest in Southern Hemisphere with many hippie chicks!

Don't like the animes but Azumi - very good movie, as is Zatoichi.
Australian schools tend to go to the auctions and buy up pre-2nd WW officers blades quite cheaply (by comparison to newer shinken they are very cool). Got to get new fittings though to preserve value.

[rottunpunk]

if you go to preston club you can start at aged 11-hehe

i train at lancaster on wednesdays-i get the train in.
training is 7.30-9.30

shin gi tai also train at carnforth on mondays, but i think its only dan grades.

if you are interested in training at lancaster i can pass on the email adress of the teacher for you.

as for drawing...it goes at a natural angle, with the feeling of jo-ha-kyu (slow fast faster-though start off doing it all slow at your level)...
-squeeze your thighs to get tension
-then pull the elbows back and bring the hands to the sword, left hand ever so slightly before the right.
-begin to draw with a very light grip on the tsuka
-concentrate on using the left hand to pull the saya off the sword
-when sword is about 1/3 out start to rise-using your bum (so as to keep a straight back)
-only turn the edge of the blade when you can feel the kissaki between your left forefinger and thumb
-then use your hips to make the cut.
-foot...body...sword

hope this helps
:p

[IamNastey]

I have a question. Do you draw and shealth a reverse blade katana the same way as a regular katana?

Nah, dont listen to what the other people are saying, reverse blades rock.

Yes you do perform noto exactly the same. Pinch your left thumb and forefinger together making sure your second finger is approximately half covering the koiguchi. If done correctly you will have a nice lip on your left hand to slide the blade on. Pull back with the left hand, punch out with the right and put the saya on the sword, not the other way around. Use the soft webbing of you hand to guide the sharp edge into the saya.

Please let us know how your go.

Cheers

Charles Darwin

[VelvetNightmare]

Thank you guys for your time to answer my question. I'm thinking of buying a regular bokken or Iaido sword to practice with. I have a reverse blade sword.. it was a gift from my girlfriend. And I've been trying to learn how to shealth it without cutting my thumb.. (I even tried to shealth the sword upside down so the sharp side would be facing top) To be honest.. I don't see the coolness in using a reverse blade sword. 1) It's heavy, 2) It's dangerous, 3) Just what the hell is the point to use a reverse blade sword? What point are you trying to make? But anyways, thanks for all your kind responses. =)

Rain

[VelvetNightmare]

Oh and I forgot to mention, despise the dangerous factors about a reverse blade sword, I still use it to train my arms(Because I assume it's heavier than a regular sword) and it's good to look at. I'll try your technique Iamnastey and let you know how it turns out. (Hope I'll do it right so I don't injure myself lol)

[IamNastey]

Oh and I forgot to mention, despise the dangerous factors about a reverse blade sword, I still use it to train my arms(Because I assume it's heavier than a regular sword) and it's good to look at. I'll try your technique Iamnastey and let you know how it turns out. (Hope I'll do it right so I don't injure myself lol)

Oh Bollocks, I was joking and hope you are as well?

In any case the directions are correct for a non- reverse blade.

Cheers

[TJHara]

Just what the hell is the point to use a reverse blade sword? What point are you trying to make?

It's a plot device and a character metaphor. Kenshin, like his sword, has a side that comes out on a daily basis but doesn't kill, and a side that comes out in the worst circumstances and doesn't think twice about taking life (but always manages to avoid it, anyway). Plus, it opens the door for all kinds of gonzo weapons and techniques that appear later in the series.


Oh and I forgot to mention, despise the dangerous factors about a reverse blade sword, I still use it to train my arms(Because I assume it's heavier than a regular sword)

Seems to me Kaoru-san has an opinion on using wallhangers even for forms or acclimating to the weight of a blade. In fact, you can start reading here (http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=43606&perpage=25&highlight=second%20mekugi&pagenumber=1). For training yourself to the weight of a blade, you could look into a suburito: like a bokken but with a thicker, heaver "blade". I'd check this with the kendo folks first, though, I don't know if they are meant to be used from the start or at a later stage in your training.


I'll try your technique Iamnastey and let you know how it turns out.

I strongly recommend you think his advice through in your head before trying it. Think "grain of salt", and re-read his signature. Barring that, have someone take photos and post them here once you're able to type again. :cross_eye

Cheers, and best of luck in your future training!

[wagrta]

Thanks for all the tips everyone. I tried to use a folded long sleeve t-shirt as an make-shift obi. Couldn't seem to get it tight enough to hold the katana securly enough to my side. How exactly should the blade to handle weight ratio be? Feels like the blade it dragging it down and making the handle stick up in the air. Its harder to move the saya away from the blade as you draw when in a obi I noticed. Guess its just practice eh?

And I don't know about finding a teacher in England. It is a big place you know, dispite what you American guys might think, lol. I think its about the size of Florida if you want a referance point.

Oh and I hope my neighboures don't think i'm planning anything when they see me practicing in my back yard. I'm sure in Japan they wouldn't think twice about it but in the America and Endland it must look a little odd from an outsiders perspective.



first of all seriously if you don't do kendo or iaido why do you need to draw a sword you know unless you want to slice the person that stole your girlfriend :) second don't use a long sleeve to tie your sword.......try getting an obi or and kaku obi still i won't recommand start drawing swords until you have training, i have seen alot of dumb shit happen when people have no training and think they are all that.......yea....blood everywhere, huge deep cut to fingers and arm....i actually saw this, someone missed their scabbeth and stab himself right in the arm where he almost died because of blood lost. he was a 4dan in iaido i believe....even people who have done iaido can hurt themself........


wayne hung,
2dan iaido, 2dan kendo

[Kagerou]

Two things:

1) Major thread necromancy....check the dates Wayne

2) I question your 'experience'. From your other post about the reverse grip noto and your 'sensai' not knowing what it was, we could use a little more info on what it is that you actually do.

[Kaoru]

first of all seriously if you don't do kendo or iaido why do you need to draw a sword you know unless you want to slice the person that stole your girlfriend :) second don't use a long sleeve to tie your sword.......try getting an obi or and kaku obi still i won't recommand start drawing swords until you have training, i have seen alot of dumb shit happen when people have no training and think they are all that.......yea....blood everywhere, huge deep cut to fingers and arm....i actually saw this, someone missed their scabbeth and stab himself right in the arm where he almost died because of blood lost. he was a 4dan in iaido i believe....even people who have done iaido can hurt themself........


wayne hung,
2dan iaido, 2dan kendo

I wonder if you are referring to the same guy I'm thinking of. If so, the guy was not even trained in Iaido. He was self-taught. The whole incident was discussed on Swordforum International(Which I mentioned in the 1st post of the Wallhanger thread at the top of the Iaido forum. The link I posted is now not working, but someone near the end of the thread posted a new, working link to the same thread I linked to.), and there were several graphic photos of the serious injury to his forearm. He missed the saya because of a lapse of concentration. He also was practicing by himself, if I remember correctly, w/only his wife near by. If she hadn't been there he'd have died, according to the thread.

Oh yeah... Slicing the person who stole the GF is the wrong reason to learn to use a sword. I
hope that was a joke, seeing as it was hard to decide which way to read it as. :) (So sue me... I'm terribly joke impaired... :ko: )

And one more thing... Kagerou-san is right. This thread is like, 3 years old dead... It's past Hallowen, ya know! :D

Kaoru

[wagrta]

Two things:

1) Major thread necromancy....check the dates Wayne

2) I question your 'experience'. From your other post about the reverse grip noto and your 'sensai' not knowing what it was, we could use a little more info on what it is that you actually do.

haha sorry i don't check dates and please read the latest things i posted.......on clearing the confusion............. again i apologize if i was out of line since i was in class when i typed that and on my ipod touch so things just kinda slip past....

[wagrta]

P.S.i know what you were talking about that guy and no it's not him it's actually one of my friend in taiwan that did that.....

[Peter West]

I have a dojo in Plymouth run by one of my students. Send an e-mail to me at p.west@mac.com and I'll pass on his details. I also have a student in Exeter who might be willing to meet up with you