Jodan in Kendo Mangas

[kanyil]

I was just posting my other thread "recommending a new kendo manga" and a thought crossed my mind. it appears that most of the kendo mangas (i.e. Musashi no ken, being a notable example) features the protagonist using jodan, and while some of the other characters may use jodan, the antagonist (i.e. Shura from Musashi no ken) almost never uses jodan.

maybe the japanese views jodan as something which kendokas aspire to? or ought to do?

[Twobitmage]

maybe its considered daring.

who wants a samurai to use regular old chuudan anyway?

[kanyil]

funny thing is, the antagonists will always be doing a modified kamae which is very "koryu" and designed to counter jodan (and the commentators will, of course, explain the kamae for the reader's benefit). I've seen the one-handed sideway chudan by Shura (Musashi-no-ken), the one-handed jodan in "ippon", just to name a few.

[Nanbanjin]

I was just posting my other thread "recommending a new kendo manga" and a thought crossed my mind. it appears that most of the kendo mangas (i.e. Musashi no ken, being a notable example) features the protagonist using jodan, and while some of the other characters may use jodan, the antagonist (i.e. Shura from Musashi no ken) almost never uses jodan.

maybe the japanese views jodan as something which kendokas aspire to? or ought to do?

I thought it made a pretty clear point that Shura played better kendo. Jodan suited Musashi's character better because he was a fighter. Shura had a lot on his mind at the time of his final match with Musashi. I think the point was that he had to learn how to lose.
Musashi also played jodan because he wanted to be like his father. Remember that Shura's dad killed Musashi's dad using chudan.

Have a search on Ichinikai for　六三四の剣　 and you will find some interesting material. The web master of Ichinikai was apparently a consultant for Musashi no ken, and the jodan style used by Musashi was based on someone he was at school or college with.

Also, the real bad guy in Musashi no ken (can't remember his name) used Nitoh. Then there was his evil master hermit on that island who used nothing but Nitoh.

[reg]

Also, the real bad guy in Musashi no ken (can't remember his name) used Nitoh. Then there was his evil master hermit on that island who used nothing but Nitoh.

there are bad guys? hermits? crap.. i need to read them all.

[reg]

actually, is anyone reading the manga 'vagabond'? it's by the same guy who drew slam dunk. anyway, in one of the books, the guy musashi challenged used a style that looked like migi jodan, and broke musashi's shoulder..

[kanyil]

reg:

I actually has volumes 1 to 20 of Vagabond in my house. it's truly a collector's item. the artist kept it nice and realistic. was the migi-jodan scene you referred to something which happened when he challenged that guy from Jigen-Ryu?

Nanbanjin:

yeah, I know the guy you were referring to. he was kind of bad but not entirely bad. the gyaku-jodan he used was based on hyoho niten-ichi ryu (which the evil hermit used). it's interesting to see how he pulled the niten-ichi ryu kamae during shiai. I wonder whether that would actually be tolerated in a real shiai.