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David Mirabile RONIN Battle Tanto WIP (PAGE 25 NEW CUTTING VIDEO)
- Thread starter JParanee
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2006
- Messages
- 5,191
good job on the uninvited guest. i live on a 20 acre wooded plot, there is a rest area unfortunately on my frontage. i have chased many people out of my woods who thought it was a bathroom lol. i have a rottweiler and a boxer they are lucky there is a fence and gate around the inner yard perimeter. that james williams guy has some great videos. i have been watching them since yesterday. its nice to hear the pronunciations of the words i have only read. thanks for posting.
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2006
- Messages
- 15,019
Thanks John
I hate being nasty to people but when it comes to my family I am not playing
There is no rewind buttons in life and you can't be to careful
James Williams is a neat guy and a very strong cutter
I love when he nails a big cut he rolls his shoulder very Toshira Mifune like
I hate being nasty to people but when it comes to my family I am not playing
There is no rewind buttons in life and you can't be to careful
James Williams is a neat guy and a very strong cutter
I love when he nails a big cut he rolls his shoulder very Toshira Mifune like
Kohai999
Second Degree Cutter
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2003
- Messages
- 12,554
We should do a group buy
Shipping is a problem, which is why this came up in the first place.....a case costs around $40.00 to ship....that adds $2.00 to the price of each mat.
If you have someone in Florida who wants to drive up East, then....the price goes down....but you can see the logistic issue.
James is probably close to 70 years old at this point, and still going strong....something to think about. One of the Blade Shows past, I got to act as one of his mat setters and his sword cleaner.....it was quite enjoyable! Have known him for close to 20 years.
When you have the opportunity to run a cutting competition with experienced cutters, you begin to look at the space being used with a much different perspective.
I liked and can relate to your story, Joseph. From experience, you know that my HTH skills are decent, but nothing special.....however...I'm a swordsman, and a very credible shotgunner/rifleman, at least in the necessary distances common in suburban situations....would really prefer to do as you did and have the option of calling the police.
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2006
- Messages
- 5,191
i would be in for two cases of mats if it happened. there is a kendo and tamashirigi demonstration at the ashokan sword seminar this september which i am looking forward to seeing.
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2006
- Messages
- 15,019
I too would be in for a few cases
The main reason I called the police was to have them document the situation and if God forbid something unthinkable would happen we would have a place to go as in find him
There is another reason
He was not that old but I wondered if maybe he suffered from dementia or something similar
My father did and he would wonder away
The last thing I would want is if some asshole would hurt him or put a dog on him if he would of wondered somewhere he shouldn't be
I wish no man ill will and I am confident in my own abilities to not have to jump the gun ....... Literally
Yup-what you said, Joe. I feel like sometimes, some people feel like a martialist mindset/having good situational awareness means folks are "looking for a fight". To me, it's the complete opposite. Just as your story shows, you didn't want to harm the guy and even wanted to help him if he needed it. BUT-you're willing and able to "address" things should the situation ultimately call for it. You had the forethought to ask the cleaning lady for the guy's description. You had the correct mindset when you were down there the next day. You didn't pick a fight, it was all about ensuring (as much as possible) that one would not take place, then or in the future. That was a perfect example of being prepared and something to share with any of those folks out there thinking people with weapons or who practice martial arts are just violent people. Just not true in the HUGE majority of situations.
The police do an incredibly hard job. The reality is, however that more often than not, if someone wishes you or your family harm, the police are at least a few minutes away. I applaud your actions and your willingness to take your family's safety seriously. Better to be prepared and not need to act than the opposite....
Jeremy
The police do an incredibly hard job. The reality is, however that more often than not, if someone wishes you or your family harm, the police are at least a few minutes away. I applaud your actions and your willingness to take your family's safety seriously. Better to be prepared and not need to act than the opposite....
Jeremy
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2006
- Messages
- 15,019
Jeremy
Thank you for the kind words and I am so pleased that what I had to say came off as I intended it to
I am not the best writer rather limited at times just ask STeven
Thank you again and be safe
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2012
- Messages
- 4,704
I love Walter's videos. They are so informative.
I saw this today and it make me think of you and this thread:
[video=youtube;mTsfPPR91qc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTsfPPR91qc[/video]
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2012
- Messages
- 4,704
I love the sling shot guy
His channel inspired me to buy some rocket motors this weekend that I saw in Target on super clearance. Marked down from $9.99 to $2.98.
Just to see what kind of rocket propelled shenanigans I can get into. Trying to decide if I can build a Hwacha.
Willie71
Warren J. Krywko
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2013
- Messages
- 12,214
I politely disagree. Joe handled things very well, prevented escalation, and nobody got hurt. What keeps us safe is keeping a cool head, and de-escalating tough situations. Random abductions and assaults are very rare. Lack of health care coverage results in way more deaths than situations like Joe described.
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2006
- Messages
- 15,019
Willie I think VicS meant the same thing you do
Nobody ever wants to hurt anyone but by following simple situational awareness guides hopefully one can determine how much of a threat you are dealing with
I was not frightened by the guy and I let him no that by my posture and attitude and the way I spoke
I also did not let him get to close to me either
A man can pull a blade or gun very quickly and you need to have an understanding of distance and timing in all things
If any of you have read Jeff Copers writings there is a lot of good information in it
He speaks of using color codes to access levels of threat
Most people walk around in what is called code white
They are as follows
COPIED :
The late Jeff Coopers Color Code has been embraced and taught by competent instructors for many years. Most of you are quite familiar with the concepts, but a review of these essential survival levels is worthwhile. Cooper broke down alertness levels into four colors of escalating degrees of preparation for the use of deadly force. This color code system is a mental process, not a physical one, and should be utilized whether or not you are armed though being armed is always preferred. Being alert may help you to avoid a deadly threat in the first place, which is always the preferred outcome.
White
In condition White, you are relaxed and unaware of what is going on around you. Ideally, a police officer is only in white when asleep, but realistically we often drop our guard when we are at home or in some other environment we assume to be safe, like the squad room. Since even police stations have been attacked, it is better to be more alert even when you are in your lair. As the Lakewood coffee shop ambush proves, you simply cannot be on white when you are in uniform, whether on duty or off.
If you are attacked in condition white, you may very well die unless you are lucky. I prefer to not depend on luck.
Yellow
In condition yellow, you remain relaxed, but are aware of who and what is around you. This merely means that you are paying attention to the sights and sounds that surround you whether you are at home or moving in society. Condition yellow DOES NOT equate with paranoia or any other irrational fear of persons or places. Instead, you simply have moved your alertness to a level of attention that will prevent you from being totally surprised by the actions of another person.
While walking through an area you will loosely keep track of anyone behind you. When choosing a seat in a restaurant, you will position yourself to see the entrance or to minimize the number of people who might be behind you.
You dont need to insist on securing the gunfighter seat which will put your back to a dead corner and your face to the entrance, because you are not anticipating a threat, you are merely conducting an inventory of your surroundings and the other people around you. You will also be running a cursory what if mental visualization of where a threat could appear and what your reaction(s) should be.
If you are attacked in condition yellow, it should not come as a total surprise. Your response to a threat should have been pre-planned to some extent, allowing you to simply run an existing plan rather than having to make one up quickly while under fire. A competent police officer MUST be in condition yellow whenever they are on duty or when armed while off duty.
Orange
In condition orange, you have identified something of interest that may or may not prove to be a threat. Until you determine the true nature of whatever has piqued your interest, your radar is narrowed to concentrate on the possible threat and will remain so focused until you are satisfied no threat exists.
Contacts you make throughout your shift either dispatched or self-initiated are obvious examples of a condition orange focus. These people are not currently a threat, or you would move swiftly and smoothly to the next higher color. Instead, these individuals simply could be a threat, so you shift from condition yellow (relaxed but alert) to condition orange (specific alert).
You may make this harmless shift many times a day as you go about your normal routine. If someone or something looks out of place, you change from a 360 degree general awareness to a more focused concentration in a specific direction. At the same time, you cant drop your general awareness, because a bad guy in front of you may be a distraction for another behind.
If you are attacked in condition orange, you should be expecting the attack. Further, you will hopefully be facing your attacker since you have already shifted your focus in his direction. If you are well trained, your subconscious mind will have been searching your hard drive for similar events or training sessions you have already experienced, or any pre-visualized what if situations youve cataloged as possible solutions should an attack take place.
Red
If the focus of your attention in condition orange does something you find threatening, you will shift to condition red.
Notice here that condition Red IS NOT the firing stroke, as some instructors have misconstrued from Coopers teachings. Instead, condition red simply changes the focus of your attention from a potential threat to a potential target. You will draw your weapon, or move still further to sight acquisition, only if the potential targets actions dictate such a response. Once youve shifted to condition red, you cannot be surprised by your primary adversary and you are fully prepared to repel boarders should he push the incident that far. But, your intense concentration on a forward threat will lessen your ability to maintain some degree of 360-degree awareness for unknown threats that may come from other directions. Effective training under high-stress conditions will help you avoid the tunnel vision that some describe as akin to looking through a toilet paper tube.
If possible, in both conditions orange and red, move to a position that will give you a tactical advantage. Ideally, you want a wall or previously cleared area behind you and some sort of solid cover you can move behind should shooting break out. Having one or more backup officers at this point can greatly enhance situational awareness, if and only if one of those officers remains alert in all directions a rear guard. All too often, every officer on-scene concentrates on the threat with no regard for 360 degree security.
If you are attacked in red, you should be fully prepared to defend yourself. Whether or not you have a gun in hand or on target will depend on the circumstances, but mentally, you are already ahead of the game.
Nobody ever wants to hurt anyone but by following simple situational awareness guides hopefully one can determine how much of a threat you are dealing with
I was not frightened by the guy and I let him no that by my posture and attitude and the way I spoke
I also did not let him get to close to me either
A man can pull a blade or gun very quickly and you need to have an understanding of distance and timing in all things
If any of you have read Jeff Copers writings there is a lot of good information in it
He speaks of using color codes to access levels of threat
Most people walk around in what is called code white
They are as follows
COPIED :
The late Jeff Coopers Color Code has been embraced and taught by competent instructors for many years. Most of you are quite familiar with the concepts, but a review of these essential survival levels is worthwhile. Cooper broke down alertness levels into four colors of escalating degrees of preparation for the use of deadly force. This color code system is a mental process, not a physical one, and should be utilized whether or not you are armed though being armed is always preferred. Being alert may help you to avoid a deadly threat in the first place, which is always the preferred outcome.
White
In condition White, you are relaxed and unaware of what is going on around you. Ideally, a police officer is only in white when asleep, but realistically we often drop our guard when we are at home or in some other environment we assume to be safe, like the squad room. Since even police stations have been attacked, it is better to be more alert even when you are in your lair. As the Lakewood coffee shop ambush proves, you simply cannot be on white when you are in uniform, whether on duty or off.
If you are attacked in condition white, you may very well die unless you are lucky. I prefer to not depend on luck.
Yellow
In condition yellow, you remain relaxed, but are aware of who and what is around you. This merely means that you are paying attention to the sights and sounds that surround you whether you are at home or moving in society. Condition yellow DOES NOT equate with paranoia or any other irrational fear of persons or places. Instead, you simply have moved your alertness to a level of attention that will prevent you from being totally surprised by the actions of another person.
While walking through an area you will loosely keep track of anyone behind you. When choosing a seat in a restaurant, you will position yourself to see the entrance or to minimize the number of people who might be behind you.
You dont need to insist on securing the gunfighter seat which will put your back to a dead corner and your face to the entrance, because you are not anticipating a threat, you are merely conducting an inventory of your surroundings and the other people around you. You will also be running a cursory what if mental visualization of where a threat could appear and what your reaction(s) should be.
If you are attacked in condition yellow, it should not come as a total surprise. Your response to a threat should have been pre-planned to some extent, allowing you to simply run an existing plan rather than having to make one up quickly while under fire. A competent police officer MUST be in condition yellow whenever they are on duty or when armed while off duty.
Orange
In condition orange, you have identified something of interest that may or may not prove to be a threat. Until you determine the true nature of whatever has piqued your interest, your radar is narrowed to concentrate on the possible threat and will remain so focused until you are satisfied no threat exists.
Contacts you make throughout your shift either dispatched or self-initiated are obvious examples of a condition orange focus. These people are not currently a threat, or you would move swiftly and smoothly to the next higher color. Instead, these individuals simply could be a threat, so you shift from condition yellow (relaxed but alert) to condition orange (specific alert).
You may make this harmless shift many times a day as you go about your normal routine. If someone or something looks out of place, you change from a 360 degree general awareness to a more focused concentration in a specific direction. At the same time, you cant drop your general awareness, because a bad guy in front of you may be a distraction for another behind.
If you are attacked in condition orange, you should be expecting the attack. Further, you will hopefully be facing your attacker since you have already shifted your focus in his direction. If you are well trained, your subconscious mind will have been searching your hard drive for similar events or training sessions you have already experienced, or any pre-visualized what if situations youve cataloged as possible solutions should an attack take place.
Red
If the focus of your attention in condition orange does something you find threatening, you will shift to condition red.
Notice here that condition Red IS NOT the firing stroke, as some instructors have misconstrued from Coopers teachings. Instead, condition red simply changes the focus of your attention from a potential threat to a potential target. You will draw your weapon, or move still further to sight acquisition, only if the potential targets actions dictate such a response. Once youve shifted to condition red, you cannot be surprised by your primary adversary and you are fully prepared to repel boarders should he push the incident that far. But, your intense concentration on a forward threat will lessen your ability to maintain some degree of 360-degree awareness for unknown threats that may come from other directions. Effective training under high-stress conditions will help you avoid the tunnel vision that some describe as akin to looking through a toilet paper tube.
If possible, in both conditions orange and red, move to a position that will give you a tactical advantage. Ideally, you want a wall or previously cleared area behind you and some sort of solid cover you can move behind should shooting break out. Having one or more backup officers at this point can greatly enhance situational awareness, if and only if one of those officers remains alert in all directions a rear guard. All too often, every officer on-scene concentrates on the threat with no regard for 360 degree security.
If you are attacked in red, you should be fully prepared to defend yourself. Whether or not you have a gun in hand or on target will depend on the circumstances, but mentally, you are already ahead of the game.
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2006
- Messages
- 15,019
To follow up
When I was dealing with the trespasser I was in condition orange
My wife walked down the driveway and I told her to go back to the house and watch out the window
I did not want her near the interaction
I needed to be aware of my own distance etc and not be concerned with removing her from harms way
I never walk around in condition white unless I am in my home and it is secured
Outside of my home I am in condition Yellow especially when I'm with my family
If I am in a public place I alway look for a way out
If I am in a restaurant I never sit with my back to the door or the room
I place myself in an area that I can see what is going on around me
Like I mentioned earlier I have traveled to some very dangerous places in my life from the border of Afganistan to Walking the streets of cities like Istanbul to Johanesberg to cities in South America late at night and being aware of my surroundings has always been paramount
When you add having your family with you everything gets multiplied by ten
A situation that I could get out of might become a situation that if you mix my children etc into it becomes an almost impossible situation
So when with them I am at a much heightened sense of awareness
To live life like this might seem to many to be insane ..... For me to live life any other way is insane
When I was dealing with the trespasser I was in condition orange
My wife walked down the driveway and I told her to go back to the house and watch out the window
I did not want her near the interaction
I needed to be aware of my own distance etc and not be concerned with removing her from harms way
I never walk around in condition white unless I am in my home and it is secured
Outside of my home I am in condition Yellow especially when I'm with my family
If I am in a public place I alway look for a way out
If I am in a restaurant I never sit with my back to the door or the room
I place myself in an area that I can see what is going on around me
Like I mentioned earlier I have traveled to some very dangerous places in my life from the border of Afganistan to Walking the streets of cities like Istanbul to Johanesberg to cities in South America late at night and being aware of my surroundings has always been paramount
When you add having your family with you everything gets multiplied by ten
A situation that I could get out of might become a situation that if you mix my children etc into it becomes an almost impossible situation
So when with them I am at a much heightened sense of awareness
To live life like this might seem to many to be insane ..... For me to live life any other way is insane
Kohai999
Second Degree Cutter
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2003
- Messages
- 12,554
I'd like to take a small step back and maybe discuss a few things that have come up in the last few pages.
Ronin-
Was a samurai with no lord or master during the feudal period (11851868) of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege.
In modern Japanese usage, the term also describes a salaryman who is "between employers" or a secondary school graduate who has not yet been admitted to university.
The word rōnin literally means "wave man". It is an idiomatic expression for "vagrant" or "wandering man", someone who is without a home. The term originated in the Nara and Heian periods, when it referred to a serf who had fled or deserted his master's land. It then came to be used for a samurai who had no master. (Hence, the term "wave man" illustrating one who is socially adrift.)
The word "浪人" means a "drifter" or a "wanderer", i.e. "he who drifts/wanders".
According to the Bushido Shoshinshu (the Code of the Samurai), a samurai was supposed to commit seppuku (also "hara kiri" ritual suicide) upon the loss of his master. One who chose not to honor the code was "on his own" and was meant to suffer great shame. The undesirability of rōnin status was mainly a discrimination imposed by other samurai and by daimyo, the feudal lords.
Basically, if you didn't give a whit about what societal norms prevail, you were considered Ronin, if of the warrior class. This is why Joseph has so embraced the term, at this point for him, one of choice, rather than being forced upon him.
My Sensei, Masayuki Shimabukuro, Hanshi(RIP) chose to refer to his students as Samurai....
Who were the military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan.
In Japanese, they are usually referred to as bushi (武士?, [bu.ɕi]) or buke (武家?). According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning "to wait upon" or "accompany persons" in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau. In both countries the terms were nominalized to mean "those who serve in close attendance to the nobility", the pronunciation in Japanese changing to saburai. According to Wilson, an early reference to the word "samurai" appears in the Kokin Wakashū (905914), the first imperial anthology of poems, completed in the first part of the 10th century.
By the end of the 12th century, samurai became almost entirely synonymous with bushi, and the word was closely associated with the middle and upper echelons of the warrior class. The samurai were usually associated with a clan and their lord, were trained as officers in military tactics and grand strategy, and they followed a set of rules that later came to be known as the bushidō. While the samurai numbered less than 10% of then Japan's population, their teachings can still be found today in both everyday life and in modern Japanese martial arts.
Those of us who trained closely with Shimabukuro Hanshi(an Okinawan by birth who would have been automatically excluded from Samurai ranks by geography at the time) CHOOSE the Samurai designation to honor him, rather than take it as some birthright BS, which is what it basically was back in the day.
The Hagakure, a practical and spiritual guide for a warrior, drawn from a collection of commentaries by the clerk Yamamoto Tsunetomo, former retainer to Nabeshima Mitsushige, the third ruler of what is now Saga prefecture in Japan. Tsuramoto Tashiro compiled these commentaries from his conversations with Tsunetomo from 1709 to 1716; however, it was not published until many years afterwards. Hagakure is also known as The Book of the Samurai, Analects of Nabeshima or Hagakure Analects, has been referred to since publication as some sort of Samurai Bible.....it wasn't....it was idealization and romanticizing at it's most optimistic.
Japan through the centuries is both a homogeneous society and one bound by strict rules of behavior. Self defense is not a recognized right in Japan. As a matter of fact, karate was not created in Japan. It was created in Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was brought to the Japanese mainland in the early 20th century during a time of cultural exchanges between the Japanese and the Chinese. It was systematically taught in Japan after the Taisho era. In 1922 the Japanese Ministry of Education invited Gichin Funakoshi to Tokyo to give a karate demonstration. In 1924 Keio University established the first university karate club in mainland Japan and by 1932, major Japanese universities had karate clubs. In this era of escalating Japanese militarism,] the name was changed from 唐手 ("Chinese hand" or "Tang hand") to 空手 ("empty hand") both of which are pronounced karate to indicate that the Japanese wished to develop the combat form in Japanese style. After World War II, Okinawa became an important United States military site and karate became popular among servicemen stationed there....which is how it was introduced to the US.
Hopefully this makes sense thus far.
Sword arts in Japan are dying, as is much of the interest in important components of life originating during the feudal era. Western influences are of great interest to the young Japanese, they have little patience for the rigorous requirements of many skills held in Japanese regard...etiquette, tea ceremony, geisha training, martial arts(sword making and sword use, included)....and the Japanese masters are looking abroad to find students willing to train hard, provide tuition and demonstrate sincerity....which is honestly, how much of Japanese culture has developed over time in the United States.
Now...
There are those who think that training in and using long sharp blades with skill is antiquated and ineffective with today's body armor, firearms and lack of close distance contact.....but that is not accurate.
Training in sword arts teaches distance, timing, speed, angle, reading body language and muscle control. The simple study alone brings benefits to all aspects of life.
When you train HARD with INTENT....that is a whole different realm. An o-tanto, wakizashi or katana are very serious weapons....a cut or two often renders an opponent deceased.
My neighbor is very close friends with a local tv reporter who was shot 6 times with fmj ball 9mm in the torso and lived without any serious issues resulting from this situation. If he had been cut with, say a wakizashi under similar circumstances(close range by a moderately skilled adversary), it's quite likely that he would have wound up in pieces.
I keep a jo staff in my vehicles, because I just can't bring myself to the point of keeping a live blade for SD.....frankly, I think an adversary has a better chance of surviving intact if I shot him with a firearm than if I used an o-tanto, wakizashi or katana.
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
Ronin-
Was a samurai with no lord or master during the feudal period (11851868) of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege.
In modern Japanese usage, the term also describes a salaryman who is "between employers" or a secondary school graduate who has not yet been admitted to university.
The word rōnin literally means "wave man". It is an idiomatic expression for "vagrant" or "wandering man", someone who is without a home. The term originated in the Nara and Heian periods, when it referred to a serf who had fled or deserted his master's land. It then came to be used for a samurai who had no master. (Hence, the term "wave man" illustrating one who is socially adrift.)
The word "浪人" means a "drifter" or a "wanderer", i.e. "he who drifts/wanders".
According to the Bushido Shoshinshu (the Code of the Samurai), a samurai was supposed to commit seppuku (also "hara kiri" ritual suicide) upon the loss of his master. One who chose not to honor the code was "on his own" and was meant to suffer great shame. The undesirability of rōnin status was mainly a discrimination imposed by other samurai and by daimyo, the feudal lords.
Basically, if you didn't give a whit about what societal norms prevail, you were considered Ronin, if of the warrior class. This is why Joseph has so embraced the term, at this point for him, one of choice, rather than being forced upon him.
My Sensei, Masayuki Shimabukuro, Hanshi(RIP) chose to refer to his students as Samurai....
Who were the military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan.
In Japanese, they are usually referred to as bushi (武士?, [bu.ɕi]) or buke (武家?). According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning "to wait upon" or "accompany persons" in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau. In both countries the terms were nominalized to mean "those who serve in close attendance to the nobility", the pronunciation in Japanese changing to saburai. According to Wilson, an early reference to the word "samurai" appears in the Kokin Wakashū (905914), the first imperial anthology of poems, completed in the first part of the 10th century.
By the end of the 12th century, samurai became almost entirely synonymous with bushi, and the word was closely associated with the middle and upper echelons of the warrior class. The samurai were usually associated with a clan and their lord, were trained as officers in military tactics and grand strategy, and they followed a set of rules that later came to be known as the bushidō. While the samurai numbered less than 10% of then Japan's population, their teachings can still be found today in both everyday life and in modern Japanese martial arts.
Those of us who trained closely with Shimabukuro Hanshi(an Okinawan by birth who would have been automatically excluded from Samurai ranks by geography at the time) CHOOSE the Samurai designation to honor him, rather than take it as some birthright BS, which is what it basically was back in the day.
The Hagakure, a practical and spiritual guide for a warrior, drawn from a collection of commentaries by the clerk Yamamoto Tsunetomo, former retainer to Nabeshima Mitsushige, the third ruler of what is now Saga prefecture in Japan. Tsuramoto Tashiro compiled these commentaries from his conversations with Tsunetomo from 1709 to 1716; however, it was not published until many years afterwards. Hagakure is also known as The Book of the Samurai, Analects of Nabeshima or Hagakure Analects, has been referred to since publication as some sort of Samurai Bible.....it wasn't....it was idealization and romanticizing at it's most optimistic.
Japan through the centuries is both a homogeneous society and one bound by strict rules of behavior. Self defense is not a recognized right in Japan. As a matter of fact, karate was not created in Japan. It was created in Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was brought to the Japanese mainland in the early 20th century during a time of cultural exchanges between the Japanese and the Chinese. It was systematically taught in Japan after the Taisho era. In 1922 the Japanese Ministry of Education invited Gichin Funakoshi to Tokyo to give a karate demonstration. In 1924 Keio University established the first university karate club in mainland Japan and by 1932, major Japanese universities had karate clubs. In this era of escalating Japanese militarism,] the name was changed from 唐手 ("Chinese hand" or "Tang hand") to 空手 ("empty hand") both of which are pronounced karate to indicate that the Japanese wished to develop the combat form in Japanese style. After World War II, Okinawa became an important United States military site and karate became popular among servicemen stationed there....which is how it was introduced to the US.
Hopefully this makes sense thus far.
Sword arts in Japan are dying, as is much of the interest in important components of life originating during the feudal era. Western influences are of great interest to the young Japanese, they have little patience for the rigorous requirements of many skills held in Japanese regard...etiquette, tea ceremony, geisha training, martial arts(sword making and sword use, included)....and the Japanese masters are looking abroad to find students willing to train hard, provide tuition and demonstrate sincerity....which is honestly, how much of Japanese culture has developed over time in the United States.
Now...
There are those who think that training in and using long sharp blades with skill is antiquated and ineffective with today's body armor, firearms and lack of close distance contact.....but that is not accurate.
Training in sword arts teaches distance, timing, speed, angle, reading body language and muscle control. The simple study alone brings benefits to all aspects of life.
When you train HARD with INTENT....that is a whole different realm. An o-tanto, wakizashi or katana are very serious weapons....a cut or two often renders an opponent deceased.
My neighbor is very close friends with a local tv reporter who was shot 6 times with fmj ball 9mm in the torso and lived without any serious issues resulting from this situation. If he had been cut with, say a wakizashi under similar circumstances(close range by a moderately skilled adversary), it's quite likely that he would have wound up in pieces.
I keep a jo staff in my vehicles, because I just can't bring myself to the point of keeping a live blade for SD.....frankly, I think an adversary has a better chance of surviving intact if I shot him with a firearm than if I used an o-tanto, wakizashi or katana.
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
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Don't forget Condition Purple: Half drunk in the sword shop at night hacking up every board in sight with a beater. You should see how quickly the metal-scrounging crackheads get steppin' when they see that!
Maybe that sounds a bit crazy, but as someone once said, "To live life like this might seem to many to be insane ..... For me to live life any other way is insane."
Great info, Kohai999. The author of Hagakure did wax poetic about how much he loved to sleep all the time, and how great and worthy of an activity it is, if that's any indicator of his mindset, hehe.
Maybe that sounds a bit crazy, but as someone once said, "To live life like this might seem to many to be insane ..... For me to live life any other way is insane."
Great info, Kohai999. The author of Hagakure did wax poetic about how much he loved to sleep all the time, and how great and worthy of an activity it is, if that's any indicator of his mindset, hehe.
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Joe,
Very interesting thread!
I will call you sometime, we have much in common!
Hope your mending well.
Steve
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Member, W.F. Moran Jr. Foundation
ABS Apprentice Smith
Very interesting thread!
I will call you sometime, we have much in common!
Hope your mending well.
Steve
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Member, W.F. Moran Jr. Foundation
ABS Apprentice Smith