Katana use in non-Japanese arts specifically Kung-Fu

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bugmenot

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Are there real life practioners of non-Japanese arts like Kung Fu that incorporate the Japanese Katana in their art?


I am intrigued due to the use of Japanese swords in Kung Fu on film like in: Kill Bill, The White Dragon, and some old Jet Li movie I saw.
 
I know that a lot of Korean arts use Japanese swords since Korean hardware is comparatively rare, and what does exist tends to be very expensive.

I've known a couple of Chinese stylists who used Japanese swords on occasion because they're relatively inexpensive... but that was in the 1980s, and today, you can get just about any Chinese weapon you want for a reasonable price.

Kill Bill of course is a fantasy, and so rules don't apply. But remember also that Hollywood perceives the katana as "the most perfect sword ever made." Great looking visually, and audience members immediately recognize it, and likely know the mythology already.
 
I'd say that wushu fighter would use any sword, the techniques are not weapon specific. BTW if you look at this web http://www.chinesearms.com/

under the Dao section, you will find that Japanese sword - as many things in Japan - might actualy be of Chinese origin.
 
The swords you will see in Chinese Kung Fu forms are variants of two basic patterns: a curved, single-edged, saber-like broadsword (dao, often sold simply as "Wushu sword" or "Kung Fu sword"), and a straight, two-edged sword (Jian or Gim, often sold simply as "Tai Chi sword"). Some are bigger or smaller than average (the da dao is huge), but all that I have ever seen used in traditional Chinese arts conform to the basic typology of dao or jian.

If there are other major types of sword used in Chinese Kung Fu forms, I am not aware of them, and I have never seen one that uses anything like a katana, and it seems to me that Chinese and Japanese sword forms are quite distinct from one another. Of course, any practitioner of any art may pick up any weapon anytime. I'm just not aware that katana-like swords play any role in Kung Fu.
 
bugmenot said:
Recently I discovered a chinese sword that look very much like a katana but larger, the Miao Dao.

Here is a link to a nice one: http://zhengwutang.com/chinese/dao/miaodao/dao.htm
Click to expand...
Uh.... not really that similar to a katana... although there is an off/on-again discussion on whether certain forms of the miao dao is related to the odachi/o-tachi/nodachi (still not sure which is correct... if any) and the origins of the various martial styles... originated in Japan/China/etc.

I personally prefer a longer handle to a longer blade ;).

http://thomaschen.freewebspace.com/contact.html

Scroll down/search for miao dao. The main page is a fantastic site.
 
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