There are many who have something of a romantic view of the Samurai. All that respect and code of honour image being the main two items foremost in many people's minds. To a degree that is more than true, but far from the true reality of what they really are, or what they did.
It is more than true to say that they had to learn their trade and know how to draw a sword and how best to use it in battle. Well they really did have to or they would soon end up dead and that’s for sure. And if they wanted to remain within the Samurai group that they wished to belong to, for their training and so on, then a bit of bowing and showing even a little bit of false respect was more than needed. The somewhat romantic view of a Samurai warrior protecting the weak and vulnerable however is a very misleading thing, as many think of them, but instead it was to make money, or for food, for their services to survive and nothing else. At least for the main part of it all it was. But the one thing that they did have to be, to survive, was to be a true killer with a mindset that many people would turn away from in total disgust at what they did. Chopping people up in battle with their swords is one thing but then slicing their heads off with their swords and holding the head up high as a trophy to earn their status from others is for sure nothing short of barbaric. Gruesome in anyone's eyes I would think? One thing is for sure however and that is there is no way I would invite one home for tea and cakes. Would you? The main chosen weapon of the Samurai of course is the now famous Katana, but have you ever wondered who taught your martial arts teachers how to use a Katana sword in the first place? Since I first started learning the martial arts way back in the early 1970’s, and also teaching it of course, I have often seen instructors practising with various martial arts weapons. The Katana is for sure probably one of the most popular of all the various martial arts weapons, for a number of reasons, but who trained those teachers I have often had to ask myself? To be an expert with such a weapon, and to be able to fight correctly with one, is not really something a person can learn by just picking one up and copying what they have seen others do. Over the years I have often seen a black belt teacher, who although very highly skilled in unarmed combat, swinging a Katana around totally incorrectly. One perfect example of how this lethal sword, when used by an untrained person, can get them killed in an instant if fighting an opponent for real who knows what exactly what they are doing in a do or die sword fight is when they hold the sword above their head needlessly which in turn exposes their body area to striking cuts. There are of course those who have become experts in how to use such a weapon in a self taught way but just like learning unarmed combat the best way is often through a skilled teacher and via regular practice with someone in just the same way as a person would do when sparring. Sadly however I have often seen people who think that becoming a black belt gives them the experience and skill needed to use such a weapon when clearly that is not the case. It may look impressive to display such a thing in front of a class of students but just like those who are self taught in martial art unarmed combat skills, even though they have never been formally trained at all, such lack of correct training will be clear to see by those who have more knowledge about sword fighting methods and vital experience. If you took up fencing, for example, you would seek out a fencing teacher but finding a Katana teacher/master is not that easy a thing to do as they cannot be found on every street corner unlike regular martial arts classes that are everywhere these days. There are many people these days who claim, and display, so-called martial art skills without ever taking up any formal training and this is also the case when it comes to people displaying the use of the Katana and other such related martial art weapons. So the next time you see someone practising with a Katana and claiming to be an expert in the use of one, ask them who their teacher is or was? For a related article click >HERE< Comments are closed.
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