Well I guess patience is a virtue that I need to improve on, I was going to wait and write this after I did some more research but I’m getting to impatient so here it goes.
Ahem…
I must start by expressing my opinion that Gyphon is wrong and that oriental sword fighting can’t be summed up in Japanese swordsmanship I think that it would be more accurate to compare swordsmanship to food. Allow me to explain. Think about it . EVERY culture and people and clan and tribe have some similarities . They ALL eat food. But that is at a basic basic level . Consider the enormous differences between say modern western and eastern food. But what a minute, we don’t eat what the French eat nether do the Germens or the Poles or the English. But even in the U.S. there is gigantic differences in our diet there is Midwestern, Southern, New England and even Indian if you will. But look at New England there is New Hampshire and Massachusetts clam chowder that even use most of the same ingredients and are nothing like each other. Any great chef could discover the best Massachusetts clam chowder the world has ever known and make it his own. Chowder connoisseurs would folk to him, and after his death all his “disciples” would start their own schools of the “Real chef so-and-so’s chowder and there would be endless variations JUST ON his CHOWDER!! Now, I said all that to say this. Swordsmanship is just like that. Almost every people that I can think of have had some version of the sword from the Aztecs and Zulu to the China and the Philippines and like with the food each group used what they had and what they came up with developed from their culture and environment. Then the swords and the swordsmanship evolved based on who and what their enemies were and of corers what their enemies fought and protected themselves with. So every time you have a division of some kind or a great sword master you could get a new branch of the sword family, even if the variation was very slight, like chef so-and-so’s chowder it would have the potential to have INFINITE variations just on that particular sword. That’s in theory, but in reality the human body can only move in so many ways and only so many of THEM are practical and although you would get the occasional master or people who live the sword, most people don’t what to bet there life on an experiment so you wouldn’t actually get exponential differences, but you would get continual change, with some swords becoming useless as a main battle weapon and eventually cease to be used and would fade it to history. The result of the process I have just described is the endless variety of swords and the mindboggling ways of using each type of them. So let’s talk about some specific specimens. In my world view civilization started in the fertile crescent,so I assume that the sword began there as well.
To be continued….
Anything that can be compared to food is worth my commenting on it! I think Gryphon was commenting on the fact that japan had closed themselves off from the outside world and therefore only had the katana to use and fight with. Its like if you for some reason could only have RPG "the Katana" games to play. you would become very proficient at playing them and be able to hone your skills to a killing razor edge. Now if I Came to play an RPG with you, you would be able to fight very well against me because that's all you have had to deal with. But then we play a first person shooter and your world is sent crashing down on you because you have no idea how to counter this new weapon "Guns for example". So Japanese samurai where "The best at what they did" but not much else. and I could be way off with analyzing what Gryphon meant but I hope I made some Sence.
ReplyDeleteI think I understand what you are trying to say, but I’d it appreciate it if Gryphon would confirm or deny that that is what he actually mean that. By the way out of pure curiosity why did you capitalize since?
ReplyDeleteFat finger
ReplyDeleteSorry I took so long to respond.The time has been slipping between my fingers like sand!
ReplyDeleteNow in response to former conversation.I would first like to say that Twilight is very impressive in being able to equate video games to history.Now Twilight Shadow is hitting the nail on the head.The West's bladed tradition did not comprise one model sword.Instead, to compete with different traditions,obstacles,and changing times,the European swordsmanship became diverse,so no central sword cult could form;and when the gun made it's debut as the weapon of choice the European swords disappeared from war.
The Japanese,on the other hand,(as our esteemed friend Twilight Shadow put it)isolated themselves.they did not have to compete with any new obstacles,the traditions supported the sword dominance,and the times did not change.(until commodore Perry knocked on their door with cannon!)But something else you must consider is that the Sword had a monopoly on war,(due to Shogun Hideyoshi's famous weapon hunt!)and the Buke(Japanese Warrior caste)had a monopoly on swords;and when one resource is confined to one strata of a society,what occurs but the creation of a segregated community of individuals whose philosophy will be directed to perfecting the one thing that makes them unique!
Basically my point comes down to(and with all these great analogies flying around I got to throw mine in)The Japanese Swordsmanship(which is less swordsmanship and more art in my opinion!)is like a when a company controls all the assets needed to become the best company in that arena.While European Swordsmanship is more like a company that uses diversified interests(Jack of all trades master of none.)
Well I don’t know if I should continue the western swords thread or start a debate on the diversity of eastern swordsman ship. Well Gryphon this article was your request so what do you want to do ?
ReplyDeleteperish the very thought!(just kidding(:
ReplyDeleteI really do not mind,both would be a unique topic.Well,seeing as how right now I am favoring the eastern flavor I would go with Eastern Swordsmanship,but that is just me.
I would like Twilight Shadows opinion on this matter.
P.S:Clanners Rule,Crusaders Rule the Clans!Vladamir Ward Rules the Crusaders!
I'm easy. don't have a preference but I will try to give my 2 bits ether way.
ReplyDelete