Technique of No Technique?

On one of the knife forums I frequent a self-proclaimed expert says that it is fantasy to talk about defending yourself with a knife and therefore your pick of a carry knife ought to be based strictly on utility needs, and carry a handgun for defense. BUT, you can take a knife defense course from this same man. What? He is also an expert instructor on handguns, sticks, rifles, shotguns, etc. You don’t have to believe me, just ask him. Opinions are a great thing until they inflate one’s ego to the point of incredulity.

I have seen this man work his magic. A lot of what he does might not work except for his size and power. Perhaps he is unaware of this because all of his life he has had a size advantage. Truthfully he is a powerful man, but a good technique cannot rely on any certain physical attribute or it will fail the majority of the people trying to apply it. This was the guiding premise of our book The Rhythm of One. I am a relatively small man, five foot six inches. My daughter is even smaller, five foot, one half inch. To be of value, every technique must rely on technique, not on bulk or strength. So when you go looking for instruction: whether knife, gun or sword, look for a teacher who can (and is willing to) adapt his techniques to your physique, age, weaknesses, etc. One time I had a young woman with one deformed arm show up for sword class. Her left arm was the size of a babies. Her spirit was strong and we worked hard to select techniques that she could manage or adapt those that wouldn’t initially work. We also cut down her bokken to duplicate the size of a ko-katana. I remembered what Yagyu Koichi sensei once said to me, that it is mindset that matters, techniques evolve. I have this bit of wisdom written on the blackboard at our dojo. With time, I have learned that the instructors who eschew techniques usually do so because they don’t have any.

Shinken

I had a young man (Zak) ask me to explain my fascination with the katana, or shinken. This is my reply to him. One of the most famous Japanese sayings is “ken shin ichi nyo,” the sword and the mind are one. But the warrior’s mind and spirit being one with his weapon cuts across all cultures, races, and times.
A true warrior must understand the spirit within his weapons, whether that spirit is forged in or absorbed through the sweat and blood of its owner’s hands. It is not enough to be an efficient killer or a wild barbarian, which result from the mechanical use of the sword without the spiritual. Death comes to all of us but the real way of the warrior, the real bushido, is finding that middle ground and achieving a sense of balance.
Zak, as you said, the katana is a razor, par excellent. But, as we mature in our understanding of Western martial arts we also find that the better broad swords were well balanced and razor sharp too, not the crude armor mashers we originally thought. One of the main differences tactically is that the katana was both sword and shield to its master, unlike the Westerner who blocked attacks with a shield held in his left hand.

Many schools in America that teach Kenjutsu (combat swordsmanship) disparage the use of the blade for blocking, especially edge-wise, because they say the very hard edge will chip, ruining the sword. While it is true the blade may chip, not blocking is simply an old wives tales. Once when 80+ year old Japanese sensei Yagyu Nobuharu was asked about that his response was very pragmatic. Basically he said: Yes my sword blade may get chipped but if I do not block a cut I might get killed. When the battle is over, if I survive, I look around for a nicer sword. If I don’t survive, then it doesn’t matter.

To the samurai the katana blade was imbued with its own spirituality and soul. The mounts (however plain or fancy) were of a distant secondary importance. I think it was a major concession for the blade maker to punch a hole in the tang for the bamboo pin which holds the handle and guard on the blade. If the mystical or spiritual doesn’t appeal to you then I would revert to the original argument, the katana is one of the most capable cutters in the history of the world. It is a ruthlessly efficient killer capable of cleanly severing a human body completely through in one stroke. The metallurgical and tempering qualities are unique, and although Damascus and Wootz were also great sword making materials none of them surpassed the differentially tempered Japanese blade. A well designed and executed katana is exquisitely balanced for one or two handed use. By comparison most modern katana are over sized, over weight, with fat handles and crude mounts.

In use, a sword (like a fighting knife) has two primary functions, cutting or thrusting. A Japanese sword may also be used for deflecting or blocking as I mentioned. Different schools of swordmaking had different degrees of curvature forged into their blades based on the techniques taught by the schools of instruction. For example, if a school liked to use the thrust it would gravitate toward a straighter blade than a school whose principal attack was a slash. Makes sense right? While many people say that a thrust is more lethal than a cut, that rationale does not apply if the cut is so massive as to dismember or bisect the opponent. I don’t know if any of this actually answered Zak’s question. It may be a subliminal thing that is felt rather than a logical thing that can be argued or rationalized. Either way the katana is a fearsome, elegant, and sublime weapon. The photos are by Bugei trading Company of my Peace Sword.

Fire!

It has been a week or more and I need to write a new blog. But I want to make a short comment, an observation. Whenever I post a political narrative I do not get any responses, on the blog that is. Sometimes I am playing devil's advocate, being provocative, purposely antagonistic. One of my good friends is on to me and he doesn't respond on purpose. A few of you email me privately in agreement but often say I don't want to comment publicly. Or I get comments like aren't you afraid to post such things? What if the wrong people are watching your blog? What wrong people, what are they afraid of saying? I once told my abbot that I feel like a mute screaming "fire!" in a theater full of deaf people. So I will continue to write knife and gun articles but forgive me if once in a while I scream "fire!" Whoever you are out there, thanks for reading what I post. ghdave2@hotmail.com