The Sword in Japanese Martial Traditions, Vol. 1 by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Via Media Publishing
Published: 2017-12-11T00:00:00+00:00

Figure 2: In maegiri (forward cut), the sword must be drawn straight across the front exactly parallel to the ground.

The sword, of course, is razor sharp and would cut human flesh without much difficulty, but it still requires a certain amount of momentum to do the job. How well the swordsman can turn this drawing and parrying motion into a strong, precise and, therefore, effective cut is one measure of how well he knows his art. There can be no hesitation here; the draw/parry/cut must be done in one motion since the opponent is at the same moment drawing his own sword.

The effectiveness of the motion depends on its precision. The butt of the sword handle is drawn toward the opponent’s throat, and when the sword tip clears the mouth of the scabbard it is immediately lifted so that the sword’s position is parallel to the ground. That way, when the parrying motion is made, the sword can cut cleanly in a straight line and come to rest in the proper position to begin the next motion. Any angle of the sword will cause inefficiency and weaken the motion, if not cause the attempt at cutting to fail entirely (Figure 3).

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.