The Tachi is a Japanese long sword, which was worn slung from a sword belt. Like the Katana, the Tachi had a single edged carved blade and was worn with the cutting edge down. This was the style when wearing armor but died out in the 1600’s. In modern times there are obvious benefits from the practice of tachi-dori; Zanshin (awareness), Maai (distancing), Kime (focus), Hyoshi (correct timing) just to name a few.

Because of the disproportion in reach and the obvious danger between two opponents when one is armed with a katana and the other unarmed, tachi-dori waza requires correct acuity and control of, the distance separating the two during the encounter. The sense of timing and the ability to fill a suki (an opening or gap in the attackers defence) with an appropriate technique is also developed by tachi-dori practice. Most attackers armed with a live blade would be surprised to have their intended victim step forward and counter rather than try to escape the descending blade, and that surprise might just yield a suki prior to the attackers follow on cut.

Entering against a strong focused attack while attempting to maintain balance and composure is difficult enough. Harder still, is the ability to be able to step to the exact spot required to dominate the engagement but with each success the student’s confidence and spirit grows stronger. The appreciable risks associated with tachi-dori practice is of course the act of placing one’s body in jeopardy with the possibility of being struck by a sword or bokken but without the element of real danger, tachi-dori practice would be pointless.

SEMPAI BEN AND SEMPAI SCOTT IN PRACTICE

KATANA
The Soul of the Samurai

by Sempai Ben Francis

The Katana is regarded as one of the finest blades to ever have existed. From its early incantations, to the laborious construction and decoration to the value and reverence the samurai bestow upon them both in battle and daily life.

I once head someone say that the sword is considered the ‘king of all weapons’ and I believe that the katana is the king of all swords.

Why choose the Katana ?
When I was young I saw the movie Star Wars and was really excited by the lightsaber fight at the end, I looked up all the information I could and found that they used a fighting style with a sword called the katana.

I looked for books on this weapon hoping to find some ‘cool’ fight moves but found something much more and it has had an impacted on my life ever since.

A Short History Of The Katana And The Samurai
Samurai was a term for the military nobleman in pre-industrial Japan. The word "samurai" is derived from the Japanese verb "saburau", meaning, "to serve" so a samurai is the servant of a lord.

Originally these warriors were workers of the emperor, but slowly they gathered enough power to establish the first samurai-dominated government. Over time, powerful samurai clans became warrior nobility, who were under the court aristocracy. In spite of various machinations and brief periods of rule by various emperors, real power was now in the hands of the shogun and the samurai.

Zen Buddhism spread among samurai in the 13th century and helped to shape their standards of conduct, particularly overcoming fear of death and killing. A famous samurai by the name of Minamoto Yorimasa committed suicide after being defeated in a battle, before his death he wrote a poem that was so moving that later samurai adopted this philosophy that ‘Death on the battle field was the greatest honour of all.’

The samurai are considered to be the most stylised and honourable fighters of there time. It is widely know that before a battle the samurai would stand at the front ranks and announce themselves by their name and deeds while trying to draw out and individual for single combat. After the battle the victorious warrior would sever his opponent head and return it on a board to his side.

The katana is a curved, single-edged sword traditionally used by the samurai. Pronounced, kah-tah-nah, the katana was typically paired with the wakizashi or shoto, a similarly made but shorter sword, both worn by the members of the warrior class. It could also be worn with the tanto, an even smaller similarly shaped blade.

The katana as we know it today with its deep, graceful curve developed sometime around the middle of the Heian period (794 to 1185) to service the need of the growing military class. Its shape reflects the changing form of warfare in Japan. Cavalry were now the predominant fighting unit and the older straight weapons were particularly unsuitable for fighting from horseback. The curved sword is a far more efficient weapon when wielded by a warrior on horseback where the curve of the blade adds to the downward force of a cutting action. The forging of a Japanese blade typically took days, and was considered a sacred art.

The Katana And The Bokken
A bokken (Bo-Ken) is a wooden Japanese sword used for training in the shape of a katana, a bokken is used as an inexpensive and relatively safe substitute for a real blade. They are used in the early stages of training in when a practitioner has not yet reached the level where use of a real sword would be safe.

In training I use a bokken for two main reason, I can practise my techniques safely without major injury to myself or my opponent and I can explore other areas of fighting that can not be used by the katana because of the sharp blade.

Many think that the bokken is nothing more that a training tool for a ‘real’ weapon however there are accounts of people using one or two bokken against opponents of various weapons and defeating them. The misconception that a bokken is not a dangerous weapon simply because it has no ‘blade’ is a narrow perspective, especially when you consider just how many ways the bokken can be used as a sword, club and short bo (Jo). On top of its versatility it can also be lighter than a katana, depending on the wood, making it potentially faster and easier to handle than it’s metal counterpart.

My Thoughts On The Bokken And The Katana
One of the major reasons I enjoy this discipline is because of the samurai who use them, they are mighty warriors who are feared and respected by both friend and foes yet they are not soldiers as such but servants to there clans and territories. They fight with a strict moral code not because they are ordered to but because they believe that there is no better way to live a life of meaning. They practise not to improve their fighting but to improve themselves, and even the practise of calligraphy, poetry and music were used to aid in this discipline.

It is said that a samurais sword is his soul, weather this is true or not is unconfirmed but the samurai did treat there swords with great care and respect to the point where they became a symbol of status and wealth as well as a effective weapon. Even now swords that were made by the traditional folding of steel many years ago are highly decorated and detailed, some become family heirlooms or museum pieces, with brilliant colours and gold hand guard and pommels, showing to the world how the maker is an artist as well as a blacksmith.

Even the bokkens are decorated for display and presentations, with engravings down the blade just the same and the katana.

One aspect of the katana and the bokken I really admired is how long the weapon manages to stay in mainstream warfare. Even during the time of gunpowder and firearms the samurai continued to rely on the swords to fight with, what’s even more remarkable is that because the samurai were so well trained there use of the katana was still effective against these modern weapons.

The way of the katana and the bokken are one of the few skills that can encompass fighting, nobility, art, philosophy and physical and mental exercise all in one discipline, and it is one I will continue to study with my karate for as long as I can.

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