Italian Longsword Guards & Kenjutsu

There is a good deal of information on Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) available these days - one excellent resource is Wiktenauer from which the longsword images below are taken.

Like Japanese koryu the sword and close quarter fighting make up the bulk of the material. One of the interesting parts of European martial arts is that the practitioners work from original source material rather than following a tradition that is handed down. It is an interesting basis compared to the continual transmission of Japanese koryu.

It is unrealistic to think the majority of koryu were not evolved continuously during the Tokugawa or even the Meiji periods. In many instances, this refinement is what sets the Japanese arts apart. There is no in without yo however, and in some cases refinements can equal mistakes.

In terms of this material - there is still scope for a lot of research. Some of the historic works on German and Italian longsword are shockingly sophisticated, and some practitioners of HEMA are extremely knowledgeable on their subjects. It would be a mistake to discount these sources simply because they are not Japanese - indeed I would guess that HEMA will be a future force to be reckoned with within the martial arts sphere.

Here I would like to take a quick look at the 12 guards in Fiore de'i Liberi's Flower of Battle - and pick out some similar guards within Katori Shinto Ryu.

It should be noted that just because a similar position may be utilised, that does not mean the actions are similar. It is however interesting to make some sort of comparison, if only for fun.

Spear (Yari) in Owari Kan Ryu 尾張貫流 (Kudayari & others)

Owari Kan ryū is known for its use of the kuda-yari (tube spear). The e (shaft) is run through a kuda (metal pipe) that’s in the front hand of the practitioner. Interestingly the school’s students start training by doing shiai (competition) and only after considerable training they learn the school's kata (forms). Most classical schools that practice shiai do so after learning kata. Thrusting using the kuda. Cross-stepping. Thrusting attack with kuda. Wide stance. Shiai. Shiai using a spear with a cross piece. The original demonstration from which these stills were taken is here:

The Structure of the Tenshinshoden Katori Shinto Ryu Syllabus

It should be noted that the current head, Otake Risuke, has commented that not all of the parts of Tenshinsho-den Katori Shinto Ryu survive. I recall his comments in various documentaries that Archery was once a component, and only some of the spear survives. Through various sources, mostly Otake's book, I have put together this brief outline of their syllabus, however I have little idea of the exact stage each is taught except that I believe the students start with Omote no Tachi. I will use this as the basis for further posts and may add to it over time. I believe their are important implications when Otake says that one of the main reasons for training all the weapons is to train the swordsman against them. Note in this section in brackets are my own comments and should therefore not be relied upon, those from the written work of Otake are clearly marked. Tenshinsho-den Katori Shinto Ryu -Kenjutsu (Otake lists Tachi, Ryuto and Kodachi under Kenjustsu) --Tachi (Use of the singl

Australia’s Turning Point – Signals Intelligence leading to the Battle of the Coral Sea

Australian/American Signals cooperation was not only important in stopping the Japanese advance to Australian shores but marked the beginning of Australia embedding its forces with the United States rather than simply furnishing troops for the British. Whilst the British, in my opinion , had a long history of using Commonwealth troops to either protect their colonial interests or to take on deployments with high expected rates of attrition, when Australia faced the real possibility of invasion with the vast majority of its troops and equipment deployed overseas, it was the Americans, whose interests in the Pacific aligned with our own, that were on hand to push the Japanese back from our shores. The Battle of the Coral Sea saw the beginnings of the deployment of Australian sea power under direct American command, a joint approach that would continue to the present time – it was, however, Signals Intelligence that led the way to the embedding of US/Australian forces and played a major

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