Sword Style

[BlueMoon]

Hi all, this is my first post
Anyway, this post is about the unorthodox sword style developed by Katsuichi and taught to Usagi. My question is, why is it unorthodox? How does it differ from the traditional styles? I'm curious

[MikeM]

Hi BlueMoon.
Unfortunately I can't answer your question.
Just wanted to say welcome to the dojo.

MikeM

[Fanfan]

From my personal martial arts experience : what i would say, is most of school use mass teaching method, where you learn technics, and where most people are able to learn things that they can do by themselves quite quickly.

The fact is that great masters, that still truly practice on their old days, have changed their inner way to use their body. Today there are few Japanese masters that are still practicing this way : Kono, Kuroda, Hino, Akuzawa sensei.
What say Akuzawa sensei about his master, is that before him he teached no one. There are some responsabilities to teach such things, and a great reflexion from the master on how to transfer to someone else what they have developped, somekind of i shin den shin, from my soul to your soul, you cannot all explain with words or with exemple. You must experiment by yourself and find your own way. It is why masters make you train very weird exercices that you only understand the purpose after. They don't teach you techniques, but another way to use your body. This teaching is not suitable for everyone.

I don't know if i am clear and what is the explanation of Stan on this point.

And welcome aboard !

[Krogu]

From my point of view, its unorthodox because Usagi's fighting style [as its drawed] looks different from others.

- Usagi often uses both swords in fight
- Usagi is able to cut arrows and effectively throw saber onto targets
- Usagi is more mobile in fight then other samurais, hes incredibly fast
- Usagi is utilizing many jump-like moves and hes experience with saber, allows him to rely on hist 6th sense.

[Lubidius]

I would assume it is mirrored on the historical styles of Miyomoto Musashi who is attributed to the creation of the 'two-sword' style of japanese swordfighting. Or at least the only person through history who can be directly correlated earliest in primary material to such a style. It is known as Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū (or Niten-ryū for short). This is a method that has over the years (and likely many levels of watering down) been transposed to the two sword technique still found in Kendo and surviving Kenjutsu schools. Here is a video of two sword kendo style in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AgkfRDU7W0

I'm sure there are other Kenjutsu schools that have derivatives still in practice.

Or, I'm completely off-base, and it's just something introduced into the storyline to make him seem cooler..

[Fanfan]

From my point of view, its unorthodox because Usagi's fighting style [as its drawed] looks different from others.

- Usagi often uses both swords in fight
- Usagi is able to cut arrows and effectively throw saber onto targets
- Usagi is more mobile in fight then other samurais, hes incredibly fast
- Usagi is utilizing many jump-like moves and hes experience with saber, allows him to rely on hist 6th sense.

I do belive what you say is the same than what i said, it is just a consequence.
Great masters have several points in common. The fact that the whole body is coordinated and moves by himself, so their movement become very fast, and pre-emption (what you called 6th sense). The teaching is untraditionnal because you can't learn that repeating thousand times a kata (see UY book2)
See Duel at Kitanoji p122 - about teaching and style. The style is not important, it is what you barely see from the outside...
Look at Shunji with Katsuichi : the true problem is transmission.

[BlueMoon]

Thanks to everyone for the welcome and replies. So, I take it it's more flexible than how other samurai are taught?