Swordmenship And Diapers

[Guest Kal]

I'm a young lad aspiring to become japanese swordsmen in Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaijutsu (yes their are still swordsmen.) Do the two life styles interfere with the other? Anyone educated on the subject please reply.

[Rhezz]

If your learning japenese swordsmenship, you must know that the japenese culture is very displined, and they belive in prosperity and control. To show this, would be a weakness, so i suggest u choose one.

ur 15, to young btw

[Guest Kal]

Yes..thank you this wasn't the type of thing i was going to bring up to my sempai...my reasearch drew the same conclusion. basixc precept of swordmenship number 14. Don't be dependent on anyone. Its hard. Second...Shhhh be quiet.

[Valentine]

See you in a few years

[Kanji]

Eh, Iaijutsu is kinda messed up. Dueling is pretty fun, and I knew there were still swordsmen in the world.

I'm an archer though.

[Frink]

Archery is, in my opinion, a more useful skill in the modern battlefield than swordsmanship. Although both allow a silent kill, an archer can drop someone at a distance; a blade requires close proximity, and in any case a knife from behind opening the jugular is far less likely to create the soud of a struggle. That said, I'll stay the hell away from any combat and be quite happy with myself for doing so.

[Saladin1976]

Archery is, in my opinion, a more useful skill in the modern battlefield than swordsmanship.

In the modern world, Iaido/Iaijitsu practicioners don't study the sword to be proficient on a battlefield. These days it's more about carrying on an ancient tradition and learning how to achieve the zen state of mushin.

It's sort of the martial equalivalent of rock climbing: once upon a time the only way to get to the top of a tall piece of rock was to climb it. These days you can get there much more quickly and easily with a helicopter, but there's still plenty of people who want to do it the old fashioned way, for what they get out of it.

Studying the sword is sort of like that. Nobody I know who studies the sword entertains any illusions or fantasies about ever using their skills to kill anyone. They're in it for the tradition and the mental training.