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Michael Curl
Location: Northern California, US Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 487
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 Posted: Sat 07 Apr, 2012 8:13 am Post subject: Nodachi use, ryu... |
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I was looking around for a few internet videos that would represent some nodachi usage (at the request of a friend) and I couldn't find any that looked realistic to me. I was wondering if anyone knew of any?
E Pluribus Unum
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Scott Woodruff
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| Posted: Sat 07 Apr, 2012 7:59 pm Post subject: |
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A lot of surviving martial arts (mostly eastern) have become very ritualized/sporterized. I too would be interested in what more martial use of the nodachi would look like for what it could teach me about the use of my own favorite weapon, the Scandinavian longswords with their super-long grips. I will look around and see what I can find. Perhaps you could look to polearm and staff techniques and draw parallels from those?
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Lancelot Chan
Industry Professional
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Michael Curl
Location: Northern California, US Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 487
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| Posted: Sun 08 Apr, 2012 11:47 am Post subject: |
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Most of those videos seem to show really big movements, and they all appear poorly controlled. It looks like what someone would come up with if you just gave them a nodachi after practicing a few katana kata's. How old are these schools?
E Pluribus Unum
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Lancelot Chan
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Sun 08 Apr, 2012 12:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Michael Curl wrote: | | Most of those videos seem to show really big movements, and they all appear poorly controlled. It looks like what someone would come up with if you just gave them a nodachi after practicing a few katana kata's. How old are these schools? |
They were hundreds years old. For example, Jigen ryu was very famous on battlefield for being so effective that enemies were afraid of them.
Ancient Combat Association —http://www.acahk.org
Realistic Sparring Weapons — http://www.rsw.com.hk
Nightstalkers — http://www.nightstalkers.com.hk
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Elling Polden
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| Posted: Sun 08 Apr, 2012 2:33 pm Post subject: |
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I like them. 
They seem to train as soldiers rather than duelists, and in the battlefield context, agression is the most important factor.
I would wager that this style is based on battlefield experience, and what worked for the early instructors.
The importance of agressive behavior in group combat is recogniced in other schools as well: Shimen Musashi writes that when facing multiple opponents, you should draw both swords, make yourself as big and scary as posible, and chase them around, hoping one of them will fall so you can make an easy kill...
"this [fight] looks curious, almost like a game. See, they are looking around them before they fall, to find a dry spot to fall on, or they are falling on their shields. Can you see blood on their cloths and weapons? No. This must be trickery."
-Reidar Sendeman, from King Sverre's Saga, 1201
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Steven Reich
Location: Arlington, VA Joined: 28 Oct 2003
Posts: 237
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| Posted: Mon 09 Apr, 2012 5:46 am Post subject: |
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| Michael Curl wrote: | | Most of those videos seem to show really big movements, and they all appear poorly controlled. It looks like what someone would come up with if you just gave them a nodachi after practicing a few katana kata's. How old are these schools? |
These videos look legitimate to me. Large swords tend to use big movements in order to preserve the momentum (and also because it isn't easy to make something that large 'stop on a dime'. A look at Iberian Montante material will confirm this.
Jigen ryu is an enigmatic school; looking their video demonstrations doesn't do much to enlighten without reading a little bit about their underlying philosophy.
Steve
Founder of NoVA-Assalto, an affiliate of the HEMA Alliance
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Michael Curl
Location: Northern California, US Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 487
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| Posted: Mon 09 Apr, 2012 9:43 am Post subject: |
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I will take the word of experts over my own. 
E Pluribus Unum
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Mon 09 Apr, 2012 11:12 am Post subject: |
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| Steven Reich wrote: |
Jigen ryu is an enigmatic school; looking their video demonstrations doesn't do much to enlighten without reading a little bit about their underlying philosophy.
Steve |
Some practical tactical things might be masked by traditional ceremonial presentation and as you say, not knowing the the underlying philosophy.  
Striking the ground hard seems odd to me but maybe a way to deal with shedding momentum and being able to strike again faster ? Does seem harsh if done on stony ground but I guess in period " paved " asphalt roads would have been rare. 
Lancelot Chan
| Quote: | | This style preferred to use non sharpened unhardened Nodachi to prevent cracking the blade during combat. |
Well, that could explain the above preference and the sword mass compensating for lack of a sharp edge but still lethal !
Don't know if cobble stone streets where common in Japan ( Would have to look as some reference books as it's the sort of thing one might not notice or forget about if not specifically looking for it ? ).
Stone pavement in Castle courtyards seem probable though.
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Vay Duong
Location: Oakland, CA Joined: 29 Dec 2003
Posts: 176
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| Posted: Tue 10 Apr, 2012 5:49 pm Post subject: |
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You might check out www.chineselongsword.com. The longsaber techniques demonstrated are based off kenjutsu. The historic part of the book indicates that the chinese based the long saber off of the nodachi.
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This is a standard topic