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Jean Thibodeau
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 Posted: Wed 10 Sep, 2008 6:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Anders Backlund wrote: | | Vincent Le Chevalier wrote: | [
Actually the katana is asymmetric in a way because the scabbard is; it can only be worn in the traditional fashion, in the belt with the edge up, on the left side. This is obviously done with a right-handed user in mind. |
Really? I was under the impression katana were simply stuck into the obi, for easy carrying, Meaning you could carry it at any side of the hip you feel like. |
Yeah, but the Japanese sword culture seems to be 100% right handed as far as training, fighting and wearing of the sword is concerned.
Left handed use of Katana seems to be tabu but I guess the exception might be with a two sword fighting style and possibly the Tanto or wakizashi ? I guess a wounded samurai might be forced to use his left hand for his katana ?
I was also told that the Japanese population has a very low incidence of lefthanded people and the culture forces even those few to use their right hand for most things ! ( The conformity thing I guess   )
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Bill Grandy
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Wed 10 Sep, 2008 8:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Anders Backlund wrote: | | Vincent Le Chevalier wrote: | [
Actually the katana is asymmetric in a way because the scabbard is; it can only be worn in the traditional fashion, in the belt with the edge up, on the left side. This is obviously done with a right-handed user in mind. |
Really? I was under the impression katana were simply stuck into the obi, for easy carrying, Meaning you could carry it at any side of the hip you feel like. |
Even so, the menuki of the katana are assymetric, as Gabriel alluded to. While you *could* use a katana left handed, it would kind of be like using left handed scissors in your right hand. It still will work, but it feels slightly odd.
| Quote: | | A sword shouldn't be so presumtious as to dictate to it's owner which hand it should be wielded in. Its a matter of principles. |
A sword isn't presumtious. It was the owner who wanted to use the sword in one hand. If the owner wanted an ambidextrous sword, he probably would have commissioned it that way, or else had the fittings changed.
HistoricalHandcrafts.com
-Inspired by History, Crafted by Hand
"For practice is better than artfulness. Your exercise can do well without artfulness, but artfulness is not much good without the exercise.” -anonymous 15th century fencing master, MS 3227a
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D. Austin
Industry Professional
Location: Melbourne, Australia Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 208
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| Posted: Wed 10 Sep, 2008 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Anders Backlund wrote: | | I was under the impression katana were simply stuck into the obi, for easy carrying, Meaning you could carry it at any side of the hip you feel like. |
The katana is simply stuck into the obi, however, the kurikata, a slotted projection through which the sageo, or tying cord is threaded, is on the outer side when worn on the left hip. There is also occasionally a hook further down the saya to prevent it from slipping out of the obi.
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Gabriel Lebec
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Thu 11 Sep, 2008 4:12 am Post subject: |
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| Bill Grandy wrote: | | Even so, the menuki of the katana are assymetric, as Gabriel alluded to. While you *could* use a katana left handed, it would kind of be like using left handed scissors in your right hand. It still will work, but it feels slightly odd. |
Kind of a funny note: it does feel a little odd to someone used to using regular placement of menuki right-handedly - however, I actually prefer the feel of gyaku-menuki (reversed menuki) as I think it makes more functional sense. On tachi, menuki were placed opposite their current locations, so that each would go beneath the palm (not the fingers). This seems more natural and logical to me, but for aesthetic reasons we've ended up with the current system. The visual effect of having the omote (visible-side) menuki be closer to the tsuba was maintained when tachi were traded for katana, leading to aesthetic continuity but functional reversal. Heh.
You could make an argument therefore that the katana itself (minus the saya, and the way it is worn and taught) is actually better suited as a left-handed weapon! 
Of course in real life nothing is so simple and people debate the details of gyaku-menuki, but I thought it was interesting. 
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science." - Albert Einstein
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Vincent Le Chevalier
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| Posted: Thu 11 Sep, 2008 4:55 am Post subject: |
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| Gabriel Lebec wrote: | | The visual effect of having the omote (visible-side) menuki be closer to the tsuba was maintained when tachi were traded for katana, leading to aesthetic continuity but functional reversal. Heh. |
Ah, so that's the reason... I've often wondered why the menuki were in this location, though it's not really all that annoying. Thanks for that!
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Vincent
Ensis Sub Caelo
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Bill Grandy
myArmoury Team
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| Posted: Thu 11 Sep, 2008 8:14 am Post subject: |
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Huh, I didn't know that. Thanks Gabriel!
HistoricalHandcrafts.com
-Inspired by History, Crafted by Hand
"For practice is better than artfulness. Your exercise can do well without artfulness, but artfulness is not much good without the exercise.” -anonymous 15th century fencing master, MS 3227a
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