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At the university today, there was a special demonstration of nihontou -
otherwise known as samurai swords in the West. It's even quite rare for
Japanese people to see genuine nihontou in action, so it was an
opportunity I couldn't miss. Moreover, Jeremy, who's an American exchange
student at Kumamoto University, was also taking part, so we all wanted to
see him. The demonstration was presented by a swordsmith who had been
making nihontou for 30 years (with Jeremy translating).
The demonstration kicked off with a display of karate, by a middle-aged
father and his son. I've seen plenty of karate demonstrations before, but
it's really something to see it in the country where it originated,
performed by family members who have trained in it for years. As the
father performed various kata (set moves of karate stances and actions,
almost like a dance), everyone was completely silent. All you could hear
was the sound of him breathing in the technique used for karate and
occasionally performing shiai (shouts intended to intimidate the enemy).
This little man in his plain black gi (karate outfit) really had everyone
spellbound.
Afterwards, there followed a demonstration of kendo with wooden samurai
swords by Jeremy and another Japanese swordsman:
This, however, wasn't sparring in the usual sense, but a choreographed set
of moves designed to show different techniques of using the sword. Jeremy
explained that using two swords (as shown here) is incredibly difficult to
co-ordinate.
After this, we finally got to see what we'd all been waiting for - a
display of a real samurai sword itself. It truly is a thing of beauty, so
shiny that it looked blue reflecting the clear skies.
First there was a one-man display of using the sword during a surprise
attack. There is a tremendous amount of ritual in withdrawing and
sheathing the sword - it must be placed in its sheath very slowly and
carefully, almost lovingly.
The same man then demonstrated throwing shuriken (miniature throwing
knives) into a wooden plank. The power behind each throw much be
considerable to be able to throw it into the plank, I thought.
After this, each of the swordsmen demonstrated the power of the sword, by
slicing up bamboo sticks wrapped in thick tatami (woven grass) mats and
soaked in water (this apparently gives the roll the same consistency of
human flesh). This was really impressive to watch - the swords really did
slice through the rolls as if they were butter. I managed to catch Jeremy
in action:
Before...
The slice...
...and after. A considerably shorter roll.
They all made it look so easy, making a clean slice through the mat every
time. However, I was to find that it wasn't easy AT ALL, when at the end
of the presentation we were all given a go:
...I gave it my best shot, but I could only cut a chunk out of the roll
(and on one attempt, I managed to bend the sword!). Still, I didn't mind -
it was a privilege enough just to be able to hold a real samurai sword.
I've naturally held plenty of
reproduction display samurai swords, as my
Dad sells them, but I've never seen a genuine one crafted in Japan by a
Japanese swordsmith outside of a museum - let alone held and used one! I
am so lucky.
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