High score!!! Japanese Kendo obviously uses swords, so why call them swords?

Nowadays, mentioning the word kendo, people's minds come up with such a picture: two Japanese wearing helmets, wearing chest guards, hand guards and gears, tied with a waist drape, holding a bamboo sword made of 4 or 6 bamboo slices, according to certain rules, straight legs jumping and shouting each other to chop each other's head (center, left and right sides), chest, arms, and throat these rules in the effective parts, by the referee to determine the winner according to the number of times both sides use effective methods to hit each other's effective parts. The referee decides the winner according to the number of times both sides use effective methods to hit each other's effective parts. Alternatively, a real sword is held in the hand and a target made of rolled straw is slashed to show the sharpness of the sword, the cleanliness of the maneuver, and the shocking effect of the slash. Not only that, people can often be found in Japanese literature, film and television, including children's cartoons, the so-called shadow of kendo, the representative of the samurai warrior's way of kendo has been y integrated into every aspect of the Japanese people's lives.

The All Japan Kendo Federation was established as early as 1952, the International Kendo Federation was founded in 1970 and held its first world championship, and it became an Olympic sport in 1989. To this day, Japanese Kendo has spread to five states in the world and has gradually penetrated into our country, and its development momentum is strong. Here, the author according to the personal martial arts heritage and daily thinking about the examination of the "Kendo" connotation of the three aspects to be explored, in order to clarify the origin.

One, knife and sword

Knife - knife system since the Stone Age has appeared, stone knife, bone knife archaeological excavations have material evidence. With the development of the era, the gradual emergence of bronze knives, to the Spring and Autumn period, the iron gradually emerging, the emergence of iron knives. Until the early Han Dynasty appeared iron ring head knife. Due to the needs of the war, the knife gradually became the main combat short arms and has been used down. From the whole development process of the knife, it can be said that, from ancient times to the present day, the knife's basic system has not changed much, is still single-edged, back thick, square head or single side arc pointed, with a handle, the knife body and the handle between the disc-shaped handguard (whose function is only to protect the hand), the overall slightly curved. This type of instrument has been called a knife since ancient times and even all over the world. The ultimate purpose of the knife is to slash, as stated in "The Remaining Skills of the Cultivation Yu - The Explanation of Shaolin Stick Technique - Questions and Answers", "The advantage of the knife is in slashing". The sword is designed to serve the purpose of chopping.

Sword -- sword in the Chinese ancient weapon enjoys "the king of all weapons" "all the weapons of the commander" of the name. Its system, from archaeological excavations in kind in Linqu, Shandong Province, West Zhu Feng site unearthed during the Longshan culture of the stone sword, has been initially formed. Later appeared bronze sword, and then to the later generations of iron sword, steel sword. Because of the easy corrosion of iron and steel, the early excavations are not much, but from the early remains of wall paintings, stone carvings can still be recognized in its system. To the Tang Dynasty, the sword's overall system tends to be unified, continues to this day, a few changes. The basic system of the sword is: double-edged, the middle of the ridge, single-pointed, with a handle, the sword body and handle between the grid, also known as the cloud (the sword in this part can not be called a handguard, although it has a certain handguard function, but to hang the other side of the weapon is mainly used, the use of this part of the use of the ancient fencing in the West and the ancient fencing in China is an important difference between), the sword was straight, straight sword shape to give a person a direct point to the human heart, the soul-stirring The straight shape of the sword gives people a sense of shock and awe. The use of the sword is for the purpose of stabbing, and other uses of the sword such as: frame, block, drape, hang, chop, point, wipe, collapse, support, pressure, strangle, pick and so on are all for the last stab service (due to the special part of the throat, only with the wipe can also be solved). The system of the sword is for the service of stabbing.

By the above rough description of the sword two weapons can be seen, although the sword belongs to the same short weapons, but the two names are different (a knife and a sword), the shape is different (a curved all the time), with a different (a cut and a stab). The sword is heavy and strong, and the sword is light and skillful. Japanese kendo equipment is obviously a sword but why is it called a sword, and the blackmail, what bamboo sword, real sword, sword art, kendo form, heart sword as one and so on with the sword related terms are filled in the Japanese kendo. More puzzling is that in many articles and narratives of the same instrument in a sentence, even the first half of the sentence called the sword, the second half of the sentence and called the sword, or simply called the sword sword. It seems necessary to make a preliminary historical discussion of the fact that the name of the sword and the name of the sword are arbitrarily mixed in Japanese kendo.

From the published historical data, we know that Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges have a long history, and the exchange of ancient weapons is equally so. In order to facilitate the comparative narrative later, the author purposely refers to the historian Mr. Ma Mingda's "Sword Sermon Series". The book describes the exchanges between Japan and Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. According to "Three Kingdoms Zhi-Wei Zhi-Japanese Biography", the queen of Japan's Wicked Horse Kingdom, Pei Meihu, once sent her doctor, Nanshengmi, to China for goodwill in the sixth month of the second year of Cao Rui's Jingchu year (238) of Emperor Ming of the Wei Dynasty. Wei Mingdi hospitality these friendly envoys, many times to and fro, in Wei every gift to Japan, there is always a knife.

This proves that by the time of the Three Kingdoms era, Chinese-made knives were still prized by Japan. Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Tamana-gun, Ransui Town, Eda Funayama ancient tomb, was found engraved with Chinese characters inscriptions on the Japanese sword, Japanese scholars believe that this is a relic of the mid-fifth century, around the time of the North and South Dynasties in China. The discovery of this sword proves that the influence of Chinese swords and knives on Japan continued beyond the Three Kingdoms.

Japanese archaeologist Mr. Katsunori Ono once said, the famous Japanese Shosoin, still preserved a lot of ancient Chinese swords and knives, "dedication account" on the "Tang style sword" "Tang sword The so-called "Tang-style sword" is still kept in the temple. The so-called "Tang-style sword" should refer to the Tang Dynasty military prevalent for a while in the Stranger's Sword, the style of this sword in China has no physical evidence, only Japan's Shokurain also preserved a few Tang Dynasty objects. All of these prove that the history of Chinese swords and knives on Japan's influence is a long time. At least until the Tang Dynasty, Chinese swords and knives continue to be imported into Japan. According to Matsuda Takashi's "History of Martial Arts Exchanges between China and Japan (above)", a Chinese bronze sword from the Yin Dynasty was unearthed at the site of Sangyosakiyama in the foothills of the Ukai Mountains in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.

From the historical accounts, it is clear that what was imported to Japan through official Chinese channels were knives, never swords. After the Song Dynasty, Japanese swords were gradually imported into China in large quantities because of their excellent quality, forming a specific Japanese sword cultural phenomenon, such as the "Japanese Sword Song" by Ouyang Xiu of the Northern Song Dynasty to the "Japanese Sword Song" by Tang Shunzhi of the Ming Dynasty and so on, so it is clear that the ancient weapon exchange between China and Japan was swords, and the exchange of sword techniques is also possible. Of course, the sword may have been imported into Japan, but the Japanese will not use, or that is not suitable for Japanese people and abandoned, because there is no historical data, it is difficult to confirm. So there was never an exchange of sword skills.

Since there is no sword in Japan, why is the Japanese sword called a sword? From the historical information known, Japanese kendo such a system in ancient Japan's canonical records of the "Ancient Records" and "Japanese Secretary" is called "Duo Zhiga Kabuki", after the Nara period, more with the "strike sword" "sword fighting After the Nara period, the term was mixed with "katana" and "taijutsu", but the term "dachi kabuki" was still commonly used, and the term "kenjutsu" gradually appeared from the middle of the Muromachi period onward, and was mixed with "katana", "taijutsu", "taijutsu", and "katana". "taijutsu" "sword fighting" "sword" "fencing" cross-mixed and continues to this day, it can be seen that the mixed use of swords in Japan has a certain history. In China, from the Song Dynasty to modern times, this kind of weapon was still called "Japanese sword" or "Japanese sword", and it was not until some good people created and compiled two-handed swordsmanship and translated the contents of Japanese kendo that the phenomenon of mistaking "Japanese sword" for "sword" gradually appeared in China. It was not until the creation of two-handed swordsmanship and the translation of Japanese kendo that the misnomer "Japanese sword" gradually appeared in China. Why is the Japanese sword strong called sword, but also with Japanese scholars *** with further discussion.

The author thinks that, because the sword in traditional Chinese culture has other weapons (including the sword) unrivaled high status. Japanese ancient people should know the status of the sword in Chinese culture. For example: as early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period, "phase sword" and "phase horse" has been a specialized study, from then on, people have taken the sword as a living object, and the sword has become a symbol of the emperor's power. Such as the ancient many famous sword has been "born of God, the holy king with the", until later the "imperial sword".

In short, the sword from time to time with the order of high and low, status size, power and more or less linked. And sometimes the sword called "dragon", such as Sun Yan "sword song" "sword light GengGeng, wear it can be a dragon", the sword than the dragon, so that the sword's cultural significance to the point of no return. Not only that, the sword has become a sacred weapon, with incredible prayers to God to show the spirit, exorcise the devil to avoid evil strange function, even Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica" that "the ancient mirror if the sword, if there is a god, so it can avoid the evil evil disobedient evil". In short, the sword in the minds of the Chinese is not only self-defense weapon, and is the "way" of the dependence of the gods. Ancient trespassers of the sword is known as the "swordsman", and trespassers of the sword is known as the "swordsman", "chivalry" and "guest". The meaning of the two is still high and low. The author speculates: the sword of this rich cultural meaning, with the Sino-Japanese exchanges will certainly attract the attention of the Japanese people, but Japan does not have a sword, more do not understand the sword, and was attracted to this sword culture, so look completely different from the sword type of hand commonly used weapons, had to sometimes called the sword, knife, sometimes called the sword, swordsmanship. But in the final analysis is still the sword, with kanji sword to express the Japanese sword is wrong.

Second, two-handed and one-handed

Japan is an extremely traditional people, two-handed sword is an excellent example. In the early mythological book "Nihonshoki", there is a record of Izanagi using the "Ten Grip Sword" to cut Khoratsuji, the god of fire, into three pieces. Obviously, "ten-handled sword" means to hold a sword with ten fingers in both hands, and "chopped into three pieces" means to chop. Therefore, the "Ancient Records" in the "Duo Zhiga Kabuki" should also be two-handed sword, raised above the head, the power of the waist and abdomen, pouring full force chopping, sweeping the chest and abdomen.

This method of using the sword is very characteristic of the nation and has been passed down to this day. Because of the history of other nationalities in the world with short arms, only the Japanese are two-handed sword, "left and right enthusiastic, strange and deceitful" (Cheng Chongdu language). Flavius in ancient Rome in its "Art of War Briefly" (PLA Press) on the training of new recruits on the requirements "if a chopping, no matter how much force you use, often will not be fatal, because the other side of the important parts of the body will always be guarded with weapons, the bones themselves will play a role in protection, and vice versa, when assassination, you can put the sword into the 2 inches, it is enough to make its In addition, when chopping, your right hand and right ribs are exposed, while when you stab, all parts of the body are not exposed, and can be in the other party has not yet realized that it will be killed or wounded". It can be seen that in ancient Rome was not in favor of chopping, let alone chopping with both hands raised above the head. Similarly, the 19th century British scholar of ancient weapons, Richard Burton, also believes that in short weapons fighting, stabbing is more advantageous than cutting. So the continuation of the Western fencing movement but no Western machete movement, Western fencing is still a single-handed sword, and for China, which has a deep connection with Japan, so far there are no archaeological excavations and ancient records of two-handed swords, two-handed swords, physical evidence and records. On the contrary, there is a lot of physical evidence and records to prove that the ancient Chinese military equipment is mostly a sword and shield, that is, focusing on offense and defense as a whole. The use of shield is very early, we are familiar with the idiom - self-contradiction from the Han Fei Zi - difficult one. There are also unearthed Eastern Wei and Eastern Jin Dynasty ceramic warrior figurines with shields, Gansu Dunhuang murals in the riding battle picture, the Warring States Bronze Annals in the land and water attack pattern, as well as the "Records of the Historical Records - Xiang Yu's Chronicle" in the detailed description of the Hongmen Banquet, "Kuai that is, with a sword and a shield to embrace the military door," and so on, both with a shield, naturally, is a single-handed sword. Cavalry combat is even more needless to say (because of the horse's head). So it's possible to use a sword on foot without a shield and hold it in both hands? No way! Because the basic principle of using the sword is to "see the gap", and at the same time requires that "the sword is not over the top" and "the edge is not toward oneself", the reason is very simple. First, because the sword is lighter and double-edged, so should try to avoid collision with the enemy's heavier weapons, should see the gap and use. Secondly, if the sword is transported over the top, the chest, abdomen and legs will be exposed to the enemy, which is more dangerous. Thirdly, in case of being hit by the enemy's weapon, if the blade is directed towards oneself, one may be injured by one's own blade. Therefore, until today, in addition to the Miao sword and the modern creation of two-handed sword, can not find any in the Chinese traditional martial arts with two-handed sword physical evidence and records.

Of course, some scholars believe that the two-handed sword method should be of Chinese origin, the most famous of which is Mr. Ma Mingda's "Sword Sermon Series", based on the word "long tongs" in the inference. In the book, it is proved that "long tongs" is a long handle, and since it is a long handle, it must be a two-handed sword. In the author's opinion, this inference is not appropriate. The word "long tongs" refers to the long sword, the ancients have discussed, even if "long tongs" is a long handle, does not mean that it is a two-handed grip. Martial proverbs say: equipment is the extension of the arm, that is to say, refers to the body equipment as a whole, the sword as an extension of the arm out of the part, at this time, the center of gravity of the sword position is related to the operation of the sword freely or not. According to the law of the sword, the center of gravity of the sword should be close to the cloud at the head of the three fingers (this is a key to distinguish between good and bad swords), in the case of the sword type system does not change much, the sword lengthened, it should be correspondingly longer hilt (or aggravate the hilt) in order to get the whole sword center of gravity of the position of the basic unchanged, which is why only see a long handles of long swords and do not see long handles of short swords (80cm or less) of the reason why, and moreover China is a people who pay attention to the coordination (especially against head heavy) Coordination of the nation (especially against head-heavy, this issue can be elaborated in another article), the sword body lengthened, the hilt is too short, it seems that it is not beautiful, in addition, perhaps this is a ceremonial sword system, such as drink Wei stick, it is difficult to imagine 1.4m long sword for the body of the ancient people who were not high in the land of Chu-Yue, nearly the lower jaw, how to wear? How to wield? Also, the head of the sword (pier) part of the protrusion of the two-handed grip on the back of the hand is a great obstacle, but the Japanese sword handle type is particularly suitable for two-handed grip.

Additionally, for the "short into the long" sword, in the case of the sword length change is not big, as far as possible to extend the distance of the attack is the key to the short military technology, at this time, one-handed sword and two-handed sword, the difference is at least half a shoulder-width distance (and not counting the length of the shoulder), in the difference is not even a fraction of a thousand miles of melee, one-handed advantage is self-evident. In close combat, the advantage of one hand is self-evident. What's more, the purpose of the sword is to stab, and as the martial arts proverb says, "Stabbing kills and slashing injures; the sword is still skillful, not forceful, and there are many more variations with one hand than with both. And as far as the author's understanding of traditional kendo, in the traditional Chinese martial arts that emphasize close combat, one hand holds a sword, the other hand holds a shield or an empty hand, and there are many other marvelous uses for the empty hand. In short, China can not have a two-handed use of the sword, once two-handed use of the sword, it is only possible to "chopping and hacking like a sword, laugh and kill the old fishing Yang Jianxian".

Why is the world's many countries more than one-handed use of short arms, but only the Japanese sword is waved with both hands, raised above the head? The author believes that this is the characteristics of the Japanese Yamato nation make. Japan is an island country, is in the Pacific plate and the junction of the Asian and European plate, crustal activity is very active, volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis are very frequent, the country's land area is dominated by mountains and hills, the plains only accounted for fifteen percent of the ancient poor living conditions prompted people to produce a strong desire to attack and indifference to death. These two points are precisely the reason for the formation of the characteristics of the Japanese sword. This is why Japanese swordsmanship focuses on attacking first, holding the sword with both hands above one's head, and pursuing a one-strike kill with all one's might and disregarding one's own protection. The influence of geography on culture has long been concerned by scholars of cultural geography, Mr. Wang Huichang pointed out in "Chinese Cultural Geography": "The culture of any nation is by no means the result of its constituent elements - ethnicity, language, religion, social psychology, traditional morality, way of life, thinking characteristics, etc.". , lifestyle, thinking characteristics, etc., but a unique cultural complex or cultural system formed by the organic and systematic combination of the elements under the influence and even constraints of a certain geographical environment."

In summary, the author believes that the Japanese sword technique of holding the sword with both hands and raising it high above the head was invented and unique to Japan, and could never have been inherited from China, which is a landlocked cultural system. (Source: Chinese Martial Arts by Wei Rudong)