I cut things with a LIVE SWORD on Saturday! Oh yeah!! So much fun. It's both more difficult than you'd think and easier. If you were to give a sword to an amateur on the street, they could do some damage. But they'd probably end up dinging the blade (and dulling it), and probably bending it because their cuts would be sloppy. Maybe even break the sword. So we learned how to hold the sword properly, keeping the bone structure aligned with the cut. Then lots and lots of drills so you can cut efficiently and in straight lines. The cut is so easy once you get the form right - barely takes any power at all if the blade is sharp - but it takes so much practice and focus to get the form right.
Everyone got to cut two rolled and soaked tatami mats. My first one, I borrowed someone's sword and we later found out that it wasn't sharp enough. That first round didn't go very well because of that. But my second round, I borrowed someone else's sword and it was very sharp. I had also taken advantage of the copious amount of time between my two turns to drill the lever action you're supposed to have with your arms right at the point of the cut - I didn't do it at all my first time. When I was doing a couple dry runs before the first cut this time, Tucker-sensei guided my arms through the cut so I could feel what they were supposed to do. Apparently that's what it took for everything to click, because my first cut was amazingly easy and successful. I was openly shocked at how easy it was to cut through the roll.
This is definitely something I want to practice again. It's fun, challenging, and I think it has some invaluable applications I want to explore.
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| A man practicing kiriage on tatami. |
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