How Good is a Hidden Katana (Shikomizue)?
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- Опубліковано 10 тра 2024
- During Japan's Meiji period the wearing of swords was banned, so of course people did it in secret, carrying blades hidden inside inconspicuous walking sticks or canes. The concealment comes at a price, making it a worse design in an open duel compared to a traditional katana. But does it make up for its drawbacks through its unexpected effectiveness for self-defense in a surprise attack on the street?
Let's take a closer look at its pros & cons and how it works, as well as what distinguishes a Shikomizue from a Shirasaya mount.
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Technique demonstration by Seki Sensei
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#skallagrim #katana #shirasaya #shikomizue #samurai #kenjutsu - Розваги
It's not an inferior sword. It's a superior stick.
I love this quote
This should be pinned
Hail an apothecary, hail an apothecary!... But not for me!
All I can hear is the heckin Space Marine "I need an apothecary!" XD
Why an apothecary when a surgeon, nurse or stretcher bearer is the real need?
@@johndododoe1411? because its a joke…
I came to the comments to write the original meme.
Thou hast bested me, sire.
@@johndododoe1411because most of those things didn't exist when swords were in main use as weapons
“But of course, humans are always remarkably creative in figuring out how to impede each other’s ability to live.”
Pretty much summed up a good chunk of Human history right there.
Sadly, yes.
I would also remark that humans are also remarkably creative in fabricating complex abstract systems to facilitate cohabitation. Creativity can always create rather than destroy, the most tragic thing is how hard building is, compared to breaking.
I love this sentence XD
@Skallagrim I have seen a japanese sword cane that has a spring loaded gaurd similar to some European sword canes
Notice too how often this sort of innovation is people trying to find ways to defend themselves or fight back, generally in response to when governments try to monopolize power by preventing citizenry from having weapons to fight back with.
You had me at “stick”.
The stick, the mightiest of weapons
Stick very good
What's a sword than just a sharp metal stick
get stick'd
stick beat knives....when there is a 2 feet long blade in it
Very well summarized. I wouldn't even consider it a "criticism"; more a recognition of a universal truth: a weapon optimized for undetected everyday carry [e.g. P365] will not be the same as a weapon optimized for combat [AR or AK].
A lot of swordbro's on the internet tend to have very strong opinions based on anime and fictional accounts and not facts unfortunately. So one often does have to state the obvious to them.
Don't bring your hidden sword to war and don't bring your war sword, when you need to keep it hidden. It's as simple as that XD
@@Spagettigeist: Formerly ( until about 1980) you often could see men from their mid 40s or older, using a cane without necessarity of a walking aid. From maybe 1500s onwards a cane was a sign of being a grown man, and, when decorated, a sign of status.
Yup. Swordcane isn't a weapon of war, it is a weapon of subterfuge and very good at it, you wouldn't know a well made swordcane is a sword unless you took it away from the person and inspect it closely.
@@brittakriep2938 With or without a hidden sword, canes are pretty neat. It's too bad they have gone out of fashion.
I'm currently decorationg one for a Steampunk cosplay. (Though my decorations are going to be a cheep nock-off as I can't afford the real thing XD)
I'm abnormally happy about how skall has a propper armory now and it looks like a dojo or some rpg chamber XD
If a person is planning on carrying a weapon they need to train at home on pulling said weapon from various positions.
Absolutely.
One of the most important things about carrying a handgun which is often overlooked. Target practice is good but training to draw is vital.
@@WarriorCicada A tremendous number of self inflicted gun wounds are from accidental discharges while carrying or attempting to draw. Either the safety gets caught on a loose strap/buckle, the owner unlocks the safety when hiding it, or the owner pulls the trigger as they fumble to extricate it.
I train with my collapsable baton all the time. I look like exactly like someone who would get mugged in the streets, so I train to draw my baton and extend it. I try to get some of Skallagrim technique to deffend and attack
@@danilonakazone386 you will eventually need to find a training partner to spar and practice your technique with otherwise you will have difficulty applying them if you should ever have to, practicing your draw will only ensure you can reliably getting your hand on your weapon without having to think about it.
"Call an AMBULANCE! Call an AMBULANCE!!! But not for ME!"
WEEE WOOOO, WEEE WOOOO, WEEE WOOOO
I actuely own a orginal cane sword from europe. Even I couldn't tell at first that it wasn't just a cane when I first saw it. It has like a horn handel with a wooden stick. It's a simple twist lock that surprisingly effectif at keeping the blade in and the blade is like a smalle sword blade. It's actuely rather cool.
Nice! Keep it safe, dry and blade clean and oiled.
A relative had one. It had an extremely thin blade, more like a rapier than a sword. I only got to see it when I was a kid and have no idea how old it was. But i was probably six or seven years old when I saw it, so it's been ages.
cane swords are cool, even if the blade is more a novelty, at least the cane would work as a cane but still when you get one that's made right they're super cool, more of a holdout weapon than for fighting wars though which is perfect
I'm a simple fan. I see Zatoichi, I click.
The best series
As do i
Watching Zatoichi as a teen cemented my love for swords
Takeshi Kitano is the GOAT
A Katana is always better than anything western because the fold was steeled a million times
As a corrupted steward once said, "I told you to take the wizard's staff!".
Another thing that could be done to discreetly stop you from losing your fingies in the thrust, would be to just put an indent at the blade end of the hilt for your index and middle finger to sort of rest in, and furthermore you could even add a thumb recess... it could be disguised to look like a natural part of the shape of the stick if done correctly.
How about a small lanyard on the end of the handle? A lot of walking sticks have lanyards so that you can hang it on your hand when you're doing something so that it doesn't fall on the ground. Having the lanyard around your wrist or palm would help with the thrusting issue albeit with the downside of basically locking your hand to the weapon.
Just wear disguised chain mail gauntlets. “Surely you wouldn’t deprive an old fishmonger of his gloves?🥺”
The annoying thing about those "cheaper" sword canes is not only them being sword-shaped, they're too short to be a convincing walking stick. If the scabbard was at least a foot or two longer, then you can hold it naturally at the holding point of the sword. Even better, if it's long enough, it would make sense having a nice grippy leather wrap at the right handling spot for sword wielding!
Ideally it would be made based on the user's height and limb length anyway.
@@Skallagrim Of course! You match the sword to the wielder... but the stick it's going to be in can be deceptively longer. Both for more comfortable walking, and to make it hard to see how long the sword will be when drawing.😏
And if the scabbard is long enough, you can dual wield!
@@Appletank8 You could, but a wooden tube by itself wouldn't be terrible durable or useful.
Japanese people were short, they're at average height today is because of modern food. So, all the arguments about katana are short compared to European sword is actually looking at them through western eyeglass. Of course, katana are short today, it is because Japanese gain height.
Ever since I saw the movie "blind fury" with Rutger Hauer, I have been fascinated by that type of sword and have wanted one ever since.
"Nice doggy..." he says and steps over the gator...
That movie was based on elements from several Zatoichi movies.
There are cane swords for sale online.
I love these skits with the side camera!
Glad to know! I figured switching angles would make the vid a bit more dynamic and visually interesting.
Fun idea: spring-loaded guard quillons for sword-canes. They fold forward and are held by the scabbard. When drawn, they snap back to form a handguard. Also extra friction so the sword won't fall out.
I wonder how viable it would be with medieval level technology.
Maybe not Mideval technology, but I can see it being attempted in the Renaissance. The biggest drawbacks I can think of is finding a proper balance between making the mechanism durable while not compromising the rest of the sword, as well as making it as seamless as possible for concealment.
In my region of Germany a Spazierstock or only Stock is a craftsman made cane, while a Stecken is a simple selfmade stick, cutaway from a bush, without a metal tip. Both items had been in 1970s/ 1980s by men in their midfourties or older still sometimes used as a mans item without necessarity of a walking aid.
In those days, when every grown man had a cane/ stick, they had been often used as weapons, the metallic or wooden knob handles acted as maceheqd, and pointy antlerpieces used as pick could be dangerous. Sometimes wooden knobs had been filled with lead, or in center or stick was a steel rod. There had been hollow canes with a knife, stilleto blade, smallswordblade , thick steelrods, whips, a piece of wire rope, a piece of spring with a ball, q pistol, or the stick was a barrel, mostly for shotgun cartidges.
I once met a guy who studied the traditional fighting techniques used by the Italian organised crime and the two main weapons they trained were knives and canes with heavy handles.
my grandfather worked in a coal mine. when he stopped working there he got a cane with a pick as a head (häckel). it is npt intended as one, but as a weapon this would be brutal
Interesting concept: Cane Sword that is also a Shillelagh.
Since the striking end of the shillelagh would most likely be placed at the base of the sword's hilt, you would also have the benefit of both weapon types wanting the center of mass to generally be in the same area.
Classic Skal video!
Informative, immersive, and fun!
Thanks!
As far as I know the lock button was only ever used on military Gunto's (for obvious practical reasons)
I assume the reason why this reproduction was made with it was just for extra security so that if you had a loose scabbard made for battojutsu, there'd be less chance of the blade accidentally flying out
Really enjoying the different camera angles. Seems like a small thing, but adds a lot.
Hey skal! 2 things. the button release was used a lot on the metal scabbards for katana leading up to and during ww2. Also your hand wont slide up the handle because your supporting hands pinky is supposed to be halfway off the bottom of the sword, lining up right where a pommel would start. You drill hand positions a ton in batto and Eijitsu, cheers.
Hm, how would the finger position on the off-hand prevent the main hand from slipping?
@@Skallagrim I'd figure that the clenching of the ring and little finger around air instead of the handle would lead to a narrowing passage effect where it becomes more difficult for the handle to slide through your grip on a thrust, due to it having to now face the resistance of the grip strength of your ring and little fingers + having a narrower passage to attempt to force itself through.
Notes: Tested this with a wooden staff, my apartment wall(concrete), and soaped hands. The testing method was to brace the staff so it wouldn't slip, grip the end with my ring and little finger off of the end, and try to walk myself into the wall.
Result: Surprisingly, my hand did not slip at all, and I ended up failing to slip, to the point that I was just leaning into the staff and trying to walk forward as hard as I could with no slippage. I'd suspect that the grip that was described in this comment might be worth testing for thrusting with swords similar to the shikomizue in this video, preferably with some sort of serious hand protection.
Disclaimer: I only weigh 55kg on an average humid day. I recommend taking proper protective measures for any sort of testing with live blades instead of stick vs concrete wall.
Bandit: "STAND AND DELIVER!"
Old Geezer: "No u" 😏
🎶...OR THE DEVEL HE MAY TAKE YA! 🎶
[cool & stylish guitar solo plays]
@@judgedrekk2981 🎶...There's whiskey in the jarr'oh!🎶
Thanks for advising Seki sensei, that's very nice of you❤
Watching you pull the sword out of the stick feels like watching a magic trick, I can't help but smile
the mighty stick just became mightier!
Joerg Sparve lately made a double extendable tanto, which gives an idea... A walking stick that converts to a tanto and some kind of short nagamaki thing. That would be quiet a combo!
Lock blade on a stick, i want to make one.
Ive been really enjoying these recent videos
A meiju period cane sword could easily be made using a normal tanto or possibly even an o-tanto or ko-wakazashi blade with an extended handle into a perfectly straight cane shaped saya. The sori on shorter nihonto is significantly less to almost non-existent when compared to katana length.
I've always liked the idea of a sword-cane, like you said, even if they are a worse sword overall. They are really cool, glad to see you talk about and review one!
In it's context of use it is excellent tool. It should work as walking stick and having a sword (or just knife) in it makes it have nasty surprise. Alex of Clockwork Orange has knife instead of sword hidden in handle of his stick.
There's the other, critical aspect when it comes to disguising a sword as a simple walking stick. That critical aspect is that now your sword looks like a cool stick
I'm surprised you didn't give so much as a *mention* to Setsuka in the Soulcalibur games; she wields a Shikomizue too, only hers is hidden in a *parasol* . I'd *love* to know if that'd even work.
One thing I know *wouldn't* work though, is a shikomizue hidden in a *shamisen* like we see in the Ninja Scroll prologue movie, at least with it being hidden in the *neck* like it shows.
You might be able to make sword that you can hide in neck of shamisen, but that instrument would fail the litmus test of being functional instrument.
@@vksasdgaming9472 the problem I have with that idea is that the strings would inadvertently *keep* it from being drawn, as they have to be wound *tight* to have the tension they need to twang, vibrate, & make the sound they need to make when you strum them.
Im *suprised* you *didnt* even so much as *mention* my *stupid* anime girl🤬😠
@@mariaconcepcionrodriguezhe2850 dude, first off, there's nothing wrong with mentioning anime girls; you're only condemning me for that because it's currently considered the "politically correct" thing to do.
Second, if something about her is at all *relevant* to the videos topic, which it *is* in this case, why *shouldn't* they be mentioned?
these videos, nerding about foreign swords and practical uses of them, they're really good
Very interesting mini exposé. Thank you
I love cane swords personally. They've never really seemed like they were meant for fighting, anyway. They're more for getting the jump on someone who thought they could do the same to you. A sudden blade coming from nowhere would be a pretty big surprise. I'd imagine someone skilled enough in the use of such a weapon could easily dispatch an attacker without much of a fight at all!
@Skallagrim , I've loved your content for over a decade now, and have learned so much from you. Keep it going my man! Much love 💪
That was a great concept. I liked it a lot.
I've always loved the elegent flush-fit mounting styles of the shirasaya and shikomizue.
Nice video! Cool sword!
Thank You very much for the new video !! 😊
ah, a new fan of Seki Sensei i see
Skall
Your old geezer impression had me in more stitches than that bade ever would lmao
Awesome video as always, damn cool stuff
Great video, I have one and I love that the sheath is a weapon, great new set by the way!
Enjoyed the video, would love to see another video about conceled walking stick swords in general.
I would say more than expected,depending on lenght. Kodachi or tanto size seems the best
Great video Skall!!
It’s as good as a Skal post on this very fine Saturday!!!
Pls boost cause I wanna see Skal do a test of a Monk’s Spade!!!
So it's the Kyoshin episode now, I see.
We're completing our For Honor weapons irl analysis.
Hey Skall, I enjoy your content very much, and I have an idea, that could answer your point about cane swords having no hand slide preventing mechanism. If the shaft and handle are actually made out of bamboo, and the cut line between the handle and the shaft-scabbard is invisible, then the "knee" part that elevates above the "leg" part of the bamboo stem might work well as a protective measure for the palm to not slip off the handle
I own several cane swords and love them.. never had to use them
Weapons the opponent isnt aware of are Always the best weapons
It's my understanding that just having that delivered here without a concealed weapon permit is a "constructive" felony.
Side camera is great!
And we so a little bit more of your collection that way :)
The TSA at the Charleston Airport caught an old guy with one of these trying to get on the plane. He claimed he didn't know it was a sword cane xD
I caught an old guy like me trying to bring a Zatoichi sword onto my Greyhound Bus. He was surprised when I reached for it to rattle the blade inside of the sheath. I said, "Yep, just like mine. I will store this underneath the bus with the luggage and give it back when you get out, OK?"...............................elsullo
I love the movie The Swordsman 2021. After his defeat at the beginning he uses it as a staff to walk since being mostly blind. As the movie goes along his walking stick sword gets its parts back as he defeats the bad guys. If you haven’t seen it I recommend you watch it.
Very cool sword skall 🤘💀
Super cool, I'd like to see more "hidden swords" stuff.
Good vid. Hope you're well!
Never been into katanas, but have always loved the way they look on a shirasaya mount. Might be the minimalist in me but it just looks so clean, like a well made japanese kitchen knife.
Here’s a fun idea for an emergency sword. Make a sword where the hilt is part of the scabbard when its made. If you ever needed to use it, the scabbard portion would break apart on impact leaving you with a sword. The hilt would have to be replaced, but again, emergency sword
I feel the a collapsible tsuba could be incorporated. When the blade is put away, the tsuba locks in a closed position would look like a wooden or brass ring on the handle of the walking stick. When it is drawn, using some kind of spring mechanism the wood or brass ring expands to a guard.
It really does not look as a simple stick to me. Tho the original recurved versions do. I think it should be a bit longer, maybe even quite a bit longer to be convincing
thanks
'But of course, humans beings are always remarkably creative in figuring out how to impede each other's ability to live' is a great line
Hey Skall great video, have you been experimenting with the camera a bit more in this video? The camera work looks great, sometimes you walk into the shot so to speak, or when you turned from one camera and switched to another on the side of the room
Well done
I guess you can also push the button with your left thumb to open the blade. The art of iai makes a lot of use for the left hand in directing the cut and controlling the Saya before the blade exits it.
Nice overview, i agree with all that you've said :}
And a nice, but not perfect, example of a sword-stick.
Once, back in a while, i made my own walking stick of a broom handle (which was an aluminium tube) with a hidden stiletto blade inside, a four-sided spike blade 35cm length, 45th steel (world analogs are: AISI 1045, JIS S45C, DIN C45, BS 080M46), and a handle made of an epoxy resin with a little crab and herbs inside.
The handle was made of several long 10mm nuts screwed over the 10mm threaded rod. All that was covered with a black rubber tape, and then black skin was glued over it. The tube was spray painted in black. The lock was made of a usual 1.5l PET bottle neck. The lower end of a tube was stuffed with a broken bamboo ski stick with a dull steel ending.
I didn't use it for a long while, but it's still sitting on a wall mounted stand :}
your eyes are beautifully, piercingly blue. That "man with a bad knee" scene was intense lol
Sword canes: Walking sticks with a fun surprise inside.
Really cool
Impracticalities aside, Ukyo Tachibana & Hibiki Takane (to my eyes) have always made wielding shirasaya style swords seem dope to me. 😊
Walking stick often have a loop on top which, when on the wrist, might prevent one's hand from sliding up the blade
I've seen bamboo that has a single groove in it, presumably where a leaf grew or something. Mostly on somewhat smaller sections. Either way, that is a creative way to use the disguise as a functional enhancement.
Sword canes are soo cool.
Nice video too.
its very helpfull and awesome
At 7:57 I think the light helped show the groove you were talking about lol
the shikomizue on the wikipedia page is mine
I used to train kenjutsu back in the days and until now I have some shikomizue on my personal collection.
not very sturdy but versatile
with those I associated kenjutsu and tanjojutsu tecniques
Reminds me the one who appears in Serpent's path (1998) where its a turn lock one, very effective on the film
Your impersonation of me was 10/10 with that intro 😂😂😂.
Hey skall,long time fan of your content since you started youtube. I was wondering your opinions of the blades in the demon slayer anime/manga would be. Rather than supernatural abilities the sword styles or "breathing styles" are just mimicking different effects like fire,water,etc(as the visuals are for the readers and viewers) also some of the unique weapons like shinobu's poisonous sword or gyomei's axe and chained spike ball,even genya uses a wakizashi so he can shoot with his off hand,and inosuke has a very chipped out blade that would be terrible against fabric but still look kind of cool
Cool wallpaper 😄
i have a version of this where it has a Tanto or Wakizashi length of blade and a long handle where it stores a very sturdy rope at the handle that breaks into two pieces so now you have a flinging dagger and a Stick to fight with, it come from a relative of mine given to them by a friend in Japan dunno where exactly but they say it’s a remote village, also they had another version with a chain attached to a Kunai sort of and incased inside a walking bamboo stick.
had*
That Zatoichi movie though, pretty good!
I can see adding a spring-action hilt pop out from the smooth sides; hidden, apart from a couple hinges, perhaps? It could be metal, with wood scales riveted on for stealth, while not deployed. Seems like plenty of room in the handle to squeeze a mechanism in there.
The part about it being dry actually does come up in the Zatoichi movie with the blond guy...he fights a group of thugs in the rain and the sword actually leaves his grip because of this while fighting at one point.
Killin' it Skall.
for the ones that look like an actual walking stick put something that looks like a nub of chopped off twig or branch that sticks out just far enough at about where you would have the guard to stop you from sliding off the grip. you could probably have a second one on the opposite side altho you'd also likely want it to be offset slightly so as not to appear exactly symmetrical
I too really like sword canes, they're cool little weapons, I like the versatility (I'm kinda a sucker for the "We wear armour in the future" trope where characters in sci fi just always have on armour because it's become integrated into normal clothes), and I have a bad back so it appeals to me to potentially get one to help with that...
Of course, they're super illegal to carry around in most places, so that kinda puts a damper on THAT lol
The basic of a cane sword is the element of surprise and catching the opponents off guard. Dueling is a no no.
Awesome sword 😊
I've always liked these swords
For thrusting maybe put the heel of your off hand on the butt of handle and push? That way the motive force comes from the rear and the strong hand is only to guide the blade.
A thought I have: While most canes are short, there are people who walk with a long stick/staff - to shoulder or head height, and grip the stick partway down, with the elbow bent.
Has anyone ever made a sword-cane in such a staff? It sounds like it would counter some of the issues here, especially with the initial grip. (Though obviously much of the 'scabbard' would be just a stick at that point.)
4:40
Also, it makes it more noticeable that there is something different about that stick.
very good 🎉
I actually have a shirasaya. The blade in it is unsharpened but I think high quality, and I've been tempted to look for a swordsmith to get it properly hilted.
Disclaimer (at 3:25 in the video): I would NOT recommend trying to strike either way/with the handle of that. The impact could be such that the blade inside slices the scabbard in half and well... the hands holding it.
I really like both Zatoichi movies. The original and the remake even though there is a scene where he cuts a stone statue in half but it’s still cool
Good choice, I've been wondering about a hatchet draw too though after the last backpacker with a couple guns and knives got traumatic amnesia, and would definitely miss my plastic cross piece a little with that sword, and bein one sixteenth and a half blackfoot though, and always good to remember our heritage like abe shinzo perscribed, with a bow or rifle as a primary against the walking stick, and axe better secondary against their ranged primary than a staff, or just bein a giant cyclops, with a sword bein better than a staff against them, and would think you would have a good lay of the land, and a ridiculous tuft of hair, while I just buzz my own head and beard, for a thinner guy just under about six foot myself, and optimal infusion size to hit cyclops in the eyes and all this exercise with doing five minutes of horse stance every week, and pretty sure the echelons of strength and speed go frivilous wanderer, cyclopean phone salesman in black talkin about tap water for his dogs and the price of cases of water, and honored gentlemen 76, and covets with its tunnel eye, and the law of cause and effect with less crazy seeming armed and weak amnesiacs, and no mountain dew direct energy weapons, just amnesia?