How Would a Samurai Master Fight with a Longsword? (Shocking Findings)
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- Опубліковано 2 тра 2024
- Seki Sensei is a Kobudo master with more than 40 years of experience in training with Japanese katana. However, none of us have any experience with Western swords. But I thought it might be interesting to hand a longsword to Seki Sensei, who doesn’t know anything about it, and see how he would try to use it.
So today, Seki sensei, the 22nd headmaster of Kobudo Asayama Ichiden Ryu with 400 years of history, will try fighting with a longsword with zero experience and knowledge. I hope this video would be interesting for anyone training with longswords to see what a katana master would think of doing with the longsword. However, again, we have no experience with HEMA and longswords, so if we are making any mistakes or have any misunderstandings, please let me know in the comments. By the way, tickets for the 3-day training camp in Japan by Seki Sensei and Let's ask Shogo are now on sale! Check out our Patreon page for more information!
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One aspect you might not have thought of. A long or broad sword is tempered in a harder and less brittle steel than a katana. A trained user of a long sword would smash any katana it stuck. Swing a well made long sword against a tree, it will bend. Try that with a katana, it will snap. Long swords were designed to kill a target under armor, A katana, not as hard armor. Steel plate armor versus lacquered bamboo.
Can u please try this out with the Turkish Yatagan sword too?
Now I want to see a Longsword Teacher to combat Seki Sensei with a Katana. Along with trying to fight each other with a Longsword. I think it would be interesting to see how well some of those Japanese Techniques would hold up against a true Master of the Long Sword. Along with what Longsword Techniques could be transferred to a Katana. Not to mention see how well a Master Longsword User would stack against a Master Katana user!
This is a great opportunity to team up with @shadiversity who showcases medieval European combat. I found this very exciting to see how a master in another combat discipline could adapt to a new tool. Very interesting!
Hello I am a fan of Matt Easton of @Scholagladiatoria and his response video (to this) published yesterday has sent me to your channel.
After watching this video you have earned yourself a new subscriber in me. Thank you for your time.
I appreciate that Seki Sensei had the self confidence to give a new weapon an honest try. Some people who have mastered one thing are too fragile to ever admit that they haven't mastered everything. The fact that Seki Sensei was curious about how to take advantage of the unique characteristics of the long sword in combat despite not having experience with one indicates that he is a master of combat and not just a master of one or two weapons.
fr it was so refreshing
Also the look of his eyes and his smiles. He looked like he was a kid enjoying his new toy.
First off, there’s only so many ways the human body can move. Moving with a weapon is just adding another element to the mix. Different weapons serve different purposes, but honestly, the cross over between the entire panoply in the samurai arsenal isn’t all that functionally different from the knight’s arsenal. A katana is not a Longsword, but they are both swords and can be used basically the same ways, although the katana was used in a specific way due to the quality of steel they were made of, which was not good quality, and they were prone to snapping if you struck with the flat too hard. So there are physical limitations to using a katana that don’t exist for Longsword, but basically, it’s all really quite the same stuff.
If someone doesn't want to learn something new that's a clear sign of lack of self confidence. Self confident people don't fear looking newbie at something because they know where is their skill.
In japanese budo there is the 'shuhari' process, basically even if you 'master' a certain skill, you need to continually or periodically go back to thinking like a beginner, focusing on basics. Being open-minded is required.
The fact that Seki Sensei found numerous ESTABLISHED techniques just from just trying the sword out shows to me that he is a master of his craft.
It probably helped that there are quite a few similarities between longsword and katana stances. Then it's all up to experimenting with the different properties of the blade...
And he was clearly having fun
There are only so many ways you can swing a sword
@@SaturnineXTS That statement by itself tells me you know practically nothing about sword based martial arts.
@@NorthernNorthdude91749 then how come the japanese sword master independently arrived at established western swordsmanship techniques in a few swings? the answer is simple: there is overlap. my statement still stands
I won a national bladed weapons tournament when I was younger and longsword was my preferred weapon. Sensei's intuitive use of the weapon is very clever and does use some longsword fundamentals (like how he utilises the wind) and he comes up with some interesting techniques, but some pointers I have are:
- The longsword has a longer grip and this changes how you would wield it compared to a katana, specifically how you exploit leverage. If you learn how to properly work your hand against each other you can achieve a large range of motion and a large amount of force very quickly for minimum effort which is a major positive to the longsword.
- For this reason, we don't want to make one-handed strikes or thrusts if we're fighting someone with another two-handed sword, save for very limited circumstances. The longsword's length means the leverage can work backwards if you don't have both hands on the sword, which is a downside of the longsword especially but applies to most if not all two-handed swords.
- The parrying technique sensei demonstrates where he parries with one hand is a genuine technique, although you'd use a smaller sword.
- His counter-parry with the katana is a genuine point however this is typically overcome by proper bracing and technique when facing someone used to a longsword
- Sensei intuitively figures out the ox guard, but follow through is not quite as we'd do it. I notice a tendency to avoid undercuts in this video, I don't know enough about Japanese sword technique to know if that's a general thing but they are extensively used in European swordsmanship.
- Sensei's idea to swing the blade around and avoid contact with the opponents blade is also a real technique, but done with a larger sword like a zweihander.
- How to use the handguard: However you want. It's to guard your hands, it's to hit people, it's to leverage your opponent's weapon in a bind, it's to disarm, it has all manner of functionalities and it is an integral part of longsword technique.
Regarding the handguard the sensei was talking about the fact that it provided no shielding for your forearms, if you hold the middle guard (so called tornament pflug) like how kendoka hold the chudan no kamae with the blade edge aligned in the vertical direction. I've never thought about this problem either until I went to a larp event and saw untrained larp fighters getting hit on their forearms all the time when they hold their swords this way.
The answer to the sensei's question is to simply hold the sword in such a way that the edges (and the crossguard) are aligned in the horizontal direction. To achieve that, you pinch the middle of the crossguard with the thumb and the index finger of your main hand, like how sports fencers hold the epee. But you only do this when you're in the middle guard/chudan no kamae with the longsword. When you go to cutting guards like vom tag/jodan no kamae or hasso with the longsword you go back to the normal grip.
Also by the way one handed strikes and parries are legit and you can find them in Fiore. They had to be part of Fiore's curriculum because it was written for the knightly class who used longswords on horseback as well as on foot. The horseback usage of the sword required it to be operable in one hand as your offhand would be holding the rein most of the time. The bigger longswords we're now accustomed to seeing in hema tournaments are a products of the late medieval German fencing school tradition from Meyer's time. By then the sidearm role of the longsword had been supplanted by one handed swords like the sidesword which Meyer called 'Rappier', and the two handed swords in military use had become gigantic, so the art of longsword fencing and the art of single sword fencing became two separate studies. Moreover the Italians around that time started to write dedicated Spadone fencing manuals for the bigger two handed swords in military use, but surviving historical examples of Italian spadone showed that some of them were just marginally bigger than the 100cm blade feders we're familiar with today, so you could absolutely use longsword techniques with those though it wouldn't be 100% optimal. If you go through Meyer's fencing book you can tell that Meyer's interpretation of some techniques were decidedly different from the earlier Liechtenauer tradition because he was likely also trying to make them work with the heavier and bigger swords of his day.
That's a great explanation, thank you!
@@hschan5976 I agree with you but there are few things I would like to add. For sure you know more about sport fencing and know better what gear is used during events, however I was participating in reconstruction fencing and we were using full-weight swords there.
It is true, that Katana and Longsword are approximately the same weight (~1.5 kg katana against ~2 kg longsword) but lenght is different (60-80 cm katana blade vs. 80-110 cm longsword blade). Plus, both weapons are made for different purposes. Katana have curved blade for better cutting since there was no iron armor in medieval Japan as we know it from Europe. Add poor metal available that time and decree that anyone who change katana somehow will be executed (because first katana was made by the emperor and said by the said emperor that it is the perfect weapon) and you can see why fencing is that different from western school. No clashing, only hits on neck and wrists etc. Because these spots had no armor and would not damage the blade. Europe had abundance of material and everyone was making their own weapon. Blade was not that sharp compared to katana's but there was no need. Main role of longsword was to smash througn the metal armor, and you don't need sharp blade for it. If you want you could use the blade as handle and hit oponent with handguard (also a legit technique).
No amount of bashing with a sword will enable you to cut through steel armor. It's the reason why grappling techniques were invented to deal with armored opponents. Incidentally it was also the reason why in ancient times people judged the strength of a man through wrestling competitions rather than through boxing. Bashing could still inflict blunt trauma and pain but there are much better tools for that than swords, namely halberds, warhammers and maces.
Steel armor did exsit in medieval Japan, mostly in the form of chest plates and lamellar arms and legs, with chainmail in the joints. They didn't develop articulated joints like with gothic plate armor in late medieval Europe, but you still wouldn't be able to cut through japanese armor with a sword. The point of a sword might go through chainmail links which is why halfsword thrust into the gaps between armor plates was a valid technique you can find in Ringeck and etc.
A properly made katana should not exceed 1.3kg in my experience, and a properly made longsword shouldn't exceed 1.5kg. The swords that you see in Buhurt competitions are really just sword shaped maces. Their blances and handling are way off. They're designed specifically for the purpose of inflicting blunt trauma through plate armor, because that's the only valid method you can inflict damage in those competitions.@@user-yr9rx2xh5t
@@user-yr9rx2xh5t 2kg longsword is definitely on the very heavy end.. typically they range between 1-1.5kg
The fact sensai picked up on the ox guard, and flat parries without having any experience on the longsword shows his experience and willingness to learn more about a weapons unique characteristics. I'd love to see his take on a blade similar to that of a katana. Say a falshan or German Messer.
Personally i see that as a difference between a combat master and a fighting style master. He didn't only master the style of his choice, he mastered the combat itself
German here, "Messer" literally translates to "Knife" , what Knife are you refering to?
@@grimreaperoverlord6225 I know what Messer translate too. Given Context clues what do you think? A Kriegsmesser of course. Oh but there are different types of Kriegsmessers. Like a Langes Messer, Grosse Messer, Fline Messer, etc. You know a general term of Messer is used to disturb a type of sword. Of course I'm not talking about a Kleine Messer or Frange Messer. I know this probably a troll, but I got until 3 so here I am.
@@grimreaperoverlord6225It is a style of short sword--,a relative of the falchion--that became popular in the 16th century. It's main distinguishing characteristic is a knife style full tang hilt with two plates on either side and no pommel. Supposedly, this allowed the knife maker guilds to make swords without violating the sword smith guilds' "turf". It was literally a langes messer--long knife.
@@grimreaperoverlord6225 I think he means a “großes Messer”, which is a combination of a sword and a saber. It was widely used in the Holy Roman Empire from the 15th century
I love that he had questions and concerns about the handguard, but he didn't proclaim it was "trash".
He asked for more information on its use. True master.
love how they adapt japaneese fighting style that works with the longsword , and how they dont have a clue about the draw back cut you can make after a " miss " with the protection of the handle .
would have been great if done back then to aquire exotic stance or technique from each other at that time .
It was like watching a professional find a new tool he likes.
@@joaocosta3374 Western Martial arts (at least when it comes to things like swordfighting) have been poorly preserved and most modern HEMA is reconstructions from historical records, there is no enduring lineage in these martial arts. In Japan, there are many dojos that have been operational for hundreds of years and their is a direct succession from their traditional swordfighting techniques. This is why western martial arts are less storied, regardless of how effective they are.
@@motokuchoma of course it helps that Japan spent almost three hundres years "frozen" in a medieval time. You could take an army of samurai from 1605, bring them to 1850 Japan, and they could fight other samurai with no problem. Indeed, the samurai of 1605 would probably be more competent and experienced fighters than their counterparts of 1850.
But take any European army of 1605 and bring it to the Europe of 1850 and it would be easily torn to pieces.
basically it was outlawed the knights were property of the rulling lords, much of that practice was regulated by the courts, the destruction of the templars etc. King of France and the Pope in concert to wash away debts.@@joaocosta3374
Seeing this man's face light up as he experiments with a new sword is really something else. This is a person who's passionate about his specialty and his excitement to take his art in new directions is contagious.
Light up as he realises Fiore's beating technique. Good swordsmen think alike
Sensei's honest reactions to a new weapon is actually pretty cute.
I noticed this too. He's immediately impressed with what the sword does well and looking for ways to use it rather than focusing on its downsides. He does get into the negatives, but he's clearly evaluating it from a neutral position excited by the possibilities of something new.
This guy is a real swordsman, and a real badass as well
"Wait a second... If I do this, then... ahhhhh, I see!"
Best reaction ever!
Seki Sensei has the mindset where he can immediately start identifying strengths with something, rather than dwell on weaknesses or being unfamiliar with a weapon. You can see how he quickly began to become comfortable with the long sword. This is a guy who can spiritually connect with all swords, not just katanas. A true genius
Exactly the way he handles a foreign sword shows that in fact he is a real sensei and swordsmen
As an on and off longsword fencer from the UK, this extremely interesting to watch. There are loads of HEMA practitioners and youtubers who study, discuss and use katanas but it is rare to see the longsword being handled and interacted with by Japanese martial artists. Thank you Seki sensei and Shogu for this video. I had the same thought with the crossguard when i first picked up a longsword, but as you demonstrated, a slight turn in the wrist alters which part of the blade makes contact, it also means that the guard can cover different lines and because of it's length, it can cover a considerable number of angles. It can also be used offensively and serves as an aid toward edge alignment for cutting. That's my limited insight anyways 😅 cheers!
and realistically a lot of hema interpretation are questionable, not anyone's fault, the information has either been lost or written in such a way that there is a lot open to interpretation
La guarda también sirve para atrapar la espada del oponente y desviarla para crear una abertura y apuñalar al oponente.
Aparte, los guerreros antiguos de espada larga usarían guantes de cuero, cuero con placas de acero, cuero con cota de malla o manoplas de cota de malla, increíblemente útiles para agarrar la espada de tu oponente y neutralizar su ofensiva, y si se puede, desarmarlo.
En Europa era muy común agarrar la espada de tu oponente si tenías oportunidad. Los españoles usarían más trucos, como tirar de la barba, bigote o pelo del oponente, cegar al oponente bajando su sombrero tapando sus ojos, usar la capa para engañar, arrojar tu propio sombrero al contrario para distraerlo, aprovechar tu capa para ocultar la daga mientras lo distraes con la espada ropera y apuñalarlo en el vientre con la daga en cuanto baje la guardia, arrojar tierra a sus ojos, usar objetos del entorno, distraer al oponente con una finta de espada y aprovechar su guardia baja para dispararle con una pistola oculta, mojar en mierda sus armas y balas, usar la cazoleta de la espada (guarda de la espada), para golpear en la cara, morder, dar cabezazos, patadas, sigilo, emboscadas... Esto era muy común con los Tercios Españoles, y aquellos que usaban espadas largas usaban la guarda en cruz y el pomo como martillo, tirarían a su oponente al suelo y apuñalarían con la daga en las aberturas del blindaje, o lo matarían a golpes en la cabeza con la guarda y el pomo.
Saludos.
I'm coming here from Skallagrim's channel, never having seen this series of videos before. I have 45 years experience with various forms of Western fencing, and have been active in HEMA for 20 years. This is fascinating, he made no major mistakes, and I'm very impressed that Sensei was able to invent several very plausible techniques for the longsword on the spot. It just goes to show that mastery is universal.
It's kinda neat seeing the overlap of techniques too! Like his sliding thrust is a montante technique that has been illustrated from the late 15th century. Given a little more time he would have been in Vom tag.
Also from Skallagrim, and I wish more would watch and comment to boost another quality channel
@@Scott90314it was good seeing him almost unintentionally recreating medieval stances like that.
It also shows why the long sword is the way it is. As long as you're taught to fight defensively you're likely to overcome the drawback of the sword being easy to parry. Katanas aren't used with shields but long swords are, it would be nice to see that comparison as well.
He didn't "invent" anything that isn't already written about in centuries-old treatises.
@@ao1778he doesnt mean literally invent, he means that he was able to replicate plausible techniques with very little experience and was able to understand some of the strengths and weaknesses compared to the swords he is used to, the fact that he could come up with some of the same techniques with an hour or two of practicing is still very impressive
You could make this into a viral series having him try out weapons from all over the world. I would watch all of those. It's missing one thing, though. After he tries out the weapons, why don't you show him a video of a Long Sword expert? He would see that and create some fascinating techniques based on seeing the traditional use of the long sword. With no way to answer his questions, It felt like we're missing the second half of the video.
Just what I was thinking. It's true that it's interesting to see him experimenting blindly, but I believe a knowledge exchange would be most enriching.
This is a fine idea and could be, if not a series, a GREAT second cideo/extension from this one
would definitly come back to watch this series :)
Yup, that would be very interesting!
Lets make thic comment get noticed
Once he had in his hands, that spark of childish curiosity lightened up in his eyes. It’s a great and valuable thing to keep. I love to see how much fun Seki Sensei has just trying moves and smiling widely if having success. Great Swordsmanship, great video.
Speaking of... Ultra-widescreen monitors were invented for homebody on the left. ￣へ￣
Hi, HEMA instructor here. I find the video very interesting and I will try to answer the questions from my point of view, i teach early Liechtenauer, Dobringer and Von Danzig. Regarding the guard, we train a lot the hangen positions, pflug and Och, and you get used to the guard and pivot the hand to flatten the gard, Usually its a problem for beginners, but when you trained with the sword the hangen positions it becomes instinct. There is also a technique where you put your thumb on the flat over the guard and you hold the flat to the front, in all cases you have to learn to rotate the guard to be able to move the sword araund your body, its a trade off, since the guard helps a lot for parrys. The technique where sensei parrys hitting the sword exists in the Von Danzig system, its even one of the most important ones, its called krumphau. Hitting an incoming attack coming from a high guard and then attacking with a thrust its also a master technique, it called Zornhau ort. It is really impressive to watch someone figure master techniques from the long sword in just an afternoon. Sensei is no doubt a fencing master among masters.
I've been a practioner of the Italian sword style taught in the book of Fiore dei Liberi, known as The Flower of Battle. I've been doing this for about 12 years now, and have some small experience with Iaido, maybe a little under 2 years.
To answer your question about how to avoid the crossguard hitting your head from a high position, there are several answers. Keep in mind This is my specific school's interpretation, and there are other sword styles and interpretations.
The first is instead of holding the pommel of the sword on front of your head, you would hold your arms more extended above your head with the pommel over the top of your head. You can afford to do this as the longsword is generally longer than the katana, and if you judge your distance properly you can compensate for the additional time it takes to make a descending cut.
Another way is to hold the sword an a position similar to a baseball batter, then cut past your head very narrowly, thinking almost cutting off your own ear. This takes advantage of what you noticed about the strong central position of the longsword to thrust and strike the opponents sword away.
It's also wonderful that you noticed the deflecting of the sword, as that is one of the first movements described when using the longsword in one hand. It's done slightly differently in the book, but is principally the same.
As for making large cuts, you are correct that a more cutting oriented sword would beat the blade aside when making large movements. This is why the style I have learned favors the very narrow cuts, or deflecting the blade and cutting safely. Generally large cuts are not made uncovered. They can also be made upwards with the back edge of the sword.
Your sideways grip of the sword is also insightful. There is indeed a guard position in my style and several others. It is a very strong guard against cuts and thrusts against the head and body but if used improperly leaves the hands vulnerable.
Finally, you are correct in that the pommel can be used to extend the distance of a thrust as well as a cut. It is usually done as a deception, and there is even a guard we would use to throw the sword.
Please let me know if you have any more questions, and I'd be happy to answer them from the perspective of my style and interpretation.
First time I picked up a longsword feder, went into ochs, tried to do something I could easily do with a stick - my technique was off, sword not high enough, I domed myself with the crossguard. Luckily lightly, but that gave a whole new perspective on cross guards for me.
Tldr.
Totally makes sense, I have only one trouble comparing these 2 swords in battle, and is the material used for the creation.
we know that iron in Japan is really bad quality compared to European material, so even if the Sensei here says "if the sword touch a katana, would be deflected easy" I fear the katana would get broken if deflect an attack with the blade side as explained in the video.
@@alextorres1038 tldr to this too
@@alextorres1038 blue carbon steel in Japan is one of the most high quality steel in the world. Look at Japanese Katana making, the steel is folded finely over and over so many times making it very strong and sharp.
The ultimate sign of a master: Always willing to learn more. Seki Sensei absolutely deserves his title and the respect of anyone interested in his art.
he is great the real thing is this sword was meant for main conflict after your lance the Katana was basically your last resort. Outside of a duel samurai would never willingly fight with a sword they were masters of the bow, horse and sword but of course could use a spear and what not usually.
A true master is an eternal student
The most beautiful thing is that he even had fun
I honestly just love how excited he is to get to mess around with a different weapon
I have to respect this Guy for realizing the Strength's and Weaknesses of a Blade so quickly
I think we would all love a followup video with a longword expert so that Seki Sensei can hear from an expert on the time, armour, shield, unit type needs of the time that gave rise to the longsword. Not to counter his findings, but as a curious tutorial to see how much Seki Sensei already figured out intuitively and how much he maybe wasn't aware of context and technique-wise! Then it would be interesting to contrast Japanese weapons from the same time period (and their contexts). It's the closest thing we might get to a temporaneous master match-up. Rather than the MMA fight reccs I get, I'd rather explore the theoretical side and see masters learn directly from each other (at least at first :P)
You can tell he's a master by how his face lights up when he discovers a new technique, such amazing enthusiasm for learning
@@ZeroFanfare Yes, that's exactly what I mean... No of course not, lmao. All I mean is that some self proclaimed masters will scoff at anything different and never desire anything new, thinking their version of the craft is superior in all ways. A true master knows how to continue having appreciation for new techniques and to know oneself enough to know that they do not know all.
@@ZeroFanfare A good master of anything will always give new methods a try. If not for their own growth, then at least for their growth of knowledge!
I can't remember exactly how the saying goes, but it's something like this:
A smart man an be either wise or a fool, the fool will be smart enough to think he knows everything, the wise man will know he does not.
We stop learning then we are 6ft under. NEVER give a work to a master saying he knows all about his trade.
I do production metalwork from 71 and still learn new tricks. I recognize the fact that I CAN do some fancy welding, but I am not a welder, because there is a whole field I don't know. Same with lathe, mill, etc. I laugh at occasional mistakes, because they remind me that I have much to learn....
Tell my apprentices: real master makes every mistake just once, OK maybe twice, for a good measure. Another is: you watch, but do not see, you listen, but do not hear. I will tech you both. When I ask them after a year, they all say: now we DO.
One of the joys of teaching skills, is when their eyes light up, when they get the principle down. NOW, you get it when I was sounding the sound of new lathe tool and when it's blunt. I do get many side looks when explaining this. All of this are FAST going extinct.
Right?! His face after that broadside parry…. Priceless!
I want to see Sensei collaborate with a Longsword HEMA expert -
Not as a lesson or as a competition, but to see how well each person assesses the weapon of the other, gives theories, answers questions, and explains to one-another if they were right or if there were any misconceptions.
You could end it with a spar, but the peer-to-peer collaboration at the start would be absolutely insane. There is no telling what lessons both sides of the table could bring to the art and sport of fencing and REAL martial arts.
It would be interesting to see. Even if its just light sparring and experimenting. Maybe get them to trade weapons as well.
Would be epic.
Katana master using the longsword and the longsord master using the katana
I was really hoping to see this. I would be curious to see how the parrying works against an expert in HEMA?
@@Billy-bc8pkit likely wouldn't work but it would still be very fun to see! I just really appreciate his willingness to accept that the sword is not failing but more it doesn't fit with his training. So many people dismiss Western swords when they are still incredible weapons just not the weapon you want to or are trained to use.
That would be really cool! I got this vid in my feed, because I like to follow certain HEMA-tubers, like Scholaegladiatora.
Now, many of these youtubers are not what you would call HEMA-masters in a way that compares to Seki Sensei, I guess, but I'm sure it would be interesting anyway to see them investigate, discuss, and learn a little about each others weapons.
We also know that Europeans and Japanese encountered each other in melee combat with quite different weapons and styles, and that there are some written accounts about this. Those could also be of interest to dicuss.
Hearing the sensai say he likes the sword brought me joy. 😊
About the handguard, it's there to protect your hand during binds or to catch the opponent's blade, and it was also sometimes used to strike with by holding the sword by the blade upside down and using the pommel/handguard as a makeshift warhammer.
additional note: These swords where worn by knights in metal armor, their hands where also protectet by metal. Thats why they can use the blade as a grip
@@jens3895Not really, most gauntlets didnt have metal on the palm and if it did the sword would slip. It had leather and leather is good enough, not to mention you can do it without any armor on your hands as well. Swords cut when they slide.
@@jens3895plus you can grip a sword by the blade.. just don’t let it slide
There are two things that I thoroughly enjoyed about this video. First, to see a master's mind at work figuring out a new puzzle is a joy. Second, seeing his childlike glee when he made a discovery was entertaining. I don't know Sensei's age, but you're never to knowledgeable or too old to learn something new. Thank you for this.
That was what I loved the most as well, just the delight on his face each time he figured out a way to adapt something he knew already or a potential use for a specific characteristic of the longsword that is different than how he'd do it with a katana.
An impressive detail is that, while the positions and pacing are very Kenjutsu-like, you can notice he accidentally started to come up with techniques seen in HEMA. Then you realize that weapons are made to fit specific uses, and on the other hand, a swordsman comes up with techniques to fit the sword's construction.
Halfway across the globe, swordsmen and smiths in each civilization really weren't so different afterall.
Yes, I love how you can see Seki-sensei having fun.
Also the point about guard being aligned with blade and not sticking to the side was something I never even thought about.
I'm no sword expert, so I can't offer any advice, but I loved seeing how someone who IS an expert was humble enough to say "teach me". I enjoyed this video, and would love to see a part two if it were to happen!
It's quite common with Asians I find. People from the east tend to have far less ego than westerners from the ones I've met.
@@iohannesvincere298it's two things.
Most of my time has been spent on China, where they really, really don't like being shown to be wrong. Especially by an underling. Face is hugely important.
They're also nicer to foreigners than they are to each other.
And it's a security thing. If you're working with the ones in the west, you're working with ones that probably know what they're working on backwards. If they didn't, you'd have never met them.
As an example, I don't argue English grammatical theory with my wife. I'll lose. Badly. On the practical, not a problem, because being a native speaker I can just look at something and see it's wrong, but my theory sucks.
When you're confident in your abilities and you've proven them, you can afford to be proven wrong by just about anyone.
Which is why as a fairly top level Linux engineer, when she was learning to program, I could afford to have her pick out mistakes in code I'd written when I was tutoring her. I'm good enough to accept a complete newbie having better ideas than me and I had proven that I was good enough that there was no issue with my peers knowing this had happened. I was able to just be impressed that she was able to pick this out this quickly.
Someone who's very senior or very junior can afford to be wrong. It's those in the middle that have a problem.
The only place we had an issue was when she was learning databases. She had a stubborn refusal to accept that creating an extra table to link two things to avoid duplicating data was a good thing. Because I was tired of the argument, I ended up telling her to assume I was right, then after it we'd go through and help her understand why I was right.
Which instruction she obviously ignored.
@@iohannesvincere298 it's because of the culture, that we are taught to be respectful to others and proud of ourselves and our people (but sometimes "proud' can turn into "arrogant"). but it's really surprising even for me how similar our cultures are when I learned about it
This is absolutely amazing!!! As a HEMA practitioner for a bit longer than 20 years, it's the best demonstration of the technical specificity of the longsword!!!
Thank you so much for this brilliant video
I LOVE how much your Sensei's face lights up when he discovers something! It's like he's regained his inner child, the wonder of seeing something _totally new_ and _really cool._
On the subject of the longsword's hand guard: I'm no expert, but my primary strategy is to have one hand near the guard and one hand near the pommel. This also allows for slightly swifter movements and better control.
The fact Seki Sensei found actual longsword techniques and exploits through intuition alone is extremely impressive. Obviously there are certain mindsets that have to be untrained, such as avoiding binding the blade which is integral to the weapon's design, but the fact Seki Sensei figured this out without a manual or instructor is testament to the experience and mastery over technical prowess and biomechanical understanding. What a blessing knowledgeable teachers such as this exist, and that we live in an age where mastery over these weapons is a demonstration of prowess rather than a call to arms.
@@Rundvelt He also wasn't testing a longsword that was made out of actual spring steel, nor was his opponent well versed in the properties of a longsword.
I'd cut him some slack on that one though, he did in fact notice a significant difference in the relative balance of the two swords, and discovering those differences was the primary purpose of an exercise like this.
Thats true, steel swords flex more and even slap xD I'd say I had to re-learn fighting a bit once I switched from wooded wasters@@nicholaswion846
@@RundveltThat's hindsight and specific experience talking, it's easy to be critical when you have an understanding of a weapon system already. The fact that Master Seki with zero knowledge of any western techniques, picked up a foreign weapon and figured out as many strengths and weaknesses as he did is awe inspiring and speaks of the mastery of the weapons he does know, not to mention his genuine childlike excitement to figure out the new weapon in his hands.
@@Rundvelttbh after seeing how easy they are to party, he was just a step away from discovering how the short edge can be easily used to redirect oponnent's momentum, and why such strong parry strikes aren't used that often in HEMA. Which is impressive to do in just a single session with a new weapon
@@Rundvelt I dont think you do with that reply...
I would like to emphasize on the fact that eventhough Seki sensei has been practicing the art of fighting for more than 40 years, he maintained one of the most important qualities of a great teacher and a person in general, he can admit that he doesn't know something or that he maybe doing something wrong and in my view, it earns him quite a big amount of respect, well done Seki sensei❤
The fact that he was willing to ask the question of why the guard faces the direction it does is so wonderful. Even with his decades of experience, he's still wanting to learn, asking questions to those with knowledge he may not have and open to finding out about other interpretations of what he does. It's inspiring to see a master, so open to learning new things
@@Mooinator3000That is why he is a master worth learning from.
I think most importantly is that he seems to be having fun with it. After so many years to be able to say, "Ooooo, look. Something new for me to learn."
Yes. That is the most impressive part about that video. And how he instantly adapts his style and is able to figure out how this might be used as an advantage and finds out the cons of it. All while having a child like fascination for something new and joy with it. I like that man.
There’s a french proverb that goes, “To teach is to learn twice”.
I loved seeing Seki Sensei experiment with such an unfamiliar weapon and apply his years of experience with the katana to the longsword. The “throwing thrust” in particular is an amazingly intuitive and creative use of the longsword’s pommel.
Maybe you could do a collaboration with a HEMA fencer and look at how katana techniques could apply to the longsword
I love this because this seems like someone who just has passion for weapons and combat exploring a new weapon. I feel like any time I see a longsword and katana in the same video it's always someone trying to prove one as the "superior weapon". Watching a skilled person simply learn and ask questions is so refreshing
It's amazing and very wholesome to see the two cultures, the longsword and the katana, interacting in a friendly and amicable way.
No arguing about which is better, just mutual learning and respect
ok well only 12 year olds argue about which is better soooo
I wish I could agree, but some of the preschoolers and kindergartners that I teach have more maturity than some 60, 70, 80, or even 90-year-olds that I’ve come across. Age is no guarantee of maturity.
@@grilledleeks6514 oh, if only this were true.
I think everyone can agree they're both cool
you cant realy compare weapon made on the other side of the world for diferent type of combat and use, longsword will be somtime better some time worst depend of the situation, as tool they both have pro and con ^^
As a western sword instructor:
You're not holding it "wrong," but many students find it helpful to slightly rotate the quillion (crossguard) off the line of the forearms by slightly cocking the wrist.
This also enables you to bring the guard back in line with your wrist, creating a dynamic block, which is better than just letting them hit your guard how they want.
It's good to learn the technique with a smaller sword before using a greatsword, where the quillions might be as long as your forearm!
Another thing I would point out, though I am trained more in knives than outright swords, and primarily an only familiar with Eastern arm martial arts through more casual duels.
HEMA, and actual Medieval fighting/dueling European instructions favor stabs far more than Japanese armed martial arts. A lot of this came down to armor differences, the lacquer armor of Japanese warring states era, where most of these techniques where created, have gaps where movement is required, typically around the neck, elbows, wrists, and knees. In these areas, you will typically have only linen or light leather for protection, thus a cutting edge is better, as the blade can start and continue the cut far more easily, thus maximizing your damage to your opponent.
Comparatively, European armor formed out of a mix of things, the Lorica Segementata of the Romans being considered one of the better armors, but Chainmail being significantly more common, and once the late Medieval period came around, and plate, half plate, Gothic plate became more common, those same segmented area are need for movement as with the Japanese. However, rather than linen or leather, Europeans adopted an undercoat of slash resistant chain mail to their armor, thus the only way to break that was to stab at the mobile portions, and hope you stab through the chain mail undershirt.
I apologize for the wording, I am using my phone right now and it is dying.
Any insights on the rest of the way he was using it?
very cool ideas but not very applicable to the battlefields back in those days @@Commander_ZiN
@Commander_ZiN , it's exactly like it should be used. Katana and hand-and-a-half have more in common than different.
He also got a little more physically aggressive with the piece, which is common. Katana self corrects better from smooth actions, but cruciform swords really like to be banged around a bit.
@@robertsweet3827 if memory serves(could be wrong i am always willing to learn). swords like the longsword are typically swung side to side or left/right up. or down. least compared to katana it does not have the wide range of *attack* angles.. which i recall short swords can technically keep up with the angle of attack of a katana due to its size? another kind would be the gladius.
This is so interesting to watch! You can tell he’s a true master just by how he approaches a new tool and quickly finds the unique strengths!
Such a refreshing take on the usual longsword vs katana argument we see, completely lacking in any preferencial bias.
Definitely going to subscribe to this channel i respect seki sensei's openmindedness.
As a HEMA practitioner and instructor with over 20 years of experience under my belt, i have to say that Seki Sensei did as well as one would expect of a master of any blade. He adapted and saw the use of a blade. Much admiration and respect for not just trying it but also taking an humble road by saying "i dont know how to use it" Load of strikes and techniques he did do also exist in same or similar form in HEMA. I would love to go more into detail with you if you are open to it since i really love this kind of cross disciplinary collaborations. Might i suggest a langesmesser (German knifed sword with usually one edge) for an experiment?
I would watch that!
It was really cool seeing the natural and well-executed moves. Some adjustments to the hold angle and treating the blade less like a katana (i.e. block with edges rather than always attempting to slap with the flat) and I think he would be a great fighter in western sword fighting, too.
I think true masters of any craft are humble and understand just because they mastered their craft, which doesn't mean they still can't learn.
The thing that impressed me was his joy at learning a new weapon.
Yeah try out the Langmesser that is something I would say you really love!
one thing I noticed is that he didnt seem to break out of the mentality of having only one cutting edge. He mentioned how the two edges made it easier to parry the longsword, but in a couple instances missed the openings generated to use the reverse edge to push or draw cut, especially to the opponents head and wrists.
HEMA instructor here. Not the most experienced one, I've been teaching it for around 2 years and have practiced for like 8. First of all I'd like to thank Seki Sensei for the respect he showed towards the longsword. Acknowledging he doesn't know how longswords work was really humble and honest, and I appreciate that. About the cross guard, it does take a while to get used to it. Back when I started practicing I used to hit myself with it every now and then. It does offer a very consistent defense though, just like Seki Sensei pointed out. And that also answers how one should parry with it: with the edge aligned for a cut and with the forte, the first half of the blade. There are exceptions, of course, but that's another story. You also instinctively got right where you parry, the middle of the blade is the easiest part to do a beat parry: if you hit it closer to the tip, you are not pushing a lot of mass and your opponent can quickly recover; if you hit it closer to the cross guard, your opponent has a super solid defense. Hitting around the middle (the point of percussion actually if I'm not mistaken) is your best bet, you should just be somewhat careful for disengaging or winding actions, because the longsword can be deceptively nimble. Which brings me to my next point and the main reason why I wanted to write this comment: the winding. Binding and winding is very common in longsword (at least in German longsword, KdF). I've never tried it against a katana, but a big part of German longsword is about maneuvering your blade to regain the advantage and get to a position where you can attack your opponent and they either have no space or no time to counter you. If you want to, you could read Meyer's longsword chapter 5 on Wiktenauer, which is about handtarbeit, techniques and concepts on how you should maneuver your blade. I'm just not sure how useful that would be for kenjutsu, since you said in another video that you mostly shouldn't bind with a katana. There are handtarbeits that don't require a bind though, and some are very similar to kenjutsu techniques I've seen. Anyway, I think that's it, sorry if you find the text too long, and I hope it is informative. I tried to use as little technical language as I could so anyone would understand it at least a little bit, not just people experienced in swordfighting. Cheers!
I think binding and winding is actually exist in most Japanese traditional swordsmanship, almost all school have Habiki no kata, kata that you practice with a blunt sword, the most common technique you will usually see in habiki no kata is actually winding and binding. My sensei used to say that when metal meet metal, the edge would bite into each other giving friction to apply technique which usually can not be practiced with wooden sword. He also said even if the edge doesn't meet, but metal to metal scrape, it produces different feel that allows for other technique to be applied too. This is just my thoughts.
Cheers on your long post. Awesome content
Also important to know that around the 1500s western swords did also begin to get rings on the sides in addition to the cross guard. So this would protect the sides that Seki Sensei was worries about.
It would be nice to see a hema practitioner on this channel and exchange experiences and knowledge from different Styles!!
It brings me so much joy to see such an experienced and honorable man trying a weapon that means so much to my family and me. Thank you very much!
This is beautiful, I love how much fun it looks like you had! Learning and thinking with the Longsword. I appreciate your insights, and expertise!
Some context about the hilt: In old Combat Manuals, there are a variety of ways to hold a long sword. Many of those ways involve using the hilt at different angles, or holding the sword in an entirely different way such as half-swording or using it as a bludgeon, for example. Like all weapons, it's a tool, and when used by a master, the "way it's supposed to be done" is vast.
Thank you, Seki Sensei, for showing us the power of a master with an open mind!
It's really inspiring to see a swordmaster like Seki-sensei, who doesn't just dig in under his own set of techniques and reject everything that isn't similar enough, but instead picks up a completely foreign weapon with a very different design than he's used to, and applies his knowledge and experience with curiosity and adaptability. "I wonder how I could use this? Ah! Hmm, I see."
Also fun to watch! =)
Although I have to add that the mordhau is super over-emphasized in modern discussions, 99% of the time you would want to use the sword normally or half-swording.
Indeed, you remind me of Talhoffer
the 1% is for dealing with armor but you could also use half swording to deal with it
@@reliantbelial2341Yes, but the mordhau seems to be a very niche thing. It's unlikely to be useful in war as you would somehow have to lose or break your polearm, then get in closer without it becoming grappling. If you're standing in formation using the point would be better I would argue, since you have longer reach and don't have to use the sword in an awkward way.
It's useful in an armored judicial duel, but if you're fencing with someone or fighting in war it's pretty limited.
I'm glad he immediately recognized the defensive value that longswords have with their size/leverage. Counterattacking and zoning with thrusts are the strongest tools a longsword has, and he zeroed right in on them.
Yes, he immediately focus on how well balanced, rounded and parrying ability of the longsword as oppose to a katana. Also the range on it. Not saying the Katana isnt any good, but both are very very different styles. Katana focus a lot on speed and reflexes with very agile cuts. While the Longsword focus on grounded style defensive and counter attack plays. Not saying the Longsword is impossible for agile fighting style, but if we look back in the Medieval days where steel or metal armors a prevalent, the knight and squire stances are more lower or their knees bended. Where as Samurais, they are more standing straight up.
To be fair the Rawlings synthetic longsword simulator they used in the video is on the bigger end of the scale with a blade length of 96cm. Historically longswords were typically a bit smaller. Some of them had blades as short as 83cm like the Alexandria examples. The reason why longswords were initially small was because they were designed to be operable on horseback which required them to be usable in one hand. The fact that you can hold them in two hands when fighting on foot was just a bonus. But due to the proliferation of firearms and polearms, infantries fighting on foot became an increasingly more important in warfare, so bigger longswords that were meant to be used solely in two handed grips started to appear. The general rule seems to be that blades became longer as we headed towards the 16th century. The 96-100cm blades we're used to using at hema tournaments today are the result of people following late 16th century fencing manuals written by Meyer. By Meyer's time, the gigantic Bidenhaender/Zweihander swords had become a common military weapon all around western Europe, so the fencing swords also got bigger in response.
First time seeing this channel and i loved seeing the learning Process that Seki Sensei had and the open mindedness to discovering his own way to use the longsword. Very lovely!
It is awesome to finally see an unbiased and open opinion on an unknown/ unfamiliar weapon and finding new ways to use it or work against it.
Can we get a part 2? I would love to see Seki-sensei experiment more with the longsword.
I noticed you two did not even mention the thumb grip, which practically doubles the amount of techniques you can perform with a longsword, and would very much want to see a followup to this that takes that into account.
As always, great vid!
Yeah, fingering the guard by hooking a finger around it almost like a pistol grip is not exactly uncommon either and allows for excellent point control.
@@StonedDragons Not sure that's such a safe thing with a longsword, because that leaves a finger very exposed? I'd finger a rapier any time, as the hand protection is that much better, but for my part (and that might just be my way of parrying), I use the crossguard maybe a bit too often for it to be safe for me to finger the guard.
@@StonedDragonshe probably meant one with thumb on the flat of blade it helps in manuvering.
Sensei comes pretty close to the thumb guard (apart from placing his thumb on the blade) a couple of times.
@@radiostoneworks9290 Oh yeah, I know what he meant there, was just adding my two cents as someone who enjoys slipping that finger around the guard to enable some interesting thrusts. But then I'm also a big fan of the Italian school where it seems to be more common.
watching a master learn a different weapon is a gift. seeing his mind working on the various ways to utilize the differences between the longsword and katana was really mind opening to me. even in such a short time, he was able to utilize the sword in a very fluid way. goes to show the mastery Seki-sensei has.
I love the almost childlike wonder of just "oooh, this seems cool to do" or "this seems like it would work" and then he tries it and there's a look of absolute joy on his face
I honestly loved that he just naturally found a couple fencing techniques just by playing with the sword for a while.
It’s amazing how some techniques are essentially the same despite it being taught at different continents with little variation.
This was amazing to see a master of an artform not only explore a foreign variation but to also recognize how western sword fights were, just by using and fighting against a western blade, that was incredible to witness
Genuinely one of the most interesting videos I’ve seen on swordplay
I loved seeing how he realized he could automatically parry and almost by accident began to use the sword like a rapier. I would absolutely like to see Seki Sensei experimenting with both a traditional rapier (he may appreciate the guard on all sides of the blade?) as well as something more like curved saber.
Rapier is techically a sword, smallsword is a related, smaller version. Many rapier would have ame guard but there were basket-and-crossguard ones, afaik.
Or Scottish broadsword
@@MrElath
DEMOKNIGHT TF2
It would be very interesting to see them try the Polish szabla
except, for longsword, you may not enough power to thrust the sword like rapier.
heavy. and he only use one hand there. so unstable. the opponent can easily disable his hand.
I'm not really well versed or anything, but the joy in Seki Sensei's face when he started noticing things was a delight! I would love to see more of this if you're both interested in learning more about the longsword, I'm fairly intrigued. Either way I'll continue to tune in as I can, and I hope you have a great time.
He looks like kids when he smiles and found new things. An open-minded sensei.😊
This is an amazing and very informative video. I love every bit of it. This seems like a very interesting start to a series of trying different blades from different parts of the world.
This kind of videos are pure gold
I would watch the heck out of a series where Seki Sensei learns HEMA. His humility is so refreshing to see, and I feel like he would have a ton of wonderful insights that many people who train in HEMA might miss. It'd be a perfect union of East and West.
I really want that too, and why not make it an exchange of arts for both sides?
He honestly looks like a kid with a new toy, having an absolute blast exploring the long sword.
I noticed the Joy in his face as they sparred. Like a child with a new toy, even in his voice the tones spoke of him truly enjoying the experience. it is very uplifting.
I imagine he would be very difficult for a traditional HEMA competitor to deal with, not just because of his general dueling experience but because it's likely he'd be using techniques that may be out of the norm for most.
As a practitioner of HEMA with about 25 years of experience i got excited when i saw that you bought a longsword trainer because you've always been so objective with your videos in the past. I wish more swordsmen on the East/West divide would approach the other with as much genuine curiosity and enjoyment as you and your teacher displayed here.
If you like, I can recommend some UA-cam channels that demonstrate the way of using longswords as they were put to use when they were in common use.
London Longsword would be an excellent place to start. I am also a fan of Matt Easton on Scholagladitoria although most of his videos are on various types of swords, mostly from European history but also India and the Middle East. He also is extremely adept with the military saber of the 19th century.
I believe Matt Easton already has a video reacting to this, as does Skallagrim
@@russell6167 I came here from skallagrims video
Hey can you guys suggest some UA-cam chanel to learn the longsword?
@@stauker.1960Me too
@@hirolight8995You can’t learn a martial art properly without actually practicing it regularly and sparring. You could watch UA-cam videos which will give you information about longsword as a martial art, but none of them will be able to teach you to use one.
If you’re just looking for a primer, try looking up things like “Fiore’s longsword stances” and “cutting with a longsword guide” and the like.
I think it's absolutely amazing how exited he is to try out other weapons.
I just found this channel 8 minutes ago, but i'm so extremely glad.
I love how he manages to intuit some general longsword usage techniques from just the sheer mechanics of using it for a bit.
Always love seeing how the design of something influences the kinesthetics of the person handling it.
Indeed, you're absolutely right. With swords as with anything, form follows function, and watching him derive actual longsword techniques simply from the shape of the blade and the handguard was very insightful.
That's what happens when you're a master, you know the fundamentals deeply and this leads to very good reasoning when provided with something new in your given field.
engineers, amirite?
Human body is universal tool. That extended sliding long extension thrust is something I used a lot while sparring.
The longsword and katana are both two handed swords. The human anatomy does not change, the weapons are structured similarly, ergo the stance set with them is finite and they will be used in broadly similar ways.
I'd love to see this become a series, and see what he would think of the shortsword, rapier, saber, khopesh, gladius, etc!
Seki Senseis insights are really fun to see
That would be interesting. We have so many western views of the katana and other eastern weapons, would be nice to see an Eastern view to some of our western ones.
I think a Saber would be most interesting to see. Many sabers have a similar shape to the Katana already but the handle is smaller. Theoretically, even the Katana is a saber in some capacity.
Arabian swords would be interesting
@@ChaplainPhantasmAs a saber main, this would be awesome to see
Khopesh would be really cool to see his reaction to
I have never seen anyone having more fun with a long sword. Great video! Let's keep Martial Arts fun and collaborative!
That was incredible to watch. It’s amazing how quickly he adapted in such a skillful way.
Something I’d love to include is due to longsword combat usually happening between well armored wielders. Many secrets of the longsword exist in the ability to grab and blade and strike in a number of strange ways. There is even evidence people would strike with the guard or pommel to achieve a blunt hit on armor rather then a traditional slice or stab.
@@mercury2157 such a cool and outside the box weapon. So contrasting to what we’d imagine but also perfectly in line with it.
@@mercury2157 This is called Mordhau or Murder Stroke. Comes from German Fencing
makes sense most of the swords were probably mostly blunt except probably the tips so they could do that easily
@@jacksmith-vs4ct That's actually a usually untrue stereotype that medieval swords were blunt. They certainly sharpened them.
Later cavalry sabers on the other hand were usually blunt for practical reasons. If you are riding by an opponent and you hit them with a sharpened sword the cold blade may cleave deep into the victim's body and warm flesh has a habit of gripping cold steel. You risk having your sword pulled out of your hand by your target's corpse as you ride past. Of course this was merely the standard accepted practical style and individual cavalrymen were free to sharpen their sabers or not.
Nathan Bedford Forest for example sharpened only the tip of his blade and would thrust at enemies as he rode by rather than slashing at them.
The entire sword is a weapon. Close-in grappling occurred where in addition to half-swording, strikes to the face, neck, and head using the guard or pommel were all part of combat technique. Getting a crossguard in the eye is a very effective end to a close-in bind. Combat was also not just sword-on-sword. There were shields, axes, pole-arms, maces, and every other sort of weapon a knight or footsoldier might have to deal with. That context is often overlooked when focusing on one sword type vs another.
Seki-Sensei looks so happy to learn new things!
A series with a similarly experienced HEMA expert, where they both take turns teaching eachother their own specialty, would be very fun to see.
That would be great
Somebody call Skallagrim
i like, it looks like he use katana technique on longsword and some of things works even better so he is happy about it.
Seki Sensei epitomizes the idea of "master the craft, not the tool."
A key part of the longsword too is that the whole thing is seen as a weapon, so there are techniques to bash the the opponent with the crossguard, and the end of the hilt as well. In fact, a traditional technique to beat armor was to flip the sword around, grabbing the blade (with gloves ideally but generally by pinching the blade with your fingers and palm so that you don't touch the sharp edge) and use it as a warhammer. But it also seems European longswordsmanship involved holding the blade further away from your body, only pulling it close for certain guards, and generally it focused a lot on fluidity, every move should flow into the next one like water
Ottoman Turkish Kilij also has crossguard Like Longsword and because of it's curved shape and huge and heavier Special Turkish Yelman gets heavier as it goes Further than wielder's body and takes momentum that is wy Turkish Ottoman Kilij is more automatically Slicing Hammer-Sword with one handled also Jannisarries wielded kilij with a small shield and parried Yatagan sword as a second sword which seems like khopis European sword.
Everything but the bludgeoning with the guard is in kenjutsu. Thats whats so cool to see! How someone who is a master in similar techniques with an entirely different tool would implement his own knowledge with it is so interesting. His hand positioning isnt conducive to a long sword, but his ideas are. I would be curious what techniques he could come up with after long term play and practice with a European longsword. Same for a HEMA master with a katana.
You can even see Seki Senseis excitement as he started to figure out the strengths of the longsword.
The Murder Stroke.
Though the murder stoke is indeed a valid way of using longsword (and it looks cool too), I don’t think it’s very relevant if we limit our view to unarmored combat. Which is the main concern for both katana and longsword user.
I have to say, watching Seki Sensei puzzle out the longsword was fascinating, and his genuine delight at the things he learned made for a great video.
I really love the fact that they are willing to investigate and experiment. I'm sure there are people that are better trained that answered the questions already so I'll just say great video!
This was an awesome video, it answered so many questions I didn’t realize I had about this pairing. Master with Longsword.
As someone who studied western fencing a little, striking an opponents' sword to knock it away is called a 'beat' or a 'knock' and there's techniques to counter it by circling your sword.
I learned with an epee, but it works with a longsword.
If someone tries to knock your sword and you duck your sword down so they miss, the energy that they put into that knock throws their own sword out-of-guard unintentionally, and can create an opening for you to thrust at them.
An instant thought that I have at 5:45 is if you raise your arms and press forward, you may be able to bind with guard joint and then use that to pivot with pommel strike or swing around and strike to the head/shoulder.
Coincidentally, to your comment, his technique is very reminiscent of early modern fencing with an Estoc, which is basically the two-handed version of a Rapier.
I fence epee
Agreed.
I don't know the name of the technique, but with a katana once you contact the oponents blade, you can do a circular wrist motion that makes your sword lead the oponents blade in a circle you described it and disarm it, or worst case scenario knock it very far away from the center and the strength is strong enough to strain the muscles in your oponent's wrist if he/she is not prepared. I have not seen fencing vs japanese fencing(with katana), but maybe the technique you mentioned would be suicidal if both fencers are equally skilled and experienced.
@@roberth4395I believe in fencing that's just called a circular parry. To my knowledge it's just a couple small and quick vertical motions that forces the opponents blade to the side to create an opening. It's pretty effective.
We usually only see HEMA practitioners attempt to figure out the katana, so seeing Kenjutsu practitioners working through the longsword is rare delight! I hope you continue to enjoy it!
While I only have half the overall experience Sensei has (and next-to-none with kenjutsu), I hope it’s OK to add a few things to consider as you continue to study it:
The longsword is a cut-and-thrust weapon. It doesn’t cut as well as a katana, but that’s balanced by having very stable thrusting capability due to its structure. Using both techniques is key to the longsword.
The longsword has two cutting edges. Using both interchangeably when the opportunity arises is good for leveraging the longsword’s versatility.
Winding is not only very possible, but can be very effective with a longsword. It is, however, a very different form of winding than what’s used in kenjutsu. The handguard is very useful here.
Tenouchi is not as rigidly defined when using the longsword. Sometimes, we even flip the sword 90° in our hands and present the flat of the blade to the opponent (the thumb grip, because the thumb of the leading hand can sometimes rest on the flat of the blade towards the wielder). This allows for a wider variety of cuts and strikes.
The handguard (the quillons) can be used to lock in the opponent’s blade when winding into a thrust. They were originally designed, however, to protect the swordsman’s hand in fights involving shields-the quillons sit at 90° to the hilt, which makes a triangle when accidentally struck against a shield, thus keeping the swordsman’s hand safe from impact (and broken bones). The bigger the handguard, the safer the hand.
Swords during Medieval Europe was never used for cutting.
You cannot cut metal armor.
It is not possible.
We see it all the time in Hollywood movies, but it is not possible.
The last wide use of swords in Medieval Europe was the Vikings, who used smaller swords with a rounded tip as a sharp metal baton.
While swords after the Vikings were exclusively used as cavalry weapons.
Where a man on foot would only ever half-hand a sword in case he was dismounted.
With his left hand close to the tip, he would be able to be extremely accurate to strike the small slits in the enemy helmet.
Or he would use the metal handguard as a striking weapon, striking the enemy like Rocky Balboa with the metal handguard hitting people in the face.
But this is for actual use.
What they do for fencing and other such... fanciful use... I have no idea.
@@Hugebull It's not as if katanas saw much use in the battlefield either, y'know?
@@tonydai782 True. People don't like the fact that the Samurai were primarily archers.
@@HugebullWhy did it have two sharpened edges? If it was only for piercing it would be like a spear or pick weapon design for piercings. Logically thinking.
@@Hugebull swords in Medieval Europe were absolutely used for cutting.
1. You're overestimating both prevalence and coverage of metal armor for most of the Medieval Period. Peasant levies often lacked it and there were gaps in coverage.
2. Swords were sidearms, they were for daily carry and for using if your main battlefield weapon got stuck in a corpse or fell out of your hand or got broken.
3. Longswords weren't Medieval in the first place, they're a Renaissance era dueling and civilian self defense weapon.
I love how humble he is and was very interested in trying the blade
Ok, Seki sensei you have no idea how cool this is. THANK YOU!!!
This is amazing to watch. Seki Sensei is adapting his style and technique around the strength and weaknesses of the longsword, even acquiring some techniques similar to traditional longsword techniques . At no point does he "bash" the longsword, but also demonstrates how quickly he was able to become effective. The signs of a true master, always willing to learn.
Also the fact that, at the end of the day, a sharpened stick has some fundamental similarities regardless of the design. A lot of the basics transfer over almost completely. There are only so many directions the blade can be moving, and only so many ways your body can do that effectively. Master of one makes you pretty decent at the others almost instantly.
"adapting his style" = exclusively uses techniques he knows from his school and at the end concludes how he would use the sword in his style?
Wouldn't adapting be: working out how the weapon works and use it accordingly?
@@leichtmeister Adapting literally means taking what you have and changing it to suit a new environment/circumstance. So yes he took what he already knew, applied it to the longsword, and upon noticing how some of the techniques do not work the same adapted them to fit the longsword.
@@MrRusty103 Not so, there can be quite a lot of difference in sword technique dependant on the design, straight or curved, single or double edged, one or two handed and cutting or thrusting.
@@Blackmark7410 Not saying there aren't differences in technique. There are TONS, but there are several fundamentals that are similar if not outright the same. I forget if it was skallgrim or scholagladitoria, but there was a great video that showed the various moves in different styles, but animated on simple characters.
At the end of the day, if you just focus on what the weapon is doing, and what the overall torso/limb arrangement. Every style is going to have some similar form of thrust, its going to involve stepping forward, your arms are going to do certain things, etc. While there are mountains of differences, there are also a great many similarities. Same guy is even in other videos comparing HEMA and Kendo fighters and pointing out they are doing moves that they just each call a different thing.
First of all, I really appreciate both of you for trying out the longsword without hesitation and even adapting to your own knowledge.
I have been learning German HEMA in Style of Lichtenauer for aroung 3 years. But I havend tried any type of japanese martial arts, so please bear this in mind. I will try my best to answer some questions
- Handguard is in the way: I think your arms are a little close to you body. In my experience, I keep my main hand/right hand a little further away from my body. I prefer another grip. Your right hand should be around 2 fingers away from the handguard and your left hand should be at the pommel. Also I put my thump on the blade, some like it, some dont. When swinging the sword, please use your left and right hand at the same time. Dont slash from your arms, you can do really fast and efficient strikes with pushing with the right and pulling with the left.
- throwing stabs: I think there is a manual in the italian fencing, fiore di battaglia. You can do that, but most of the time you have 2 hands on the sword. Also there is the possibility to lose the sword.
- Windings: Lichtenauer Fencing has a lot of windings. The sword dosn't have to be curved for bindings. Just control with your right hand the height of the sword. You can pull it down and up again to change the sides. You can pull the sword to you to get to the enemie weak spots and there are other possibilitys for the bind. You have to feel the preassure your opponent uses on you and your sword. Depending on the hard or soft preassure there are many techniques you can/should use against it. Therefor both opponents try to be exactly the same with preassure, called being Indes.
- Striking the sword: Depending on the source you could call it a zornhau. It is a move to break someone stance. But if the enemy expects it, he just has to drop the guard and you are in the open or in an unsual bind position. But the technique from the katana master reminded me of a krumphau out of Hut Alber. I had a few hours to learn this technique.
- Parrying: Yeah I learned there is no such thing as a parry. Or even attack or defence. In Lichtenauer fencing most of the attacks are reacted with another attack and taking a step backwards. After that you are most of the time in either a bind or a follow up attack. The master even said "you shouldn't touch the opponents weapon much" where as in Hema there are rarely instances where the swords dont touch.
Conclusion: I think some katana techniques are usable for the longsword, but from my point of view these are completly different manuals. I think that Longsword fencing without armor (bloßfechten) is really stab efficient where as katana fencing seems rather slash efficient. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I am really curious.
On the stab vs. slash point, this is primarily due to the blade shape. There are numerous reasons relating to physics and geometry, but curved blades are better than straight ones for cutting, while straight blades have an advantage in thrusts. Both longsword and katana are capable of both slashes and stabs, but the longsword is better at stabbing and the katana better at slashing, exactly as their favoured techniques suggest.
@@a-blivvy-yusi believe the curved blade is better at cutting due to the curve being similar to why a longsword is better at thrusting. the metal is concentrated at one point, which is the outside of the curve. for longswords, the straight body is a bit shabbier than the katana when it comes to cutting as the point is distributed evenly, making it harder for it to create an opening.
@@junkyyard2273 There's a little more to it than that, on both sides, but that's one of the main reasons for both, yeah.
You pretty much nailed it. The only thing I would add is his issue with the overhead strike. Properly done with a long sword the starting position would have the sword almost vertical while with a katana the sword is almost horizontal. One big difference he missed was the double edge on the long sword which allows for effective back hand strikes as well as upward strikes.
@@a-blivvy-yus
if we are talking about the blade shape itself i think thats the main reason
but talking about weight, structure, etc., i think its because katanas tend to be blade heavy which helps keeps its momentum for longer. Not only that but I've heard about automatic edge alignments which I think don't have any great use aside from dropping the weapon which is something you don't do while sparring, but i think it has something to do with center of mass being right within the middle of the curve
its actually quite interesting to watch someone well versed in one weapon try a different weapon and figure stuff out so quickly
Seki sensei always looks as if he's having so much fun, I love seeing that.
From 4:00 to 5:00 was some of the most wholesome seconds of a martial scholar intuitively discovering how to adapt their own style to a whole unique weapon type. Not just from Sensei, but the complete look of joy as the tradition angled parry led them to a Draw Match followed by the look of awe as sensei adapts by stepping back and allowing his partner to “step in” to a possible thrust counter.
Absolutely love watching videos on this channel every so often to relax. These videos are an absolute treat and would’ve fit right in even in the old Golden Age of UA-cam.
西洋のフェンシング選手は、通常、厚い手袋や鎧を手に着用します。このテクニックは、重装甲の相手と戦っている場合を除き、通常使用されませんが、その場合は、あなた自身も装甲されている可能性があります。
I love how the Sensei figured out half of the important German longsword techniques on his own in like half an hour! That man knows what he's doing.
Seemed more Italian to me.
Unsurprisingly the lifelong sword enthusiast loves getting his hands on new swords.
There's a Turkish proverb ''Reason, leads everyone towards the same path''
The fact that he could just casually figure out things that are being used just by examining the sword really suggests that he knows how to ask the right questions about swordsmanship.
Please do more of these if you can, there's countless channels on YT dealing with European swords and even discussing Katanas from the European perspective but, to my knowledge, there's not very many of the reverse: Japanese trying/discussing European swords and others.
It would be extremely interesting if you made a series out of this where Seki Sensei gets to try different sword designs from around the world.
I just subbed here for their insight on their own styles, but that would be even more amazing! :D
This is the kind of thing I've been waiting for! I'm interested in European swords, but we don't have anyone like Seki Sensei who has directly passed down knowledge of European sword martial arts. Instead we have to figure them out from old manuals. Having Seki Sensei take a look at the swords adds a lot of value to the European martial arts. Thank you!
there are plenty extremely versed HEMA instructors though, also what exactly would an oral tradition mean? Sword combat changed a lot throught history, there never was/is something like a legendary "true" art of the blade, neither in Europe nor Japan, because of cultural changes throughout time. Even in the 15th century people were using swords for sport already, especially because it never was a primary combat weapon (just as the katana was never a primary combat weapon).
techniques are very similar, regardless of location (Europe, Middle East, Far East)
if you are a longsword master, you will very quickly "understand" how a Damascus saber or a Japanese katana works and vice versa
the basics are the same, the differences are only in finesse
we see a katana expert let's say we rate him 10/10
he wields the Longsword for the first time, so let's say 6/10 after a few minutes/hours
give it a week and it will be at 8.5/10 skill, and in a couple of months there will be no difference
Exactly! well said. People also forget that a lot of these Japanese masters do not engage in sparring which is like learning to swim without going in the water. Those of us that do spar understand it's body mechanics and physics not the sword type@@tihomirrasperic
@@spudgun3014
practice swords are usually wooden for a reason
very often you have bruises on your body from the wooden sword to teach you how to dodge and block
I think the problem with UA-cam videos is that often fencing and training is done in a Hollywood way
while real fencing is a combination of dancing, wrestling, boxing, and everything else that can help you gain an advantage over your opponent
it's funnier when the opponent is left without a sword, and then the enemy gives him a sword as a sign of "chivalry", while in reality he would hit him from behind before he even sees it
@@Schmidt54I'm going to be that guy and point out the primary weapon of Roman Legionaries from the 3rd Century BC to 4th Century AD (after throwing their Javelins) was swords. Then again that was mostly Antiquity and not the Medieval era.
It's super awesome seeing someone with so much sword experience apply their knowledge to a new weapon.
A true martial enthusiast! Loved the video. Like a kid learning to ride a bike, fun to watch!
Around 3:55, sensei actually seems to naturally find his own variation on a stance from German fencing called the "fool's guard," which is a deceptively open stance which invites attacks from the opponent while still being quite capable of parrying. Very neat to see his approach to a new weapon
Hello Seki Sensei and Shogo, great video! I have several years of HEMA experience so I just wanted to offer my two cents. The reason the crossguard faces the way it does is because the longsword is meant to parry edge on edge with another blade. Perhaps contrary to what Seki Sensei thought himself, bind play (working against an opponent while maintaining contact between the swords) is an extremely important part of the German longsword school and consumes a large part of what our historical fencing manuals talk about. The best way to understand the mechanics of the longsword would be to feel what a real steel feder feels like in sparring! Plastic simulators really don't compare.
Seki sensei might like a sidering longsword or something like a kriegsmesser
@@velazquezarmouries He might enjoy a complex hilt longsword, yeah.
I don't know if they would allow steel feders in Japan tbh. Their sword laws are pretty strict
@@KevinTangYT well it depends
It also aids in indexing the weapon in the hand and ensuring a stable cut to hit with the edge, if it was out to the sides it would be unstable in the cut. This is of slightly more concern with the long sword because you turn it in your hand to use the back edge.
Loved this video. Usually I see western practitioners trying to use the katana.
But to see it happen in reverse was so refreshing.
Also, he admitted what he knew and didn't know about the long sword. Again so nice to see someone be humble about trying a new sword type. He truly is a great instructor.
I've been sword fighting for about 10 years with a heavy emphasis on study and competition. I have so much respect for Seki Sensei's ability to diagnose the usages and techniques of a new weapon in a single day. Absolutely brilliant!
Seki Sensei is a man of incredible wisdom and humility. It was extremely refreshing to see someone take a weapon outside of what they have mastered and not view it as inferior, just different, and then go through the process of discovery with it.
Would love to see him and a HEMA master trade weapons and exchange knowledge.
Keep up the amazing work.
I love how easily and effortlessly sensei adapts to the different weapon. Very impressive!
Thank you very much for bring this to us.
This was very fun and fascinating to watch! :D As someone who knows only about European martial arts, I found it really awesome to see the gears turn in Seki Sensei’s head as he thought of effective ways to use the longsword based on his own unique experiences!
The joy, or dare I even say "glee," Seki sensei was displaying while exploring the longsword really just made my whole morning. I love seeing masters explore things similar but different to their own preferred "tools of the trade." Absolutely awesome
You should take Seki Sensei to learn from an actual Longsword Master- It would be fun to see him use this longsword against new students once they are well trained in the Katana.
I would 100% watch a series where seki sensei learned longsword.
Just saying...
The issue with this is that there are no longsword masters. Japanese fencing has an actual living tradition and expertise around it whereas all styles of European fencing except sabre died off and even sabre mutated to the point of no longer resembling the actual techniques (sport sabre). As such the closest you get to a master is someone who looks up treatises and fills in the gaps from their imagination, which isn't really mastery.
@@jimmydesouza4375there are many master long swordsmen simple search even on UA-cam brings them up
@@jimmydesouza4375 That's a good point, any equivalent to a longsword master would have died hundreds of years ago as firearms were adopted as the primary weapon types much sooner than in Eastern warfare. The samurai weren't disband until the late 1800's and there were true living samurai living up until WWII
@@dannydonnelly8198 Firearms were just as common in Japan too, I don't know about China but I assume there as well. The reason why swordfighting in the west died out was primarily cultural rather than technological. Having a sword was a mark of status in both countries but there wasn't the mystique around being able to use it in the west like there was in the Japan.
Europe moved more towards swords as a purely figurative thing, such as Mensus style duelling which was more of a dance system than a swordfighting system and was not intended to teach any kind of self defence but just to leave both individuals with "manly scars".
This is my favourite video I’ve watched this year so far
One of the most interesting and fascinating video I've seen in awhile on UA-cam haha
Really fun video!
1) Longsword generally uses more extended arms and forearm/wrist action than kenjutsu due to the straight blade, the double edge, and the balance point. A consequence of this is that the angle of the blade to the arms is different. This is why the kenjutsu downward strike technique didn't work with the longsword. In kenjutsu, you're trying to draw a curved edge along the target, so there's more "pulling" with the shoulders. Trying that pulls the crossguard right into your head.
2) The parry Seki-sensei was doing is very like what we see in classical fencing. The "beat" (hitting the opponent's blade) is also a major aspect of fencing.
3) The crossguard faces the way it does so that it can be a weapon in itself and because the balance point lends itself to more techniques that involve crossing wrist over wrist. A guard pointing to the side would interfere with that, either getting caught in something or hitting you in the head.
4) It's interesting to hear Seki-sensei say that one should avoid maintaining contact with the opponent's weapon, because that contact is at the core of much European swordsmanship.
Maybe binding with a katana is not advantageous, the katana-user has greater leverage and shorter reach so you might as well stay away from it and avoid him displacing your sword and rushing in.
I appreciate Seki Sensei's willingness to experiment. It's clear he is a master swordsman with how quickly he discovered effective techniques. Also the willingness to learn, despite having so much experience already and asking for comments to "please teach me" is an attitude many people would do well to adopt. Thank you Seki Sensei, I would be interested in seeing you experiment with more types of European swords. I think the messer would be interesting as it's often compared to the katana.(edit: spelling)
this was fascinating to watch, you can see Seki Sensei come up with many prexisting long sword techniques purely from first principles and what is relevant from prior experience, despite not actually knowing of those techniques
Man he straight up used that thing like a rapier. Fascinating insights, tha k you both very much.
It'd be super interested to see an actual master of the longsword try to talk seki sensei through the questions he had, and then see this kind of episode in reverse where the longsword master uses a katana and see if they would be able to teach each other and how they would fight differently. I know from watching shadiversity that they, with their greater training with longsword style swords have said they occasionally have problems with single edged blades (even European style ones), so I wonder if this sort of thing would be a factor in the comparison from two masters of their respective sword styles.
I love that a Katana fighting experts enjoys and finds it interesting how other medieval weapons around the world feels. Imagine if you got a Longsword master and him together into a friendly spar and see how they would exchange each others techniques. I'd DIE to see that
unfortunately my guess is that given a similar level of skill the longsword guy would be at a huge advantage because it's quite a bit longer and reach is ridiculously overpowered with melee weapons
@@robertwiesner6825 true the longsword is at an advantage because of it's superiority but you you gotta admit you wanna see it to😂
@@saf5896 i just wanna see a good fight :D no matter the weapons
@@saf5896 everybody gangsta until the halberd guy walks in
I've seen those and unfortunately it's not as impressive as you'd think. European weapons and armor is much stronger and heavier, ive watched plenty a katana shatter against a sallet.
Japanese weapons are meant for Japanese warfare. Europeans had a whole different level of resources.
Seki Sensei seems like a very nice persona and a great teacher willing to test and accept new ideas very respectable
Ive watched this video on loop fir the last 20 plus minutes.
The footwork and tactics are borderline poetry.
The fundamental thing I find astonishing is that they openly admit they know little about the weapon and ask others for their thoughts.
Thats top tier humble right there.
Amazing, even when asking to learn - hes teaching.