They often portray the swordsman as staying several feet away and practically just staying in their stance for MINUTES. Some of the MOST intense sword fight scenes features a pretty LOOONG moment of inaction (as in 10 MINUTES!). In episodic mediums such as Anime and Japanese Live TV Show, this moment of inaction may even take a WHOLE EPISODE!
After such a long period, one swordsman (or both swordsmen) finally take the action and charges. In a split second, they literally get passed each other and than a moment of silence occurs. One Swordsman falls bleeding and the duel is done.
This is VERY different from Western sword and buckler movies which show lots of parrying, thrusts and slash, and footwork movement.
Even the more exaggerated duels between master swordsmen (with lots of parrying, movement around the environment, and fancy sword tricks) portray the conclusion with this moment of inaction;as their fights are futile and tied, one swordsman finally goes in a certain stance and the other swordsman watch in fear as he begins to recognize a legendary technique that killed so many other Master Swordsmen.
The final moments of an exciting exaggerated bombastic duel suddenly become very sedative. It practically ends with the other swordsman charging at the swordsman prepared in stance and 9 out of 10 times the swordsman who changed the course of the fight by preparing a secret stance wins. In some more exciting fights, they both charge at the same time and it is shown one falls down from one blow.
Now the reason why these duels are shown as relatively taking long minutes even though no action occurs minus the final moments is because both swordsmen are shown as planning their actions and participating ahead of time of what-ifs might happen. some movies and TV show even portray in one swordsmen mind various scenarios taking place such as "if I do this" (scene is shown where Samurai commits action and gets killed by opponent) before charging to their possible deaths. Even the opponent of the protagonist you are rooting for is shown doing the same thing and the only time they don't show such foresight is if one swordsman goes into a legendary stance and its already foreshadowed the duel is decided.
By the time one Samurai decides to charge at the other, all scenarios are taught int heir head and thus one mistake will decide the duel. When a successful blown is thrown, it is so precise and well-aimed it practically KILLS one swordsman before he is able to even land his own blow or parry.
I am curious were real duels in feudal Japan using swords like this? I remember reading this is even true to an extent at least for masters like Musashi who have tales of killing only in one blow after a moment of inaction.
In popular media, even duels between swordsmen of lesser skill is portrayed as this (though its not as smooth and convincing a one-hit kill as those between master swordsmen).
How did real Samurai duel in the Feudal period? Was the average duel much like Musashi's legendary one-hit blows? Or did the average duel between swordsmen consist of a lot of parrying and fail blows?" itemprop="text" id="yui_3_9_1_15_1424408496241_408" style="margin-bottom: 10px; word-wrap: break-word;">I notice in MANY movies such as Seven Samurai portray duels between two trained Samurai with swords as being having VERY little, if no action (at least in Hollywood action film standards).
They often portray the swordsman as staying several feet away and practically just staying in their stance for MINUTES. Some of the MOST intense sword fight scenes features a pretty LOOONG moment of inaction (as in 10 MINUTES!). In episodic mediums such as Anime and Japanese Live TV Show, this moment of inaction may even take a WHOLE EPISODE!
After such a long period, one swordsman (or both swordsmen) finally take the action and charges. In a split second, they literally get passed each other and than a moment of silence occurs. One Swordsman falls bleeding and the duel is done.
This is VERY different from Western sword and buckler movies which show lots of parrying, thrusts and slash, and footwork movement.
Even the more exaggerated duels between master swordsmen (with lots of parrying, movement around the environment, and fancy sword tricks) portray the conclusion with this moment of inaction;as their fights are futile and tied, one swordsman finally goes in a certain stance and the other swordsman watch in fear as he begins to recognize a legendary technique that killed so many other Master Swordsmen.
The final moments of an exciting exaggerated bombastic duel suddenly become very sedative. It practically ends with the other swordsman charging at the swordsman prepared in stance and 9 out of 10 times the swordsman who changed the course of the fight by preparing a secret stance wins. In some more exciting fights, they both charge at the same time and it is shown one falls down from one blow.
Now the reason why these duels are shown as relatively taking long minutes even though no action occurs minus the final moments is because both swordsmen are shown as planning their actions and participating ahead of time of what-ifs might happen. some movies and TV show even portray in one swordsmen mind various scenarios taking place such as "if I do this" (scene is shown where Samurai commits action and gets killed by opponent) before charging to their possible deaths. Even the opponent of the protagonist you are rooting for is shown doing the same thing and the only time they don't show such foresight is if one swordsman goes into a legendary stance and its already foreshadowed the duel is decided.
By the time one Samurai decides to charge at the other, all scenarios are taught int heir head and thus one mistake will decide the duel. When a successful blown is thrown, it is so precise and well-aimed it practically KILLS one swordsman before he is able to even land his own blow or parry.
I am curious were real duels in feudal Japan using swords like this? I remember reading this is even true to an extent at least for masters like Musashi who have tales of killing only in one blow after a moment of inaction.
In popular media, even duels between swordsmen of lesser skill is portrayed as this (though its not as smooth and convincing a one-hit kill as those between master swordsmen).
How did real Samurai duel in the Feudal period? Was the average duel much like Musashi's legendary one-hit blows? Or did the average duel between swordsmen consist of a lot of parrying and fail blows?
After such a long period, one swordsman (or both swordsmen) finally take the action and charges. In a split second, they literally get passed each other and than a moment of silence occurs. One Swordsman falls bleeding and the duel is done.
This is VERY different from Western sword and buckler movies which show lots of parrying, thrusts and slash, and footwork movement.
Even the more exaggerated duels between master swordsmen (with lots of parrying, movement around the environment, and fancy sword tricks) portray the conclusion with this moment of inaction;as their fights are futile and tied, one swordsman finally goes in a certain stance and the other swordsman watch in fear as he begins to recognize a legendary technique that killed so many other Master Swordsmen.
The final moments of an exciting exaggerated bombastic duel suddenly become very sedative. It practically ends with the other swordsman charging at the swordsman prepared in stance and 9 out of 10 times the swordsman who changed the course of the fight by preparing a secret stance wins. In some more exciting fights, they both charge at the same time and it is shown one falls down from one blow.
Now the reason why these duels are shown as relatively taking long minutes even though no action occurs minus the final moments is because both swordsmen are shown as planning their actions and participating ahead of time of what-ifs might happen. some movies and TV show even portray in one swordsmen mind various scenarios taking place such as "if I do this" (scene is shown where Samurai commits action and gets killed by opponent) before charging to their possible deaths. Even the opponent of the protagonist you are rooting for is shown doing the same thing and the only time they don't show such foresight is if one swordsman goes into a legendary stance and its already foreshadowed the duel is decided.
By the time one Samurai decides to charge at the other, all scenarios are taught int heir head and thus one mistake will decide the duel. When a successful blown is thrown, it is so precise and well-aimed it practically KILLS one swordsman before he is able to even land his own blow or parry.
I am curious were real duels in feudal Japan using swords like this? I remember reading this is even true to an extent at least for masters like Musashi who have tales of killing only in one blow after a moment of inaction.
In popular media, even duels between swordsmen of lesser skill is portrayed as this (though its not as smooth and convincing a one-hit kill as those between master swordsmen).
How did real Samurai duel in the Feudal period? Was the average duel much like Musashi's legendary one-hit blows? Or did the average duel between swordsmen consist of a lot of parrying and fail blows?" itemprop="text" id="yui_3_9_1_15_1424408496241_408" style="margin-bottom: 10px; word-wrap: break-word;">I notice in MANY movies such as Seven Samurai portray duels between two trained Samurai with swords as being having VERY little, if no action (at least in Hollywood action film standards).
They often portray the swordsman as staying several feet away and practically just staying in their stance for MINUTES. Some of the MOST intense sword fight scenes features a pretty LOOONG moment of inaction (as in 10 MINUTES!). In episodic mediums such as Anime and Japanese Live TV Show, this moment of inaction may even take a WHOLE EPISODE!
After such a long period, one swordsman (or both swordsmen) finally take the action and charges. In a split second, they literally get passed each other and than a moment of silence occurs. One Swordsman falls bleeding and the duel is done.
This is VERY different from Western sword and buckler movies which show lots of parrying, thrusts and slash, and footwork movement.
Even the more exaggerated duels between master swordsmen (with lots of parrying, movement around the environment, and fancy sword tricks) portray the conclusion with this moment of inaction;as their fights are futile and tied, one swordsman finally goes in a certain stance and the other swordsman watch in fear as he begins to recognize a legendary technique that killed so many other Master Swordsmen.
The final moments of an exciting exaggerated bombastic duel suddenly become very sedative. It practically ends with the other swordsman charging at the swordsman prepared in stance and 9 out of 10 times the swordsman who changed the course of the fight by preparing a secret stance wins. In some more exciting fights, they both charge at the same time and it is shown one falls down from one blow.
Now the reason why these duels are shown as relatively taking long minutes even though no action occurs minus the final moments is because both swordsmen are shown as planning their actions and participating ahead of time of what-ifs might happen. some movies and TV show even portray in one swordsmen mind various scenarios taking place such as "if I do this" (scene is shown where Samurai commits action and gets killed by opponent) before charging to their possible deaths. Even the opponent of the protagonist you are rooting for is shown doing the same thing and the only time they don't show such foresight is if one swordsman goes into a legendary stance and its already foreshadowed the duel is decided.
By the time one Samurai decides to charge at the other, all scenarios are taught int heir head and thus one mistake will decide the duel. When a successful blown is thrown, it is so precise and well-aimed it practically KILLS one swordsman before he is able to even land his own blow or parry.
I am curious were real duels in feudal Japan using swords like this? I remember reading this is even true to an extent at least for masters like Musashi who have tales of killing only in one blow after a moment of inaction.
In popular media, even duels between swordsmen of lesser skill is portrayed as this (though its not as smooth and convincing a one-hit kill as those between master swordsmen).
How did real Samurai duel in the Feudal period? Was the average duel much like Musashi's legendary one-hit blows? Or did the average duel between swordsmen consist of a lot of parrying and fail blows?