"I want to see him cut various things!"

[Bill Mattocks]

And so he does...

[video=youtube_share;RsAC5ni0w6Q]http://youtu.be/RsAC5ni0w6Q[/video]

 

[Benevolentbob]

That is quite impressive!

 

[oftheherd1]

I'm impressed.

 

[JohnEdward]

Two things, am sure Benihana was trying to recruit him, and loved to see the cutting of the bullet on Myth Busters.

 

[MA-Caver]

Mushashi would be proud

 

[fangjian]

I wanna see him slice a piece of paper in two ( the depth of the paper ) hehehehe

 

[Sukerkin]

Amateur ...

...

...

:angel:

Tho', seriously, his stances are terrible in some of the challenges ... not that that makes me any the less impressed that he managed to cut a 6mm BB in flight with a nukitsuke :lol:. I know it's possible to make some points about how it's not all that awesome because of this and that environmental factor but I don't reckon I could do that.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Tho', seriously, his stances are terrible in some of the challenges ... not that that makes me any the less impressed that he managed to cut a 6mm BB in flight with a nukitsuke :lol:. I know it's possible to make some points about how it's not all that awesome because of this and that environmental factor but I don't reckon I could do that.

I was hoping you'd chime in. One question; how hard is that pipe-cutting on his blade? I'd think it would wreak havoc with a fine sword; but I don't know.

 

[Chris Parker]

Hey Bill,

Yeah, cutting metal bars like that can ruin a blade pretty quick, causing stress fractures, mis-shaping the blade if the angle is off, chipping it, scratching it and ruining the polish, and more. That said, one of the tameshigiri (test cutting) methods that is sometimes done involves cutting a helmet. It's never expected that you go through it and split it, but the test is to see how long and deep the cut is. So, while rare, it's not quite "only in cartoons and movies" as the clip suggests.

Isao Machii is pretty well known for these acts. They're basically little more than parlour tricks, and are quite removed from swordsmanship (although the precision is impressive), which Isao freely admits. He also has a modern system that he founded and teaches, and uses this as a form of promotion for it. As Suke has suggested, there are critiques over his technique, he and I would be amongst them.

Mushashi would be proud

Ah, don't get me started on this, Caver! In short, no he damn well wouldn't!

From the Gorin no Sho, Chi Makimono:

The field of martial arts is particularly rife with flamboyant showmanship, with commercial popularisation and profiteering on the part of both those who teach the science and those who study it. The result of this must be, as someone once said, that "amateuristic martial arts are a source of serious wounds".

Quite right, godsdammit...

 

[MA-Caver]

Chris... *holding his hands up in "my bad"* ok, ok... I'll concede to that because it's been ages since I've read the book of 5 rings. If anything you can bet the film-makers in Japan are and have thought of several film projects for the guy. But either way... one has to be impressed that he accomplished any of those "parlor tricks" at all with a blade. But of course as Han Solo once pointed out..."Good against a remote is one thing, good against the living... that's another."

 

[Chris Parker]

Yeah, as I said, the precision is impressive, but it shouldn't be confused with swordsmanship. And when Musashi is mentioned, for a range of reasons, I'm going to get a little defensive there... this goes directly against Musashi's ideals and teachings.

 

[Sukerkin]

I was hoping you'd chime in. One question; how hard is that pipe-cutting on his blade? I'd think it would wreak havoc with a fine sword; but I don't know.

:nods: As Chris said above, cutting a mild-steel pipe with a katana is not that hard to do - not damaging the blade whilst you do it is another matter .

Cutting dead-square still runs the risk of scratching up the polish at the point of impact and that's if you managed not to chip the edge. Again as Chris noted, this chaps precision is pretty darned good (in the pipe cut he only went a few millimetres into the stand for example) but what he does is akin to the gun-tricksters we occasionally see on the TV. It IS very skillful but it's not JSA, just as the gun-tricksters are not gun-fighters (in the main).

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Have to agree with Sukerkin and Chris. Flamboyant and attention seeking without the real goods. Yet, his precision is impressive!

 

[kegage]

Hey Bill, Yeah, cutting metal bars like that can ruin a blade pretty quick, causing stress fractures, mis-shaping the blade if the angle is off, chipping it, scratching it and ruining the polish, and more. That said, one of the tameshigiri (test cutting) methods that is sometimes done involves cutting a helmet. It's never expected that you go through it and split it, but the test is to see how long and deep the cut is. So, while rare, it's not quite "only in cartoons and movies" as the clip suggests. Isao Machii is pretty well known for these acts. They're basically little more than parlour tricks, and are quite removed from swordsmanship (although the precision is impressive), which Isao freely admits. He also has a modern system that he founded and teaches, and uses this as a form of promotion for it. As Suke has suggested, there are critiques over his technique, he and I would be amongst them. Ah, don't get me started on this, Caver! In short, no he damn well wouldn't! From the Gorin no Sho, Chi Makimono: Quite right, godsdammit...

Thank you Chris. It made me twitch a little too when I read it. Kevin