This quote may state the ideals, but then there's also practical reality.
…until 1603 onwards (Edō Era) when many became clerical workers within fife castles. Towards the end of the Edō period (1603-1868) many Samurai didn’t even know how to wield a sword in anger but they could probably complete your annual tax return.
You are too hurried in dismissing.
I'm not dismissing anything. No arguments on any of the principles of jigen-ryu. Just giving balance to the post I responded to. I thought some mention of killing your opponents should have been mentioned as well, which you have in the post quoted above.
Why do you even need a sword for if you never want to draw your sword?
They were to accommodate the handles of two little implements to be secured into the side of the scabbard: one was a kozuka utility knife used for cutting fruit etc (not as a weapon)
Sounds like the old Cobra Kai from The Karate Kid.
I agree with the first two, not sure what the third means, and the last one I think is not always true.
- Long spear beats short sword.
In the post where I first quoted from Jigen ryu website I provided the link, that you easily could open to read further, since you didn’t do that, I quoted further(and provided the link again). The website is of the school that also house the Jigen ryu museum, so I guess they know quite well what they claim about the Jigen ryu history.
Same with nukes
No its not. We can attack. Defend and attack. All manner of methods in winning. But in Japan it's "Sen" To wait for the opponent to attack and use that attack againts him. When he is mentally commited to attack and has slighlty physical commited himself is when you take him out.
I am surprised you even said this. Sounds like a Reddit response. We all practice our cultural pursuits. because "that's" what they are. Nobody walks around with these weapons anymore. It's an art form that we study. The ultimate in drawing a sword is that we never actually need to draw it. We carry it in the way of peace.
One time I walked in Mantana wood (It was legal to open carry firearm back in the 80, not sure about today), A grizzly bear walked toward me in about 20 feet. I had my right hand with a 44 magnum, and my left hand with a bear pepper spray. If that grizzly bear walked closer to me, I know I would fire my 44 magnum.
You could also lay down on ground playing dead……that would also be a story to be told
Put your life under the grizzly bear's mercy?
Actually I did think that tactic was from the fables, but, I had to look it up, so this came up -
This was the original philosophy for the sword. World War II was a major turning point, used for all the wrong reasons. So the Japanese were keen to get back to the original intentions. So it was reconstituted as a sport-like educational tradition. The sword really does not figure in anything to do with bear spray or a gun as it's just an educational tool. I get your point, but we again drift towards this Western concept of the arts being used for self-defense.
