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Walk a mile to avoid a fight, but when one starts, don’t back down an inch.

it’s doesn’t mean you have to fight if somebody attack you, the way of the samurai is a way of peace trough body and mind control. Maybe some bushido has lost the right way, but there are always black sheep’s.

1. That katana you got in your local novelty store? Not even a katana. Seriously. It is literally impossible to sell actual katanas in, like, a US mall. Katanas, real ones, are forged over the course of several days and are prayed over by Shinto priests to this day, because they’re made with the idea that they carry a part of a person’s soul….and you really think they’re going to be on sale in your local mall?

(It’s also worth noting that those swords sold in malls are generally wakizashi length and possibly also make. But it’s not like they’re real wakizashi, either.)

2. I know you think you look cool dual wielding or wielding with a single hand, usually your right hand, in the middle of the hilt or up against the tsuba (guard) but uh. No. Katanas, or any swords modeled after them, such as bokken, iaito, or shinai, are meant to be wielded with two hands. YES, two sword styles exist!! But they are not common for a reason. You don’t generally have the same flexibility or power that you get with two hands. Also, I’ve never seen anyone wield two full sized swords at once. I’ve only ever seen someone wield one full sized sword and a dagger sized weapon in the other hand.

(Also, the only person in my dojo who has an actual, legitimate, has-been-used-in-combat katana, is my sensei, which was gifted to her by her sensei. The rest of us use iaito or bokken, even the people who have been there 10+ years.)

3. Japanese swordsmanship, just like anything else, takes years of practice to get any good at. I’m into my third year of kendo and iaido and I’m nowhere near black belt ranked. In fact I’m still considered very much a beginner and I’m thankful for it. There is no precedence for picking up a sword and suddenly being able to wield it; you are not a genius or a prodigy just because you have a sword, and nor will you be able to win a fight. I say that because, surprise, the SECOND you’re in a fight, everything you’re still working on comes out in a negative way. Meaning you’re shit. No matter how far you’ve progressed in your training, winning fights is a whole different ball game. I guarantee you that anything you think you can do will fly right out of your head the second someone else comes after you. You are not an exception to this rule just because you think you are.

4. Just…god. Why would you claim a culture or sword style is the epitome of life or sophistication or whatever when you don’t even bother to learn about or acquiesce to the actual cultural values or techniques? I’m one of like, two non-Asian people in my dojo, and my sensei is strict. Being a white American, I was 100% not used to being immersed in a totally different cultural context to my own, and do you think I would have gotten literally anywhere if I hadn’t shut the fuck up and just listened? And did what my sensei told me to do? And listened to those who were there before me? Being from a totally different cultural context meant that I had to (and STILL have to) work twice as hard to understand what to do and when to do it, and more importantly, what NOT to do and when NOT to do it. And if I didn’t, I would just look like an ass. And if you do that, you will just look like an ass.

(Basically–being a white person in a primarily Asian space does not make you special. It just means you have to work harder to fit in.)

5. Holy shit. If I tried to go up against a HEMA practioner or something, I would get my ass kicked. It might be a little more even with, say, a kenjutsu or koryu practioner, but on the whole, the way Japanese swordsmanship is taught nowadays, it’s seriously not the most practical thing, and you really shouldn’t pretend otherwise.

Basically–you’re not going to be able to pull some kind of Last Samurai miracle here. If you want to learn modern or old-style Japanese swordsmanship–kendo, iaido, kenjutsu, koryu, etc.–awesome! There are plenty of opportunities out there for learning and they’re all great. But that’s the point. You have to learn. You have to be open-minded and recognize that opening yourself up to learning a sword style means embracing the culture around it. And at least in my dojo, that means shutting the fuck up and listening to Sensei.

Breathing in, my whole body is harmonised with the in-breath. Breathing out, my whole body is calmed with the out-breath.

Breathing in, my whole body enjoys the peace of my in-breath. Breathing out, my whole body enjoys the relaxation of my out-breath.

Breathing in, I enjoy the harmony of my in-breath. Breathing out, I enjoy the harmony of my out-breath.

Studies show that people decide if you’re trustworthy, adventurous, successful, smart, extroverted, or likeable within the first three seconds of meeting you.

Hügelkultur (German, meaning “hill culture” or “mound culture”) is the garden concept of building raised beds over decaying wood piles. Decayed timbers become porous and retain moisture while releasing nutrients into the soil that, in turn, promote root growth in plant materials. As the logs decay, they expand and contract, creating air pockets that assist in aerating the soil, allowing roots to easily penetrate the soil. This decaying environment creates a beneficial home to earthworms. As the worms burrow into the soil, they loosen the soil and deposit nutrient-rich worm castings, beneficial to plants. An earthworm can produce its weight in castings on a daily basis.  

The best decayed wood for a Hügelkultur, according to A Growing Culture, comes from alders, applewood, cottonwood, poplar, maple and birch. Use wood products that have been in the process of decay for about a year (using green, or fresh, wood products will rob the soil of necessary nitrogen). Some wood products, like cedar and black walnut, should be avoided because they produce organisms that negatively effect plant growth.   

Exercise is often recommended as a treatment for chronic fatigue and pain, but those symptoms make it difficult to exercise. A lot of people with chronic pain and fatigue, myself included, experience an increase in symptoms during and after physical activity. It can be hard to find the time for exercise if you know you’ll need a few hours to recover afterwards, and it’s difficult to motivate yourself to do something you know will leave you in even more pain. 

HERE’S WHAT ‘YELLOW FEVER’ REALLY MEANS

“All my ex-girlfriends are Asian.”

If you’ve ever come across this charming come-on, you’ve probably been exposed to yellow fever

Training with this sort of tool develops what would be best described as “popeye forearms”.

Now, granted, this is primarily a training tool more than anything else. So it is not exactly meant to be be swinging something like this around on a regular basis.

Another similar tool that I’ve trained in is the Bagua Dadao that typically weighs in at around 5 pounds or so in most versions that I have seen. Yet I’ve heard of the classical versions of the sword coming in at around 10 pounds or so. Here is an old picture of Fu Zhensong wielding the beast of a weapon. And yes, that sword is as big as he is. The more modern versions that I have seen have the butt of the hilt come up to around the solar plexus if the tip is resting vertically on the ground.

Now is a 7 foot long zweihander that clocks in at around 15 odd pounds possible? It is possible. Though that is going to be largely dependant upon how the thing is balanced.