#rapier

A phenomenally chiseled Sword,

OaL: 38.5 in/97.7 cm

I was fortunate enough to be invited to do a sword demonstration at a Beltane festival this Saturday, and while we did a good bunch of weapons (longsword, sabre, rapier, rapier & cloak, sword and buckler), my favourite part, potentially on part of being a bit of an attention whore, was demonstrating greatsword!

Look at me go!

Also like, not to brag, and it's a double edged sword (no pub intended) with dysphoria, but look at my arm and shoulder muscles >:3

Skulduggery went low and China went high

Armored Lady Monday

As in – how Europeans influenced Japanese Sword Styles.

When the Season Two poster was released, people immediately realized Mizu was holding a European Sword instead of Japanese katana.But not everybody noticed what kind of sword it was and what it signifies.

Before I get further into this, let me just tell you a bit about my personal background. I’m a former Martial Artist. For several years I was a semi-professional in aikido. I’ll try not to get into too many details, but you should know, that aikido is a traditional Japanese martial art, recognized mainly for using opponent’s strength against him. It is said that WOMEN get a hang of it quicker than men, because they don’t rely on their PHYSICAL strength as much (by some straaaange coincidence I’ve seen Mizu using various aikido techniques in the series, but that’s a story for another post XD).

Another trademark for aikido is that many of its techniques were inspired by kenjutsu – Japanese sword styles – which is why many aikido schools add bokken practice to their usual hand-to-hand practice.

The reason I’m mentioning all this, is because of what my aikido sensei (teacher) told me years ago. He shared with us (the group) an interesting fact about the so-called “tsuki”.

I know that some people reading this post are learning Japanese, so when they hear about “tsuki” they immediately think “moon”. But in Japanese martial arts it also means “straight punch”. Some examples from karate:

In kenjutsu “tsuki” means  “to thrust”  or “to stab”. Examples:

And you know, what my akido teacher told me about this move? It wasn’t ORIGINALLY used in Japanese sword techniques! And it makes perfect sense, because Japanese katana is curved, with only one sharp edge, and it was designed mainly for cutting, NOT for stabbing.

However, Japanese samurai learned how to thrust and how to counter thrusting, while fighting EUROPEANS who were using… guess what?

Rapiers!

The very same swords like the one Mizu is holding on the Season Two poster. The fact that she will be using this particular swords opens a possibility, that SHE will be the samurai who will start the transformation of Japanese sword styles and enrich them with new techniques.

The European techniques. And I must tell you, that even though rapiers are not as flashy as Japanese katana, they have some amazing advantages.

First of all, they are light, so you don’t need that much of a physical strength to wield them. Second, they are very universal, allowing the fighter to both CUT AND STAB. And finally, you can easily hold them in just one hand, which allows you to be creative and use your agility to the fullest in the combat. Just look at Lady Oscar – another woman-turned-man like Mizu – using rapier like a BOSS!

Screens from "Lady Oscar" - quite old but nonetheless excellent anime, which I recommend watching (but not Netflix version - the original anime is so, SO much better).

(Mizu’s and Oscar’s crossover is my personal wet dream – even though Oscar's story starts more than 100 years after Mizu)

Have I already mentioned that rapier is an excellent weapon for WOMEN?

But not only for women, of course. Think about Fowler! Why do you think he is such an incredible fighter? Why he easily held his own in a fight against BOTH Mizu AND Taigen? Because he is using a COMBINATION of Japanese AND European fencing. Just look at this:

This is NOT Japanese kenjutsu, this is European fencing. Look how huge his rage is and the way he is holding his free hand!  And of course he also has the advantage of being bigger in seize than an average Japanese person, which allows him to swing a katana with one hand like it’s nothing. No wonder he’s THAT difficult to beat!