The Way of the Sword

October 16, 2010

Today was another one of those days when I feel so lucky to live in Japan. This morning, an English teacher from Tokai High School (one of the schools where I work) picked me up around 9:30am and we went up to Kitaibaraki (Kita = north, Ibaraki = my prefecture). Her Google map led us to a narrow street in the middle of a rice field. We were looking for a dojo, a martial arts practice room, where another teacher would be waiting for us. We finally found him and he directed us to a parking spot right outside his house, next to the dojo. I was really excited because I had never experienced firsthand any kind of martial art until today.

In the dojo, the two other English teachers and I watched Shinohara sensei as he demonstrated how to properly use a sword. The precision and ease with which he worked was unreal. The sword was always perfectly in line with his body. I could tell that he was in an entirely different state of mind when he was using the sword. Mind strength is much more important than body strength when it comes to kendo, and most martial arts. And women often excel faster than men in martial arts because they lack body strength. He said that in order to be successful, you have to be able to completely let go of all your thoughts.

After the demonstration, the teacher handed me his very expensive sword. I got to try using it a few times. The first time I succeeded because I wasn't thinking. I knew I did well because he told me that it's important to hear the sword cut the air when you strike. If you don't, you're thinking too much.

After the first swing, I was shown how to properly hold a sword (the handle on this particular sword is made from shark skin and silk). I was told to place my right hand in front of my left hand. My right hand was just for support, the power mainly comes from my left hand. Left hand: 70% Right hand: 30%.

The next few times I swung, I thought too much about whether or not my hands were in the correct position. I was only successful about two times, when I was able to completely erase all my thoughts for a few seconds. After a few more failed attempts on my part, the other English teacher gave it a try and then we sat down for a light lunch and chatted.

I learned that the best swords take about 100 days to make. Only three are produced in one year, and they're so strong that not even machine gun bullets can break them. I was told that there have been times that people practicing kendo have accidently cut off actual chunks of their skin without even realizing it at first because the sword's blade is so sharp and its cut is so smooth. I found it interesting that the main goal of sword fighting is not to kill your enemy, but to protect yourself.

It was a really fun day and of course I didn’t leave empty handed. The kendo teacher presented me with the piece of bamboo he had cut during his demonstration. The cut is unbelievably perfect. He also gave me a blue and white cloth typically worn by people performing martial arts, but will most likely be used by me as a wall decoration. Also, the wife of my teacher friend gave me a huge bag of freshly picked rice to take home.