The Armour Archive

that discussion on the real plate and maille tourney got me wondering. We all know European knights fought in tournements regularly. But what of their Japanese counterparts. Or Asia in general for that matter.

Yes, Sometimes they were challenges between Dojos and used boken (wooden swords). There were also matches with katanas.

If you get a chance, check out "Sword of Doom" it is one of the older B+W Samurai flicks and has some of the best boken and katana fighting I have ever seen. The last scene in the Tea house is awesome.

BEDLAM

Also, "The Seven Samurai" has, if not a tournament, a challenge bout between two katanaka that at least starts out non-lethal. Don't piss off the calm guy...

- Kyle

No. They did not have tournaments. A duel or a rivalry between two schools isn't an organized tournament. Such things were not part of the Japanese tradition. They did, however, develop several "sports" that were originally intended as practice for martial endeavors, including various forms of mounted archery.

They *did* have archery competitions and the like, but did they have organized armed contests? No. They did not.

Effingham

Effingham is correct:

They were not tournies, more like challanges and duels. There was supposedly a lot of formality and tradition dealing with bushido and the way of the sword etc. but they were not round robin, double elimination competitions.

Sorry for any confusion.

BEDLAM

Also "great lords" would set up exhibitions inviting various instrutors to display their art (usually with bokken)
Since this would degrade or enhanse your emplyment opportunities they were very serious

Wasn't "Sword of Doom" post period?
I love the movie also btw

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..l.,

Arent bokken in general abit post period for SCA? if i recall correctly Mushashi is given credit for the first tsubarito (big bokken & predescor of the modern bokken) on the famous island duel where instead of a sword he carves an oar fromthe boat to use instead. Mushashi wrote the book of five rings i think when he was 60. and the book was written in 1643, and that particular duel happened well after he turned 17. Ive seen (if we're going to use movies as axamples) where matches were fought with a form of scabbard over the blade. in the case im thinking of it was a yari. course its a movie. if i recall correctly its from the mushashi movies too. one of these days id like to find an english biography of musashi.


Joe
Minamoto no Akira Yoda


[This message has been edited by Minamoto (edited 02-01-2002).]

Even if they did have a tournament of some sort, I guarantee you that it would either be

a) duller than hell
b) so structured that it didn't involve any real competition
c) rigged
d) all of the above

Japanese have raised boredom to an artform all it own.

On the upside, the armour would have looked pretty.

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The defining characteristic of fanaticism is the inability to understand why everyone else is not a fanatic.

Effingham mentioned mounted archery contests. The archery was something to see. When I was in the Navy I spent a couple of weeks in Japan waiting for my ship. I got a chance to take a day off and go to a Yabusame (mounted archery) festival at Kamakura. It was really cool! Contestants were in period garb, and galloped their horses full tilt along a course with two targets. They had to draw, aim shoot, then immediately draw, aim, shoot again. All while controlling the horse and dealing with staying on the horse. I don't think anybody missed! Was pretty awesome.

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Emm aye sea kayee why. Emm ohyou essee.

[This message has been edited by edward atte flynt (edited 02-04-2002).]

Was it actually a contest, rather than an exhibition? Cool...

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The defining characteristic of fanaticism is the inability to understand why everyone else is not a fanatic.

One day a samurai was sitting by the road sharpening his sword when a little blue man appeared before him. "Help me lord" cried the little blue man-"an ogre stomped into our village and kicked us all out of our homes!" "Who are you," asked the ronin samurai. "We are the trids, spirits of the forest" replyed the little blue man-will you help us?" The ronin took up his sword and followed the trid to his village. The ground was covered with prone little blue people. As he watched, a trid came flying out of the village, booted by the ogre. "The samurai stormed into the village and challenged "try kicking me foul ogre!"
The ogre just smiled and said "silly ronin, kicks are for trids!"

Sell your katana and get a proper English Broadsword silly samurai!
Blackcross-

knyaz

Why an "English Broadsword"? The Germans and Italians made better weapons. At least they did during my favorite time period the rennesonce era.

Was the rennesonce era when armor echoed?

Doh! I meant the renaissance era. I forgot to paste my spelled check version back in before I sent the message. Hehe. Besides I was just messing with you because you picked on the Samurai guys.

Yes they had tournaments. Single elimination, survivor take whatever was left.

Eiji Yoshikawa wrote Musashi! Which is a very good book about his life. It is a novel, but very good.