Shinai in Ansteorra

[Keith Ewing]

You wrote: 
>
>If you please, sir, I would like your opnion on fighting shinai in
>Ansteorra.........Pro? Con? Neutral?.....
>
>Ysoulde
>Barony of Bonwicke
>
>
Greetings.

For anyone still in the dark, a shinai is a practice weapon made of
split bamboo designed to simulate the weight and feel of a katana(which
many people now call a "samarai sword").

I personally have mixed feelings about shinai fighting. First of all I
don't know that much about SCA shinai fighting except that people do
it. Ysoulde, your explanation has not cleared up my understanding much.
You have said that it is unarmored and then told us about the armor
regulations. You have said that it is "no holds barred" and then told
us that there you are trying to pass strict rules. So I'm a little
confused.

What shinai are normally used for is the mundane martial art called
"kendo"(Japanese for "Way of the sword" I think.) I know that kendo
fighters normally wear more armor than I do, although what they wear is
not as heavy.

I am not against the use of these weapons as a training tool. I do not
feel that we should hold tournaments in this style because I don't feel 
that a tounament in this style would be held in Europe in the middle 
ages. The exception to this is that if a person fashioned a katana from 
rattan I would welcome that person on the heavy weapons field if they 
were properly armored. I have seen several people do this. I know 
several knights who have done this well enough to be knighted.

The oriental martial arts are a great influence on today's SCA
chivalric combat. Many of the people who pioneered SCA combat were
martial artists before they joined the Society. Much of my fighting
philosophy was gleaned from Musashi's Book of Five Rings. The exploits
of William Marshall are inspiring reading, but nowhere does it tell you
how to hold a sword, nor where to put you feet, nor even how to out
maneuver your opponent. The orientals were better about writing this
stuff down (16th century Frenchmen excluded from that last statement).

In my 10 years of SCA fighting the thing that I have found most 
striking(NPI) when I have encountered other fighting styles is not the
differences, but the similarities. Ansteorran sword and shield stance
looks very similar to a modern boxers stance. It also looks very
similar to a fencers stance except the left foot is forward instead of
the right. Many of the tactics I have devised for small melees look
surprisingly like American football plays.

I think I've wandered a little off the subject. The point that I am
trying to make is that we should not keep anyone from exploring the
possibilities of this martial art. Especially if someone feels that it
is necessary to improve their oriental persona. I have seen haiku and
origami in arts and sciences displays.

I'll sign off now.

Kein MacEwan

mka Keith Ewing