A Korean martial art form, Hapkido was devised by Choi Yong Sul and with the assistance of his student Ji Han Jae. They’re intent was to establish an art form that would co-ordinate both offensive and defensive techniques in a harmonised manner. Sul and Jae achieved this by appropriating a range of hand-strikes, kicks, throws, joint locks and weapon tactics from existing styles. Hapkido has much in common with Daito-Ryu Aiki-JuJitsu, the predecessor to Aikido, of whom Hapkido absorbed many of its grappling techniques from.
Hapkido adapted these formations into an effective self-defence system. Emphasising the point of attack at close proximity, students are taught to gain eventual control over their opponent through circular motions of the body and quick footwork. The final aim is to get close to an opponent with the intent of delivering a critical hand-strike, kick, throw or joint lock.
Adjusting the stance of the body can avoid the collision of brute force from both sides. Targeting vital pressure points on an opponent, even before a confrontation escalates is a great asset to a student of Hapkido so the attacker can be immobilised as quickly as possible.
An offshoot of Hapkido is a modern interpretation, ‘Combat Hapkido’. The traditional form of Hapkido adopted a series of striking techniques from Tae Kyon, another Korean form, equivalent to Capoeira in its fluid and deft movements. Combat Hapkido utilises the Muay Thai syllabus on hand, kick and elbow strikes. Other interpretations include Chong Nhu, where elements of both Karate and Aikido have been inducted to their teaching, and Vietnamese Kajukenbo, a style completely assembled together from other origins, including Karate, Jujitsu, Kempo and Chinese Kickboxing.
Kung Fu is not one distinctive style, but a popular term for Chinese martial arts. Its styles gravitate around a fighter’s interaction with the surrounding environment and study of the nature of being and beings, existence, and causality. Its roots sprang from ancient Shaolin boxing masters, who developed their fighting techniques through careful observation of natural orders alongside Chinese beliefs in religion and philosophy.
Tai Chi is often referred to as the Chinese Yoga, the science of meditation through movement. Its emphasis is based upon attaining inner peace and a harmonic balance between the physical body and our emotions. This intense form of training is beneficial towards long-term health and self-defense. This style of Tai Chi Chuan is rooted in the philosophy of Taoism teaching.
Alternative styles that partake in more physical practices trace their origin to the Shaolin Buddhist monastery. The Shaolin Temple’s transition from a purely meditative institution towards nourishment of the body and mind can be credited to an Indian priest called Tamo, dating back 1500 years. His arrival at the temple and introduction of an exercise regime into the monks order benefited both their meditation, enabling them to extend their devotion to prayer, and awareness of self-defense.
This platform allowed others to expand upon. During the 16th Century a wealthy young man, Kwok Yuen, studied the monks’ method of boxing at the monastery. Yuen was already a gifted swordsman, which along with the addition of the monks’ guidance enabled him to further develop its sparring formations. Not content, Yuen searched throughout China for other masters. Upon finding two other counterparts, Pak Yook Fong and his accomplish Li, Yuen resigned themselves to a monastery. Their techniques were classified into various animal representations: the tiger, dragon, leopard, crane, and snake. These formed the basis for the Shaolin Kung Fu’s ‘Five Form Fist’.
The identity of Kung Fu extends across over a thousand different sub-styles, each employing a variant on its philosophy. These extend from the ‘hard’ styles, of Karate and Aikido that preach the use of force upon force, to the ‘soft’ styles of Tai Chi that deflect away any incoming forces. Kung Fu consists of a huge ‘family tree’ of varying styles, but these can be easily divided into regions within the Shaolin Temple.
The primary styles within the northern Shaolin are ‘Northern Praying Mantis’ [exercise regime for the improvement of health through the imitation of animal movements], Black Crane [a short range of boxing techniques, as well as throws and locks], and ‘Black Tiger’ [greater emphasis upon footwork than the southern Shaolin kung fu forms].
The southern Shaolin styles consist of ‘White Crane’ [mostly wide-armed, wing-like movements, high kicking, and the crane’s beak, made by joining the fingertips firmly together], ‘Tiger’ [employing all variants of armed and unarmed combat], ‘Dragon’ [evasion by rotation of upper or lower torso with minimal movement], ‘Leopard’ [development of speed and strength in tandem], ‘Snake’ [subtle stances and rapid attack], and Southern Praying Mantis [100% power output, without feints].
A major style rooted in the Shaolin Temples, is Wing Chun. Made famous by the exploits of Bruce Lee, Wing Chun focuses upon the simplicity of fighters’ movements. Those movements being small and highly efficient on an opponent, by using deft feints of the body to deflect incoming blows and to counter strike them. Its simplicity of parrying, rotation and trapping has allowed Wing Chun Kung Fu to evolve and become a devastating force in martial arts.
MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)
MMA was originally conceived in order to pit different martial artists against one another to decide which was the superior combat system. Modern competitions have developed significantly since MMA’s infancy, allowing the original concept of ‘no-holds-barred’ to maintain its presence even with the introduction of new rules to promote MMA as a sport. These rules have marked out particular techniques such as biting, eye gouging, and fish hooking, which were deemed unnecessarily aggressive. Depending upon the organization, legality of other techniques such as elbows, head butts and spinal locks can vary.
Within MMA competitions, techniques are divided into two separate categories: striking and grappling. Striking techniques are a fighter’s first point of contact, where punches, kicks and knees are utilized. Grappling techniques include clinching, pinning and submission holds, sweeps, takedowns and throws. Often, it’s these grappling maneuvers that allow a fighter to triumph over his opponent. Other factors can alter the result of a fight, such as a referee or doctor’s stoppage, or final scoring by judges.
Major MMA promotions in the US, Canada and UK position a cage around the perimeter of the ring. Variations of the cage appear in Brazil, Japan and other European countries. These alterations can be a net rather than metal fencing that surround the ring, or tighter ropes implemented into a standard boxing ring. With boxing rings a barrier is also placed underneath the lowest rope in order to prevent fighters from rolling under the ropes and out of the ring. Other martial arts employ the use of a ring and are derived from the history of Vale Tudo and Japanese pro-wrestling.
The current growth of MMA within the US is phenomenal as fans flock to bigger and more compelling competitions that are springing up all over the country. This has caused a knock-on effect towards the training of fighters. Rising audience numbers and greater financial gains have forced the sport into a transition from amateur hardcore into a professional body. This is a far cry from its initial venture into the competitive US sports market. Labeled as a ‘blood sport’, UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) suffered from political hostility towards it’s ‘no-holds-barred’ ethos and was subsequently cancelled by many US networks, and banned from several states during the late 90s. Not till the franchise was purchased a few years later, did it receive mainstream approval as its new owners introduced new rules to legitimize the controversial sport. Due to the efforts of UFC, Mixed Martial Arts now has a huge fan-base that has allowed the sport to fully develop into a comprehensive and highly stimulating sport.
Capoeira is possibly the most beautiful and graceful of all martial arts, resembling a poetic and acrobatic fluidity rarely seen in combat forms. It is highly visually stunning and can be deceptively effective in the hands of a true master. Capoeira is increasingly becoming known in the media and several feature films have started to showcase this classic Brasilian street art.
During the colonial period African slaves in Brazil developed this Afro-Brazilian martial art. This art form is usually assisted by music, while its fighters perform a combination of acrobatic shimmies and deft movements of the whole body as one.
The two main styles are ‘Angola’ and ‘Regional’. ‘Angola’ is the more traditional form of Capoeira, heavily influenced by the ritual forms of African dance. ‘Regional’ is a development upon ‘Angola’, and thrives on fluid acrobatic movement, with particular attention on technique. Both styles are employed in the offensive and counter-offensive strategy of modern Capoeira, with the use of feints, shimmies, dodges and extensive maneuvering along the ground.
A combination of striking kicks and sweeps form a Capoeirista fighter’s primary attack. Punches, or other strikes of the hand, are rare in Capoeiran teaching. Elbow strikes are commonly used in place of hand strikes. A range of swift body movements are used in order to maneuver around or decisive the opponent. These include cartwheels, handstands, head-spins, hand-spins, handsprings, turns, jumps, flips, and shimmies.
Blocking it not a defensive strategy in Capoeira. To avoid the opponent’s offense, evasive ducks, rolls and maneuvers are best utilized. A series of evasive ducks ‘esquivas’, allow a fighter to escape from his opponent’s strike. The type of esquiva used varies, depending upon the direction of the offensive kick and intention of the defender. The most common defensive form is ‘Role’, which is a rolling motion that combines an esquiva and low movement. This allows a fighter to perform a counterattack. This combination of offensive and defensive maneuvers gave Capoeira its choreographically expressive quality. Originally viewed by Brazilian plantation overseers as a harmless dance, Capoeria later became an outlawed practice till after the late 1930’s.
The national sport of Thailand also referred to as Thai Kickboxing. Its history is intertwined with that of the military. Origins sprang from a fighting style adopted by the Siamese Army. Advances in technology meant that Muay Boran [an ancient style of Muay Thai] was no longer a strong component in military training, but kept alive in Thailand as a sport and later a national culture.
Muay Thai is an indigenous martial art practised in other Southeast Asian countries including Cambodia, Malaysia and Myanmar. All have different colloquial translations, but often refer to it as ‘The Science of Eight Limbs’. Where other sport-orientated martial art forms consist of four-contact points, Muay Thai utilises the hands, elbows, knees and feet; allowing a fighter to execute eight ‘points of contact’.
Each fight consists of five 3-minute rounds with 2-minute breaks between those. Muay Thai is rich in culture. Each fighter wears headbands [‘mongkhol’] and armband [‘praciat’] that represent luck if blessed by a monk or that pupil’s teacher. A ‘wai khru’ dance is performed before the contest, paying homage and respect to the fighter’s teacher. The use of pipes and drums are also integrated into these traditional processions before a contest begins. The pupil’s teacher removes the ‘mongkhol’ before any fight commences, while the armbands are only removed once the fight is over, as they signify protection.
The 1930’s saw many changes towards Muay Thai as a professional sport. Gloves were introduced, while rope bindings of the hands and arms were removed from the sport. In addition, fighters were also classified into varied weight classes. These changes, along side the five-round contests, dramatically altered the techniques and strategies employed by fighters. Before any classification of a fighter’s body weight, he could compete against a challenger regardless of his opponent’s size. This created a series of champions within each division, rather than just one. Nearly seventy percent of fighters compete within the fly and bantamweight divisions.
Muay Thai can be an incredibly tough sport with shin kicks, spinning elbows, clinch knees. But to many it is the ultimate standing fighting art due to it’s simplicity, power, and fighter conditioning. As such most fighters in the MMA arena train in Muay Thai for their standing fighting style.
Ju Jitsu is based upon the empty-hand self-defense techniques of the Samurai warriors of ancient Japan. Samurai were soldiers who served for the clans of the nobles. Before 1868, a feudal system was in place with each province ruled by different clans. Chikura Kurabe, a wrestling sport that appeared in Japan in 230BC had many techniques that were incorporated into Ju-Jitsu training. During the Heian Period (784 AD), Ju-Jitsu was incorporated into the Samurai Warrior’s training so that he could defend himself against an armed attacker in the event he lost his sword.
Before the Meiji Restoration and the Abolishment of the Samurai in 1868, every feudal clan developed their own martial art system, due to the constant warfare amongst the clans. Therefore, each clan refined a specific style (Ryu) of empty-hand techniques. Each Ryu has their own specific name (for example, Kitoryu, Daitoryu, Yagyu Shinganryu, Yoshinryu, etc), and employ different terms, for example: Kenpo, Yawara, Torite, Kumiuchi, Kogusoku, and many others. In the 18th and 19th century, the Japanese began to call the empty-hand arts of the Samurai as “Jujutsu”, literally means “the gentle art” or the “art of flexibility”.
Jujutsu is called the “art of flexibility” because it does not rely on strength to defeat the opponent. It is opposed to rigidity, which led into the usage of strength against strength. A Jujutsuka would rather employ cunning strategy, that is, to lure the opponent to attack first. By utilizing the principle of flexibility, the Jujutsu stylist will make the opponent lose balance, then he would counter the attack with a throwing technique, striking technique or a joint locking technique. While there are many styles of empty-hand arts that bear the name “Jujutsu”, and there are literally thousands of techniques, which are employed by the art of Jujutsu, the basic principles are usually the same.
The ancient Jujutsu of the Samurai is usually called “Koryu Jujutsu”, or old style Jujutsu, to differentiate it with the modern style Jujutsu, called Gendai Jujutsu (literally: modern Jujutsu). All styles of Jujutsu founded after 1868 are considered as a modern art.
Judo’s origins lie in the ancient Japanese art of jujutsu, a system of hand-to-hand combat. Its founder, Dr. Jigoro Kano, strived for a unifying principle for the techniques he learned. It led him to the first principle of Judo- Seiryoku Zenyo – maximum efficiency in mental and physical energy. Techniques that kept practitioners from spending much physical and mental energy were incorporated into the system – for a person to use the energy of his / her aggressor.
Kano built his system around three major sets of techniques: throwing (nage waza), groundwork (katame waza) and striking (atemi waza). The throwing techniques, drawn from the Kito ryu, were further divided into standing (tachi waza) and sacrifice (sutemi waza) techniques. Standing techniques included hand (te waza), hip (koshi waza) and foot (ashi waza) throws. Sacrifice techniques include full sacrifice (ma sutemi waza) and side sacrifice (yoko sutemi waza) throws.
Kano’s groundwork and striking techniques were drawn more heavily from the martially oriented Tenshin-Shinyo ryu. Groundwork is organized into holds (osaekomi waza), strangulations (shime waza) and joint locks (kansetsu waza). While Kano taught groundholds earlier to his students, the secrets of shime and kansetsu waza were saved for those who had attained a higher ranking in the art. High-ranking students were also expected to know the art of resuscitation (kappo), so as to conduct their training within a safe and responsible manner.
Judo’s striking techniques included upper (ude ate) and lower limb blows (ashi ate). Among the striking techniques were those utilizing fists, elbows, hand-edges, fingers, knees and feet as striking points. Because of its lethal nature, Atemi waza was also taught exclusively to high-ranking Judokas at the Kodokan.
Judo was taught in a well-structured process. Standing techniques were organized into five sets ranking from less strenuous or technically difficult to the more advanced (the Gokyo no Waza). Ground and striking techniques were organized in sets. These sets were introduced slowly as Judokas became more proficient in the art. Students were divided into mudansha (color belt level) and yudansha (black belt level). Mudansha students were ranked into five classes (kyus) while yudansha were ranked into ten degrees (dans). Ranks indicated the student’s level of expertise in the art as different techniques were introduced at each new rank.
The origins of Karate trace back to the great Shaolin Temple. As early as the 5th century BC, Bodhidharma brought Zen Buddhism from India to the Shaolin Temple in China. As well as a spiritual awareness, Bodhidharma introduced a systematic arrangement of exercises with the intention of enhancing the body and mind.
Karate’s real powerbase was in Okinawa – a small group of Japanese islands. At its preliminary stages, ‘karate’ was an indigenous form of closed fist fighting, Te or ‘hand’, which was developed in the Okinawan region. Many of these techniques were practiced in secrecy until the modern era. Today there are four main styles of karate-do in Japan: Goju-Ryu, Shito-Ryu, Shotokan, and Wado-Ryu:
Goju-Ryu developed out of Naha-te, its popularity primarily due to the success of Kanryo Higaonna (1853-1915). Higaonna opened a dojo in Naha using eight forms brought from China. His best student, Chojun Miyagi (1888-1953) later founded Goju-ryu, ‘hard soft way’ in 1930. In Goju-ryu much emphasis is placed on combining soft circular blocking techniques with quick strong counter attacks delivered in rapid succession.
Shito-Ryu was founded by Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952) in 1928 and was influenced directly by both Naha-te and Shuri-te. The name Shito is constructively derived from the combination of the Japanese characters of Mabuni’s teachers’ names – Ankoh Itosu and Kanryo Higaonna. Shito-ryu schools use a large number of kata that are characterized by an emphasis on power in the execution of techniques.
Shotokan was founded by Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957) in Tokyo in 1938. Funakoshi is considered to be the founder of modern karate. Born in Okinawa, he began to study karate with Yasutsune Azato, one of Okinawa’s greatest experts in the art. In 1921 Funakoshi first introduced Karate to Tokyo. In 1936, at nearly 70 years of age, he opened his own training hall. The dojo was called Shotokan after the pen name used by Funakoshi to sign poems written in his youth. Shotokan Karate is characterized by powerful linear techniques and deep strong stances.
Wado-Ryu, ‘way of harmony’, founded in 1939 is a system of karate developed from jujitsu and karate by Hienori Otsuka as taught by one of his instructors, Gichin Funakoshi. This style of karate combines basic movements of jujitsu with techniques of evasion, putting a strong emphasis on softness and the way of harmony or spiritual discipline.
Krav Maga seems to be in fashion as a martial art with recent celebrities such as J Lo and Angelina Jolie training in this style, which has only recently begun to establish itself in the United Kingdom. Those who have seen a Krav Maga expert in practise will know that it is not a flowery martial art. Krav Maga is a stripped down fighting system designed for real-world, high-pressure conflict situations.
Krav Maga is a defence system developed by Imi Sde-Or and is widely used throughout elite Police, Anti-Terrorist and Military units around the world, although it was first brought into use by the Israeli military.
Imi Sde-Or, the founder of Krav Maga, was born in 1910 in Budapest. His father was a member of the circus and was a weightlifter, wrestler and strong man. This early exposure to physical training and larger than life characters led Imi to develop himself as a wrestler and boxer. He excelled and won several national championships in both wrestling and boxing, but it was not until the rise of anti-semitism in the build up to World War 2 that Imi started to develop his own specific self defence fighting techniques that would work on the street.
Imi left his homeland to go to Israel (then called Palestine) where he began training fighters and elite units of the Israeli defence force during his time in the military. After he finished his active duty in the military he began to adopt and modify Krav Maga to civilian needs.
Krav Maga was designed with men and women of all ages and sizes in mind. It is based upon a philosophy of function over form. Students learn how to deal with a variety of conflict scenarios from knife attacks, gun attacks, multiple assailants, to ground fighting. It is not pretty, but it is effective. Those who train in Krav Maga can see quick progress through the simple techniques, which can have a real world application.
Sadly, Imi Sde-Or passed away in 1998. His teaching live on, and the memory of a sensitive and wise muscleman, a teacher and spiritual leader, lives on with those who were privileged enough to know him.
Tae Kwon Do
By traditional standards, the speed and size of Tae Kwon Do’s development has been rapid and widespread. It was Grand Master Choi, in 1957, who first named the sport we now know as Tae Kwon Do.
Since 1975, there has been increasing consolidation and centralization of authority. There has also been a marked movement into developing Tae Kwon Do from a martial art into a martial sport where training is now generally dominated by preparation for tournament and competitive sparring. Tae Kwon Do has even become an Olympic sport, a status that has increased its exposure and popularity over and above many other styles.
Like many martial arts, it can argued that the origins can be traced back to the Shaolin Monks. In the middle ages there was a great deal of trade between China and Korea and it was said that some aspects of the pre-cursors to Tae Kwon Do were informed by secrets passed down by travellers. However, Tae Kwon Do, as we now know it, was more heavily influenced by the political conflict and national rivalries of the time dominant in the Asia Pacific region.
Modern Tae Kwon Do was largely created by young men who had received their training in Japan or China pre-1945, but most never achieved the higher level of their arts. As they continued training after Korean independence, no longer under the influence of their previous trainers, they started to innovate and develop their art in a new direction.
In modern times, fighting purists comment that this watered down version of Tae Kwon Do lacks real world combat application, based predominantly around dramatic rather than effective kicks. However, possibly these critics have missed the point. Tae Kwon Do is about bringing martial arts into the mainstream, and making it accessible and fun for all, and by developing it as a sport, it can bring more people into the world of martial arts.
White Crane Kung Fu
Many classical martial arts styles were inspired by perceptive observations of animals and birds in their natural surroundings. From these studies, martial arts experts observed how different creatures used their natural size, shapes and characteristics to fight and defend themselves against the challenges the sometimes cruel and tough natural world presented.
White Crane Kung Fu originated and spread through largely inhospitable regions of Tibet and China. It has even evolved to be used in some styles of Karate. White Crane takes it’s inspiration from some of the characteristics of the White Crane; the powerful kicking legs and the beak style of attack.
White Crane students also develop good footwork as a priority to be able to move in to attack and move out of danger very quickly. White Crane techniques emphasis flexibility, with targets reaching from the head to the groin as well as crushing stomps. Other kicks are designed to dislocate or unbalance opponents.
Traditional White Crane is highly dependant upon long range strikes. To develop the timing and technique required to achieve that end, the forms are sequences so that primary training develops the muscles, while coordinating hand and eye. Once the concept is established, the training can increase in complexity, thus teaching coordination of stance and foot attack.
The highest level comes in being able to avoid an opponent’s assault, and having the option of either evading the assailant until he is too exhausted to continue or to deliver a fast effective terminating strike. Part of White Crane philosophy teaches control over an adversary, and to maim only as a last resort.
Effective practice of the White Crane style is designed to exercise all of the internal organs and enhance the flow of chi’ energy. Some practitioners even considered to be therapeutically superior to T’ai Chi Ch’uan.
In modern times, the incorporation of White Crane principles serves as a useful philosophical frame of reference for training, as well as guiding us through the beauty of certain forms and techniques. The lasting contribution of White Crane is in the use of specific tactics, based upon exploiting natural abilities, to gauge and probe and opponent before attacking and counter attacking in a controlled fashion.
Nippontõ (Japanese Sword)
Many Japanese historians will profess that the Nippontõ has no equal in any other forms of art that harness iron. The Samurai, warriors of the sword, pursued aesthetic beauty in the forging, which they revered as treasures. This process ran parallel with a spiritual harmony that they dedicated their lives to.
Each sword from every era of the Shogun is characterised by its refined shape. Forged by their best sword-smiths each design reflected the specific eras with their different variations of the ‘hamon’ [temper patterns] – a technique devised for hardening the cutting edge of a blade.
Two major categories of the Nippontõ were the ‘tachi’ and ‘katana’. Apart from a variation in dimensions, with ‘tachi’ measuring between 650mm and 700mm and ‘katana’ at a shorter length of 606mm, both were treated in a differ manner by the sword-smiths and ultimately altered the technique of the Samurai, depending on how the sword was worn. Through the whole Heian Period and the early stages of the Muromachi Period, the ‘tachi’ was slung from the hip with a tied cord, due to its length and the ability to create a larger sweeping movement towards an opponent. The ‘tachi’ was later shortened to what would become the ‘katana’. In an opposing arrangement, the ‘katana’ was positioned in the waist sash for a quick attack, with the edge faced upwards.
The development of the Nippontõ over the centuries also carried a chronological significance, which documented changes in their Samurai culture, by charting the shift in a power struggle between clans. The earliest record of the Nippontõ is from ‘Jõkotõ’ [Ancient Times]. Swords found from this period thought to date back to 4th and 9th centuries were excavated from burial grounds. These were later to be thought of as prototype as they had no curvature and were formed in a ‘hira-zukuri’ [ridge-less and flat] style, or alternatively ‘kirina-zukuri’ [longitudinal ridge] that was parallel and close to the cutting edge.
Into the Late Heian and Early Kamakura Period, the ‘shinogi-zukuri’ tachi [curved and ridged] came into being. The blade quality was in the distinguishing width between the tip and its base. This was the first time that the Nippontõ had a collective of artisans who forged a distinctive style. The craftsmanship of Sanjõ Munechika (fromYamashiro) and Naminoshira Yukiyaru (from Satsuma), refined the curvature of that particular blade with ‘koshizori’ at its base and ‘funbari’ forming a strong bandwidth line stretching towards the back of the blades tip.
Coinciding with the rising powerbase of the Samurai within the eastern capital of Kamakura, the Middle Kamakura Period, which fell in the middle of 13th Century, gave life to the ‘tachi’ form. This resulted in the emergence of ‘kasane’ [ample thickness], with minor tapering in the blade width towards the point and plenty of convex [outward] curvature in the surface of the blade.
This newfound curvature was positioned towards the back of the blade, between the cutting edge and longitudinal ridge. Those sword-smiths who followed this trend, such as Awataguchi Kuniyoshi (from Yamashiro) and Suketsugu (from Bitchú), chose a flamboyant temper pattern, ‘choji’, alongside the manufacture of ‘tantõ’.
Towards the end of Kamakura Period (Early 14th Century), the shape of the blade became progressively uniform with regards to its robust structure, width and a larger point. There was also a development in new temper patterns ‘gunome’ [zigzag] and ‘notare’ [ripple]. These allowed the re-invention of nioi-structured temper patterns into a nie-dominant structure. A perfectionist of the nie-deki style of sword-craft, master-smith Gorõ-nyõdú Masamune became renowned during this period.
The relatively short Nanbokuchõ Period (Middle-Late 14th Century), featured the extension of a longer ‘tachi’ measuring over 909mm. Artisans Nobukuni and Hasebe Kunishinge (from Yamashiro) and Samonji (from Chikuzen) enlarged the measurements of the ‘tantõ’, formed in the ‘hira-zukuri’ style. The short existence of the Nanbokuchõ reign meant that ‘tachi’ were shortened to the ‘katana’ (660mm) upon the dynasty’s downfall.
The early methods of the Kamakura era were later revived amongst the likes of Nobukuni (from Yamashiro) and Morimitsu (from Bizen), in the Early Muromachi Period (Late 14th-Late 15th Centuries). This meant that the manufacture of the ‘tantõ’ and ‘wakizashi’ [between 303mm and 606mm in length], and worn on a samurai’s waist swords re-commenced. As society progressed into the Late Muromachi Period (Mid 16th Century), there was a shift in military tatics. Favour in cavalry had waned, with more preference towards large infantry troop engagement in battle. These infantry personnel preferred ‘uchigatana’ [worn cutting edge] swords, positioned around the hip for quick and easy access during close skirmishes.
As a result of the civil wars in the Ó’nin and Bumei eras (Middle 15th Century), smaller local skirmishes were spawned in parts of those lands whose warring factions required a large supply if blades. These were made in quick response by the Bizen and Mino provinces, ‘kazu-uchi-mono’, with a practical necessity. The ‘kazu-uchi-mono’ blade contrasted in all forms, against the highest-craftsmanship and custom-made swords of that era, ‘chúmon-uchi’.
The developments in the transportation of steel and other necessary materials for the manufacture of swords meant that imported steel, ‘Narban-tetsu’, was now added to the Nippontõ process. The Momoyama Period (1573-1614) caused a classification divide between swords forged prior to the ‘Keichõ’ era (1596-1614) that fell at the end of the Momoyama Period, Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s era, are ‘Kotõ’ [Old Swords]. Manufacture commenced up to the finale of the ‘Bunka-Bunsei’ eras in the Tokugawa Shogunate Regime and Edo Period are referred to as ‘Shinto’ or ‘Asami’ [New Swords].
The emergence of the ‘Narban-testu’ trade resulted in a line of sword-smiths, the likes of Umetada Myõju and Horikawa Kunihiro (from Yamashiro), and Hankei (from Edo), residing in castle towns built by their respective provincial feudal warlords. Opening up themselves to a larger market of cliental and major transportation links for materials.
Up until the Edo Period (From Kan’ei and Shõhõ eras, 1624-43, 1644-47, up to the beginning of the Bunka era, 1804) the islands of Japan had seen much warfare rampage across the country. Edo was an unusual period in the history of the Samurai for its engagement in peace between rival clans. Nagsone Kotetsu, in Edo itself, typified this tranquil state. His temper patterns were novel and unfamiliar, an innovation for they’re time.
With the end of the Shogunate [Bakumatsu] Period, came nostalgia. Suishinshi Masahide (from Uzen Yamagata) and Nakai Tarõ Chõson (from Tosa) reconstructed their swords in the style of the Edo, so to emulate the craftsmanship of the old Kotõ days. Those swords declared as ‘Shin-shintõ’ [Neo-New Swords] or ‘Fukkotõ’ [Revival Swords] were made after the reign of the Bunka and Bunsei eras. Another artisan, who attempted the heights of the Edo craftsmanship, was Minamoto Kiyomaro (from Shinshú). He too, reacted in a similar fashion with the birth of the revival movement, by re-casting swords in the likeness of the ‘Sõshú’ and ‘Mino Shizu’ styles.
With the ushering in of a modern age, the Meiji era (1868-Present) meant a reaction upon old transitions and customs. The prohibition of the wearing of swords cast a heavy blow against the sword-smiths and their craft. In acknowledgement of this, the Imperial government appointed two contemporary master sword-smiths, as the ‘Imperial Arts and Crafts Artisans’ (1906).
The art of sword making and the technology it harnesses was saved to an extent. There are still master sword-smiths today, but the influence of the Samurai and the Nippontõ has seeped into Western culture, losing the context for which they were originally forged. It cannot develop in the same manner that it had since its birth. Those temper qualities allow the Nippontõ to be appreciated by another generation. The engravings along the blade, handle and holder of the Nippontõ will continue to document the fortunes of its people.