The Gardening Implements of War

Over at Ichijoji, there is an interesting article about an unusual samurai weapon: a war rake.

Below is an excerpt. The full post may be read here.

 

Today, seeing the leaves beginning to turn to the gold of autumn, I was reminded of that perennial garden chore, raking leaves. It made me think of a reference I came across regarding a certain Matsuda Hidenobu, a warrior of some note who fought at the battle of Sekigahara (1600) during which he is reported to have used a long weapon called a kumade (literally ‘bear’s claw’) to bring down 11 mounted opponents whom his followers then dispatched. What had caught my eye was that the weapon he was depicted with was a large leaf rake

While it is true that the same word, kumade, is used for a modern leaf rake, this is very far from the weapon that Matsuda Hidenobu must have used.

The word ‘battlefield’ is often bandied about with regard to traditional martial arts – some of them really were created for or used on battlefields; others are more likely to have developed for civilian self-protection in what were very violent times. Some were probably meant as a kind of training to imbue discipline and other virtues in a suitable cultural package. Many are hybrids, adapting and developing military techniques for other purposes. But early examples of the use of the kumade can, indeed, be located on battlefields in early medieval Japan. 

This can be seen in artwork such as the Kasuga Gongen E-Maki (early 14th century - see above) and in the well known Scroll of the Mongol Invasion (13th century), and several instances appear in war chronicles, both on land and at sea. Set at an earlier date than both the aforementioned scrolls, the story of Taira no Yorimori being attacked by one Hachimachi Jiro, who hooked a rake onto his helmet, only for Yorimori to reverse the tables by cutting through the shaft of the kumade with his sword, the famous Nuke-maru, sending Jiro tumbling, and returning to camp with the kumade still attached to his helmet, has a ring of truth to it, despite the clearly fictional basis of many of the individual exploits in these tales.  These tales and picture scrolls were mostly created well after the periods they depict (not in the case of the Mongol Invasion scroll, however), but still in a time of pretty constant warfare, so they can be considered reasonably reliable in the weapons they depict.

Doubling as a weapon and a tool, it is difficult to ascertain the origins of this device, but its similarity to the kind of anchor used by small boats suggests this is a possible source. It is often depicted with a rope or chain wound around the shaft, and although I have seen no depictions (or read any accounts) of how this was used, it suggests the head may not have been too firmly fixed on the shaft and the rope/chain served as an additional means of controlling the opponent if the head became detached (or if the shaft was cut through, as in the story above).

 

Tao, The Watercourse Way

I posted before about ChunLiang Al Huang, who was one of the early Taijiquan teachers in the US, and part of the Human Potential Movement.

Here is another short documentary about him.

Capoeira. Let's Dance.

Below is an excerpt from the 24FightingChickens blog, regarding the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira. The full post may be read here.

In this article, part of our series on martial arts around the world, we will focus on capoeira or the dancing Brazilian martial art. Capoeira is such as unique and distinctive martial art that it can never be mistaken for another.

We were curious as to how it originated and how it was developed, and we found some very interesting things about it. We wanted to share them with you and we hope you enjoy reading this overview of capoeira.

The History of Capoeira

Capoeira dates back to the Brazilian colonial period. The roots of capoeira are in fact very tragic. Capoeira was invented by African slaves living in Brazil as a means of defense. It’s estimated that 40% of the Africans captured and sold during the Transatlantic Slave Trade ended up in Brazil; the highest number of any slave-holding countries.

It’s believed that capoeira emerged in the 16th century around the same time that the African slaves were brought to the Portuguese colony of Brazil. Some scholars argue that capoeira was inspired by the Angolan ritual combat called “Engolo” and that it thus originated from Angolan slaves.

Capoeira had a practical application and it was borne out of necessity. Slaves could obviously not own weapons, so they needed a way to defend themselves against other people, most usually the European ruling class.

Capoeira was especially necessary for fugitive slaves who were navigating the unknown Brazilian lands. The name itself “capoeira” comes from the Tupi words (the language spoken by one indigenous Brazilian tribe) “ka’a” (forest) and “paũ” (round), which stand for the areas in Brazil where slaves would hide.

The growing number of fugitive slaves eventually allowed for settlements to develop. While they were mostly populated by free black people and escaped slaves, there were also Europeans who hid to evade the law. The practice of capoeira flourished in these settlements, called quilombos. There, it evolved from a survival method into a martial art used for combat.

Meanwhile, as the country was entering industrialization and urbanization, many slaves were sent to the city with their masters. Unlike slaves in the US, Brazilian slaves were allowed to leave their masters’ property in order to look for extra work. This allowed them some free time, which could be used to practice capoeira.

Around the mid-19th century, the authorities took notice of capoeira and tried to suppress its practice across the land as they were fearful of slaves rebellions. The authorities began jailing people found to be practicing capoeira and even publicly executed some of them.

Slavery was officially abolished on May 13, 1888, but ex-slaves still struggled to make it in Brazil. Some used their capoeira skills and became bodyguards who were used by warlords. After a bunch of raids, Brazil formally prohibited capoeira in 1890.

Capoeira teachers sought to change the public’s perception of it and the martial art experienced many changes in the early 20th century, which changed its status into a self-defense technique.

Professor Mario Aleixo was among these capoeira practitioners who wanted to change and formalize capoeira, along with Anibal “Zuma” Burlamaqui who published Ginástica nacional, Capoeiragem metodizada e regrade, the practical guidelines of capoeira. This new capoeira drew inspiration from judo and wrestling in order to turn it into a “proper” martial art”.

Mestre Bimba practiced traditional capoeira, but also incorporated techniques from other martial arts just like Professor Aleixo and Zuma. Bimba founded the first capoeira school in 1932, although the martial art remained illegal until 1940. Fortunately, despite the many changes to capoeira, the original style still exists today and it’s known as Capoeira Angola, noting its roots.

Book Review: Martial Arts Politics Explained: History, Culture and Comedy by Jonathan Bluestein

It has been said that if there is more than one person in a room, politics is at play. 

Anyone who has spent any time in the martial arts world knows that martial arts politics is as common an pervasive as the air that we breathe.

Martial Arts Politics Explained: History, Culture and Comedy by Jonathan Bluestein, examines this phenomenon.

What the book is not: it is not a blow by blow description of the continuous shedding of derivative styles of Kyokushin Karate, the divisive split in Aikido when Koichi Tohei left the Aikikai or the homogenization of the 9 Tae Kwon Do kwans into the ITF and WTF; although there are some descriptions, such as the fragmentation of Ed Parker's Kempo. This book, however, makes them all more understandable.

What the book does is look beyond the usual easy explanations for martial arts politics, such as money, status, etc to the deeper issues that are at play.

Even the types of schools and organizations of martial art can influence it's politics. There is a difference between a strict "traditional" Japanese dojo, a MMA gym or Taijiquan in the park. 

The styles may lend themselves to what may become politics. A good point is that Okinawan (and later Japanese) Karate styles all have basically the same forms, techniques and training methods. What differentiates them is where the teacher chooses to place his emphasis and which other styles of martial arts and teachers he may have trained with in the past. Wado-Ryu Karate, for example, has a heavy influence from a traditional style of Japanese Jujitsu.

A section of the book I particularly enjoyed was an lengthy overview of the history and practice of Krav Maga, the Israeli martial arts. Krav Maga was always something I wanted to know a little more about, but was something I couldn't quite pin down. It's all much more clear now.

One of the features of the book that I very much enjoyed were guest chapters written by current martial arts masters regarding their own experience with martial arts politics. It's refreshing to read the inside story. 

And then there are the cults and clowns that seem to float around the periphery of the martial arts world. The book takes a good look at them as well.

Martial arts practice is a path which demands that we carefully select our steps, or we will stumble. Martial Arts Politics Explained: History, Culture and Comedy represents a flashlight which helps to illuminate the path, at least as far as some obstacles go, to help us to avoid pitfalls.

I enjoyed Martial Arts Politics Explained: History, Culture and Comedy. I think you will too.

https://a.co/d/1ZmeRmK