[Ken] Learning Kenjutsu with Zekken
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Indeed my friend. Now then lets start with part one of training which is theory. Id first like you to tell me what is Kenjutsu to and why your interested in the ways of the sword. Gimme some info on how it well it goes with your bios, some famous swordsmen in the manga/anime and something that made them unique
Simply put, Kenjutsu is the art of Japanese sword fighting that is the ancestor to the Kendo and Iaido styles that are popular today. It encompasses most styles and lineages seen across the region under one giant general umbrella. I am interested in learning Ken for a couple of reasons. First, both of my bios utilize Kenjutsu in their respective manga. Sasuke with his katana, and Trunks (DBZ, obviously) has the Z sword. The second reason is because I was accepted to learn Sharingdork's CFS, and I have to master Ken before I can start with that lol.
As I said before, both of my bio's use Kenjutsu to very small degree. Sasuke carries his katana, even though he hardly used it; and Trunks used his to the extent that he killed Frieza with it, then wasn't seen using it ever again lol. In Naurto though, there are a lot of people that use swordsmanship, and often too. Most Cloud ninja carry a blade, with Killer Bee even using an entire slew of swords at one time. Samurai from the Land of Iron use Ken and Samurai techs exclusively. And no list of Ken users would be complete without including the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. They are the most famous and feared swordsmen in the NarutoVerse.
As I said before, both of my bio's use Kenjutsu to very small degree. Sasuke carries his katana, even though he hardly used it; and Trunks used his to the extent that he killed Frieza with it, then wasn't seen using it ever again lol. In Naurto though, there are a lot of people that use swordsmanship, and often too. Most Cloud ninja carry a blade, with Killer Bee even using an entire slew of swords at one time. Samurai from the Land of Iron use Ken and Samurai techs exclusively. And no list of Ken users would be complete without including the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. They are the most famous and feared swordsmen in the NarutoVerse.
Well said my son. Moving more into my own, I think Kenjutsu is not only for killing but its a lifestyle. To wield a sword, means to die by one, to protect with one and to honor those who uses it just beyond killing others.
Now then we will start with the first part of training, Offense. There are many style of swords play that exists in the world. Each having its own principals and structure to others but they all relate that they use swords. We will start with stances. In the roleplay, most people who dont really excel in kenjutsu doesnt use stances as they see it as an unfit habit but as sword user, I find it useful strictly in freeform that my stance is made known. Now pick a style of kenjutsu if you know any, and show me a stance you think would work in combat. If your stuck I recommend looking into Kendo.
I took your advice and looked into Kendo. I looked into a number of different stances and the one that I think I liked the most was Gedan-no-kamae. This is because it is very defensive, allowing swift and precise counters. It looks as though it has weak spots, so more foolish swordsmen come in for an attack, get countered, and then hurt. Really bad lol. It is performed by putting your dominant leg ahead of the other, with the front point forward and the other pointing to the side. The sword is held out in front of the body pointing at the waist, or at the knee, or sometimes the ankle.
I would say that it would have an advantage over most standard stances. It relies on counter attacks, and for that to happen, your opponent has to make a move. This stance gives the perception of bad blocking to trick opponents into attacking, thus providing an opportunity to block and then strike back and strike back hard very quickly. Other stances focus primarily on attack, and the one I chose focused on how to defeat attacks. A master over attacking will always fall to the master over counters, given equal stats and such.
Your indeed correct, though in my eyes, it leaves your torso more less open to counter attacks as well. Well then lets move on to the next topic: Sword Swing Paths. Can you give me the basic ones along with some advantages and disadvantages to each one? Ill go a little more in depth afterwards
I looked this up online and couldn't find anything related, and I don't know anything about it personally. Is there a website or some source that you know of that I can use to read up on it to try and answer your question?
Ah, now I get it.. I thought you would be looking for something more technical or official I guess lol. Anyhow..
Horizontal - This way would be very efficient at hitting vital points on the body. Starting from the top, slashing horizontally at the eyes, throat, abdomen, back of the thigh, or Achilles tendon are all points that could be fatal or lead to a situation in which death is immanent. After you deliver a horizontal blow, your arms will be across your body and your shoulders slightly turned inward. If you were to flip your sword so the blade is facing the other direction, all you would have to do is rotate back to your original stance and you would be ready for a quick counter. This swing can be easily blocked by a vertical block.
Vertical - This swing is one that is used when one is trying to exert a lot of power onto one blow, as when you are trying to overpower your opponent. The main problem that I see with it, is while you are doing it, usually you would have to raise your arms above your head. This would lead to an opening at your abdomen, chest, and throat areas, so this is something to be weary of before doing it. I would say that this is best utilized when you have a height advantage over your opponent. This is because, this places the opening lower, and at a non-fatal point in the body. This swing is easily blocked by a horizontal block.
Thrust - If used correctly, this swing could either be your victory tool, or your doom. It is very quick, and a precise swordsman could pinpoint the exact area that he wants to stab. Where most swings focus on the surface area of the arc of the swing, this one focuses on one point, so instead of a slashing effect, you have an impaling effect. Now, this is good in that it is harder to block, but that the same time, it is easier to avoid. It damages less overall areas, but does more damage to areas that it does hit. If this is avoided, or if you hit a non-vital area and get stuck, you are open to attacks from every angle, so this one is very risky.
Diagonal - This one combines the horizontal and vertical swings in a way. You retain the power of the vertical swing, but don't remain as open. You have more vital spot choices than the vertical swing, like the horizontal. The interesting thing that I am seeing is that a vertical block would put my blade down, while a horizontal block, would lead it outward. This could create an opening for either person in any situation. This swing would be perfectly blocked by a block of equal, but opposite diagonal angle.
Horizontal - This way would be very efficient at hitting vital points on the body. Starting from the top, slashing horizontally at the eyes, throat, abdomen, back of the thigh, or Achilles tendon are all points that could be fatal or lead to a situation in which death is immanent. After you deliver a horizontal blow, your arms will be across your body and your shoulders slightly turned inward. If you were to flip your sword so the blade is facing the other direction, all you would have to do is rotate back to your original stance and you would be ready for a quick counter. This swing can be easily blocked by a vertical block.
Vertical - This swing is one that is used when one is trying to exert a lot of power onto one blow, as when you are trying to overpower your opponent. The main problem that I see with it, is while you are doing it, usually you would have to raise your arms above your head. This would lead to an opening at your abdomen, chest, and throat areas, so this is something to be weary of before doing it. I would say that this is best utilized when you have a height advantage over your opponent. This is because, this places the opening lower, and at a non-fatal point in the body. This swing is easily blocked by a horizontal block.
Thrust - If used correctly, this swing could either be your victory tool, or your doom. It is very quick, and a precise swordsman could pinpoint the exact area that he wants to stab. Where most swings focus on the surface area of the arc of the swing, this one focuses on one point, so instead of a slashing effect, you have an impaling effect. Now, this is good in that it is harder to block, but that the same time, it is easier to avoid. It damages less overall areas, but does more damage to areas that it does hit. If this is avoided, or if you hit a non-vital area and get stuck, you are open to attacks from every angle, so this one is very risky.
Diagonal - This one combines the horizontal and vertical swings in a way. You retain the power of the vertical swing, but don't remain as open. You have more vital spot choices than the vertical swing, like the horizontal. The interesting thing that I am seeing is that a vertical block would put my blade down, while a horizontal block, would lead it outward. This could create an opening for either person in any situation. This swing would be perfectly blocked by a block of equal, but opposite diagonal angle.