Japanese Sword Styles

**Yoj** · Posted On: 12/21/2011 5:21pm

Neil is being gentle, take the hint. Koryu have a huge evolutionary history behind them and differ for a lot more reasons than you'd think.

**Rock Ape** · Posted On: 12/22/2011 4:54pm

Culled :

http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=113889

**kdawgious** · Posted On: 1/08/2012 1:46am

Sorry for not responding to all of your posts, I've been in India without any internet connection for the past few weeks visiting family. Just got an air card to get back on-line the other day.

Thanks for all the responses. I'm amazed that there's such a variety, I guess when you don't know anything about something it's easy to make assumptions. Going back to the cut-is-a-cut/punch-is-a-punch argument. I still agree that a punch is a punch, the variation I see among styles isn't usually in the execution of specific techniques, but more in the theory behind the execution as well as the structure of the training a style follows.

That seems to be the same cause for variation among the sword styles as well.

I guess the only way for me to actually learn about the differences is to either read about them more, or find a school and start training. I think I might have to do the latter.

Thanks, guys!

**NeilG** · Posted On: 1/08/2012 12:48pm

Originally Posted by kdawgious

I still agree that a punch is a punch, the variation I see among styles isn't usually in the execution of specific techniques, but more in the theory behind the execution as well as the structure of the training a style follows.

That seems to be the same cause for variation among the sword styles as well.

That's a nicer way of saying "a cut is a cut" and it just isn't true. There are a lot of differences in execution amongst the various koryu.

**DARPAChief** · Posted On: 1/08/2012 3:40pm

Like Neil says, you're still clinging to preconceptions, OP. At least for when you approach teachers, especially Koryu teachers, face-to-face, remember that the onus is on you to open-mindedly consider what they are willing to share.

**kdawgious** · Posted On: 1/09/2012 10:36am

@NeilG - Sorry if that's the way it came across, looking back at my post, I suppose it does. I was actually reiterating, to no real purpose I suppose, my original preconceptions about the differences between styles. What I meant to say was that I realize there's more to the styles, and that obviously a cut isn't a cut. I need to look into it further for myself to really understand where the variations lie.