Thread: Jo Dori Clip
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Old 01-01-2011, 01:25 PM   #14
Keith Larman
Dojo: AIA, Los Angeles, CA
Location: California
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,604
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Re: Jo Dori Clip

Just to toss in a different perspective.

As a craftsman who handles honest to god real swords all day long the very notion of tossing a bokken down to the ground is almost incomprehensible to me. It was always drummed into me that the bokken is a representation of a real sword. Would you do that with a sword that was likely more than what most people in old Japan would make in years (ignoring so-called kazu-uchi mono blades)?

I understand that different traditions do different things. But combine the status of the Japanese sword as one of the "three sacred treasures of Japan" along with the careless and senseless damage a mount and/or blade may take by being tossed away, well, it really does just make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I do get tradition, and I general zip up my lips when I see something like that. But ...

Anyway... Just my perspective from the cheap seats.

P.S. Added later... Yes, I do understand we're talking about a jo here. But most weapon's etiquette is usually fairly consistent across the board. And I've seen similar tossing of the weapon during demonstrations with bokken.

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