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Old 03-28-2005, 11:49 AM   #28
njamilla
Location: Washington DC metro
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 4
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Re: Lightsaber Kumitachi thread

It's Nick Jamilla, author of Shimmering Sword. Why haven't you bought the book yet? Get it at Amazon.com (Shimmering Sword) .

My book doesn't go into lightsaber forms. If you want David West Reynold's creation of those forms (which are vague, general descriptions of movement not kata per se), you should go to: Jedi Fighting Styles. I don't agree with the premise from which he created the descriptions. He parsed the movies and formulated a hierarchy of moves.

My book is about fencing, honor, and Star Wars. It discusses swordsmanship historically and examines real world precedents for the Jedi from the point of view of Western fencing and Japanese swordsmanship. You can go to the webpage at: Shimmering Sword.com

I did create lightsaber choreography for an independent fan film called Revelations (Revelations Homepage). It includes an Interview as well as a trailer for the film which will be released for download on April 16, 2005.

As for all the other references, especially to aikido being a precedent for Star Wars Jedi, it's just not there. People can make all sorts of comparisons to so-called martial art, or specifically aikido, references in Star Wars, but there are no direct connections. Obi-Wan being derived from Obi-san kendo gi, influences from O Sensei and Rinpoche, etc.are references that I've never come across during my research. There are borrowings generally from Japanese (and Asian) culture but none specifically mentioned as direct influences on Lucas. Apart from Joseph Campbell's writings, Lucas has remained silent on the specific books he's consulted when creating his universe. The same for the writers who have helped him finish off his scripts. The previous mention of Yoda's eyes being inspired by Einstein's eyes, however, is true.

The similarity between the Jedi and my own experience with ki, aikido, and kendo do seem to find parallels in Star Wars, which is how I began linking martial arts and Star Wars in my writings. But hearsay connections and wishful thinking do not make good research.
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