Thread: right vs. left
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Old 05-20-2008, 03:51 PM   #3
Keith Larman
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Re: right vs. left

Quote:
Theron Bennett wrote: View Post
Hello, I am brand new to this forum. I have a question. I have studied bokken and jo under several instructors.I have asked all of them why we practice right handed only.Other than the standard "because there are no left handed Japanese" I've never gotten a satisfactory response. I look forward to your responses. Gotta go train.Check in later. Thanks.
If you are emulating swordsmanship with a real blade there are reasons. First, even a one-handed draw cut utilizes both arms -- the right draws the sword as the left pulls the saya back in the belt (sayabiki). Obviously you're not going to feel that with a bokken since most don't practice with a saya (although they are available). So if a person is left handed vs. right handed, it didn't matter. It isn't like drawing with the right was somehow easier. Yes, initially it seems that way to most, but as you smooth out the *entire* motion of correctly drawing a sword you'll find that both hands are equally important. And handedness really isn't an issue.

This raises the issue of training. If you've ever been in a crowded room practicing it would be very confusing to have some people doing the exact opposite, turning different ways, etc. Since it was viewed as a two-handed weapon then there was no reason not to just have everyone do it on the same side. It makes group kata training vastly easier. Swordsmanship movements are not symmetrical.

What keeps the katana from sliding out of your obi is a thing called a kurigata. that's the part that the sageo runs through. That acts as a sort of "belt stop". It is normally on the omote (outside) of the sword saya. Now I suppose someone could have a saya made and then ask the craftsman to mount the kurigata on the ura (back side), but that makes the sword unwearable by anyone else. Remember a lot of bushi throughout history were essentially issued swords to use. So again, no real choice because there was no reason to complicate matters.

Another reason is the etiquette of walking with a sword. Striking someone's saya was often perceived as an invitation to a duel. Very poor manners. Having groups of bushi walking together in line kept things much more civil if they all had them on the same side. Less chance of misunderstandings...

And finally, left handedness was considered a weakness. The raised nail gets hammered down as they say. So no grown Japanese of that time would be left handed. Whether they really were or not...

The reality was that Japan is a society of very strict social structure and norms. The sword is worn the way it is worn because that is how it is worn. And that's good enough of an answer if you understand that aspect of Japanese culture.

Therefore doing it "backwards" would be a highly presumptuous and rude thing to do.

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