Goshindo/Chanbara
Reproduced from official websites thanks to the courtesy of Dana Abbott sensei
That inherent feeling in one way or another is in all beings.
In the early stages of man’s development, tools and weapons made from the earth were crude as his existence. Wood and stone weapons slowly evolved into metal, creating better swords. Throughout the ancient world. The sword, one of mans most prized possessions represented both power and wealth. Man forged new designs while studying it’s use for the practicalities of war and defense. In particular, the Japanese reverend the sword and all it represented. Since the last millennium, Japanese have created well built, sought after swords.
Samurai trained with metal and wood swords which was difficult at best. One wrong move or poorly executed technique could result in injury or even death. Every Samurai had their own special fighting techniques that were tested on the battlefield. The survivors later would polish the most effective technique and throw out the ones that proved useless.
In 1926 the school of Toyama put together a comprehensive training program that changed “The Way of the Sword”, forever. A system that was easily instructed to the officers of the Japanese Imperial Army. No longer was the art and science of the sword taught in secret. This simple but very effective program allowed the military to practice “The Spirit of the Thing” in a very concise and consistent manner throughout Japan. By the end of World War 2 most every soldier in the free world had heard about the “Japanese warrior” and his sword.
| 30 years ago Japanese martialists and
sword masters created an improved training off-shoot from the Toyama style.
The Founder, Tanabe Tetsundo
and some of the strongest swordsmen in Japan called this new school of
thought, Goshindo later nicknamed Chanbara.
Goshindo has 3 divisions. Iaido: The art
of drawing the sword. The long sword (katana) and the short sword (wakizashi)
are used to study "the spirit of the thing".
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New materials made out of
flexible plastics and the constant refining of swords for combat in the
21st century proved to be a stroke of genius. Not only is Chanbara fast,
but also heavy and cumbersome protective equipment is not needed.
The Japanese public immediately
embraced this new full-contact combative sport allowing it to be a member
of the Japanese Department of Education. Moreover, instructors began to
notice a considerable difference in the way the student's motor skills
and reflexes improved. Chanbara had easily done in hours what traditional
polishing techniques took months and even years to perfect.
From ages 4 to 104, Chanbara has something
for every one. Chanbara is great for children to burn off extra energy
2~3 times a week. Young adults have "Chanbara fun" while practicing their
instructor's techniques. Weekend warriors are able to cut away extra pounds
and slash stress levels down to size. Of course, Chanbara is for the dedicated
martial artist who wants to exchange and match wits in the ultimate physical
game of chess.
Full-Contact Chanbara Q & A Interview
| The Japanese Art of Chanbara
Promises Safe Sparring for All Martial Artists. If you want to walk anywhere
in the world without risking injury to your feet, have two options. You
can carpet the surface of the earth and walk barefoot, or you can
put shoes on your feet and walk on whatever surface lies in front of you.
Obviously, the first option is nonsensical while the second is quite practical.
Why is it, then, that when martial artists engage in weapons sparring, they insist on covering every square inch of every legal target on their body so it can be struck with an unpadded weapon? Why not simply cover the hard surfaces of the weapon and leave the body unprotected and unencumbered? The latter philosophy lies at the heart of the Japanese art known as chanbara. More than 160,000 practitioners in 30 countries now regularly don a helmet, pick up a padded sword and have at it. They are building their self-confidence and staying fit, and all their frustrations fade as they unleash full-power blasts nonstop. They are keeping the samurai spirit alive. |
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Thirty years ago, Tanabe Tetsundo and a few of the top swordsmen in Japan got together. Although they were a traditional bunch, they admitted that their society was changing rapidly and what people learned 100 years ago might not appeal to a 20th-century Japanese teen-ager. The masters ended up creating a school of thought called goshindo (self-defense way), which was later nicknamed "chanbara" (Is a very old term used in Japan. A loose translation means swashbuckling or full-contact weapons sparring. All Japanese know this term and apply it in their vocabulary, as Americans would say cowboys and Indians. For example: Their version of a Western Movie would be a Chanbara Eiga. All Japanese children have played chanbara by picking up a stick and pretending they were a famous samurai. Tanabe's aim was to take a sport that had been reserved for the upper class easy and make it affordable for the masses. With a little innovation and some help from science and technology, he designed a system in which the weapons were padded and the combatants were not, thus allowing them to move with total freedom. The only equipment required for participation was a helmet and a padded weapon.
The sport swept across Japan
like wildfire; it was even recognized by Department of Education there.
Part of the reason for that success is chanbara's lack of restrictions.
It teaches that there's no incorrect way to fight. One combatant may practice
kendo while his opponent uses techniques from European fencing. Both can
train with the same weapons and compete under the same rules--with no fear
of injuring the other person. In the United States, chanbara has become
an affordable alternative to kendo, which never really got off the ground
mostly because the high cost of the requisite protective gear. More and
more American students are finding it easy, enjoyable and inexpensive to
learn how to wield the weapons of war without all the bloodletting.
Q: Which weapons do students prefer to use?
All students go right for the 40-inch choken
(long sword). The padded version of the Samurai Sword
Q: Which weapons sell the best?
The choken (long sword) as well as the 24-inch
kodachi (short sword) sell the best, since they go hand in hand with sword
and weapons sparring.
Q: Which weapon is best for beginners?
The kodachi 24-inch sword is best for beginners.
This is the most forgiving sword and can be used correctly with only a
small amount of training. After the student has an understanding of the
kodachi he/she can easily go on the longer range weaponry without poor
and uncontrolled habits. Children in Japan all start out with the short
sword (Kodachi).
Q: What are the differences between wielding
a sword and a spear?
There is a big difference. The spear is an
easy weapon to learn, but requires much more energy to wield correctly.
The striking points are different too since the spear is mostly a thrusting
weapon that comes in at a very fast (blinding) speed. The spear usually
is worked off the side and generally the thrusting power comes off the
hip. The sword also can be used for thrusting. Although, using a Japanese
sword to thrust opens up the combatant and has a much greater chance to
be put into difficulty (being hit with a counter). The sword is much more
versatile and can be used in most all-combative situations with long and
short-range weapons. There are 5 basic strikes that are learned. From there,
hundreds if not thousands of variations are used. 1. Mein or head strike
2. Kote or wrist strike 3. Do or stomach strike 4. Ashi or leg strike 5.
Tsuki or thrust (which is usually aimed to the upper chest or neck). The
spear is only a long range weapon and if or when an opponent gets at least
half way down the spear's length its time to change weapons or run. That
is why Japanese women were trained in the naginata, which is a sword
with a spear handle. Usually was a length of 210-centimeters.
Q: Which weapons are used for which targets
and at which ranges?
Short and long swords use the same basic 5
point areas either at a meet or in battle. 1. Mein or head strike 2. Kote
or wrist strike 3. Do or stomach strike 4. Ashi or leg strike 5. Tsuki
or thrust (which is usually aimed to the upper chest or neck). The short
sword is mostly a one handed sword and the long sword generally uses 2
hands to control correctly unless the combatant is trained in Jodan and
can use the long sword with one hand which is very difficult. A short sword
which is usually 60 centimeters (24-inches) can also be called a wakizashi.
(The short swords used by the samurai class) This was for more in-fighting,
but was not a warring weapon like the long sword. Just imagine that you
were in the United States civil war and you had a pistol and rifle. You
would use the rifle much more, but if something became of your rifle you
would naturally go to the pistol. The Japanese Katana or choken was the
samurai's rifle and the wakizashi or kodachi was the samurai's pistol,
as a matter of speaking. Of course, there are many more weapons like the
knife or tanto for very close in-fighting and the staff and spear,
which are the longest-range weaponry. The spear is mostly thrust to the
head, neck chest, and stomach as with the staff. Now, the staff in this
day and age has many applications and can be used to strike many parts
of the body, but still uses the 5 basic strike areas.
*NOTE: the staff was considered a spear with the tip broken off. In the United States many practice with the staff and all are quite good/excellent. But many take the staff which was a longer range weapon and turn it into a medium range weapon. The Japanese call this, "the kayak paddle method" which leaves one open and can be easily put into difficulty.
Q: Best Techniques: Head shots vs. body shots.
To the Japanese the head shot was the most
sought after strike which gives most combatants a closer feeling of "the
spirit of the thing". All kendo and sword arts in Japan start out with
the Mein or head strike, and then work the other parts of the body as the
student becomes proficient. As a sword instructor, your job would be to
get hit by all your students. Because if they cannot hit you correctly
who can they hit correctly? This is also called a "physical game of chess"
therefore; all strikes to the body or head have to be perfected. The legs
are easy to hit!! As with the arms.
Q: Slashes: what are they?
Slashes still use the basic 5 strike areas,
which are mostly all slashes. 80 to 90 percent of the time are slashes
or cuts.
Q; Thrusts: what are they?
Tsuki or the thrust has the head, neck, chest
and are incorporated into various techniques. Again, a thrust tends to
open up your defenses and have a greater chance to be put into difficulty.
Therefore, one needs to add an additional 30% of speed and agility to the
technique to get in take the shot and get out without being hit with a
counter attack.
Q: What is the role of footwork?
A very important aspect and I could explain
this for hours. The art of the sword is very fast and minute telegraphing
from the body opens your defenses. Therefore, it is best to get into the
opponents circle of influence without moving one's upper body. All stances
are basic kendo stances, which enable the combatant to attack at distances
up to 10 feet without body language or telegraphing. The Japanese explain
this by saying; have one foot always in front of the other and never cross
over your feet like one does with walking. Most always have your right
foot forward and your left foot in the back and inch forward, sideways,
backwards until you get into their circle and then attack. If you do this
correctly you will never trip, fall and or slip.
Q: One-handed techs vs. two-handed techniquess?
All combatants should be proficient with both
hands. Just in case one is lost. And of course, there are thousands of
techniques. Go to our web site and check out the PDF files on how to handle
the sword at www.samuraisports.com.
As a general rule one handed techniques are faster and two-handed techniques
are stronger. Both one and two-handed techniques are a must in the Japanese
sword. This still all relates to chanbara where one country might encourage
one-handed techniques and another might encourage two-handed techniques.
Who is better? Go to a chanbara tournament and test the technique.
Q: Is sparring composed of mostly offense,
or is there also a lot of defense?
It is very difficult to block a weapon. Therefore,
it is best to get out of the way and not get hit at all. Just imagine getting
hit in a head on collision by a car when you are in a big truck. No matter
how safe the bigger vehicle is you will be put into difficulty. If one
has a very strong offensive technique all opponents will have to evade.
Here in the United States many schools teach an abundance of blocking and
counters which takes twice as much time to move correctly. With weaponry
especially, the sword all combatants are taught to come in hard and fast.