Kuroda Tetsuzan 黒田鉄山 Kenjutsu Bujutsū

I came across this guy the other day and I finally decided to post this video. I have to admit, this is pretty unique style. The fact that he commonly starts off with the kissaki (the tip of the sword) away from his opponent is unusual in itself, but the speed with which he attacks is also unique. Together they balance each other quite well.

 

You'll notice also in the video that he has introduces his students to counters to attacks, both armed and unarmed. Particularly interesting is if someone tries to stop your attack by grabbing the wrist. It's very aikido-like.


        The only analogy to this in modern kendo is waki-no-kamae. That is where the sword is placed almost behind your body in order to "mask" your distance and hide the length of your sword.

 

(No, I don't know who he is. I just found a photo of someone demonstrating waki-no-kamae.)

Farewell Bob Anderson

Farewell Bob Anderson. You will be dearly missed!

He died early New Year's Day at a hospital in England at the age of 89.

For those of you who don't know, Bob Anderson was one of THE great swordsmen of our time. After having a career in western fencing, he studied other styles and went on to be one of the Hollywood's leading stuntmen and fight choreographers.

He worked with Erol Flynn.

He was the "third man" to play Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy. David Prowse was the actor, James Earl Jones was the voice, and Anderson did all the swordplay for Vader.

He worked with Antonio Banderas in the Zorro films.

He was the swordmaster/choreographer for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The last I saw him was in a rare interview he gave for an overview style Documentary called "Reclaiming the Blade".

He had such an influence on so many movies, and as a result our culture, it's hard to imagine.

One more example of how one man can change the world. Or at least how we view it!