Came across this the other day from Gekiken.org. They tend to focus on Japanese Historical Fencing - which is always cool. It's always fascinating to me to see anything from WWII or earlier, before some of the old ways were lost to the war.

The video description from YouTube is:
"Black and white footage of WWII Japanese Navy Soldiers practicing Bayonet and Sword fencing.

You can see them wearing the half armour. The body armour "Dou" and "Tare" only covers the left half of the body.

But interesting, even the swordsman also wears the half-armour. Perhaps it's due to convenience? By right, the swordsman should be using a standard full armour.

For more on historical Japanese fencing, please visit: http://www.Gekiken.org"

Feel free to follow the link. They have some cool stuff up for you to watch!

Enjoy!

Kobudo, Eku Kata

Yup. That's an oar.

I found this on Research of Martial Arts Facebook Page. The description is best said by one of their replies to a comment:
"This weapon is called an 'Eku'. It is a traditional wooden oar used for paddling and boat racing throughout Southern China and the Japanese Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa among them). Because this has been a common household instrument for centuries, it has become one of the prominent weapons in the traditions of Okinawan Kobudo."

Makes sense. Though I have to admit, I haven't seen this before. Very cool!

Enjoy!