Chinese-Swords (Both history and film)

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

I think a lot of swords were decorative, unless they were out in the countryside, protecting themselves from bandits, possibly. I had an Asian history course, and China's history was mostly commerce, not battles and duels. Also, the fact is, the Government, and many times, the common people, had a love hate relationship with Martial Arts, considering it the hobby of hicks or the weapon of troublemakers and gangsters. 

Edited June 1, 2019 by NoKUNGFUforYU

[DragonClaws]

 

 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

 

 

@Shosetsu, the following video comes highly recommend to you.

 

CCTV Rediscovering China - 剑 (jian) Chinese Sword (Video)

Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll3TggMgLH4

 

 

 

Edited June 12, 2019 by DragonClaws

[DragonClaws]

 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

 

 

 

[Shosetsu]

On 6/12/2019 at 9:23 AM, DragonClaws said:

 

 

 

@Shosetsu, the following video comes highly recommend to you.

 

CCTV Rediscovering China - 剑 (jian) Chinese Sword (Video)

Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll3TggMgLH4

 

 

 

Thanks, DragonClaws, you made my day.

[DragonClaws]

 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

 

 

[Shosetsu]

Having watched the Chinese movie Dream Sword, I thought its title is a Misnomer.  Because most of the emphasis was on an Axe instead.  And not a regular axe but an axe with a very long handle. I guess it would be called a Pole-Axe.  And pole-type weapons have their own distinct category including the monk's weapon whose long pole has a cage-like attachment at one end to ensnare an enemy's blade.

If you ask me, that pole-axe is too cumbersome and unwieldy. Because in watching the protagonist swing and handle it, there were some points at which it seems the user was almost thrown off-balance.

One aspect of the movie that was very much in its favour was the subtitles. Because the picture itself was in letterbox format whereby the bottom of the picture was totally blank so that the subtitles appeared very clearly.

On the other hand if the subtitles appear on the picture itself then I feel they should be yellow so it can provide a contrast with any  light-colored scenes that appear.  If there is no such contrast then I usually cannot make out the words.

Edited August 15, 2019 by Shosetsu

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

When I do customs, I use different colors for subs. Back to the topic, I get into a lot of arguments with Chinese Nationalists on Facebook about whether the Chinese had a warrior/knight class. My understanding is anything close to a Samurai was pretty brief and a long, long time ago. Also, at least one Chinese general didn't think much of doing a lot of martial arts training, as did some Greeks and Romans. From what I can tell, pikes and spears and arrows were much more useful then swords, and dueling mano y mano was not a big, romanticized thing in real life historical China. I feel like the swords would be status symbols and "home defense", but very rarely used at all. Now security delivery guys are a different story, but even then, from what I read, it was mostly payoffs to local gangs, not epic battles, that took place. As dull as that sounds, I'm sure people didn't want to fight to the death all the time anyway, LOL!

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

9 hours ago, Shosetsu said:

Having watched the Chinese movie Dream Sword, I thought its title is a Misnomer.  Because most of the emphasis was on an Axe instead.  And not a regular axe but an axe with a very long handle. I guess it would be called a Pole-Axe.  And pole-type weapons have their own distinct category including the monk's weapon whose long pole has a cage-like attachment at one end to ensnare an enemy's blade.

If you ask me, that pole-axe is too cumbersome and unwieldy. Because in watching the protagonist swing and handle it, there were some points at which it seems the user was almost thrown off-balance.

One aspect of the movie that was very much in its favour was the subtitles. Because the picture itself was in letterbox format whereby the bottom of the picture was totally blank so that the subtitles appeared very clearly.

On the other hand if the subtitles appear on the picture itself then I feel they should be yellow so it can provide a contrast with any  light-colored scenes that appear.  If there is no such contrast then I usually cannot make out the words.

I found these colors pretty cool when dealing with Hard subs.

 

[Shosetsu]

On 8/15/2019 at 6:17 AM, NoKUNGFUforYU said:

I found these colors pretty cool when dealing with Hard subs.

 

Yes,  that green is good.  Easy and comfortable to read. When I mentioned the yellow I should have added that it's also done in bold-face print so it stands out from the background.

[Shosetsu]

One film I've watched several times already is Top Lady of the Sword.  

What surprises me is that the film seems to have borrowed a page from the Japanese Ninjitsu.  Because in the early scene of the Swordfight in the tavern the two Male heroes use explosives.  Mini-explosives. Since they are just mini-explosives their purpose is to only stun and/or disorient.  So nobody gets killed at all but their defeat is made quite clear when they finally end up sprawled all over the floor.

As for the Swordplay, it's quite good and is further enhanced by some nice stuntwork as well.  By stunt work I am referring to an opponent who falls from an overhead balcony onto a table below, with the table getting split in two from the impact.  He survives though, as presumably the table itself served as a cushion.

At one point even one of the heroes almost falls from the balcony when the railing breaks off so he dangles off the edge.

In seeing the touches of Japanese Ninjitsu from the use of mini-explosives, I cannot help but wonder if the writers saw the Japanese movie of the Crescent-Scar Swordsman starring Ichikawa Utaemon--with Yamagata Isao as the Ninja-leader using those same weapons.

Edited August 26, 2019 by Shosetsu

[DragonClaws]

 

 

 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

 

[Shosetsu]

On 9/6/2019 at 3:12 AM, DragonClaws said:

 

 

 

Good one, @DragonClaws, I appreciated that one.  I'm referring to the one that shows a Chinese sword Tournament.  I of course already know that the Japanese have sword tournaments that are called Kendo but never knew of the Chinese kind until you posted.  I notice that the Chinese use heavy cotton padding instead of the bamboo armor used in Kendo.  Another difference is that they don't have those protective wings or flaps that extend from the helmet used in Japanese Kendo.

I also get the impression that they don't have the thrusting-move that the Japanese call the Tsuki where the kendoist can thrust his sword at his opponent's throat.  For several years that thrusting-move was actually outlawed because of a tragic fatality that occurred.  But nowadays that move has been reinstated because the protective throat flap has been made more safe.

TheJapanese helmet has grid-type bars that protect the face. But lately they have been trying to popularize the use of a plastine transparent shield that covers the face.  Due to the shield's transparency it will totally replace the bars, thereby giving a complete view of your opponent's face.  Along those lines there was a humorous cartoon that showed a match between a male and female kendoist.  Due to the new helmet's transparency the lady told the male to wait while she put on her facial makeup.  With the old-style helmet, the face cannot be seen but with the new one it can.

Edited January 18, 2020 by Shosetsu

[DragonClaws]

 

 

[Shosetsu]

On 1/30/2020 at 9:41 AM, DragonClaws said:

 

 

In that video you posted, DragonClaws, I notice the segment where the Swordsmiths pray at the Buddhist temple before making the blade.  I know that the Japanese do that but this was the first time I've seen the Chinese do that preliminary.  But let me make the point here that the difference is that Chinese do it at a Buddhist temple whereas the Japanese do it at a Shinto temple or a localized Shinto altar at the home of the Swordsmith.  The big difference is that in Japan the Sword itself is intertwined with Religion, specifically Shinto.  Because in the Japanese religion of Shintoism there was a Sword at the beginning of creation.  At that point was not only one God but Two Gods, one male, and the other being female, namely Izanagi and Izanami.  That belief would most likely please the Feminists who feel offended that God is always called a He.  So Feminists would feel more comfortable with Shinto's Dualistic-God.  

But to get back to the Shinto Sword, it was droplets falling from the Sword blade that created the country of Japan. 

This is just my opinion or my guess that when the Chinese pray at the Buddhist temple it's more to show respect than for religious purpose, so it's different from Shinto ritual for the Sword making.

Edited February 16, 2020 by Shosetsu

[DragonClaws]

On 2/16/2020 at 8:41 AM, Shosetsu said:

In that video you posted, DragonClaws, I notice the segment where the Swordsmiths pray at the Buddhist temple before making the blade.  I know that the Japanese do that but this was the first time I've seen the Chinese do that preliminary.  But let me make the point here that the difference is that Chinese do it at a Buddhist temple whereas the Japanese do it at a Shinto temple or a localized Shinto altar at the home of the Swordsmith.  The big difference is that in Japan the Sword itself is intertwined with Religion, specifically Shinto.  Because in the Japanese religion of Shintoism there was a Sword at the beginning of creation.  At that point was not only one God but Two Gods, one male, and the other being female, namely Izanagi and Izanami.  That belief would most likely please the Feminists who feel offended that God is always called a He.  So Feminists would feel more comfortable with Shinto's Dualistic-God.  

But to get back to the Shinto Sword, it was droplets falling from the Sword blade that created the country of Japan. 

This is just my opinion or my guess that when the Chinese pray at the Buddhist temple it's more to show respect than for religious purpose, so it's different from Shinto ritual for the Sword making.

 

 

Informative post, always enjoy reading your contributions in this thread @Shosetsu.  You have a vast knowledge of Asian swords.

 

 

[Shosetsu]

On 2/19/2020 at 3:35 AM, DragonClaws said:

 

 

Informative post, always enjoy reading your contributions in this thread @Shosetsu.  You have a vast knowledge of Asian swords.

 

 

Thanks for your kind words, Dragon Claws. My point is that swords are not only about fighting but also about the Smiths, the Craftsmen whose talents enable them to make those works of art--- and also how swords are intertwined with the Spiritual.

An excellent example of spirituality is from a movie about the 47 Ronin.  Oishi had to make such a great sacrifice.  In order for Kira to be off guard and not suspect the Asano clan was going to make an attack, Oishi had to make himself look like a coward.  He had to make himself look like a worthless drunkard and endure the insults and contempt of everyone around him.  One day in public when he had blacked out from excessive drinking, a wandering swordsman happened to see Oishi's sword partly unsheathed from his Scabbard. Out of curiosity the stranger unsheathed the full length of Oishi's sword.  Upon closely  examining the blade, the stranger saw that Oishi was actually very noble and brave so he knew that Oishi was not a coward at all.  This is an excellent example of how a swordsman's "ki" or spirituality can be seen in the blade itself. Just as in Oishi's case, there are many other stories where the sword's blade can reflect the character of its user.

 

[DragonClaws]

 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

 

[Shosetsu]

No, this link is not about any Chinese Sword, but instead a Bosnian Sword.  But I had to post the link here because the circumstances surrounding this sword is very unusual.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thevintagenews.com/2019/11/05/sword-in-stone-bosnia/amp/

 

[Shosetsu]

In watching the Chinese movie Blood Stained Sword, what I noticed besides the swordplay was also the backgrounds and scenery.  All too often we look at only the fight scenes and don't appreciate the location shots.  Because at one point in Blood Stained Sword where the protagonist fights off multiple opponents, we see the action take place amid some beautiful ancient architecture.  I don't think it's a Buddhist temple, but is at least some ancient structure that has managed to survive over the centuries.  Certainly gratifying to me when I notice that most of the ancient architecture has managed to survive.  In this particular scene some of the structure seems to have crumbled but that is actually part of its charm as it shows how ancient the architecture is.  So many beautiful locations in China, not only the ancient architecture but also of course the natural landscapes.  And the Chinese filmmakers wisely take advantage of them as they should, as compared with Indoor sets.

At the same time, though, I cannot frown on the use of Indoor sets either.  Because if you look at the movie Five Element Ninja,  much of it uses Indoor sets.  But I think it was necessary in that case, especially the fight scenes where the ninja foes burst upwards through the surface of the ground. And also where the attacks take place in the lake and river.   Maybe the logistics would have been much too difficult to do Outdoors, especially the Water-scenes.  Or maybe cinematically speaking, the visuals of the Water-scenes are more focused when done on an Indoor set.  At least I'm sure that everybody will agree that creating a lake or river in-doors takes much talent to depict realistically.  

 

Edited March 28, 2020 by Shosetsu