Kendo Kyohan (Japanese military sabre) - 1909

[admin]

http://kenshi247.net/blog/2010/04/12/ke ... untojutsu/

[Alina]

Awesome source, Matt!

[Dave Long]

part 3 of the series is Jyōbaguntōjutsu, horseback combat.

Comments on the translator's comments:

56. Saber combat while on horseback, unlike lance-based combat, does not rely on charges. Instead, the two duelists fight at close to a full stop, since the relatively short reach of a saber would make a lance-style charge ineffective.

This is a misinterpretation: the full stop (and extra 2m separation) is because a line of troopers is doing an stationary exercise (presumably to introduce the basic movements)

60. The kanji used here has long since fallen out of favor and is no longer in common use. As a result, this reading is an educated guess based on readings of kanji with similar radicals.

Seems like a reasonable reading to me; however, the kanji may never have been in common use as the picture (albeit from the 1934 instead of 1909 manual) clearly shows a horse and rider in "english" (not japanese) tack and riding gear.

62. Both of these techniques seem designed to cause the rider to lose control of the horse, thus disrupting their attack and defense.

(just an aside, based on the idea of incorporating armor in hair/textiles: the traditional iberian mane ribboning could easily incorporate chains/plates helping to protect the neck)

63. In order to force him to retreat or to maneuver behind him.

Actually, this is a direct consequence of the Nineteenth Part: you always want to keep opponents on your right side; if you are engaging, you try to keep them on the inside of a circle, hence turn right; if you are disengaging, you hope to keep them all outside of the circle, hence turn left. (this asymmetry also explains why hussars wear their jackets over their left shoulders)