Why Kenjutsu is Useless Against Kendo | Kobudo Master Reacts to 'KENJUTSU vs KENDO'

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❶ No previous martial arts experience is required; you can catch up anytime
❷ Every lesson will be RECORDED and will be available to rewatch anytime
❸ You can ask Seki Sensei questions about the techniques and samurai culture/history
❹ You can join even if you belong to another Ryuha style
❺ You can receive OFFICIAL DAN RANKS by taking exams online (and opening a DOJO in the future)

🧐Frequently Asked Questions About Our Online Lessons:
Q❓: I have no experience with katana. Will I still be able to catch up?
A💡: You don’t need any previous katana martial arts experience to participate in our lessons.

Seki Sensei, the instructor of the online lessons, will carefully give you instructions on how to handle the katana regardless of your level. You will also be able to access all the videos of the past lessons, so you can watch what every other student has learned in the past. You can also send us videos of your progress, and Seki Sensei will be happy to give you feedback.

Q❓: What is the right length of the Iaito (zinc alloy training katana) I should use?
A💡: Please purchase an Iaitō that is at least two blocks longer than the standard length.

The standard length for Seki Sensei is about 177cm, so he should use a 2.45 Shaku long katana. However, he uses a 2.6 Shaku-long katana that is supposed to be used by someone 190cm tall. If the katana is too short, it becomes too easy to draw, which is not good for training.

Q❓: Can I join even if I belong to a different Ryuha style?
A💡: Yes, it’s not a problem at all.

The Seki Sensei himself has trained in more than five styles and various other weapons. If you don’t want others to know that you are participating, you can join the online lessons with your camera off. To have the Sensei check your progress, you can send us a video of you practicing.

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Interested in taking Iaido lessons directly from the 8th Dan Iaido Master with 40 years of experience in Musō Shinden Ryu, Seki sensei? Sign up to learn authentic samurai skills with perfect English interpretation from Let’s ask Shogo.
❶ No previous martial arts experience is required; you can catch up anytime
❷ Every lesson will be RECORDED and will be available to rewatch anytime
❸ You can ask Seki Sensei questions about the techniques and samurai culture/history
❹ You can join even if you belong to another Ryuha style

💻Seki Sensei's Official Website💻

🎵Original Opening Theme Song "Hyakuren"🎵
Performance: Hanafugetsu (Singer/Suzuhana Yuko, Shakuhachi/Kaminaga Daisuke, Koto/Ibukuro Kiyoshi)
Compositions & Arrangements: Suzuhana Yuko
Mixing & Mastering: Watabiki Yuta

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♪Music♪

#katana #iaido #kenjutsu #kobudo #asayamaichidenryu

[letsasksekisensei]

⚔Join the Online Kobudo Training with Seki Sensei⚔

❶ No previous martial arts experience is required; you can catch up anytime
❷ Every lesson will be RECORDED and will be available to rewatch anytime
❸ You can ask Seki Sensei questions about the techniques and samurai culture/history
❹ You can join even if you belong to another Ryuha style
❺ You can receive OFFICIAL DAN RANKS by taking exams online (and opening a DOJO in the future)


🧐Frequently Asked Questions About Our Online Lessons:
Q❓: I have no experience with katana. Will I still be able to catch up?
A💡: You don’t need any previous katana martial arts experience to participate in our lessons.

Seki Sensei, the instructor of the online lessons, will carefully give you instructions on how to handle the katana regardless of your level. You will also be able to access all the videos of the past lessons, so you can watch what every other student has learned in the past. You can also send us videos of your progress, and Seki Sensei will be happy to give you feedback.

Q❓: What is the right length of the Iaito (zinc alloy training katana) I should use?
A💡: Please purchase an Iaitō that is at least two blocks longer than the standard length.

The standard length for Seki Sensei is about 177cm, so he should use a 2.45 Shaku long katana. However, he uses a 2.6 Shaku-long katana that is supposed to be used by someone 190cm tall. If the katana is too short, it becomes too easy to draw, which is not good for training.

Q❓: Can I join even if I belong to a different Ryuha style?
A💡: Yes, it’s not a problem at all.

The Seki Sensei himself has trained in more than five styles and various other weapons. If you don’t want others to know that you are participating, you can join the online lessons with your camera off. To have the Sensei check your progress, you can send us a video of you practicing.

🗡Join the Online Iaido Training with Seki Sensei🗡

Interested in taking Iaido lessons directly from the 8th Dan Iaido Master with 40 years of experience in Musō Shinden Ryu, Seki sensei? Sign up to learn authentic samurai skills with perfect English interpretation from Let’s ask Shogo.
❶ No previous martial arts experience is required; you can catch up anytime
❷ Every lesson will be RECORDED and will be available to rewatch anytime
❸ You can ask Seki Sensei questions about the techniques and samurai culture/history
❹ You can join even if you belong to another Ryuha style

💻Seki Sensei's Official Website💻

🎵Original Opening Theme Song "Hyakuren"🎵
Performance: Hanafugetsu (Singer/Suzuhana Yuko, Shakuhachi/Kaminaga Daisuke, Koto/Ibukuro Kiyoshi)
Compositions & Arrangements: Suzuhana Yuko
Mixing & Mastering: Watabiki Yuta

❓What is Asayama Ichiden Ryu? / Who is Seki sensei?❓

📱Instagram📱
*Please ask us questions through the DM here

♪Music♪

#katana #iaido #kenjutsu #kobudo #asayamaichidenryu

[blademan_b]

Hello. Im blue kenjutsu guy in the video. Thank you Shogo and Sensei!!😁

[AdamOwenBrowning]

I love it when Seki-sensei says something very politely then smiles at you to understand and read between the lines, or when he's just explained a niche detail of his arts and smiles right after success.

[jephilologist]

It's a natural problem that occurs when trying to pit to styles of fighting against each other. Some people can easily come to a conclusion that one is stronger because of the results- but sometimes they also fail to realize that the process may have had something to do with the results of the match- one major issue being the ruleset discrepancies.

For example, you may pit a muay thai fighter against a boxer, and because one of them wins, some people will be quick to judge that the winner has the stronger art. However, that would be fallacious. Putting physical differences aside, people have to scrutinize what the ruleset was. Was kicking allowed? What were the valid targets? What constituted a knockdown? etc.

Those discrepancies can skew the results- and therefore must be taken with several grains of salt.

[rameymj]

The thing noticed is that as soon as a combatant thinks they scored, they stop. They don't retreat to a defensive stance or continue with combination strikes. This also leads to reckless "all or nothing" attacks. This is common in all combat sports for points.

[YouCallThataKnife]

This reminds me of the first time I tried point-sparring when I was used to doing kickboxing. Point-sparring allows for strange and often reckless movements that would not be advisable in full-contact sparring/fighting, but is super effective at getting points in the sport

[lyooyiylklykyokyklky]

That was great, thank you both! We have a similar issue in HEMA with cutting vs. hitting, there are some rules to help mitigate this but it can be difficult to know if a strike has been disabling or would have failed to make an impact. As hopefully no one has much experience in cutting human beings with swords, it is difficult to work out exactly what would work!

[FigureOnAStick]

Definitely evocative of something you see in European longsword, where there are distinct, but unofficial "martial" and "tournament" styles of fighting. In the former, one tends to use a much greater variety of guards in the attempt to provoke a safe opening in the opponent before one commits to an attack. In the latter, people tend to hang in low point forward guards (pflug, breve) and either keep distance to tap the hands, or otherwise fly in with a quick, lunging cut before flying out, relying on athleticism at least as much as technique.

I think it's just a natural consequence of gamifying a martial art, since formal competitions require arbitration, and therefore a rule-set. Martially accurate rule-sets can be approached, but never quite reached due to the complexity of arbitration (how long do you want to spend waiting for judges to determine if a hit would've actually been damaging), potentially dangerous (especially techniques designed to counter armor). The further the simulation is from an actual fight, the more the fighting styles will differ as athletes adapt their skills to better fit the context.

[ambulocetusnatans]

Originally, Kendo was developed as a way to sparr safely for Kenjutsu. But if it changes the way you fight, then it isn't filling that role.

[LordCrazyMike]

Multi discipline weapon martial artist here (HEMA, FMA). I greatly appreciate the breakdown of each engagement from both viewpoints. There are a few Kendoka and Budo enthusiasts I will have to spar with soon, and this is helpful, both with how I plan to engage them and with providing feedback to help them improve, and context for me to understand how I can improve :)

Hopefully, I'll do well and we will all learn a lot from each other

[Densoro]

Love this crossover!

I'd love to see people stress-test iai properly. Anime and video games have created an 'iai fighter' archetype who wastes time re-sheathing their weapon after every swing, but a more realistic sparring parameter might be...putting 5-10 participants in a field, walking around, performing other tasks with a practice katana sheathed at their side. Then, secretly designate 1-3 'imposters' who will try to ambush the others. Not by hiding around corners, but by hiding in plain sight. Can they draw their sword cut down an ambush target, or can their target draw _their own_ sword and defend themselves in time?

[miguelpujols]

Seki sensei is very politely when he says: that wisdom is always looking for you, but it seems that you are always a little faster...

[johncartwright]

These videos from Weaponism are fun to watch, but not to be taken seriously. Probably shot as a fun experience too!
I notice that the 'katana' used was extremely flexible, and therefore the wielder did not make any attempt to block or parry with such an unrealistic weapon lacking rigidity.
Interesting analysis though by Seki Sensei and Shogo.
I believe that Weaponism now produce a steel practice katana, which would make such an encounter more authentic.

[lyrad]

Thank you for this! I am kind of lost in the loop even from the main channel due to everything going back to normal especially for work.

Since time immemorial, people have really been interested in duking out different martial arts but as most Japanese ones, there's the "jutsu" and "do" difference which we have seen and explained from Seki-sensei's responses too.

[wilowhisp]

Thank you for posting this. I really enjoyed and valued the wisdom and insight of Seki Sensei.

[thetalantonx]

Thank you for that respectful and insightful reaction!

[roninwilson]

Shogo and Seki Sensei,
I just want to sincerely thank you for all your content to date. I love and appreciate the humility and grace with which you educate us on your martial arts, all the while showing your own excitement to explore and exchange with other schools of martial knowledge.
Thank you for your dedication and hard work!

[kendosprendlingen]

Hello there! Thank you for the great content! I would just like to add that people that practice both Kendo and Iaido are not all that uncommon. I've met even Kendo 7dan teachers with Menkyo Kaiden of traditional kobudo koryu. Many say that they are supplementing another well, but I guess most of us lack the time or committment to follow more than one path.

[Threadoflength]

Great video! Would like to see Seki Sensei's reaction to HEMA. I think that same channel (Weaponism) has a kendoka vs a HEMA practitioner as well.

[dstarfire]

I normally don't bother with reaction videos, but it is very interesting and enjoyable to hear Seki Sensei and Shogo discussing this and hearing Sensei's insights and explanations. I don't know anything about Kenjutsu or Kendo but even I was able to follow along with Sensei's explanations.

Thank you, Shogo and Sensei for another great video.