Media Critique
Fight Science: Samurai Katana
The video below is a segment from an episode of "Fight Science," a series which originally aired on the National Geographic Channel. The show focuses on exploring the history and effectiveness of different martial arts techniques as well as weapons. While this may be an engaging video for those who are first being introduced to Japanese swordsmanship, it is chock-full of problems in the eyes of an Iaido practitioner like myself.
The beginning of the video involves the narrator describing a brief history of the samurai sword. There is quite a bit of glorification of the sword with words like "legendary," "unbreakable," or phrases like "slash limbs like butter," and "pierce iron armor." I believe that the narrator may have crossed the line between holding something in reverence and exaggeration, but that is a very minor problem. In fact, the main problem of this video is not the narrator, but rather the portrayal of how a samurai katana is used.
Within the first minute of the video the problems begin to surface. 50 seconds in, Bren Foster appears half naked, holding the sword in stance while glistening in sweat. Before he even moves or uses the sword, his attire is enough to distract those who have a basic understanding of Japanese swordsmanship. If you have seen the "Attire" page on this website, you may have some idea of what I mean. In fact, even if you do not know about proper attire, the introduction featured Obata sensei and his students dressed very differently. First let's ignore the top half and look at the bottom half: Foster isn't wearing a hakama! Traditionally, men of higher class wore hakama. In essence, a hakama is an immediate indicator of social class, separating peasants from samurai. How can a person, who cannot even afford a hakama or a shirt, be part of the samurai class? If that person is not a samurai, how would he have learned how to use a sword? No kenjutsu (literally: sword technique) schools would have accepted a lower class student. Furthermore, not only does he lack a hakama, he lacks a traditional obi (belt). His belt is similar to those used by Karate or Tae Kwon Do practitioners, which some Iaido practitioners actually prefer. However, Foster is not wearing or even holding a saya (sword sheathe). Does he walk around with his sword out all the time? Or does he just find and pick up a sword when a fight starts?
His lack of training with the Japanese sword is apparent as he starts to demonstrate by swinging the sword. The way he uses the sword is much more akin to the way that Wushu (Chinese martial art) practitioners use their swords. In fact, in the next segment where he fights against two opponents who are dressed in Wushu uniforms, there is little to no distinction between their styles of fighting. In addition, throughout my time as an Iaido practitioner, I have never seen more advanced students toss the blade up like a circus juggling act, jump around while cutting, and do flashy body flips. A further search on Bren Foster's background reveals that he is actually an actor and his experience in martial arts is mainly as a Tae Kwon Do (a Korean style) practitioner.
Interestingly enough, the audience does not need to have background knowledge in Japanese swordsmanship to notice that Bren Foster's style may not be traditional. Within this "Fight Science" episode, Toshihiro Obata sensei is also featured. Introduced again at 2:52, he first takes the seated seiza position and bows to the sword. While remaining in seiza, he calmly inspects his sword. There is a short scene from another film, where two swordsman fight against each other. The one on the left seems to be fighting with a Chinese weapon and Chinese style, while the swordsman on the right has the Japanese sword. Similar to Bren Foster, the Chinese swordsman on the left ducks and jumps and uses exaggerated movements to dodge his opponent's attacks. On the right side? No body flips. No jumping. Just cut after cut as the Japanese swordsman pursues his opponent.
After a description about tatami cutting mats by Nathan Scott, one of Obata sensei's students, the sensei begins a series of cutting demonstrations. A practitioner of battojutsu (literally: sword drawing technique), Obata sensei also yells while cutting. This type of yelling is called kiai by Japanese martial arts practitioners, and are used across many different martial arts. To a beginner, the kiai of the two practitioners may seem very similar, but unlike Foster, I feel that Obata sensei's kiai are much more controlled. Furthermore, Obata sensei's metsuke (gaze) throughout the video is much more focused compared to Foster's, which can be described as wild.
In the summer of 2011, I had the fortune of studying Ono ha Itto-ryu at a seminar taught by Takemi Sasamori, the 20th grandmaster of that style. Nathan Scott was at the same seminar and I was introduced to him. From our conversation, it seems that Obata sensei demonstrated much more than what was aired on the episode, and it is likely because the director thought that Foster's interpretation of sword use was more exciting. To me, and arguably most other Iaido practitioners, the Japanese sword should be used while remaining calm and controlled, minimizing unnecessary movements - not while jumping and yelling and rampaging. Despite Foster's misrepresentation of the sword's use, this video is not without merit. The segments from Obata sensei are educational, and the history of the sword is more or less correct. In addition, the ballistic gel cast of the dummy bust allows the modern audience to understand the forces exerted by a sword, and the computer modeling scene takes advantage of technology for another engaging look at the samurai sword.
Within the first minute of the video the problems begin to surface. 50 seconds in, Bren Foster appears half naked, holding the sword in stance while glistening in sweat. Before he even moves or uses the sword, his attire is enough to distract those who have a basic understanding of Japanese swordsmanship. If you have seen the "Attire" page on this website, you may have some idea of what I mean. In fact, even if you do not know about proper attire, the introduction featured Obata sensei and his students dressed very differently. First let's ignore the top half and look at the bottom half: Foster isn't wearing a hakama! Traditionally, men of higher class wore hakama. In essence, a hakama is an immediate indicator of social class, separating peasants from samurai. How can a person, who cannot even afford a hakama or a shirt, be part of the samurai class? If that person is not a samurai, how would he have learned how to use a sword? No kenjutsu (literally: sword technique) schools would have accepted a lower class student. Furthermore, not only does he lack a hakama, he lacks a traditional obi (belt). His belt is similar to those used by Karate or Tae Kwon Do practitioners, which some Iaido practitioners actually prefer. However, Foster is not wearing or even holding a saya (sword sheathe). Does he walk around with his sword out all the time? Or does he just find and pick up a sword when a fight starts?
His lack of training with the Japanese sword is apparent as he starts to demonstrate by swinging the sword. The way he uses the sword is much more akin to the way that Wushu (Chinese martial art) practitioners use their swords. In fact, in the next segment where he fights against two opponents who are dressed in Wushu uniforms, there is little to no distinction between their styles of fighting. In addition, throughout my time as an Iaido practitioner, I have never seen more advanced students toss the blade up like a circus juggling act, jump around while cutting, and do flashy body flips. A further search on Bren Foster's background reveals that he is actually an actor and his experience in martial arts is mainly as a Tae Kwon Do (a Korean style) practitioner.
Interestingly enough, the audience does not need to have background knowledge in Japanese swordsmanship to notice that Bren Foster's style may not be traditional. Within this "Fight Science" episode, Toshihiro Obata sensei is also featured. Introduced again at 2:52, he first takes the seated seiza position and bows to the sword. While remaining in seiza, he calmly inspects his sword. There is a short scene from another film, where two swordsman fight against each other. The one on the left seems to be fighting with a Chinese weapon and Chinese style, while the swordsman on the right has the Japanese sword. Similar to Bren Foster, the Chinese swordsman on the left ducks and jumps and uses exaggerated movements to dodge his opponent's attacks. On the right side? No body flips. No jumping. Just cut after cut as the Japanese swordsman pursues his opponent.
After a description about tatami cutting mats by Nathan Scott, one of Obata sensei's students, the sensei begins a series of cutting demonstrations. A practitioner of battojutsu (literally: sword drawing technique), Obata sensei also yells while cutting. This type of yelling is called kiai by Japanese martial arts practitioners, and are used across many different martial arts. To a beginner, the kiai of the two practitioners may seem very similar, but unlike Foster, I feel that Obata sensei's kiai are much more controlled. Furthermore, Obata sensei's metsuke (gaze) throughout the video is much more focused compared to Foster's, which can be described as wild.
In the summer of 2011, I had the fortune of studying Ono ha Itto-ryu at a seminar taught by Takemi Sasamori, the 20th grandmaster of that style. Nathan Scott was at the same seminar and I was introduced to him. From our conversation, it seems that Obata sensei demonstrated much more than what was aired on the episode, and it is likely because the director thought that Foster's interpretation of sword use was more exciting. To me, and arguably most other Iaido practitioners, the Japanese sword should be used while remaining calm and controlled, minimizing unnecessary movements - not while jumping and yelling and rampaging. Despite Foster's misrepresentation of the sword's use, this video is not without merit. The segments from Obata sensei are educational, and the history of the sword is more or less correct. In addition, the ballistic gel cast of the dummy bust allows the modern audience to understand the forces exerted by a sword, and the computer modeling scene takes advantage of technology for another engaging look at the samurai sword.