I hope impersonating a moderator isn't a crime... xplasma: "Only those you want to talk about training are allow to post." I think we should honor the thread-starter's request. Greg Chapman: "Whats this money you sent me, did you get it out of your monopoly board?" hatsie: "i hope that isn't the note i wrote that beautiful blonde's phone no. on." The personal messaging system works perfectly for the above kinds of dialogue. Remember, this isn't a chat room. Ok, back on topic: I just have a little anecdotal thing to say about taihenjutsu (rolling n' stuff), and I think I'll post it to the ukemi thread: http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18934 and something related to talk about throwing techniques - which I may want to start a new thread on. I'll just intro it here by bringing up the obvious point that learning good ukemi is vital to be able to learn throwing techniques (nagewaza). I'll cross link to the nagewaza thread after I've started it.
It was my understanding, based on apocryphal (i.e. unsourced, word-of-mouth) information, that the straight sword was actually a yakuza weapon from the post-WWII era, as well as the utilitarian weapon we all know and love, possibly based on the Chinese tai chi straight-bladed sword. It's possible, but not probable, Takamatsu picked up this weapon (the straight-bladed sword) when he was busy running his school in China, or possibly after making friends with his Chinese kempo buyu (the one he bested in the match by leaping, etc.) and honoring the friendship with a toast of sake and an oath. Perhaps in all his years there he had the opportunity to witness a Chinese form using this kind of sword, and brought it back to Japan with him. Just pure, total speculation here, people, nothing more. Hell, any number of disaffected Japanese could have brought it over with them. In post WWII, the US busied itself grabbing and melting hundreds of thousands of curved samurai swords... a straight blade might have escaped detection (and so would burying them...)
I don't think Hayes' introduced it because I've seen it in an Ashida Kim book (1981) first then in a Hayes' book (1983).
Checked out publisher info. This just in: Stephen K. Hayes' book, "NINJA Vol. 1: Spirit of the Shadow Warrior", first published in 1980, contains illustrations of Hayes and others using the straight-bladed sword. Pages 68-75. This is the first edition with the orange cover, but the sixth printing from 1983. Hayes' "The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art", first published in 1981 by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd., with editorial offices at 153 Milk Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Picture #43 "Ninja Sword and Scabbard" on page 89 (of 25th printing) shows straight bladed ninja sword. Perhaps you did what I just did a few minutes ago, and look up the printing date as opposed to the publishing date? I always get the two confused!
