Japanese vs. European Swordsmanship... You Got it All Wrong!

Lots of people have strong opinions (and biases) about whether Eastern or Western martial arts are “better“ and whether a knight or a samurai would win in a hypothetical duel. Meanwhile, the more you actually compare notes and look at the fundamental basics of Kenjutsu and HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), the more you realize that this is all pretty silly. Human anatomy and biomechanics put some constraints on the variety of techniques and tactics that make practical sense, and as a result the similarities are greater than the differences. In this video I’m taking a look at Kenjutsu demonstrations and drawing comparisons to the western medieval counterparts. Let’s see if they are really diametrically opposed the way some zealous fans seem to insist. :) *** Time stamps *** 00:00 - 01:07 Sword hipsters, “weebs“, and keyboard warriors 01:07 - 02:13 East vs. West - difference & similarities 02:13 - 02:54 Kenjutsu: deflectional parries