Please, that would be so good. Having more proper examples of Western weapons and people trained in their use would make a great addition (even if Seki-Sensei's experimentation is also delightful). Even if flying someone like Matt Easton and various gear to Japan or doing the reverse for Seki-Sensei or Shogo could not be done there must be some experienced HEMA practicioners in Japan.
@@gokbay3057 Unfortunately Matt coming to Japan won't work out too well as he might not be able to bring even replica metal weapons into Japan due to the strict weapons laws. I feel sending Seki Sensei and Shogo to England to see Matt would be better.
There is an anecdote from before Sengoku in which a Spaniard and a samurai killed each other. The samurai slashed at the Spaniard, expecting him to move his sword to counter, and the Spaniard instead held his rapier steady, expecting the samurai to back down from the attack due to his point. The samurai was impaled, and the Spaniard was slashed in the neck; both died. A lot of these kinds of exchanges I think would have resulted from a katana wielder with more aggression.
Oddly enough growing up in the SCA, society of creative anachronism, I saw this a lot. we did fencing and shani fighting at the age of 14 to 18 and then heavy weapon full plate combat starting at 18. Most kingdoms only did fencing and heavy. Anytime someone came to California and tried shani for the first time, we had to take it slow or people were getting hurt. This is also why SCA requires thrusting as its own authorization for heavy combat.
I think my favorite part of these video series is it disproves the myth that a Samurai or a European would be confused by the other's weapons. If they exchanged weapons and had a duel, they would still be extremely deadly. Seki Sensei knows EXACTLY what a katana is capable of and given any weapon immediately exploits or défends the weak points.
Took his student(which also an expert and sensei) a little bit more time to figure out the rapier, probably would have died if immediately went into combat against some one of Seki-sensei's level(well, obviously he died a few times before he got the hang of the rapier if those swords are real), but against anyone with about his level in kenjutsu but only had a katana, he would have very likely survived the first few moves and if the opponent didn't get pierced during those few moves, he would have won without much trouble due to the advantage of the rapier in duelling.
@MazokuJun Good points. Although the difference in skill cuts both ways. If he is fighting a European student at the same level we'd expect a similar learning curve. It also feels like with any reasonable amount of preparation something that could be overcome. Sure, if the students just switch weapons on the pitching deck of a ship mid battle there will be problems. But if they have a few days to train seems doable. Even in this limited session the student eventually forced use of the buckler.
@@WhatIfBrigade Ah, yes, I was thinking and talking about another person trained in kenjutsu using a katana facing him using a rapier as a complete newbie. He is more likely to survive the first few moves unlike facing Seki sensei where the skill difference is too much.
Well, it's not that easy. A different blade or armor design is one thing. But the real chaos factor would be the introduction of a shield. These make close combat very, very different.
Hello Sensei and Shogo, It's Chris from the Sunday online lessons. I coach and compete in HEMA rapier so this is a really fun video for me. Sensei has such great instincts when it comes to the blade. If I could give one comment, it would be to hold the Buckler out in front of the body. This creates a cone of defense the opponent has to work around. Then, using the Buckler to close off a line of attack, you can safely step into range and thrust. I would be happy to send a video of the rapier against my very limited understanding of Katana.
Yeah, usually the stance with a buckler is to point it towards your opponent, or to cover the wrist of your sword arm while you're doing sword techniques. I think the wrist covering is more relevant for shorter swords and ones you can slash with.
It is difficult to compare the two weapons. The Western sword that is featured in the video comes from an era when armor was no longer worn. Its use does not require a preparatory phase. You do not need to gain a lot of momentum in advance to attack. But it is ineffective against armor. The Japanese sword, on the other hand, was designed to cut through Eastern armor, and its use is effective from this point of view. However, this means that working with it requires a lot of momentum. In the preparatory phase, the katana user can be effectively attacked with the rapier. The sensei demonstrated this. It is also clear that when he uses a katana, he does not gain a lot of momentum.
Really great video! A minute and a half in and Seki-sensei is already demonstrating a beautifully timed disengage and riposte. Clearly knows his way around a blade. There are a few things to note though: 1. While rapier and buckler was definitely common, a more common and effective pairing was rapier and parrying dagger. Because the rapier is useless once your opponent is past the point, the short reach of the dagger allows the fencer to defend themselves at close range, and is also more effective at controlling the opponent’s blade when used defensively. Bucklers did overlap with rapiers but they were an earlier defensive tool. Once rapier fighting became more developed the buckler was less commonly used. 2. Seki-sensei won many of his bouts because his movements were much more efficient and his timing was perfect. However, both senseis made their thrusts without fully extending the arm, and with the sword at an angle to the arm. This may have been because they are used to katana tenouchi, but with a thrusting weapon the grip needs to be lighter to bring the blade in line with the arm and achieve maximum distance on the thrust. Against another rapier, it is of paramount importance to maintain distance because that extra inch of space could be the difference between a scratch and a pierced organ. Attacking with an angled blade is dangerous because it means you need to get closer to your opponent, and they can thrust you on your way in and then back away. The only time the blade should angle is when you need to keep control of the opponent’s blade or close off a line of attack. Otherwise a more straight arm and blade is the most effective. 3. Seki-sensei and Tsuka-sensei (pardon my spelling) both developed a good understanding of the thrust as a tool for quick, deadly attacks, but the kamae being used were more suited for katana/saber and less for rapier. Both senseis were holding their guards at hip level, closer to a one-handed seigan/chudan. With thrusting weapons like the rapier, however, the guard needs to be higher up, closer to sternum height, and held further from the body. The cup guard will then be closer to the center of the torso, more effectively protecting the vital organs, and the point will be kept on the opponent at all times, making the approach very difficult for them. Many times Seki-sensei and Tsuka-sensei seemed to be in katana distance and kamae while holding the rapier, and Tsuka-sensei especially lost several exchanges that he might have won if he had kept his point in line and further from his body. Both Seki-sensei and Tsuka-sensei also used gedan, pointing the weapon at the ground before bringing it up to parry. This is generally very dangerous with thrusting weapons! A thrust from a quick fencer is too fast to parry safely like that, because the blade now has a greater distance to travel to protect you from the high thrust. This works against katanas because they are heavy cutting swords, but rapier vs. rapier this is bad technique, because very little force is needed to parry. Seki-sensei is allowed to do it because his skill and timing are so good, but in general the point should always be threatening the vital areas when in kamae. Great video, and sorry for the long post! I love watching these explorations of different weapons and techniques! If you do rapier again, please try rapier vs rapier, and use daggers instead of bucklers! 🙏
Better written and more knowledgeable statement of what I wanted to say. Definitely a dagger, although a buckler can work as a good weapon in close. The line is blurred because, in sparring, being poked with a flexing blunted sliver of steel is much much safer than being hammered by an inflexible buckler/shield edge. Control of the centerline is critical. A well balanced rapier should be lightning fast in the thrust, but is slower than swords more designed to cut in slashing movements. Often much slower. Not sure how that would apply to a katana.
Shogo desperately needs to make a collaboration happen with Matt Easton at Scholagladiatoria. Fly Shogo and Seki Sensei out to England to get a chance to look at Easton's collection of historical European weapons and do some workshops with local British HEMA groups. I think everyone would learn a lot from each other and have an amazing good time.
😮 that would be magical, and having seki sensei learn from Matt about historical techniques would extremely enhance his own! And getting a known masters skills for Hama added for Matt, would mean so much more CONTEXT!
I have studied French foil and small sword for many years. Seli Sensei has the same smile I have when I get a chance to bought. His instinct for the weapon is very good. There are some differences in approach, I think, between budo and Western swordsmanship which likely would be illuminating. In western styles usually defence is the first priority. It would be rare for one to use an open guard invitation with a thrusting weapon. In the French systems we also would try to maintain opposition against the opposing blade to stay safe during a thrust. But really, the sence of distance and timing has him 85% of the way to mastery having just picked up the weapon.Impressive.
So as someone who has spared against several different rapier wielders using long sword. Experienced users of the rapier will tend to avoid making contact with your sword at all or very little and whip it around to side where your sword is not. A lot of this is try and cover and counter the weakness that make a rapier prone to being disarmed. Their is a weakness in some experience rapier wielders that your experiment wouldn't account for. Rapier on rapier sparring is almost exclusively a point forward guard. Someone who does rapier against only other Rapier wielder, or sword systems with point forward guards, have trouble telling distance against a someone who isn't using a point forward guard. This isn't a weakness someone who has significant experience sword based martial arts that don't exclusively rely on a point forward guard. Most people at instructor level in historical rapier do have enough experience in multiply different type of sword martial arts that don't have this weakness. However it is a common weakness in rapier practitioners at an intermediate level.
"There" - Locative. Ex: He's over there "Their" - Possessive. Ex: Their friend is coming by "They're" - Contraction of "They are". Ex: They're ready to meet Learn the difference.
No? In Destreza (which explicitly tells us to use point-forward guards), if we want to fight any other system, we have to basically estimate the opponent's maximum range all the time, even if they're not in a point-forward guard. It's definitely not something only advanced fencers can do.
Rob Childs technique is not complex, it's precise. It is the most basic way to use a rapier, but just done to such a fine and slick point that he doesn't need a wide variety of techniques to cover him. It's just a very simple approach with a lot of experience, talent, and diligence. Ergo, in my opinion, it's not surprising he would devise a similar approach. It still speaks highly of his understanding of swordsmanship, but I'm pretty sure Rob Childs figured out how to use the rapier the way he does in minutes too lol. He's an MOA fencer, so he already had a fantastic base to work from and the tools he needed to make his simple system work were already engrained in him.
Since it's primarily a thrusting weapon, poking and stabbing techniques from bo, jo, naginata, yari and katana all come naturally. There's surprisingly little that's truly original in martial arts, after all, it's all physics and the human body, so there's only so many ways to solve certain problems. Still impressive that he knows so much about Japanese weapons that he always has something to draw on, though
1:24 a dagger is also used with a Rapier, specially a parrying dagger used for defense to deflect and or control enemy weapons before counter attacking. Also Rapiers can also cut rather well through muscle making well placed draw cuts and snipes fight enders and nasty.
@@SammyRenard Oh yea, they're not much of a limb cutter but you're having a REALY bad day if you get cut by a well sharpened one. Definitely losing a few fingers from a well-placed hand snipe.
Be interesting to see him using a cut and thrust sword, not as whippy as some rapiers, stiff enough to thrust with but a bit more blade edge that can you can definitely take off a hand with.
I love how this shows that the rapier vs katana matchup is effectively the same situation as rapier vs saber. It's impressive that Seki-sensei used winding and beats by instinct from his experience in a similar style. Most of the time, you can tell he's actively deciding on different techniques to attempt and possibly showcase for the audience, which is the mark of an excellent educator.
I like the humility and humour, the genuine exploration of a foreign weapon. The rapier creates a different shape of guard. I don't mean the weapon's hilt, to be clear, I mean the space protected by the weapon's position. A katana creates "invisible walls", it completely screens some areas from attack while inviting the opponent to try for the apparently unprotected areas. A rapier creates a cone of defence, radiating forward from the hilt. It deflects obliquely by default, and creates almost total cover at its optimum range. As Sensei discovered, contact closer to the rapier's hilt steers that defensive cone off and leaves the wielder open.
That and they are totally different in design even though they are both swords. Rapiers are meant to go through chain mail and armor which is why along with guns that armor was slowly phased out in Europe
Considering everyone in the video handled a rapier for the first time it turned out really well, probably even better than other novices. And on the other hand you could use just about anything to pair with rapiers from daggers, torches, cloaks and even another rapier.
This channel is living proof, that mastery of technique will almost always trump the “tool”. It doesn’t matter what advantage your strategy has. If your opponent worked harder than you, there’s no tech that will save you.
This is true to an extent. I still think that if I was in full riot gear with a rifle I'd probably win against seki sensei armed with nothing but a toothbrush
Back when I was younger my friends used to call me Task Master which I guess is a Marvel superhero or something. Whatever weapon we practiced with, I would instantly use well. Those were the days!
@@MorteWulfe That is awesome. Taskmaster BTW is a villain/anti-hero in Marvel who has the power of photographic reflexes. Whatever fighting style that he sees, he can copy and use.
What I love are those moments when something clicks. You see it on their faces. Almost childlike happiness. Then you see the technique change from then on. Those moments feel so good when you experience them. I love seeing others have them. I have some experience with the rapier and yet I learned something new from watching both partners. I thank you for that. A question? How different did the rapier feel from the smallsword for you? Just out of curiosity.
This rapier is very close to the real ones, the cool thing is, If you add a 30cm crossguard behind the cup, it will look like a 17th century Spanish rapier.
さすが関先生. Getting the hang of a weapon immediately is truly a testament to the skills he’s honed over so many years . Sukara sensei also has proved his skill and his ability to adapt in this video. Seki sensei taught him well, and sukara sensei learned well. There is one story of a samurai with a katana fighting a Spanish man with a rapier. The Spanish man thought “surly the samurai will not charge in when I extend my point.” The samurai though. “Surely this Spanish will try to block or dodge my attack.” Because neither had been trained in the art of the other, they were not prepared to deal with each other’s techniques. The samurai did not see the Spanish man extend his point, and the samurai stepped forward to strike , and cut the Spanish man down in one strike. The Spanish man died instantly. But he had stepped forward into the point of the rapier and impaled himself on it. The samurai died a few days later. This is a story I learned that was told to teach me the importance of being cautious around weapons and tactics you haven’t seen before, as they could easily catch you off guard. Seki sensei shows his wisdom and humbleness by not underestimating the rapier and expressing how he says he would be cautious at the end of the video.
That's similar to that old refrain about masters disliking fighting those new to the art, because the newbies make moves that are suicidal to someone who knows what they're doing.
@@adistan9142 RUclips won’t let me comment the actual words to give you a simple answer. So i am forced to give you a riddle. but the object you are looking for is in the place named after the biggest South American rain forest.
Tsukada-sensei mentioning how the rapier's hard to gauge depth is something is something rapier manuscripts take advantage of. That's part of the reason many stay in point forward guards. As well as because of the speed, it's necessary to be immediately able to parry. In the system of side sword (a precursor to the rapier) I took a few lessons in, they advise you to always keep your point facing the eyes of your enemy. As an artist, I notice that many stances that do this don't look good from the front view because the depth perception is so obscured by the point and blade being in line. It's so effective that drawing it as is would be confusing for someone looking at your art.
the buckler is also part of this, in the manuals you see them holding it with the arm stretched out and a bit down low, which obscures your legs, making it difficult for your opponent to anticipate your next move.
One thing you guys are not really utilizing is the "Bell" guard on the rapier. Granted the one you have is plastic. But they are normally metal and may have crossguards as well. With this, they can also be used for blocking and parrying as you can dive a bit further in without having to worry about your opponent striking your hand potentially leaving room for a riposte. Other than that the "Maki" technique you mentioned also looked similar to a spainish "Destraza" technique. Love the video! - A rapier fencer
Seki Sensei is proof of the old saying all martial arts are just different paths up the same mountain. There's only so many ways a human can move and once you have those fundamentals down to instinct you can adapt rapidly to fight with or against any melee weapon.
Seki Sensei is an excellent fencer with a deep understanding of the fundamentals of personal combat, and that is borne out by these demonstrations with weapons with which he is unfamiliar. Even being inexperienced with the rapier, he has great form and displays control and would, I think, prove formidable in sparring an experienced fencer. I'd be interested in seeing him experiment with other European swords (backsword/ baskethilt broadsword is a different beast compared to the rapier) and other weapons. I wonder, too, if this serise is getting more views than his others?
So while it's not on the plastic one you have as far as I can see usually rapiers(and many later era European swords) have a finger ring that you would hook your index finger in (sometimes also a thumb ring) that on top of giving you more control also makes disarming much harder also it's interesting how passive everyone was with the buckler where as most western swordsmen practiced in the style tend to be incredibly active and sometimes aggressive with it
I agree. You almost never see mention of the ring or occasionally two rings in a complex guard in fiction, but they certainly played an important role. And in the sparring matches I have seen with bucklers, they are often used more as an offensive tool than a defensive one. In Hema they would likely have paid a lot more attention to the after blows of the katana as well which would have forced the rapier to fight more cautiously.
Yeah, a buckler is better thought of as a sort of fist weapon. Its a really handy tool, you can smash it right into the opponents weapon without worry, especially with good gloves.
@@Tolredaneh, idk about that. it can be used as a weapon given the opportunity, but it is primarily function is for active defense. sticking it far out to cover your silhouette and disrupting attacks
@@midshipman8654 Nah, Tol is right. A buckler is a bashing weapon. The benefit of a buckler over a larger shield with more coverage is how aggressive and swiftly you can use it. You're deflecting and striking with it. It's a big reason why most bucklers had AT LEAST a metal boss (The round "Cap" in the center) and many of them had at least one spike on this boss. They are extremely effective for striking at an opponents head, or distracting them from your weapon. For instance, bash with the buckler so they move their weapon to parry it, then drive forward through the gap created in their defenses with your rapier, or use the edge of the buckler to smash their blade down towards the ground, and then thrust as they're off balance from the blow.
many rapiers had additional finger and thumb rings, as well as more encompassing guards on the hilts to prevent them being knocked/ wound out of the hand by the techniques such as those shown. great stuff loved seeing how much fun you guys had
It is! Disengaging with the wrist is a natural move covered by manuals even with things like the longsword. Epee/Foil/Rapier really doesn't like to get in the bind, so you see quite a bit of circling like that.
First time seeing sensei with a face guard. I don't know much about rapier either but I feel like he did another great job understanding its strengths and weaknesses. Seeing the maki technique executed in a duel so perfectly was beautiful! Great follow-up to the first one!
They made the right call to use a face guard with a rapier. One important technique any sort of fencer has is to point the tip of the weapon towards the eyes of the opponent thus making it very hard to judge the weapon's reach. This makes thrusts towards the face a key attack. If facing a katana wielder who is using a two handed grip it makes for an effective use of the reach advantage.
WOW that was a good video!! Subarashi! I already am a HUGE fan of those sparring videos in particular (please keep them coming), this one was especially wonderful. I loved seeing how Seki Sensei's crushing dominance with skill shines forth with either weapon type, but it was also awesome to see Tsukada Sensei learn and adapt very quickly with the rapier. Had a great time watching this! Again, wonderful job!
A fun new experience for sensei! Sensei and his demonstration partner figured out the rapier quickly. I'd be interested to see what sensei would do against the rapier if he was using a Jo or Bo staff. If you can find Portuguese swords that would be interesting like a Carrack's black sword. Other swords the samurai may have see are a cutlass, or a basket hilt sword. All one handed swords. Excellent video. I look forward to the next video.
As a novice diestro, I am amazed by how similar the moves Seki-Sensei shows with verdadera destreza. No explosive moves, no big lunges, just proper bladework and body positioning (he even got the angulo recto in his first try) to make the fight seem effortless. He even share similar footwork with us. For sure he doesn't need the buckler either; letting it go might help him to explore rapier a bit more. What I would let him to know next is the Spanish Circle and how it applies to the footwork. I don't know how it is in katana, but I imagine there will be similarities here too. On the side note we also do the "Maki" in destreza to disarm our opponent (in my school we call it "weak to strong"). I have been the victim of that move for more than once.
I love this! What's funny is that this actually looks more like a sabre than a rapier. The sabre is longer than the smallsword, but the rapier is even longer! One thing that was amazing to see was how both senseis discovered positions and attacks used in rapier, sabre, and most fascinatingly, the old sword and buckler techniques.
For Christmas, my 4 year old kids’ faces lite up with excitement when they unwrapped their scooters and bikes. Whenever you bring Sensei a new weapon to play with, I see his face lite up with the same exiting as my kids. These videos are wonderful!
I once sparred an experienced fencer. We were in Iraq and used flyswatters in place of swords. We were mainly sparring to amuse our coworkers during our off time. What i found worked was to close distance and grapple. fencing and techniques meant for the rapier in general are weak against grappling attacks. The hard part is to close the distance. I had the most luck with throwing my weapon in such a way my opponent would have to parry it by moving his weapon out of position. My background in Japanese sword arts is very limited. I have studied Aikido for years and picked up just a little knowledge of the katana from that, and free sparring using Shinais in college. We had a club were many different people from all sorts of back grounds would get together and free spar using shinai. There was no instruction involved, just find someone and figure out what worked.
@@memeticist Also: rapiers were often paired with a dagger, rather than a buckler. I mean, buckler's are still good as a blunt force weapon once range has been closed. But a dagger is going to be a lot more dangerous up close.
One thing about fencing in general is that while the manuals have MANY examples of how to grapple with the weapons, it often isn't taught. Mainly because swordplay is so complex already and grappling is much more uncontrolled safety wise.
This tactic would be a jackpot for most trained fencers, since they'd normally carry, at the very least, a belt dagger, if not having a main-gauche in their offhand to start with. You knocking their rapier aside, then moving in for the grapple, is a perfect opportunity to drive the main-gauche down into the top of your shoulder. For someone with at least a bit of muscle, the upper pleura of your lung is only 3 inches below the surface of the top of your shoulder, when entered from above. Your average main-gauche is about 17 - 19 inches in length, and typically held in reverse grip.. so a swift downward stab and extraction means your lungs begin to flood with blood and you begin to drown almost immediately. With such a wound, you begin to rapidly lose strength, without a way to properly oxygenate your blood or breathe, and will likely collapse within less than one or two seconds, even though the actual death will take far longer. This was a pretty common method for dispatching people in rapier duels back in the good old days.
@@auluadenbartolli6755 I have watched a lot of fencing matches on tv during the olympics and what not. I have never seen one of the them pull out a secondary weapon.
It is so very interesting to see how different the two Sensei fight. Seki just ... is still and whip quick. Even against the rapier, he's basically waiting for the moment and by the swing is in motion he's already ahead of it.
Very cool swordfighting content! It's fascinating to see what parts of swordfighting translate even with an unfamiliar weapon and style and seeing both of them adapt to and learn to use and counter rapier
Matt Easton from Schola Gladiatora did a video about how a katana could be used successfully against a rapier and it was really cool to see Seki-Sensei put many of those concepts to practice. Always love these videos.
For what it's worth, the line between "Rapier" and "Thrusting Sword" can get blurred pretty heavily. There is a lot of overlap between the two both in how the weapons are designed and in the techniques involved in using them.
This was a very good video for authors such as myself. I am a great fan of the rapier, but I believe the best weapon depends a lot on the situation. If both opponents were asked to draw their weapons before engagement then the advantage would go to the Katana. Similarly if both opponents were armored the Katana would have a significant advantage. Seki Sensei's form with a rapier was superior and his moves had fewer tells. This gave him a significant advantage when fighting with the rapier and opposing the rapier. The advantages of the rapier were largely lost with the swings which Seki Sensei easily countered. The rapier used this time was MUCH better than the one from before. The guard was more in line with what you would expect. It wasn't perfect, but it was very good.
Yes, that IS a proper rapier. I would also be interested in seeing how Seki Sensei would use the Main Gauche, or parrying dagger and rapier as they are the most common combination.
I really enjoy! Shogo san and Seki sensei can consider to fly to England to meet up with Matt Easton. He has real stuffs and is an experienced HEMA instructor. I believe the meetup and exchange will be very interesting. I am even willing to fly to England and pay to watch (no dis-respect, just tell you how eager I am) !
The beauty of martial arts, is that the same principles apply no matter the style. Defense and attack, the goal of disabling the opponent without being disabled. No martial art is invincible, each has their own strengths and weaknesses. A beautiful display of "What matters is not the weapon or the art, but who wields them.".
Great video. You should do longsword and buckler vs katana. a) Renaissance Rapier use was not only forward/backward like modern rapier fencing. There was alot of lateral movement. The Buckler main use is to provide denial of attack opportunities by extending it. The buckler disapeared because the rapier got longer and longer. b) Most rapiers had finger placement and that helped the Grip of the weapon. This weapon was more or less a practice saber with an added rapier guard. This is why hitting the base would disarm the fencer. C) You have a video with Seki Sensei using a helmet. It's the same thing. Rapier is a great weapon, but it's not good against surprise attacks nor vs armoured people.
longsword seems like an odd pairing with a buckler. I’d think an arming sword or a messer would be more fitting since they are more dedicated one handed weapons, while the long sword’s longer handle wouldn’t be as useful. Also hand and a half swords and full two handed swords tended not to be used with bucklers as much as more squarely one handed weapons.
Sabre + Buckler is taught at my HEMA place, you don't tend to see longsword paired with it because why would you give up the leverage? Bucklers are real fun though. Awesome sidearm.
@@Arcavi0us the way you use the buckler with the long sword is a bit different compared to how you normally do it, you don't wield the sword with one hand, instead your off hand is holding the buckler while also holding the sword, the buckler then covers both of your hands, it's a little awkward at first but it works when you get used to it, especially once you start implementing the ability to quickly release the sword for things like punching with the buckler or defending in a situation where you otherwise couldn't. it takes practice like any other technique.
This is supremely gratifying to see - how a master swordsman can pick up virtually any weapon and have an almost innate understanding of how best to use it. While practitioners of the European sword styles might be upset about his form, Seki-sensei absolutely nailed the fundamentals of the strengths of the rapier. Personally I would love to see/hear his insights about some of the more... interesting... weapons used throughout history. Africa, in particular had some unique designs, like the mambele, ngulu, onzil, or sengese.
Rapiers have always been a fascinating item. They're so elegant and subtle, seemingly, but extremely effective in the right hands. And those hands are Seki-sensei's 😅❤ I was wondering if having the uchikatana in the left hand and a wakizashi in the right hand would possibly let you get in closer, past the extended range?
One of the techniques of buckler use is to hold it extended at arms length and close to the sword. This allows you to block or divert an attack earlier and create an opening. The buckler is a weapon used for parrying and not a shield. Much like a left handed dagger.
fun to watch, Seki Sensei is truly impressive. I fear it gives a slightly boosted image of the rapier: your prop seems really light, while rapiers have quite a heavy guard. Maybe it would be interesting to use the same weapon with a weighted bracelet? Also, Seki Sensei understands the basis of rapier fencing: dodging the opponent's blade before stabbing, and hiding your reach by all sorts of means (like holding your blade down), so even if he pretends to know nothing of rapier fencing he would be a very dangerous opponent. Some of the nuances he missed are: 1) don't be afraid to stab at the forearms, if you are afraid to miss your target, imagine the line your opponent's forearm should follow in order to attack you, put your point of that line and let your opponent extend his arms and stab himself. 2) The rapier is weak to hitting near the handle, but it is also strong in the same place if it manages to catch your weapon: the guard of a rapier is much bigger than with a katana, so you can catch your opponent's blade against the base of your blade and still have your hand protected, so you can control your opponent's blade (until he manages to escape) 3) seki sensei is used to katana having stopping power, so when he hits an opponent he expects the opponent to stop. That is much weaker with a rapier: I saw Seki Sensei stab Tsukada Sensei in the belly just before Tsukada Sensei would hit, and Tsukada Sensei stopped, so Seki Sensei didn't get hit. But Seki sensei did not raise his shield, so if it had been a battle (or sparring), Tsukada Sensei would not necessarily have stopped and Seki Sensei would have gotten hit at the head because he didn't raise his shield.
Traditionally there are several items/weapons that were paired with Rapiers. Common items were the buckler like in this video, the parrying dagger, which is roughly analogous to a sharp jitte or a sai from Okinawan kobudo, and probably most common of all was a cloak. The cloak techniques would probably be similar to the some of the Asamiya Ichiden Ryu techniques using the clothing or jacket. That might be worth exploring in a future video. The youtube channel scholagladiatoria has a ton of resources on western martial arts including some historical western accounts of fights with Samurai and western opinions on Japanese weapons that were brought to Europe during the 1700's and 1800's. Apparently the English that learned about Japanese weapons were very fond of the wakizashi.
I love the intellectual curiosity of Sensei, the way he analyses the weapon and very quickly understands how to use it, even if he doesn't know the basics of traditional use. It's a joy to see.
Main drawback of a rapier is lack of stopping power. Those wounds are hard to close and opponent often dies later from internal bleeding, but unless some vital organ sruck that immediately shuts the fighter down, opponent manages to return attack at same moment. Documented duels on rapiers in 17th century often ended in mutual killing. Still its amazing how Seki Sensei is natural with any weapon he gets.
The first sparring footage here looks like everyone's first experience on the receiving end of the rapier. The *absurd* reach and high mobility makes it exceptionally difficult to fight against. It has its weaknesses, for sure, but until you learn, it feels like a cheat code, leveraged against you. What I'm not seeing here is the constant bind you do a lot with the rapier, to feel what the opponent is doing. The blades are almost always in contact, to give you that sense of what the opponent is trying to do, and allows you to counter faster. Also, while maintaining contact with the opponent's blade, you have a greater opportunity to divert and cut off lines of attack, while simultaneously going on the attack yourself. In closing, I again want to express my admiration of Seki Sensei. His skill and experience with martial arts and weapons makes him able to adapt to a new, strange weapon, innately understanding its strength and weaknesses within minutes of touching the weapon. His broad knowledge and ability is the true mark of a genuine master of the arts. It is humbling to see such skill on display.
Seki Sensei knows how Japanese sword play works by heart. He also knows its strengths and weaknesses. He also knows the thrust is faster. And penetrates deeper, which is the true advantage of the rapier. Thus, he's able to dominate with the rapier. His timing and spatial awareness is spot on. Great video.
A strategy hema guys do against the rapier is using the left hand to push it sideways since its relatively safe since rapiers usually doesnt have much cutting power.
Against a slashing weapon like katana I would use the buckler primarily to protect the hand holding the rapier. In asymmetrical duels against a heavier weapon it is a weak spot. Long daggers also work very well, but bucker would be my personal preference.
Props to the other guy for figuring out how to use the buckler correctly (extending it out to increase the area it can protect) I would really love to see a sparring match between Seki Sensei and someone that knows how to use a rapier at an expert level, it would be VERY interesting.
Something I imagine is being echoed in both this and to an extent the previous video, is that an important part of rapier fencing is to curl your first finger over the cross guard (this is why there's so much hang protection around the guard). Something else I imagine you're seeing a lot of is the mention of rapier and dagger, specifically a parrying dagger. If you can't find one, a Sai will work in a pinch. Something else you are seeing a lot of is the unending love and support for these videos that is well deserved. I absolutely love seeing Seki Sensei enjoy these videos, it's a wonderfully wholesome.
I think Seki Sensei would have the time of his life sparring with an Epee or foil master. As someone who fences Epee, it brings me so much joy seeing how much joy Seki Sensei gets from using techniques Ive been taught.
What a fantastic video. I think Sensi should consider visiting Matt Easton’s fight camp one year and get to try all the different HEMA weapons and spar with anyone he likes. Or invite a HEMA person there to try katana against one of the best.
I absolutely loved watching this video, and I have so much respect for everyone involved. Both sensei very quickly realised a lot of the techniques one could use with a rapier. My thoughts, speaking only from my experience: The lowered guard used by the sensei resembles the "fool's guard" (which is called that because the goal is to fool your opponent into attacking you, so that you can raise your weapon and make them run onto it.) The weakness Seki Sensei noticed the rapier has just above the handle can be helped by keeping the buckler forward. Most people fighting with rapier and buckler will keep the rapier out, pointed at their opponent, and keep the buckler out as well, protecting their hand - this also protects the weak spot on the rapier. It does mean your reach is shorter, but when you move into your attack you can reach past that point. To fight against a rapier, it does help to have two weapons. As Seki Sensei said, dodge the tip. You can use one weapon to guide the rapier aside, and the other to deliver a cut or thrust. Thrusting works better against a rapier than cutting, and I saw that Seki Sensei realised that. Against a rapier you want to deliver your attack quickly while keeping distance. A cut takes too long, and you need to get too close.
I LOVE THIS! Seeing you guys branch out into further HMA does my heart good ^_^ While I don't expect you guys to visit it for a third time, another very common rapier pairing is dagger! Specifically, parrying daggers used to deflect and bind an opponents blade.
Constructive critique for next time, the buckler should be held out further from the body and used more actively. For example, extend and cover your sword hand with the buckler while thrusting. Also, you can use the buckler to attack or at least distract while thrusting with the rapier. There’s lots more that can be done but that should get y’all started. Keep having fun, I love to see it!
Fantastic video that well illustrates the importance of timing and the economy of motion, and how that alone can help you win tons of fights. As an aside, one doesn't need a weapon to use the principals shown here. Every principal translates to hand to hand combat as well, and can win you fights just as easily as it helped the sensei win the sparring matches.
as someone who has been fencing for 20 years, its refreshing to see new eyes try it, i love how its his own ideas and not the standard "googled it" stuff i see a lot of
Very nice. Thank you Seki Sensei your talent and skill opened my eyes to many things in this about both the Katana and the Rapier. In your hands it was clear the Rapier was superior, however I believe you had an advantage due to you extremely deep knowledge of the Katana. Also your footwork is very efficient, not sure I could predict it at all. So if we were to put this fight back into the say 15th century some adjustment probably would have had to be made by the Rapier wielder due to unfamiliarity with the Katana and associated fighting styles. It would be interesting to see a match where the two skill levels were more equal. Again , thank you and I look forward to your next videos!
To Sukara Sensei, firstly I would like to say that you are doing a great job and I appreciate your energy. My advice would be to fight more cautiously with a rapier. Place your body edge on with your leading toe forward to allow for better lunges and fewer swings. Placing your body more edge on to your opponent is also useful. A rapier is a piercing light weight weapon that can land more hits, but a hit can't be guaranteed to end a fight, so be careful of the katana's after blow. Finally, many of your attacks had tells. These are things that signal to an opponent what you intend to do.
So amazing how Seki sensei instinctively understands how the rapier should be used! Just shows how much of a master he is! If you want to stop your opponent from disarming you, use the buckler to cover the hand you attack with. Like when using a katana and wakizashi, you keep your shield in front much of the time.
I never even thought about it but the rapier looks so genuinely frustrating to fight against. A really tricky and unpredictable weapon. Seki Sensai really played to it's fundamental strengths the instant he grasped the hilt.
I really want Seki Sensei and a HEMA instructor to spar. I feel like both could learn so much from eachother ♡
Matt Easton please
Exchange experience and skill, I'm sure it would be fun
Please, that would be so good. Having more proper examples of Western weapons and people trained in their use would make a great addition (even if Seki-Sensei's experimentation is also delightful).
Even if flying someone like Matt Easton and various gear to Japan or doing the reverse for Seki-Sensei or Shogo could not be done there must be some experienced HEMA practicioners in Japan.
@@gokbay3057 Unfortunately Matt coming to Japan won't work out too well as he might not be able to bring even replica metal weapons into Japan due to the strict weapons laws. I feel sending Seki Sensei and Shogo to England to see Matt would be better.
Matt Easton is a mass of knowledge, but I don’t think he would call himself a master fencer.
There is an anecdote from before Sengoku in which a Spaniard and a samurai killed each other. The samurai slashed at the Spaniard, expecting him to move his sword to counter, and the Spaniard instead held his rapier steady, expecting the samurai to back down from the attack due to his point. The samurai was impaled, and the Spaniard was slashed in the neck; both died.
A lot of these kinds of exchanges I think would have resulted from a katana wielder with more aggression.
I'm curious, what is the source of the anecdote?
Descriptions of duels between Europeans and Japanese are rare.
@@FernandoSanchez0104 I'm not sure of the source but I've read this exact story countless times
Makes sense, there were a lot of stop thrusts. Those win if the opponent's attack doesn't land.
Pivot on lead foot to avoid katana slash
Oddly enough growing up in the SCA, society of creative anachronism, I saw this a lot. we did fencing and shani fighting at the age of 14 to 18 and then heavy weapon full plate combat starting at 18. Most kingdoms only did fencing and heavy. Anytime someone came to California and tried shani for the first time, we had to take it slow or people were getting hurt. This is also why SCA requires thrusting as its own authorization for heavy combat.
I think my favorite part of these video series is it disproves the myth that a Samurai or a European would be confused by the other's weapons. If they exchanged weapons and had a duel, they would still be extremely deadly. Seki Sensei knows EXACTLY what a katana is capable of and given any weapon immediately exploits or défends the weak points.
Theres only so many ways to efficiently do stuff biomechanically, so the principles are pretty interchangeble
Took his student(which also an expert and sensei) a little bit more time to figure out the rapier, probably would have died if immediately went into combat against some one of Seki-sensei's level(well, obviously he died a few times before he got the hang of the rapier if those swords are real), but against anyone with about his level in kenjutsu but only had a katana, he would have very likely survived the first few moves and if the opponent didn't get pierced during those few moves, he would have won without much trouble due to the advantage of the rapier in duelling.
@MazokuJun Good points. Although the difference in skill cuts both ways. If he is fighting a European student at the same level we'd expect a similar learning curve. It also feels like with any reasonable amount of preparation something that could be overcome. Sure, if the students just switch weapons on the pitching deck of a ship mid battle there will be problems. But if they have a few days to train seems doable. Even in this limited session the student eventually forced use of the buckler.
@@WhatIfBrigade Ah, yes, I was thinking and talking about another person trained in kenjutsu using a katana facing him using a rapier as a complete newbie. He is more likely to survive the first few moves unlike facing Seki sensei where the skill difference is too much.
Well, it's not that easy. A different blade or armor design is one thing. But the real chaos factor would be the introduction of a shield. These make close combat very, very different.
Hello Sensei and Shogo, It's Chris from the Sunday online lessons. I coach and compete in HEMA rapier so this is a really fun video for me. Sensei has such great instincts when it comes to the blade. If I could give one comment, it would be to hold the Buckler out in front of the body. This creates a cone of defense the opponent has to work around. Then, using the Buckler to close off a line of attack, you can safely step into range and thrust. I would be happy to send a video of the rapier against my very limited understanding of Katana.
Yeah, usually the stance with a buckler is to point it towards your opponent, or to cover the wrist of your sword arm while you're doing sword techniques. I think the wrist covering is more relevant for shorter swords and ones you can slash with.
You don't need to know anything about katana. it's like a two handed falchion with a round guard
Considering he is facing a cutting sword, instead of another thrusting sword, holding it to the side is not a bad idea.
I vote that Chris here be allowed in a spar video.
It is difficult to compare the two weapons. The Western sword that is featured in the video comes from an era when armor was no longer worn. Its use does not require a preparatory phase. You do not need to gain a lot of momentum in advance to attack. But it is ineffective against armor. The Japanese sword, on the other hand, was designed to cut through Eastern armor, and its use is effective from this point of view. However, this means that working with it requires a lot of momentum. In the preparatory phase, the katana user can be effectively attacked with the rapier. The sensei demonstrated this. It is also clear that when he uses a katana, he does not gain a lot of momentum.
Really great video! A minute and a half in and Seki-sensei is already demonstrating a beautifully timed disengage and riposte. Clearly knows his way around a blade. There are a few things to note though:
1. While rapier and buckler was definitely common, a more common and effective pairing was rapier and parrying dagger. Because the rapier is useless once your opponent is past the point, the short reach of the dagger allows the fencer to defend themselves at close range, and is also more effective at controlling the opponent’s blade when used defensively. Bucklers did overlap with rapiers but they were an earlier defensive tool. Once rapier fighting became more developed the buckler was less commonly used.
2. Seki-sensei won many of his bouts because his movements were much more efficient and his timing was perfect. However, both senseis made their thrusts without fully extending the arm, and with the sword at an angle to the arm. This may have been because they are used to katana tenouchi, but with a thrusting weapon the grip needs to be lighter to bring the blade in line with the arm and achieve maximum distance on the thrust. Against another rapier, it is of paramount importance to maintain distance because that extra inch of space could be the difference between a scratch and a pierced organ. Attacking with an angled blade is dangerous because it means you need to get closer to your opponent, and they can thrust you on your way in and then back away. The only time the blade should angle is when you need to keep control of the opponent’s blade or close off a line of attack. Otherwise a more straight arm and blade is the most effective.
3. Seki-sensei and Tsuka-sensei (pardon my spelling) both developed a good understanding of the thrust as a tool for quick, deadly attacks, but the kamae being used were more suited for katana/saber and less for rapier. Both senseis were holding their guards at hip level, closer to a one-handed seigan/chudan. With thrusting weapons like the rapier, however, the guard needs to be higher up, closer to sternum height, and held further from the body. The cup guard will then be closer to the center of the torso, more effectively protecting the vital organs, and the point will be kept on the opponent at all times, making the approach very difficult for them. Many times Seki-sensei and Tsuka-sensei seemed to be in katana distance and kamae while holding the rapier, and Tsuka-sensei especially lost several exchanges that he might have won if he had kept his point in line and further from his body. Both Seki-sensei and Tsuka-sensei also used gedan, pointing the weapon at the ground before bringing it up to parry. This is generally very dangerous with thrusting weapons! A thrust from a quick fencer is too fast to parry safely like that, because the blade now has a greater distance to travel to protect you from the high thrust. This works against katanas because they are heavy cutting swords, but rapier vs. rapier this is bad technique, because very little force is needed to parry. Seki-sensei is allowed to do it because his skill and timing are so good, but in general the point should always be threatening the vital areas when in kamae.
Great video, and sorry for the long post! I love watching these explorations of different weapons and techniques! If you do rapier again, please try rapier vs rapier, and use daggers instead of bucklers! 🙏
Good feedback on this good content.
Added commentary from intelligence is why this channel grows strong. Thanks
Better written and more knowledgeable statement of what I wanted to say.
Definitely a dagger, although a buckler can work as a good weapon in close. The line is blurred because, in sparring, being poked with a flexing blunted sliver of steel is much much safer than being hammered by an inflexible buckler/shield edge.
Control of the centerline is critical. A well balanced rapier should be lightning fast in the thrust, but is slower than swords more designed to cut in slashing movements. Often much slower. Not sure how that would apply to a katana.
Please dont apologies for an excellent comment. I enjoyed reading it. Thank you.
Shogo desperately needs to make a collaboration happen with Matt Easton at Scholagladiatoria. Fly Shogo and Seki Sensei out to England to get a chance to look at Easton's collection of historical European weapons and do some workshops with local British HEMA groups. I think everyone would learn a lot from each other and have an amazing good time.
I will sponsor fish and chips if I can watch
I will fly to England and watch and sponsor
😮 that would be magical, and having seki sensei learn from Matt about historical techniques would extremely enhance his own! And getting a known masters skills for Hama added for Matt, would mean so much more CONTEXT!
Better not will cause unneeded drama.
Matt or Skallagrim, or Sellsword arts would all be amazing collaborations.
It's nice to see Seki Sensei smiling so much, he looked like he was really enjoying himself on this one.
_'You mean all I need to do to drop this fool is a lazily poke?'_ Lmao
I get a sense he really likes the rapier as an alternate to what he's used to.
I love that he is always enjoying himself. Proof that you should never stop learning and improving and enjoying yourself at the same time.
I have studied French foil and small sword for many years. Seli Sensei has the same smile I have when I get a chance to bought. His instinct for the weapon is very good. There are some differences in approach, I think, between budo and Western swordsmanship which likely would be illuminating. In western styles usually defence is the first priority. It would be rare for one to use an open guard invitation with a thrusting weapon. In the French systems we also would try to maintain opposition against the opposing blade to stay safe during a thrust. But really, the sence of distance and timing has him 85% of the way to mastery having just picked up the weapon.Impressive.
Exactly....his awareness of touch with an unfamiliar tool was impressive
Speaks to lots of time investment
So as someone who has spared against several different rapier wielders using long sword. Experienced users of the rapier will tend to avoid making contact with your sword at all or very little and whip it around to side where your sword is not. A lot of this is try and cover and counter the weakness that make a rapier prone to being disarmed. Their is a weakness in some experience rapier wielders that your experiment wouldn't account for. Rapier on rapier sparring is almost exclusively a point forward guard. Someone who does rapier against only other Rapier wielder, or sword systems with point forward guards, have trouble telling distance against a someone who isn't using a point forward guard. This isn't a weakness someone who has significant experience sword based martial arts that don't exclusively rely on a point forward guard. Most people at instructor level in historical rapier do have enough experience in multiply different type of sword martial arts that don't have this weakness. However it is a common weakness in rapier practitioners at an intermediate level.
"There" - Locative. Ex: He's over there
"Their" - Possessive. Ex: Their friend is coming by
"They're" - Contraction of "They are". Ex: They're ready to meet
Learn the difference.
multiple, not multiply
@@maiorano84 seriously? you realize that typos happen right?
Whipping the point around to regain central line is one of the first things we're taught on rapier. It's called "cavazione".
No? In Destreza (which explicitly tells us to use point-forward guards), if we want to fight any other system, we have to basically estimate the opponent's maximum range all the time, even if they're not in a point-forward guard. It's definitely not something only advanced fencers can do.
He basically figured out how Rob Childs also uses rapier in minutes. That's kinda amazing tbh.
Rob Childs technique is not complex, it's precise. It is the most basic way to use a rapier, but just done to such a fine and slick point that he doesn't need a wide variety of techniques to cover him. It's just a very simple approach with a lot of experience, talent, and diligence.
Ergo, in my opinion, it's not surprising he would devise a similar approach. It still speaks highly of his understanding of swordsmanship, but I'm pretty sure Rob Childs figured out how to use the rapier the way he does in minutes too lol.
He's an MOA fencer, so he already had a fantastic base to work from and the tools he needed to make his simple system work were already engrained in him.
You just described every master martial artist and pro fighter on the planet...
Since it's primarily a thrusting weapon, poking and stabbing techniques from bo, jo, naginata, yari and katana all come naturally. There's surprisingly little that's truly original in martial arts, after all, it's all physics and the human body, so there's only so many ways to solve certain problems. Still impressive that he knows so much about Japanese weapons that he always has something to draw on, though
Being good at using a sharp metal stick makes you good at sharp metal stick
He's already a weapon master. Whatever things he held on his hands is considered deadly.
Very glad to see you guys are taking eye protection with the seriousness it deserves.
1:24 a dagger is also used with a Rapier, specially a parrying dagger used for defense to deflect and or control enemy weapons before counter attacking. Also
Rapiers can also cut rather well through muscle making well placed draw cuts and snipes fight enders and nasty.
you're telling me those things are sharp and not just pointy?
@@SammyRenard Oh yea, they're not much of a limb cutter but you're having a REALY bad day if you get cut by a well sharpened one. Definitely losing a few fingers from a well-placed hand snipe.
@@Amadeo790 dang
Be interesting to see him using a cut and thrust sword, not as whippy as some rapiers, stiff enough to thrust with but a bit more blade edge that can you can definitely take off a hand with.
@@ArcticGator That would be an interesting practice. He did a video with a long sword a few months back that was pretty good.
I love how this shows that the rapier vs katana matchup is effectively the same situation as rapier vs saber. It's impressive that Seki-sensei used winding and beats by instinct from his experience in a similar style.
Most of the time, you can tell he's actively deciding on different techniques to attempt and possibly showcase for the audience, which is the mark of an excellent educator.
I like the humility and humour, the genuine exploration of a foreign weapon.
The rapier creates a different shape of guard. I don't mean the weapon's hilt, to be clear, I mean the space protected by the weapon's position. A katana creates "invisible walls", it completely screens some areas from attack while inviting the opponent to try for the apparently unprotected areas.
A rapier creates a cone of defence, radiating forward from the hilt. It deflects obliquely by default, and creates almost total cover at its optimum range. As Sensei discovered, contact closer to the rapier's hilt steers that defensive cone off and leaves the wielder open.
That and they are totally different in design even though they are both swords. Rapiers are meant to go through chain mail and armor which is why along with guns that armor was slowly phased out in Europe
Considering everyone in the video handled a rapier for the first time it turned out really well, probably even better than other novices. And on the other hand you could use just about anything to pair with rapiers from daggers, torches, cloaks and even another rapier.
This channel is living proof, that mastery of technique will almost always trump the “tool”. It doesn’t matter what advantage your strategy has. If your opponent worked harder than you, there’s no tech that will save you.
This is true to an extent. I still think that if I was in full riot gear with a rifle I'd probably win against seki sensei armed with nothing but a toothbrush
@@mobpriv - Until he flipped you like a burger patty with it.
Spear and Bow:
Back when I was younger my friends used to call me Task Master which I guess is a Marvel superhero or something. Whatever weapon we practiced with, I would instantly use well. Those were the days!
@@MorteWulfe That is awesome. Taskmaster BTW is a villain/anti-hero in Marvel who has the power of photographic reflexes. Whatever fighting style that he sees, he can copy and use.
What I love are those moments when something clicks. You see it on their faces. Almost childlike happiness. Then you see the technique change from then on. Those moments feel so good when you experience them. I love seeing others have them. I have some experience with the rapier and yet I learned something new from watching both partners. I thank you for that. A question? How different did the rapier feel from the smallsword for you? Just out of curiosity.
This rapier is very close to the real ones, the cool thing is, If you add a 30cm crossguard behind the cup, it will look like a 17th century Spanish rapier.
さすが関先生. Getting the hang of a weapon immediately is truly a testament to the skills he’s honed over so many years .
Sukara sensei also has proved his skill and his ability to adapt in this video. Seki sensei taught him well, and sukara sensei learned well.
There is one story of a samurai with a katana fighting a Spanish man with a rapier.
The Spanish man thought “surly the samurai will not charge in when I extend my point.”
The samurai though. “Surely this Spanish will try to block or dodge my attack.”
Because neither had been trained in the art of the other, they were not prepared to deal with each other’s techniques.
The samurai did not see the Spanish man extend his point, and the samurai stepped forward to strike , and cut the Spanish man down in one strike. The Spanish man died instantly. But he had stepped forward into the point of the rapier and impaled himself on it. The samurai died a few days later.
This is a story I learned that was told to teach me the importance of being cautious around weapons and tactics you haven’t seen before, as they could easily catch you off guard.
Seki sensei shows his wisdom and humbleness by not underestimating the rapier and expressing how he says he would be cautious at the end of the video.
Where does he buy the props from?
@ that particular item looks to be off Amazon.
“Polypropylene 40 inch rapier training sword” is what it seems to be titled as.
That's similar to that old refrain about masters disliking fighting those new to the art, because the newbies make moves that are suicidal to someone who knows what they're doing.
@@adistan9142 it looks like it’s on t amazon.
@@adistan9142 RUclips won’t let me comment the actual words to give you a simple answer. So i am forced to give you a riddle.
but the object you are looking for is in the place named after the biggest South American rain forest.
Tsukada-sensei mentioning how the rapier's hard to gauge depth is something is something rapier manuscripts take advantage of. That's part of the reason many stay in point forward guards. As well as because of the speed, it's necessary to be immediately able to parry. In the system of side sword (a precursor to the rapier) I took a few lessons in, they advise you to always keep your point facing the eyes of your enemy. As an artist, I notice that many stances that do this don't look good from the front view because the depth perception is so obscured by the point and blade being in line. It's so effective that drawing it as is would be confusing for someone looking at your art.
This is called “The hidden knife technique”, as the blade and distance appeared hidden to the opponent.
the buckler is also part of this, in the manuals you see them holding it with the arm stretched out and a bit down low, which obscures your legs, making it difficult for your opponent to anticipate your next move.
1:52 Sensei is approaching like a Dark Souls boss.
Complete with deliberate attack delays to counter your own attacks with.
So much attack patterns, i don't have skill enough...
One thing you guys are not really utilizing is the "Bell" guard on the rapier. Granted the one you have is plastic. But they are normally metal and may have crossguards as well. With this, they can also be used for blocking and parrying as you can dive a bit further in without having to worry about your opponent striking your hand potentially leaving room for a riposte. Other than that the "Maki" technique you mentioned also looked similar to a spainish "Destraza" technique. Love the video! - A rapier fencer
Destreza*
I really like watching Seki Sensei work. He just really seems like he's really in his element and is having fun.
Seki Sensei is proof of the old saying all martial arts are just different paths up the same mountain. There's only so many ways a human can move and once you have those fundamentals down to instinct you can adapt rapidly to fight with or against any melee weapon.
I am so proud of my sensei's, they are amazing.
Seki Sensei is an excellent fencer with a deep understanding of the fundamentals of personal combat, and that is borne out by these demonstrations with weapons with which he is unfamiliar. Even being inexperienced with the rapier, he has great form and displays control and would, I think, prove formidable in sparring an experienced fencer. I'd be interested in seeing him experiment with other European swords (backsword/ baskethilt broadsword is a different beast compared to the rapier) and other weapons.
I wonder, too, if this serise is getting more views than his others?
Seeing seki-sensei immediately adopt the fools guard was so sick!!!
So while it's not on the plastic one you have as far as I can see usually rapiers(and many later era European swords) have a finger ring that you would hook your index finger in (sometimes also a thumb ring) that on top of giving you more control also makes disarming much harder also it's interesting how passive everyone was with the buckler where as most western swordsmen practiced in the style tend to be incredibly active and sometimes aggressive with it
I agree. You almost never see mention of the ring or occasionally two rings in a complex guard in fiction, but they certainly played an important role. And in the sparring matches I have seen with bucklers, they are often used more as an offensive tool than a defensive one. In Hema they would likely have paid a lot more attention to the after blows of the katana as well which would have forced the rapier to fight more cautiously.
Yeah, a buckler is better thought of as a sort of fist weapon. Its a really handy tool, you can smash it right into the opponents weapon without worry, especially with good gloves.
@@Tolredaneh, idk about that. it can be used as a weapon given the opportunity, but it is primarily function is for active defense. sticking it far out to cover your silhouette and disrupting attacks
@@midshipman8654 Nah, Tol is right. A buckler is a bashing weapon. The benefit of a buckler over a larger shield with more coverage is how aggressive and swiftly you can use it. You're deflecting and striking with it. It's a big reason why most bucklers had AT LEAST a metal boss (The round "Cap" in the center) and many of them had at least one spike on this boss. They are extremely effective for striking at an opponents head, or distracting them from your weapon. For instance, bash with the buckler so they move their weapon to parry it, then drive forward through the gap created in their defenses with your rapier, or use the edge of the buckler to smash their blade down towards the ground, and then thrust as they're off balance from the blow.
many rapiers had additional finger and thumb rings, as well as more encompassing guards on the hilts to prevent them being knocked/ wound out of the hand by the techniques such as those shown. great stuff loved seeing how much fun you guys had
its nice to see seki sensei having so much fun with a weapon
3:32 For someone with little experience wth a rapier in hand, this move looks so natural, amazing.
It is! Disengaging with the wrist is a natural move covered by manuals even with things like the longsword. Epee/Foil/Rapier really doesn't like to get in the bind, so you see quite a bit of circling like that.
First time seeing sensei with a face guard. I don't know much about rapier either but I feel like he did another great job understanding its strengths and weaknesses. Seeing the maki technique executed in a duel so perfectly was beautiful! Great follow-up to the first one!
They made the right call to use a face guard with a rapier. One important technique any sort of fencer has is to point the tip of the weapon towards the eyes of the opponent thus making it very hard to judge the weapon's reach. This makes thrusts towards the face a key attack. If facing a katana wielder who is using a two handed grip it makes for an effective use of the reach advantage.
WOW that was a good video!! Subarashi!
I already am a HUGE fan of those sparring videos in particular (please keep them coming), this one was especially wonderful.
I loved seeing how Seki Sensei's crushing dominance with skill shines forth with either weapon type, but it was also awesome to see Tsukada Sensei learn and adapt very quickly with the rapier.
Had a great time watching this! Again, wonderful job!
A fun new experience for sensei!
Sensei and his demonstration partner figured out the rapier quickly.
I'd be interested to see what sensei would do against the rapier if he was using a Jo or Bo staff.
If you can find Portuguese swords that would be interesting like a Carrack's black sword. Other swords the samurai may have see are a cutlass, or a basket hilt sword. All one handed swords.
Excellent video. I look forward to the next video.
As a novice diestro, I am amazed by how similar the moves Seki-Sensei shows with verdadera destreza. No explosive moves, no big lunges, just proper bladework and body positioning (he even got the angulo recto in his first try) to make the fight seem effortless. He even share similar footwork with us. For sure he doesn't need the buckler either; letting it go might help him to explore rapier a bit more. What I would let him to know next is the Spanish Circle and how it applies to the footwork. I don't know how it is in katana, but I imagine there will be similarities here too.
On the side note we also do the "Maki" in destreza to disarm our opponent (in my school we call it "weak to strong"). I have been the victim of that move for more than once.
I love this! What's funny is that this actually looks more like a sabre than a rapier. The sabre is longer than the smallsword, but the rapier is even longer! One thing that was amazing to see was how both senseis discovered positions and attacks used in rapier, sabre, and most fascinatingly, the old sword and buckler techniques.
For Christmas, my 4 year old kids’ faces lite up with excitement when they unwrapped their scooters and bikes.
Whenever you bring Sensei a new weapon to play with, I see his face lite up with the same exiting as my kids. These videos are wonderful!
I once sparred an experienced fencer. We were in Iraq and used flyswatters in place of swords. We were mainly sparring to amuse our coworkers during our off time. What i found worked was to close distance and grapple. fencing and techniques meant for the rapier in general are weak against grappling attacks. The hard part is to close the distance. I had the most luck with throwing my weapon in such a way my opponent would have to parry it by moving his weapon out of position.
My background in Japanese sword arts is very limited. I have studied Aikido for years and picked up just a little knowledge of the katana from that, and free sparring using Shinais in college. We had a club were many different people from all sorts of back grounds would get together and free spar using shinai. There was no instruction involved, just find someone and figure out what worked.
One issue is that the distance that must be closed between a flyswatter wielder and someone with an actual rapier would be worlds apart.
@@memeticist Also: rapiers were often paired with a dagger, rather than a buckler. I mean, buckler's are still good as a blunt force weapon once range has been closed. But a dagger is going to be a lot more dangerous up close.
One thing about fencing in general is that while the manuals have MANY examples of how to grapple with the weapons, it often isn't taught. Mainly because swordplay is so complex already and grappling is much more uncontrolled safety wise.
This tactic would be a jackpot for most trained fencers, since they'd normally carry, at the very least, a belt dagger, if not having a main-gauche in their offhand to start with. You knocking their rapier aside, then moving in for the grapple, is a perfect opportunity to drive the main-gauche down into the top of your shoulder.
For someone with at least a bit of muscle, the upper pleura of your lung is only 3 inches below the surface of the top of your shoulder, when entered from above. Your average main-gauche is about 17 - 19 inches in length, and typically held in reverse grip.. so a swift downward stab and extraction means your lungs begin to flood with blood and you begin to drown almost immediately. With such a wound, you begin to rapidly lose strength, without a way to properly oxygenate your blood or breathe, and will likely collapse within less than one or two seconds, even though the actual death will take far longer.
This was a pretty common method for dispatching people in rapier duels back in the good old days.
@@auluadenbartolli6755 I have watched a lot of fencing matches on tv during the olympics and what not. I have never seen one of the them pull out a secondary weapon.
It is so very interesting to see how different the two Sensei fight. Seki just ... is still and whip quick. Even against the rapier, he's basically waiting for the moment and by the swing is in motion he's already ahead of it.
Seki sensei timing is crazy accurate
Very cool swordfighting content! It's fascinating to see what parts of swordfighting translate even with an unfamiliar weapon and style and seeing both of them adapt to and learn to use and counter rapier
Probably my favorite on the series so far! It is amazing how quickly Sensei could figure out the strengths & weaknesses then emoloy them.
Matt Easton from Schola Gladiatora did a video about how a katana could be used successfully against a rapier and it was really cool to see Seki-Sensei put many of those concepts to practice. Always love these videos.
This "how would a Katana master fight with [x]" is an amazing format that can teach so much about how Kenjutsu masters view things.
For what it's worth, the line between "Rapier" and "Thrusting Sword" can get blurred pretty heavily. There is a lot of overlap between the two both in how the weapons are designed and in the techniques involved in using them.
It is great to see a Sensei of his skill level show a willingness to learn and to say that they do not know.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
This was a very good video for authors such as myself.
I am a great fan of the rapier, but I believe the best weapon depends a lot on the situation. If both opponents were asked to draw their weapons before engagement then the advantage would go to the Katana. Similarly if both opponents were armored the Katana would have a significant advantage. Seki Sensei's form with a rapier was superior and his moves had fewer tells. This gave him a significant advantage when fighting with the rapier and opposing the rapier. The advantages of the rapier were largely lost with the swings which Seki Sensei easily countered.
The rapier used this time was MUCH better than the one from before. The guard was more in line with what you would expect. It wasn't perfect, but it was very good.
Yes, that IS a proper rapier. I would also be interested in seeing how Seki Sensei would use the Main Gauche, or parrying dagger and rapier as they are the most common combination.
Main Gauche, as in Left Hand, because it was your off-hand.
@@AcadianBacon8 Thanks!
I really enjoy! Shogo san and Seki sensei can consider to fly to England to meet up with Matt Easton. He has real stuffs and is an experienced HEMA instructor. I believe the meetup and exchange will be very interesting. I am even willing to fly to England and pay to watch (no dis-respect, just tell you how eager I am) !
The beauty of martial arts, is that the same principles apply no matter the style.
Defense and attack, the goal of disabling the opponent without being disabled.
No martial art is invincible, each has their own strengths and weaknesses.
A beautiful display of "What matters is not the weapon or the art, but who wields them.".
Great video. You should do longsword and buckler vs katana.
a) Renaissance Rapier use was not only forward/backward like modern rapier fencing. There was alot of lateral movement. The Buckler main use is to provide denial of attack opportunities by extending it. The buckler disapeared because the rapier got longer and longer.
b) Most rapiers had finger placement and that helped the Grip of the weapon. This weapon was more or less a practice saber with an added rapier guard. This is why hitting the base would disarm the fencer.
C) You have a video with Seki Sensei using a helmet. It's the same thing.
Rapier is a great weapon, but it's not good against surprise attacks nor vs armoured people.
longsword seems like an odd pairing with a buckler. I’d think an arming sword or a messer would be more fitting since they are more dedicated one handed weapons, while the long sword’s longer handle wouldn’t be as useful.
Also hand and a half swords and full two handed swords tended not to be used with bucklers as much as more squarely one handed weapons.
Sabre + Buckler is taught at my HEMA place, you don't tend to see longsword paired with it because why would you give up the leverage?
Bucklers are real fun though. Awesome sidearm.
@@Arcavi0us the way you use the buckler with the long sword is a bit different compared to how you normally do it, you don't wield the sword with one hand, instead your off hand is holding the buckler while also holding the sword, the buckler then covers both of your hands, it's a little awkward at first but it works when you get used to it, especially once you start implementing the ability to quickly release the sword for things like punching with the buckler or defending in a situation where you otherwise couldn't. it takes practice like any other technique.
This is supremely gratifying to see - how a master swordsman can pick up virtually any weapon and have an almost innate understanding of how best to use it. While practitioners of the European sword styles might be upset about his form, Seki-sensei absolutely nailed the fundamentals of the strengths of the rapier.
Personally I would love to see/hear his insights about some of the more... interesting... weapons used throughout history. Africa, in particular had some unique designs, like the mambele, ngulu, onzil, or sengese.
Rapiers have always been a fascinating item. They're so elegant and subtle, seemingly, but extremely effective in the right hands.
And those hands are Seki-sensei's 😅❤
I was wondering if having the uchikatana in the left hand and a wakizashi in the right hand would possibly let you get in closer, past the extended range?
One of the techniques of buckler use is to hold it extended at arms length and close to the sword. This allows you to block or divert an attack earlier and create an opening. The buckler is a weapon used for parrying and not a shield. Much like a left handed dagger.
Really happy to see that even if its foam or plastic. The rapier is in proper shape. Guard, grip and all.
fun to watch, Seki Sensei is truly impressive. I fear it gives a slightly boosted image of the rapier: your prop seems really light, while rapiers have quite a heavy guard. Maybe it would be interesting to use the same weapon with a weighted bracelet?
Also, Seki Sensei understands the basis of rapier fencing: dodging the opponent's blade before stabbing, and hiding your reach by all sorts of means (like holding your blade down), so even if he pretends to know nothing of rapier fencing he would be a very dangerous opponent.
Some of the nuances he missed are: 1) don't be afraid to stab at the forearms, if you are afraid to miss your target, imagine the line your opponent's forearm should follow in order to attack you, put your point of that line and let your opponent extend his arms and stab himself.
2) The rapier is weak to hitting near the handle, but it is also strong in the same place if it manages to catch your weapon: the guard of a rapier is much bigger than with a katana, so you can catch your opponent's blade against the base of your blade and still have your hand protected, so you can control your opponent's blade (until he manages to escape)
3) seki sensei is used to katana having stopping power, so when he hits an opponent he expects the opponent to stop. That is much weaker with a rapier: I saw Seki Sensei stab Tsukada Sensei in the belly just before Tsukada Sensei would hit, and Tsukada Sensei stopped, so Seki Sensei didn't get hit. But Seki sensei did not raise his shield, so if it had been a battle (or sparring), Tsukada Sensei would not necessarily have stopped and Seki Sensei would have gotten hit at the head because he didn't raise his shield.
Traditionally there are several items/weapons that were paired with Rapiers. Common items were the buckler like in this video, the parrying dagger, which is roughly analogous to a sharp jitte or a sai from Okinawan kobudo, and probably most common of all was a cloak. The cloak techniques would probably be similar to the some of the Asamiya Ichiden Ryu techniques using the clothing or jacket. That might be worth exploring in a future video.
The youtube channel scholagladiatoria has a ton of resources on western martial arts including some historical western accounts of fights with Samurai and western opinions on Japanese weapons that were brought to Europe during the 1700's and 1800's. Apparently the English that learned about Japanese weapons were very fond of the wakizashi.
I love the intellectual curiosity of Sensei, the way he analyses the weapon and very quickly understands how to use it, even if he doesn't know the basics of traditional use. It's a joy to see.
Both senseis putting the art into martial arts, like a painter being handed a tool they're unfamiliar with and proceeding to make masterful strokes.
Seki sensei’s skill is certainly showing!
Main drawback of a rapier is lack of stopping power. Those wounds are hard to close and opponent often dies later from internal bleeding, but unless some vital organ sruck that immediately shuts the fighter down, opponent manages to return attack at same moment.
Documented duels on rapiers in 17th century often ended in mutual killing. Still its amazing how Seki Sensei is natural with any weapon he gets.
The first sparring footage here looks like everyone's first experience on the receiving end of the rapier. The *absurd* reach and high mobility makes it exceptionally difficult to fight against.
It has its weaknesses, for sure, but until you learn, it feels like a cheat code, leveraged against you.
What I'm not seeing here is the constant bind you do a lot with the rapier, to feel what the opponent is doing. The blades are almost always in contact, to give you that sense of what the opponent is trying to do, and allows you to counter faster. Also, while maintaining contact with the opponent's blade, you have a greater opportunity to divert and cut off lines of attack, while simultaneously going on the attack yourself.
In closing, I again want to express my admiration of Seki Sensei. His skill and experience with martial arts and weapons makes him able to adapt to a new, strange weapon, innately understanding its strength and weaknesses within minutes of touching the weapon.
His broad knowledge and ability is the true mark of a genuine master of the arts. It is humbling to see such skill on display.
I love watching Seki Sensei! Seeing how he so easily handles weapons that are foreign to him, REALLY impresses me.
Seki Sensei has great knowledge🙏.
Started watching for the weaponry nerding, surprisingly kept watching because of the chill, cozy vibes🥰🙏🏻
I love this series, the excitement you guys have from discovering something new is just the best.
It’s a pleasure seeing masters at work.
Thank you very much for these videos. They are very educational, entertaining, and inspirational.
What phenomenal content I just stumbled upon - subbed immediately, masterful work all involved. 🙏
Seki Sensei knows how Japanese sword play works by heart. He also knows its strengths and weaknesses. He also knows the thrust is faster. And penetrates deeper, which is the true advantage of the rapier. Thus, he's able to dominate with the rapier. His timing and spatial awareness is spot on. Great video.
Rapier really is the peak for a duelist weapon where both combatants are unarmored. (excluding polearms since they are not really duel weapons)
A strategy hema guys do against the rapier is using the left hand to push it sideways since its relatively safe since rapiers usually doesnt have much cutting power.
Shogo is back! It's great to see you again!
Against a slashing weapon like katana I would use the buckler primarily to protect the hand holding the rapier. In asymmetrical duels against a heavier weapon it is a weak spot. Long daggers also work very well, but bucker would be my personal preference.
This series is so awesome to watch and follow, Thank you and Seki Sensei for making these.
Beautiful disarm. Made it look effortless.
Props to the other guy for figuring out how to use the buckler correctly (extending it out to increase the area it can protect)
I would really love to see a sparring match between Seki Sensei and someone that knows how to use a rapier at an expert level, it would be VERY interesting.
I'd love to see Seki Sensei fighting with a Greatsword ♡
He adapts so quickly to every type of weapon.
A true warrior!
どうもありがとうございました。
Something I imagine is being echoed in both this and to an extent the previous video, is that an important part of rapier fencing is to curl your first finger over the cross guard (this is why there's so much hang protection around the guard). Something else I imagine you're seeing a lot of is the mention of rapier and dagger, specifically a parrying dagger. If you can't find one, a Sai will work in a pinch.
Something else you are seeing a lot of is the unending love and support for these videos that is well deserved. I absolutely love seeing Seki Sensei enjoy these videos, it's a wonderfully wholesome.
Fun video! Looking forward to all the reaction videos ;)
Yeah, those are going to be great.
I think Seki Sensei would have the time of his life sparring with an Epee or foil master. As someone who fences Epee, it brings me so much joy seeing how much joy Seki Sensei gets from using techniques Ive been taught.
Non è solamente scherma! ma arte in movimento, nella sua forma più pura
It reminds me of difficulty the characters faced in overcoming Sekiun's Spanish swordsmanship in 'Shigurui' (2007).
Looking forward to see what Sensei thinks about 19th century sabres
What a fantastic video. I think Sensi should consider visiting Matt Easton’s fight camp one year and get to try all the different HEMA weapons and spar with anyone he likes. Or invite a HEMA person there to try katana against one of the best.
I absolutely loved watching this video, and I have so much respect for everyone involved.
Both sensei very quickly realised a lot of the techniques one could use with a rapier.
My thoughts, speaking only from my experience:
The lowered guard used by the sensei resembles the "fool's guard" (which is called that because the goal is to fool your opponent into attacking you, so that you can raise your weapon and make them run onto it.)
The weakness Seki Sensei noticed the rapier has just above the handle can be helped by keeping the buckler forward. Most people fighting with rapier and buckler will keep the rapier out, pointed at their opponent, and keep the buckler out as well, protecting their hand - this also protects the weak spot on the rapier. It does mean your reach is shorter, but when you move into your attack you can reach past that point.
To fight against a rapier, it does help to have two weapons. As Seki Sensei said, dodge the tip. You can use one weapon to guide the rapier aside, and the other to deliver a cut or thrust.
Thrusting works better against a rapier than cutting, and I saw that Seki Sensei realised that. Against a rapier you want to deliver your attack quickly while keeping distance. A cut takes too long, and you need to get too close.
I LOVE THIS! Seeing you guys branch out into further HMA does my heart good ^_^ While I don't expect you guys to visit it for a third time, another very common rapier pairing is dagger! Specifically, parrying daggers used to deflect and bind an opponents blade.
Constructive critique for next time, the buckler should be held out further from the body and used more actively.
For example, extend and cover your sword hand with the buckler while thrusting. Also, you can use the buckler to attack or at least distract while thrusting with the rapier.
There’s lots more that can be done but that should get y’all started. Keep having fun, I love to see it!
Fantastic video that well illustrates the importance of timing and the economy of motion, and how that alone can help you win tons of fights.
As an aside, one doesn't need a weapon to use the principals shown here. Every principal translates to hand to hand combat as well, and can win you fights just as easily as it helped the sensei win the sparring matches.
as someone who has been fencing for 20 years, its refreshing to see new eyes try it, i love how its his own ideas and not the standard "googled it" stuff i see a lot of
Lets go!!! This is one I've been hyped for!
I love how Seki Sensei found how the Rapier is so fun
Swift , stabby stabby , feints , and more stabbies !
Very nice. Thank you Seki Sensei your talent and skill opened my eyes to many things in this about both the Katana and the Rapier. In your hands it was clear the Rapier was superior, however I believe you had an advantage due to you extremely deep knowledge of the Katana. Also your footwork is very efficient, not sure I could predict it at all. So if we were to put this fight back into the say 15th century some adjustment probably would have had to be made by the Rapier wielder due to unfamiliarity with the Katana and associated fighting styles. It would be interesting to see a match where the two skill levels were more equal. Again , thank you and I look forward to your next videos!
To Sukara Sensei, firstly I would like to say that you are doing a great job and I appreciate your energy.
My advice would be to fight more cautiously with a rapier. Place your body edge on with your leading toe forward to allow for better lunges and fewer swings. Placing your body more edge on to your opponent is also useful. A rapier is a piercing light weight weapon that can land more hits, but a hit can't be guaranteed to end a fight, so be careful of the katana's after blow. Finally, many of your attacks had tells. These are things that signal to an opponent what you intend to do.
3:32 having fenced before seeing him naturally just do that made me smile
And then adopts a one handed, side turned stance with his katana to combat the rapier, martial expertise runs through this guys veins
I love being able to watch these while vibing to WagakkiBand!
So amazing how Seki sensei instinctively understands how the rapier should be used! Just shows how much of a master he is!
If you want to stop your opponent from disarming you, use the buckler to cover the hand you attack with. Like when using a katana and wakizashi, you keep your shield in front much of the time.
I never even thought about it but the rapier looks so genuinely frustrating to fight against.
A really tricky and unpredictable weapon.
Seki Sensai really played to it's fundamental strengths the instant he grasped the hilt.
Rapier is frustrating to deal with, especially good practitioners. Very tricky weapon!
Wonderfully educational, please continue creating these enlightening lessons