Broadsword and Katana

[The author purchases a Chinese Broadsword. Through the practice of wielding the Broadsword, the author learns that it cannot be wielded well without using much lower body strength. Weapons training can help students of martial arts develop qualities which they need to effectively practice their martial arts, such as timing, fluidity of motion, and circularity.

Many Aikido practitioners study the Japanese Katana and short staff to help learn these martial qualities. The author recommends that these Aikido practitioners also study the Chinese Broadsword. The author compares and contrasts the qualities of the Japanese Katana and the Chinese Broadsword. The similarities and differences between the two weapons can help Aikido practitioners better practice and develop their martial art.]

I'm having a lot of fun practicing with my new Broadsword that I recently purchased. My Aikido sensei ordered a Chinese Broadsword for me. The catalog that he ordered the sword from offered two sizes of sword. My sensei wisely ordered the larger sized Broadsword for me, instead of the smaller sized one. The sword that I got is big, and quite heavy, and its size and weight teaches me the following lesson quite dramatically: If I rely mainly on my arm muscles and upper body strength to swing and wield the sword, then I am not able to swing the sword for any extended period of time.

To learn how to wield the Broadsword, I bought a video tape that demonstrates the use of the Broadsword. On this video tape the instructor emphasizes that a Broadsword practitioner must have a flexible wrist in order to effectively use the Broadsword. However, as I viewed this tape, what I especially noticed was the fact that this instructor used his whole body to swing the sword. All of his sword techniques were moves which involved his whole body.

A major purpose for studying weapons (especially for the student of a non violent martial art such as Aikido) is to help the martial artist learn to move fluidly and circularly, develop correct timing with techniques, and keep proper distance with an opponent or practice partner. Also, weapons practice teaches (or should teach) the student of a martial art to wield the weapons with the power of his whole body, particularly his lower body, and not wield the weapons mainly by the strength of his arm muscles and his upper body.

Many Aikido practitioners often study the use of the Japanese sword (called the 'Katana') and the short staff (called the 'Jo') in order to help them better learn the martial principles of movement, power, timing and distance. Many of the empty hand techniques of Aikido were derived from the techniques of the Katana. The short staff is also helpful in the study of Aikido. However, it seems apparent to me that one or two other kinds of weapons should also be studied, in addition to the Katana and short staff, to help give the practitioner of Aikido an even better and broader understanding of the principles that are necessary for him to effectively practice his martial art.

If I were to choose another weapon to complement the study of the Katana and short staff, then it would be the Chinese Broadsword. The Japanese Katana and the Chinese Broadsword have several similarities and differences. A beginning student might be confused by the differences between the two weapons. However, the differences between the two kinds of weapon can actually be helpful for teaching the student that the general principles for wielding the weapons are the same. The following are some examples of how the external differences of these weapons can help the student see their underlying similarities.

The dimensions of the Chinese Broadsword are different from the dimensions of the Japanese Katana. The blade of a Broadsword flares out from the handle and is at its greatest width a few inches near the tip. The blade then becomes more narrow as the tip is reached. The blade of Katana gradually decreases through most of the distance out from the hilt, and then, about and inch from the end, the cutting edge of the blade quickly slopes down to a point. The Katana blade does not become wider near the tip. However, the Broadsword and the katana both are curved swords and both have the cutting edge on the convex side. Thus with both weapons, since most of the back side of the blade (the concave side) is not used for cutting, there are several techniques that allow the practitioner to place his hand on or near the back side of the blade, and there are techniques which allow the practitioner to bring the back side of the blade close to his body.

The blade of many Broadswords is quite flexible, while the blade of the Katana is less flexible. As the Broadsword cuts through the air, the upper end of the blade can bend several degrees to the left or right, perpendicular to the plane of the cut. The Katana does not bend very much to the plane of its cut. However, regardless of the degree of flexibility of the blade, both types of weapons must be wielded with a fluid circular motion to be used effectively.

The Katana is usually gripped with both hands, while the Broadsword is usually gripped with one hand. However, there are many Broadsword techniques in which the hand that is not gripping the sword is used to support the wrist or arm of the hand that is gripping the sword. Of the Broadsword techniques that do not involve both hands supporting the weight of the sword, there are many techniques where the arm of the free hand (the hand not gripping the sword) is used as a counter balance to the arm of the hand that is gripping the sword. Thus with either kind of sword, very often both hands of the practitioner are involved in wielding the sword.
Several of the stances that are used with the Chinese Broadsword, are different from the stances used when wielding the Japanese katana. Chinese Broadsword stances include some back stances, which are stances where the weight of the practitioner's body is shifted to the back leg. Japanese katana stances emphasize placing the weight of the body more on the forward leg. However, regardless of where the weight of the body is placed, both the Katana and the Broadsword can only be effectively wielded if the practitioner uses his whole body to generate power to move the sword. Either weapon cannot be effectively used if the practitioner relies mainly on the power in his arms and upper body to move the weapon.

People develop defensive techniques as a response to the ways that they are threatened or attacked. Many of the empty hand defensive techniques studied in Aikido, were derived from techniques, developed in ancient Japan, that were used to disarm an enemy of his Katana or staff. The way that a person attacks with a Katana, is somewhat different from the way that a person attacks with a Broadsword. The ability to modify an existing defensive technique to handle an unfamiliar kind of attack or deal with a new kind of weapon is a vital skill to learn if a person is to survive any serious threat. By including the Chinese Broadsword as a standard weapon in the system of Aikido, practitioners would be given the opportunity to modify or develop new variations of the traditional defensive techniques of Aikido, so that they could be used to defend against or disarm a person attacking with a Broadsword. Through the process of developing new variations of the Aikido techniques, the practitioner would in general be better able to handle and survive new and unfamiliar ways of being attacked, both by attackers with weapons, and by attackers without weapons.

The study of weapons can help the martial arts practitioner learn and polish his ability to move fluidly, generate power, have correct timing and keep proper distance with his practice partner. Throughout the course of history, mankind has invented hundreds of different kinds of weapons. Many of these weapons are very strange and exotic. However, most of these strange and exotic weapons are really just variations and modifications of a small set of common types of weapons. Thus, in choosing weapons to study, a martial artist should not bother trying to master the use of to many different types of weapons, or the more exotic and strange types of weapons. Rather, he should concentrate his efforts on studying and becoming skilled in the use of a few more common kinds of weapons. In the set of the common weapons that I would recommend Aikido students to study, I would include the Chinese Broadsword, in addition to the Japanese Katana and short staff.


Nathan Watson
2002, 2005.