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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2010 21:41:21 GMT
What real styles of swordsmanship do you think influenced RJ's description of what the blademasters employ?
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2010 1:57:03 GMT
My guess, the Katana. From all of his descriptions of the swords that the blademasters use, it seems to be primarily or entirely two-handed curved blades. However, he describes the swords as having quillions, so I might also assume some western influence. The naming schemes seem distinctly chinese to me, however. So, when I picture this fighting style, I see Longsword mixed with JSA mixed with Dao forms. Mostly sweeping strikes and cuts, but with some of the thrusting of Longsword plays. All of the movements he describes, I interpret as merely strikes from different guards. For example, the Heron Wading in the Rushes, I see as a cross between Ochs and Vom tag, where the blade is held angling down as a thrusting guard, but centered over the head with one hand on the back of the pommel balanced on one leg. Other moves, such as River undercutting the Bank, I see as a sweeping low horizontal cut delivered from a kneeling Nebenhut. However, there is a move he describes in the latest book as a direct thrust from a sheathed sword. In this, I see strong Iaido influence (if that's the right term. If not, my apologies).
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2010 1:59:51 GMT
I agree, I usually visualize japanese techniques when im reading the scenes.
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Post by Ronin Katana on May 9, 2010 4:43:58 GMT
A few years ago RJ's collection was auctioned off on ebay. He had been a big buyer of swords on ebay and spread his patronage around. I'm sure most people had no idea who they were shipping a sword to, as Robert Jordan was his pen name. He was a pretty big buyer of Japanese style swords. Despite being extremely wealthy I think he would have been right at home on SBG, as sub $300 swords made up the vast majority of what he owned. Here's a link to an article detailing some of what was in his collection when it was sold. www.dragonmount.com/RobertJordan/?p=122
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2010 5:17:21 GMT
I have some insight I can share on this based on the sword forms developed by a friend of mine based on the descriptions in the book...for example "boar rushes down hill". These forms were performed for Robert Jordan before he passed away and he said they were very close to what he was thinking. With that said, the fighting style was very much based on the Japanese style of sword fighting, though I say this with a caveat that when Jordan came up with the fighting style his intention was not to directly take the Japanese use of the sword and directly inject it into the book, but to come up with his own style of sword fighting that may have developed in a world where the Japanese never existed. It just so happens that we can relate it to the fighting style based in our world.
Hope that helps.
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