⚔Join the Online Kobudo Training with Seki Sensei⚔ Sign Up HERE (One Lesson FREE): www.patreon.com/lets_ask_sekisensei Interested in taking lessons directly from the 22nd headmaster of Kobudo Asayama Ichiden Ryu, Seki sensei? Sign up to learn authentic samurai skills with 400 years of history with perfect English interpretation from Let’s ask Shogo (kzfaq.info). ❶ No previous martial arts experience is required; you can catch up anytime ❷ Every lesson will be RECORDED and will be available to rewatch anytime ❸ You can ask Seki Sensei questions about the techniques and samurai culture/history ❹ You can join even if you belong to another Ryuha style ❺ You can receive OFFICIAL DAN RANKS by taking exams online (and opening a DOJO in the future) 🛍Purchase the Equipment You Need for Training: tozandoshop.com/letsaskshogo🛍 🗡Iaitō (training katana): tozandoshop.com/collections/habahiro-heavy-weight-iaito/products/byakko-tenryu-semi-custom-iaito?variant=34479502164101 *🗡Bokutō (wooden katana) with plastic Saya (scabbard): tozandoshop.com/collections/iaido-bokuto/products/the-nyumon-iaido-beginners-set 🥋Dōgi and Hakama: tozandoshop.com/collections/kendo-uniform-sets/products/basic-synthetic-kendo-uniform-set-1?variant=39417538216069 🥋Inner Obi (any color): tozandoshop.com/collections/iaido-obi/products/cotton-kaku-obi?variant=34282096230533 🥋Outer Obi (must be WHITE): tozandoshop.com/collections/aikido-obi/products/white-aikido-obi?variant=34120442413189 🦯Short Jō staff: tozandoshop.com/collections/polearms/products/4-21-shaku-jo?variant=39604823195781 🦯Long Jō staff: tozandoshop.com/collections/polearms/products/5-shaku-bo?variant=34073586106501 🧐Frequently Asked Questions About Our Online Lessons: Q❓: I have no experience with katana. Will I still be able to catch up? A💡: You don’t need any previous katana martial arts experience to participate in our lessons. Seki Sensei, the instructor of the online lessons, will carefully give you instructions on how to handle the katana regardless of your level. You will also be able to access all the videos of the past lessons, so you can watch what every other student has learned in the past. You can also send us videos of your progress, and Seki Sensei will be happy to give you feedback. Q❓: What is the right length of the Iaito (zinc alloy training katana) I should use? A💡: Please purchase an Iaitō that is at least two blocks longer than the standard length. The standard length for Seki Sensei is about 177cm, so he should use a 2.45 Shaku long katana. However, he uses a 2.6 Shaku-long katana that is supposed to be used by someone 190cm tall. If the katana is too short, it becomes too easy to draw, which is not good for training. Q❓: Can I join even if I belong to a different Ryuha style? A💡: Yes, it’s not a problem at all. The Seki Sensei himself has trained in more than five styles and various other weapons. If you don’t want others to know that you are participating, you can join the online lessons with your camera off. To have the Sensei check your progress, you can send us a video of you practicing. 🗡Join the Online Iaido Training with Seki Sensei🗡 Sign Up Here (One Lesson FREE): www.patreon.com/sekisenseiiaidotraining Interested in taking Iaido lessons directly from the 8th Dan Iaido Master with 40 years of experience in Musō Shinden Ryu, Seki sensei? Sign up to learn authentic samurai skills with perfect English interpretation from Let’s ask Shogo. ❶ No previous martial arts experience is required; you can catch up anytime ❷ Every lesson will be RECORDED and will be available to rewatch anytime ❸ You can ask Seki Sensei questions about the techniques and samurai culture/history ❹ You can join even if you belong to another Ryuha style 💻Seki Sensei's Official Website💻 sekisensei.com/ 🎵Original Opening Theme Song "Hyakuren"🎵 Performance: Hanafugetsu (Singer/Suzuhana Yuko, Shakuhachi/Kaminaga Daisuke, Koto/Ibukuro Kiyoshi) Compositions & Arrangements: Suzuhana Yuko Mixing & Mastering: Watabiki Yuta ❓What is Asayama Ichiden Ryu? / Who is Seki sensei?❓ kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aMdyftCI0rDUeqs.html 📱Instagram📱 instagram.com/lets_ask_sekisensei/ *Please ask us questions through the DM here ♪Music♪ elements.envato.com/audio otowabi.com/category/material/japan #katana #iaido #kenjutsu #kobudo #asayamaichidenryu

The fact that Seki Sensei found numerous ESTABLISHED techniques just from just trying the sword out shows to me that he is a master of his craft.

I appreciate that Seki Sensei had the self confidence to give a new weapon an honest try. Some people who have mastered one thing are too fragile to ever admit that they haven't mastered everything. The fact that Seki Sensei was curious about how to take advantage of the unique characteristics of the long sword in combat despite not having experience with one indicates that he is a master of combat and not just a master of one or two weapons.

The fact sensai picked up on the ox guard, and flat parries without having any experience on the longsword shows his experience and willingness to learn more about a weapons unique characteristics. I'd love to see his take on a blade similar to that of a katana. Say a falshan or German Messer.

As an on and off longsword fencer from the UK, this extremely interesting to watch. There are loads of HEMA practitioners and youtubers who study, discuss and use katanas but it is rare to see the longsword being handled and interacted with by Japanese martial artists. Thank you Seki sensei and Shogu for this video. I had the same thought with the crossguard when i first picked up a longsword, but as you demonstrated, a slight turn in the wrist alters which part of the blade makes contact, it also means that the guard can cover different lines and because of it's length, it can cover a considerable number of angles. It can also be used offensively and serves as an aid toward edge alignment for cutting. That's my limited insight anyways 😅 cheers!

I've been a practioner of the Italian sword style taught in the book of Fiore dei Liberi, known as The Flower of Battle. I've been doing this for about 12 years now, and have some small experience with Iaido, maybe a little under 2 years. To answer your question about how to avoid the crossguard hitting your head from a high position, there are several answers. Keep in mind This is my specific school's interpretation, and there are other sword styles and interpretations. The first is instead of holding the pommel of the sword on front of your head, you would hold your arms more extended above your head with the pommel over the top of your head. You can afford to do this as the longsword is generally longer than the katana, and if you judge your distance properly you can compensate for the additional time it takes to make a descending cut. Another way is to hold the sword an a position similar to a baseball batter, then cut past your head very narrowly, thinking almost cutting off your own ear. This takes advantage of what you noticed about the strong central position of the longsword to thrust and strike the opponents sword away. It's also wonderful that you noticed the deflecting of the sword, as that is one of the first movements described when using the longsword in one hand. It's done slightly differently in the book, but is principally the same. As for making large cuts, you are correct that a more cutting oriented sword would beat the blade aside when making large movements. This is why the style I have learned favors the very narrow cuts, or deflecting the blade and cutting safely. Generally large cuts are not made uncovered. They can also be made upwards with the back edge of the sword. Your sideways grip of the sword is also insightful. There is indeed a guard position in my style and several others. It is a very strong guard against cuts and thrusts against the head and body but if used improperly leaves the hands vulnerable. Finally, you are correct in that the pommel can be used to extend the distance of a thrust as well as a cut. It is usually done as a deception, and there is even a guard we would use to throw the sword. Please let me know if you have any more questions, and I'd be happy to answer them from the perspective of my style and interpretation.

I love that he had questions and concerns about the handguard, but he didn't proclaim it was "trash". He asked for more information on its use. True master.

Once he had in his hands, that spark of childish curiosity lightened up in his eyes. It’s a great and valuable thing to keep. I love to see how much fun Seki Sensei has just trying moves and smiling widely if having success. Great Swordsmanship, great video.

Not sure if anyone else had mentioned this yet, but with swords like the long sword and broad sword, they were designed so that every part was useful, that bulb on the bottom of the handle, was not in fact for catching after a thrust, but used as a blunt weapon so you could turn it around and smack an enemy with it to knock them down or against enemies with heavier armor that the blade couldn't easily penetrate.

Seeing this man's face light up as he experiments with a new sword is really something else. This is a person who's passionate about his specialty and his excitement to take his art in new directions is contagious.

The ultimate sign of a master: Always willing to learn more. Seki Sensei absolutely deserves his title and the respect of anyone interested in his art.

I have to respect this Guy for realizing the Strength's and Weaknesses of a Blade so quickly

I love this because this seems like someone who just has passion for weapons and combat exploring a new weapon. I feel like any time I see a longsword and katana in the same video it's always someone trying to prove one as the "superior weapon". Watching a skilled person simply learn and ask questions is so refreshing

You could make this into a viral series having him try out weapons from all over the world. I would watch all of those. It's missing one thing, though. After he tries out the weapons, why don't you show him a video of a Long Sword expert? He would see that and create some fascinating techniques based on seeing the traditional use of the long sword. With no way to answer his questions, It felt like we're missing the second half of the video.

I'm coming here from Skallagrim's channel, never having seen this series of videos before. I have 45 years experience with various forms of Western fencing, and have been active in HEMA for 20 years. This is fascinating, he made no major mistakes, and I'm very impressed that Sensei was able to invent several very plausible techniques for the longsword on the spot. It just goes to show that mastery is universal.

This is what martial arts are all about. It's less some precious or sanctimonious display of mythical powers and more a bunch of people standing around discussing and working through technique and effectiveness. Technicians crafting their individual skill set along a personal journey. Great video.

I LOVE how much your Sensei's face lights up when he discovers something! It's like he's regained his inner child, the wonder of seeing something _totally new_ and _really cool._ On the subject of the longsword's hand guard: I'm no expert, but my primary strategy is to have one hand near the guard and one hand near the pommel. This also allows for slightly swifter movements and better control.

You can tell he's a master by how his face lights up when he discovers a new technique, such amazing enthusiasm for learning

I want to see Sensei collaborate with a Longsword HEMA expert - Not as a lesson or as a competition, but to see how well each person assesses the weapon of the other, gives theories, answers questions, and explains to one-another if they were right or if there were any misconceptions. You could end it with a spar, but the peer-to-peer collaboration at the start would be absolutely insane. There is no telling what lessons both sides of the table could bring to the art and sport of fencing and REAL martial arts.

This is so interesting to watch! You can tell he’s a true master just by how he approaches a new tool and quickly finds the unique strengths!

There's a Korean proverb that says, "A good craftsman is not limited by tools," and that's exactly it.

There are two things that I thoroughly enjoyed about this video. First, to see a master's mind at work figuring out a new puzzle is a joy. Second, seeing his childlike glee when he made a discovery was entertaining. I don't know Sensei's age, but you're never to knowledgeable or too old to learn something new. Thank you for this.

I won a national bladed weapons tournament when I was younger and longsword was my preferred weapon. Sensei's intuitive use of the weapon is very clever and does use some longsword fundamentals (like how he utilises the wind) and he comes up with some interesting techniques, but some pointers I have are: - The longsword has a longer grip and this changes how you would wield it compared to a katana, specifically how you exploit leverage. If you learn how to properly work your hand against each other you can achieve a large range of motion and a large amount of force very quickly for minimum effort which is a major positive to the longsword. - For this reason, we don't want to make one-handed strikes or thrusts if we're fighting someone with another two-handed sword, save for very limited circumstances. The longsword's length means the leverage can work backwards if you don't have both hands on the sword, which is a downside of the longsword especially but applies to most if not all two-handed swords. - The parrying technique sensei demonstrates where he parries with one hand is a genuine technique, although you'd use a smaller sword. - His counter-parry with the katana is a genuine point however this is typically overcome by proper bracing and technique when facing someone used to a longsword - Sensei intuitively figures out the ox guard, but follow through is not quite as we'd do it. I notice a tendency to avoid undercuts in this video, I don't know enough about Japanese sword technique to know if that's a general thing but they are extensively used in European swordsmanship. - Sensei's idea to swing the blade around and avoid contact with the opponents blade is also a real technique, but done with a larger sword like a zweihander. - How to use the handguard: However you want. It's to guard your hands, it's to hit people, it's to leverage your opponent's weapon in a bind, it's to disarm, it has all manner of functionalities and it is an integral part of longsword technique.

Such a refreshing take on the usual longsword vs katana argument we see, completely lacking in any preferencial bias. Definitely going to subscribe to this channel i respect seki sensei's openmindedness.

The fact Seki Sensei found actual longsword techniques and exploits through intuition alone is extremely impressive. Obviously there are certain mindsets that have to be untrained, such as avoiding binding the blade which is integral to the weapon's design, but the fact Seki Sensei figured this out without a manual or instructor is testament to the experience and mastery over technical prowess and biomechanical understanding. What a blessing knowledgeable teachers such as this exist, and that we live in an age where mastery over these weapons is a demonstration of prowess rather than a call to arms.

I'm no sword expert, so I can't offer any advice, but I loved seeing how someone who IS an expert was humble enough to say "teach me". I enjoyed this video, and would love to see a part two if it were to happen!

This was amazing to see a master of an artform not only explore a foreign variation but to also recognize how western sword fights were, just by using and fighting against a western blade, that was incredible to witness

He seems so "happy". The joy of discovery is a wonderful thing.

I would like to emphasize on the fact that eventhough Seki sensei has been practicing the art of fighting for more than 40 years, he maintained one of the most important qualities of a great teacher and a person in general, he can admit that he doesn't know something or that he maybe doing something wrong and in my view, it earns him quite a big amount of respect, well done Seki sensei❤

As a western sword instructor: You're not holding it "wrong," but many students find it helpful to slightly rotate the quillion (crossguard) off the line of the forearms by slightly cocking the wrist. This also enables you to bring the guard back in line with your wrist, creating a dynamic block, which is better than just letting them hit your guard how they want. It's good to learn the technique with a smaller sword before using a greatsword, where the quillions might be as long as your forearm!

Seki Sensei epitomizes the idea of "master the craft, not the tool."

It's amazing that such learned men as Seki Sensei are still around and willing to teach. I appreciate his dedication immensely

It's amazing and very wholesome to see the two cultures, the longsword and the katana, interacting in a friendly and amicable way. No arguing about which is better, just mutual learning and respect

Seki Sensei has the mindset where he can immediately start identifying strengths with something, rather than dwell on weaknesses or being unfamiliar with a weapon. You can see how he quickly began to become comfortable with the long sword. This is a guy who can spiritually connect with all swords, not just katanas. A true genius

I loved seeing Seki Sensei experiment with such an unfamiliar weapon and apply his years of experience with the katana to the longsword. The “throwing thrust” in particular is an amazingly intuitive and creative use of the longsword’s pommel. Maybe you could do a collaboration with a HEMA fencer and look at how katana techniques could apply to the longsword

EXACTLY the kind of cultural exchange I love to see: a very smart person from one culture seeing a new item from another, and figuring it out in a way informed by their own culture & life experiences. it's amazing to watch and scratching a real itch for me. I'd love to see more!

As a HEMA practitioner and instructor with over 20 years of experience under my belt, i have to say that Seki Sensei did as well as one would expect of a master of any blade. He adapted and saw the use of a blade. Much admiration and respect for not just trying it but also taking an humble road by saying "i dont know how to use it" Load of strikes and techniques he did do also exist in same or similar form in HEMA. I would love to go more into detail with you if you are open to it since i really love this kind of cross disciplinary collaborations. Might i suggest a langesmesser (German knifed sword with usually one edge) for an experiment?

Some context about the hilt: In old Combat Manuals, there are a variety of ways to hold a long sword. Many of those ways involve using the hilt at different angles, or holding the sword in an entirely different way such as half-swording or using it as a bludgeon, for example. Like all weapons, it's a tool, and when used by a master, the "way it's supposed to be done" is vast. Thank you, Seki Sensei, for showing us the power of a master with an open mind!

Very interesting to watch. Part of what made the western sword style was the use of a shield and heavier armor. It's not necessary, of course, but it really changes what you can do in a fight. The broad hilt that's confusing Seki Sensei is useful not just for protecting your hands, but also closing in on the opponent's hands and injuring their wrists or prying the sword from their hands. If you're able to parry the opponent off and close the gap, swinging a weapon is all but impossible, the hilt, then, is the weapon.

First time seeing this channel and i loved seeing the learning Process that Seki Sensei had and the open mindedness to discovering his own way to use the longsword. Very lovely!

Can we get a part 2? I would love to see Seki-sensei experiment more with the longsword. I noticed you two did not even mention the thumb grip, which practically doubles the amount of techniques you can perform with a longsword, and would very much want to see a followup to this that takes that into account. As always, great vid!

I'm glad he immediately recognized the defensive value that longswords have with their size/leverage. Counterattacking and zoning with thrusts are the strongest tools a longsword has, and he zeroed right in on them.

Unsurprisingly the lifelong sword enthusiast loves getting his hands on new swords.

I’m not really an expert in HEMA and longsword fencing. But a really cool technique I’ve learned to point out is commonly known as “thumb gripping.” Seki Sensei brought up the cross guard being in line with his body and was naturally wanting the cross guard horizontal with his body. This is the “thumb grip” and is a legitimate practice that allows quick strikes alternating edge to edge with having a double edged longsword. It allows for executing my favorite German Longsword Master Cut called Zwerchhau. This was a really cool video and this man deserves great respect for trying out a new weapon. Always growing and learning is a great quality!

HEMA instructor here. Not the most experienced one, I've been teaching it for around 2 years and have practiced for like 8. First of all I'd like to thank Seki Sensei for the respect he showed towards the longsword. Acknowledging he doesn't know how longswords work was really humble and honest, and I appreciate that. About the cross guard, it does take a while to get used to it. Back when I started practicing I used to hit myself with it every now and then. It does offer a very consistent defense though, just like Seki Sensei pointed out. And that also answers how one should parry with it: with the edge aligned for a cut and with the forte, the first half of the blade. There are exceptions, of course, but that's another story. You also instinctively got right where you parry, the middle of the blade is the easiest part to do a beat parry: if you hit it closer to the tip, you are not pushing a lot of mass and your opponent can quickly recover; if you hit it closer to the cross guard, your opponent has a super solid defense. Hitting around the middle (the point of percussion actually if I'm not mistaken) is your best bet, you should just be somewhat careful for disengaging or winding actions, because the longsword can be deceptively nimble. Which brings me to my next point and the main reason why I wanted to write this comment: the winding. Binding and winding is very common in longsword (at least in German longsword, KdF). I've never tried it against a katana, but a big part of German longsword is about maneuvering your blade to regain the advantage and get to a position where you can attack your opponent and they either have no space or no time to counter you. If you want to, you could read Meyer's longsword chapter 5 on Wiktenauer, which is about handtarbeit, techniques and concepts on how you should maneuver your blade. I'm just not sure how useful that would be for kenjutsu, since you said in another video that you mostly shouldn't bind with a katana. There are handtarbeits that don't require a bind though, and some are very similar to kenjutsu techniques I've seen. Anyway, I think that's it, sorry if you find the text too long, and I hope it is informative. I tried to use as little technical language as I could so anyone would understand it at least a little bit, not just people experienced in swordfighting. Cheers!

I loved seeing how he realized he could automatically parry and almost by accident began to use the sword like a rapier. I would absolutely like to see Seki Sensei experimenting with both a traditional rapier (he may appreciate the guard on all sides of the blade?) as well as something more like curved saber.

His face lights up like a child discovering something new they can do with the new version of a toy they got. I love it a lot

This is an amazing and very informative video. I love every bit of it. This seems like a very interesting start to a series of trying different blades from different parts of the world.

He doesn't even have to say a word. His expressions alone told me he really liked the long sword.

I'm not really well versed or anything, but the joy in Seki Sensei's face when he started noticing things was a delight! I would love to see more of this if you're both interested in learning more about the longsword, I'm fairly intrigued. Either way I'll continue to tune in as I can, and I hope you have a great time.

watching a master learn a different weapon is a gift. seeing his mind working on the various ways to utilize the differences between the longsword and katana was really mind opening to me. even in such a short time, he was able to utilize the sword in a very fluid way. goes to show the mastery Seki-sensei has.

Also at 3:24 I've noticed that halfswording at a 45 degree angle is easier.

This was a really brilliant, classy watch. Thanks for putting real content on KZfaq!

I have to say, watching Seki Sensei puzzle out the longsword was fascinating, and his genuine delight at the things he learned made for a great video.

I would watch the heck out of a series where Seki Sensei learns HEMA. His humility is so refreshing to see, and I feel like he would have a ton of wonderful insights that many people who train in HEMA might miss. It'd be a perfect union of East and West.

Man he straight up used that thing like a rapier. Fascinating insights, tha k you both very much.

His big smile when he realizes he likes it is really sweet

As a practitioner of HEMA with about 25 years of experience i got excited when i saw that you bought a longsword trainer because you've always been so objective with your videos in the past. I wish more swordsmen on the East/West divide would approach the other with as much genuine curiosity and enjoyment as you and your teacher displayed here. If you like, I can recommend some KZfaq channels that demonstrate the way of using longswords as they were put to use when they were in common use. London Longsword would be an excellent place to start. I am also a fan of Matt Easton on Scholagladitoria although most of his videos are on various types of swords, mostly from European history but also India and the Middle East. He also is extremely adept with the military saber of the 19th century.

Seki-Sensei looks so happy to learn new things! A series with a similarly experienced HEMA expert, where they both take turns teaching eachother their own specialty, would be very fun to see.

It's genuinely so nice just seeing him enjoy the long sword so much.

I think it's absolutely amazing how exited he is to try out other weapons.

As someone who studied western fencing a little, striking an opponents' sword to knock it away is called a 'beat' or a 'knock' and there's techniques to counter it by circling your sword. I learned with an epee, but it works with a longsword. If someone tries to knock your sword and you duck your sword down so they miss, the energy that they put into that knock throws their own sword out-of-guard unintentionally, and can create an opening for you to thrust at them.

Around 3:55, sensei actually seems to naturally find his own variation on a stance from German fencing called the "fool's guard," which is a deceptively open stance which invites attacks from the opponent while still being quite capable of parrying. Very neat to see his approach to a new weapon

How fun! 😊 that was very honorable for him to step out of his comfort to try something new! He learned so much in such a short time, he is truly a master at his art. Very courageous of him! Most would not want the possible embarrassment but a true artist is not afraid to try new styles, as it strengthens your understanding in a fight. As the great king Solomon once said “as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend”

whenever I saw longswong vs katana I just saw "which is sharper which cuts better" this just feels like a proper honest analysis

Something I’d love to include is due to longsword combat usually happening between well armored wielders. Many secrets of the longsword exist in the ability to grab and blade and strike in a number of strange ways. There is even evidence people would strike with the guard or pommel to achieve a blunt hit on armor rather then a traditional slice or stab.

A key part of the longsword too is that the whole thing is seen as a weapon, so there are techniques to bash the the opponent with the crossguard, and the end of the hilt as well. In fact, a traditional technique to beat armor was to flip the sword around, grabbing the blade (with gloves ideally but generally by pinching the blade with your fingers and palm so that you don't touch the sharp edge) and use it as a warhammer. But it also seems European longswordsmanship involved holding the blade further away from your body, only pulling it close for certain guards, and generally it focused a lot on fluidity, every move should flow into the next one like water

Very educational as I usually only see western interpretations of eastern swords. The biggest thing that I think was missed is that the longsword is doubled edged, and I would love to see what Seki Sensei could do with reverse edge cuts.

It's amazing to watch ! He really is a master, so fast to understand how to use a blade he never used before.

The joy, or dare I even say "glee," Seki sensei was displaying while exploring the longsword really just made my whole morning. I love seeing masters explore things similar but different to their own preferred "tools of the trade." Absolutely awesome

We usually only see HEMA practitioners attempt to figure out the katana, so seeing Kenjutsu practitioners working through the longsword is rare delight! I hope you continue to enjoy it! While I only have half the overall experience Sensei has (and next-to-none with kenjutsu), I hope it’s OK to add a few things to consider as you continue to study it: The longsword is a cut-and-thrust weapon. It doesn’t cut as well as a katana, but that’s balanced by having very stable thrusting capability due to its structure. Using both techniques is key to the longsword. The longsword has two cutting edges. Using both interchangeably when the opportunity arises is good for leveraging the longsword’s versatility. Winding is not only very possible, but can be very effective with a longsword. It is, however, a very different form of winding than what’s used in kenjutsu. The handguard is very useful here. Tenouchi is not as rigidly defined when using the longsword. Sometimes, we even flip the sword 90° in our hands and present the flat of the blade to the opponent (the thumb grip, because the thumb of the leading hand can sometimes rest on the flat of the blade towards the wielder). This allows for a wider variety of cuts and strikes. The handguard (the quillons) can be used to lock in the opponent’s blade when winding into a thrust. They were originally designed, however, to protect the swordsman’s hand in fights involving shields-the quillons sit at 90° to the hilt, which makes a triangle when accidentally struck against a shield, thus keeping the swordsman’s hand safe from impact (and broken bones). The bigger the handguard, the safer the hand.

His smile while exploring new things is so refreshing

Seki Sensei's humility, adaptation, and open-minded nature is awesome. He truly shows how martial arts can grow and not be stuck in an insular loop of "This is how we do it because we always do it like this..."

From 4:00 to 5:00 was some of the most wholesome seconds of a martial scholar intuitively discovering how to adapt their own style to a whole unique weapon type. Not just from Sensei, but the complete look of joy as the tradition angled parry led them to a Draw Match followed by the look of awe as sensei adapts by stepping back and allowing his partner to “step in” to a possible thrust counter. Absolutely love watching videos on this channel every so often to relax. These videos are an absolute treat and would’ve fit right in even in the old Golden Age of KZfaq.

I love how he manages to intuit some general longsword usage techniques from just the sheer mechanics of using it for a bit. Always love seeing how the design of something influences the kinesthetics of the person handling it.

Many moons ago, I fenced competitively, with traditional Olympic stuff; I specialized in epee. One day, we shared a gym with a club training for katanas...hsd fun sparring!. But, for me, the best part of this video was watching the master literally invent, without advice, the classic moves: the disengage, the double disengage...he grasped on the first contact the value of the bell in leveraging the opponents blade....super cool!

Seki Sensei is a man of incredible wisdom and humility. It was extremely refreshing to see someone take a weapon outside of what they have mastered and not view it as inferior, just different, and then go through the process of discovery with it. Would love to see him and a HEMA master trade weapons and exchange knowledge. Keep up the amazing work.

I appreciate Seki Sensei's willingness to experiment. It's clear he is a master swordsman with how quickly he discovered effective techniques. Also the willingness to learn, despite having so much experience already and asking for comments to "please teach me" is an attitude many people would do well to adopt. Thank you Seki Sensei, I would be interested in seeing you experiment with more types of European swords. I think the messer would be interesting as it's often compared to the katana.(edit: spelling)

Just as a reminder, the hilt probably wouldn’t have had problems with a normal set of European armor for 1500s -1600s. Because of the flat and large armor rather than a kimono of that design.

This kind of videos are pure gold

This is amazing to watch. Seki Sensei is adapting his style and technique around the strength and weaknesses of the longsword, even acquiring some techniques similar to traditional longsword techniques . At no point does he "bash" the longsword, but also demonstrates how quickly he was able to become effective. The signs of a true master, always willing to learn.

I'd love to see this become a series, and see what he would think of the shortsword, rapier, saber, khopesh, gladius, etc! Seki Senseis insights are really fun to see

Konnichiwa Seki Sensi, thank you for sharing: The long sword also known as a great sword called a Claymore was welded by the highland clans of Scotland. A Claymore is known for having a weighted blade, which contributed to more force upon the blade striking the target. As a general rule a claymore was often used with double fisted hold on the hilt, while being wielded. By using a double fisted hold and allowing the weight of the blade to fall like an axe chopping wood and do the work, the maximum amount of force delivered maximum damage to an opponent in a duel. The elongated guard handles had a couple of purposes, the first was to protect the arms and hands from being injured. The second purpose was for an opponent wielding their sword to trap the blade of the other opponent and pin it to their sword, making it difficult for that opponent to continue to wield his sword. The third reason for having elongated handles with knobs on the end was for the HEMA fighter to be able to defend himself in battle against an enemy. By using the long handled, guards to give an enemy a lobotomy, during a battle. Have a great weekend -domo arigato gozaimasu

Loved this video. Usually I see western practitioners trying to use the katana. But to see it happen in reverse was so refreshing. Also, he admitted what he knew and didn't know about the long sword. Again so nice to see someone be humble about trying a new sword type. He truly is a great instructor.

I love how easily and effortlessly sensei adapts to the different weapon. Very impressive!

I came here directly from Skallagrim's channel and I'm blown away by this video. To have an obvious master of his craft approach an unknown sword with such excitement and humility is a joy to watch. Also being so quick to think of new techniques with such a weapon reveals just how skill he is, absolute masterclass, thank for you for uploading

Seeing Seki Sensei at work makes me feel bad that I haven't continued my karate and kenjutsu practice up untill now, who knows how far I would've come by now.

I love these videos and just found you guys. Master Sensei is so fun to watch and see his techniques!

Please do more of these if you can, there's countless channels on YT dealing with European swords and even discussing Katanas from the European perspective but, to my knowledge, there's not very many of the reverse: Japanese trying/discussing European swords and others. It would be extremely interesting if you made a series out of this where Seki Sensei gets to try different sword designs from around the world.

I love how the Sensei figured out half of the important German longsword techniques on his own in like half an hour! That man knows what he's doing.

This was very fun and fascinating to watch! :D As someone who knows only about European martial arts, I found it really awesome to see the gears turn in Seki Sensei’s head as he thought of effective ways to use the longsword based on his own unique experiences!

I came from skallgrim’s channel and I am so happy to see true enjoyment when comparing the different styles of weapons!

First of all, I really appreciate both of you for trying out the longsword without hesitation and even adapting to your own knowledge. I have been learning German HEMA in Style of Lichtenauer for aroung 3 years. But I havend tried any type of japanese martial arts, so please bear this in mind. I will try my best to answer some questions - Handguard is in the way: I think your arms are a little close to you body. In my experience, I keep my main hand/right hand a little further away from my body. I prefer another grip. Your right hand should be around 2 fingers away from the handguard and your left hand should be at the pommel. Also I put my thump on the blade, some like it, some dont. When swinging the sword, please use your left and right hand at the same time. Dont slash from your arms, you can do really fast and efficient strikes with pushing with the right and pulling with the left. - throwing stabs: I think there is a manual in the italian fencing, fiore di battaglia. You can do that, but most of the time you have 2 hands on the sword. Also there is the possibility to lose the sword. - Windings: Lichtenauer Fencing has a lot of windings. The sword dosn't have to be curved for bindings. Just control with your right hand the height of the sword. You can pull it down and up again to change the sides. You can pull the sword to you to get to the enemie weak spots and there are other possibilitys for the bind. You have to feel the preassure your opponent uses on you and your sword. Depending on the hard or soft preassure there are many techniques you can/should use against it. Therefor both opponents try to be exactly the same with preassure, called being Indes. - Striking the sword: Depending on the source you could call it a zornhau. It is a move to break someone stance. But if the enemy expects it, he just has to drop the guard and you are in the open or in an unsual bind position. But the technique from the katana master reminded me of a krumphau out of Hut Alber. I had a few hours to learn this technique. - Parrying: Yeah I learned there is no such thing as a parry. Or even attack or defence. In Lichtenauer fencing most of the attacks are reacted with another attack and taking a step backwards. After that you are most of the time in either a bind or a follow up attack. The master even said "you shouldn't touch the opponents weapon much" where as in Hema there are rarely instances where the swords dont touch. Conclusion: I think some katana techniques are usable for the longsword, but from my point of view these are completly different manuals. I think that Longsword fencing without armor (bloßfechten) is really stab efficient where as katana fencing seems rather slash efficient. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I am really curious.

So as someone who's been in both the SCA since birth and now in the Schola Saint George, and HEMA communities, having used two handed sword since I was in the second grade this was amazing. We get to see HEMA and other western martial arts instructors or longsword students try their hands at Katana all the time but getting to see the inverse is impossible to find. Edit: I loved this and would love to see more of Seki Sensei's opinions on western weapons. Next let's get a Zweihander or Kriegsmesser in his hands Things of note I saw: Grip: In my school of teaching have your dominant hand up near the guard, and your offhand grips the pommel of the sword like a doorknob. Keep the dominant hand loose but it's the power, offhand is rotation and that might help with the crossguard getting caught. Half Sword: I love this form of fighting. So instead of laying your hand along the flat of the sword, midway down grip it firmly sandwiched between your fingers and palm. Lots of tip control and protection this way. Cutting: When Seki Sensei deflects a strike he always pulls back so he hits with the true edge of the blade (the portion in line with his knuckles and where there would be the most power) he also always fights like he's locked in a line instead of side stepping and moving his hips as much. When he deflects like at 3:41 (where he also pulls back to make a cut like I said) he could have simply swung upwards with the opposite end of his blade into the face/head of his opponent- taking a step to add power from the twist of the torso would be strong here too. Turn of the sword: At 3:55 he pulls from a low center guard what looks like a full turn of the sword (at Fiore dei Liberi explains it) letting the length of the longsword guard him from a retaliatory assault after striking his opponent's blade away and ending in a a punta(thrust). That just made me so excited. 4:16: Posta Coda Lunga Dei Steza (The Long Tail) A sword master showing how some things are just going to be thought up the same. It's an amazing way to turn around and defend or like he shows put power into a deflect and counter blow. Katana vs Longsword parry: Starting at 5:19 He bats the strikes away really fast- and it's honestly doable when the blade is held poorly or even just stagnant in place for long enough- but at speed in motion I do not think it would be as easy simply because of the differences in weight and mass; or rather parrying it back the direction it came. It's well within reason to assume you could parry it INTO the direction of the swing- step out of the attack- and strike from safety after the blade passes. It's one of the Play's taught in Fiore :)

Ive watched this video on loop fir the last 20 plus minutes. The footwork and tactics are borderline poetry. The fundamental thing I find astonishing is that they openly admit they know little about the weapon and ask others for their thoughts. Thats top tier humble right there. Amazing, even when asking to learn - hes teaching.

As a student for historical fencing, a thing that I noticed is that with the european swrodfight you would first block the enemy's strike and then attack, while as I seen in various occasions with the eastern swordfighting the base "technique" is trying to hit the opponent first

The way he combines his years of experience with the katana and applies the strengths of his styles to the strengths of the longsword is fascinating. That is a man that has earned my full respect

I was disappointed that this video was not longer! It was very interesting to see the benefits and weaknesses of the handguard from the perspective of an expert Japanese swordsman. Your videos are great Shogo.

That was weirdly wholesome! I love that he was able to see the benefits of each and take some joy in the longsword. What a great video.

High stance with a longsword is done over the shoulder with the handguard ball at the back of your shoulder. The handguard is designed to help your lead hand steady the blade while the back of the handle is used as a counterweight to land more powerful swift strikes.