The Ultimate Weapon: The Katana
Today we are at the second last chapter in this series about weapons with which I regularly practice. Of all weapons that I have collected I respect the katana the most. I almost never practice with it, rather using the bokken that I have. I am sure that what I have to say here can be said for some other weapons as well, but this is what I have learnt from studying the Japanese sword: Movies tend to show off weapons with a lot of twirling and excessive movement. With the katana, however, I have come to appreciate the value of being able to get the job done with as little movement as possible. Few weapons teaches one the value of timing and distance like the katana. Lastly- I find it the easiest weapon to wield in a Zen state of mind. Being a fairly simple weapon that does not have any chains, moving parts, extra handles or such it gives you very little to think about while fighting. Still- it is what I call a Final Weapon....