Wen Hsiu Quan

My first thought was to title this post "The Empty Hand", but it would not have really suited the content. We know I love kicking, so"Hands and Feet" would have been more accurate, right? But then I would probably get reminded of the elbows and knees... And someone else might then bring up the head, shoulders and hips... As martial artists we often take for granted, especially after some years of training, how much time and effort was put into making our bodies into weapons. Sure- you have the contact areas that have to make contact with the target, but we all know that an inefficient use of the body as the delivery system may cause the fist or foot to never even reach its target... Striking, grappling, defending- all of these actions make up the art of fighting that we practice. Unlike all other weapons in our arsenal, this particular weapon can improve with regular use. It can get stronger, more durable and more effective.

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.

Of all the weapons that I have collected, this one was the last. Liking Ninjutsu and the weapons that I have seen in many Ninja movies- the Jian or Chinese Straight Sword was not high on my list of weapons to get. Besides- if there was a sword to get the Japanese Katana would be the ultimate sword to have, right? Right...? As it would happen, though- after finishing high school I have developed an increasing love for Kung Fu and Chinese martial arts movies. I am running the risk of seriously digressing here and we have not yet even started, but, let me say this- My boss at the time- Mrs Ku- opened my eyes to a whole new world of martial arts movies when she showed me this movie called the Duel. You might not know this, but among martial arts movies in China- the Jian has a whole genre (or maybe sub-genre) of movies dedicated to it. The most famous movie in this genre is definitely Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon that I have seen 20 times so far. Needless to say- soon