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So regular readers of my blog will know I like katana. To me they are wonderful works of art as well as fantastic weapons. My current dream is to comission a Shinken (custom made sword from a master Japanese sword smith). The fact I sort of know how to use these things and had several live blades delivered to the office means that I was voted the person most likely to go postal. I think they would have been even more worried if they saw me last night.

One of my good mates needed to do some test cutting (basically chopping rolled up straw mats with real katana) for one if his gradings and I was invited to come along and have a go. Now, bearing in mind I’m largely self taught, I was very surprised I was allowed to play but apparently I gave a good account of myself. The fact I was using a brand spanking new sword probably helped but it’s not all about swinging and letting brute force do the work. There is a lot of technique and skill to do it properly.

Being cack handed I decided to hold it left handed. I know I’m supposed to be learning right handed but this was a couple of hundred quids worth of someone elses razor sharp steal. I did not want to ding the blade or, worse, let go of the sword and injure someone. If you bear in mind these things will easily chop a man in half from neck to groin in the right hands you’ll understand the caution.

The cut itself was over the head, down to the left on the way down so the target is struck at an angle, then pulling back slighly to give a slicing action. I hit the taget square on and got a great clesn cut. My technique needs a bit of work and the angle if the cut was a bit off but for a first go I thought I did rather well. What scares me is that was the equivalent of cutting through soneones arm and I barely felt a thing as the swords passed through it. Going to see if I can organise another session and bring my sword along