Turn, turn, turn
2015 11 05
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I cut myself with my sensei's sword again today. Oddly, this does nothing but make me laugh in a sort of "war wounds"/"I did it right" kind of way - which I'm not, because I'm not supposed to cut anything at all, except invisible enemies, which is basically everything seeing as how I'm blind, or not seeing at all, because I'm blind.
I am starting to wonder why, though, outside the consideration of expense, they make us start off using bokken. It's shocking to me how much of a difference it makes using a real sword as opposed to the wooden one. Absolutely everything is easier - with a generous interpretation of the word "easier". There is not a single movement in any of this, not from the beginning to the end, that doesn't have a purpose, or isn't prescribed in some way. The ways you stand, kneel, bow, turn, the direction the kashira faces, the distance between your belt and the tsuba when your sword is sheathed, the knotting of things, all of it - there are a thousand little things to be mindful of at every turn - which today seemed to be my big problem, remembering where my feet were supposed to be during each turn.
One day I'm certain I'll end up on the dojo floor flat on my face, because balance seems to be ... frequently questionable.