Swordsman redirects here. For the comic book characters, see Swordsman (comics). The Swordsman is the name of several Fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe. For the 1990 Hong Kong film, see The Swordsman. The Swordsman ( is a 1990 Hong Kong Wuxia - action film. King Hu is the director credited but he is alleged to have
Swordsmanship refers to the skills of a swordsman, a person versed in the art of the sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to any martial art involving the use of a sword. The small sword or smallsword (also court sword, fr épée de cour or dress sword) is a light one-handed Sword designed for thrusting Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for Combat. The formation of the English word "swordsman" is parallel to the Latin word gladiator[1], a term for the professional fighters who fought against each other and a variety of other foes for the entertainment of spectators in the Roman Empire. Gladiators (gladiatores "swordsmen" or "one who uses a sword" from la ''gladius'' "sword" were professional fighters in Ancient Rome who fought The word gladiator itself comes from the Latin word gladius, meaning "sword"[1]. Gladius is a Latin word for Sword. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those used by the Greeks
Contents |
Asian
Chinese
In Chinese culture the double-edged sword also known as jian is considered a master's weapon or a gentlemen's weapon, both from the considerable skill required to fight with this weapon and from the fact that commanders of armies favored the jian in order to move easily amongst the troops. The jian is a double-edged straight Sword used during the last 2500 years in China. The regular soldiers generally carried long spears that formed the majority of the force's armament.
Whilst many martial arts in China include training with both the dual-edged sword, or jian, and the single-bladed sword, or dao, (as well as many variant weapons), no well known Chinese martial art trains exclusively with the sword. Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for Combat. Dao ( "knife"is a category of single-edge Chinese Swords primarily used for slashing and chopping ( Sabres, often called a broadsword
Japanese
The sword has long held a significance in Japanese culture from the reverence and care that the samurai placed in their weapons. is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial Japan. Kenjutsu is the term used for sword arts in Japan. is the Japanese martial art specializing in the use of the Japanese Sword ( Katana)
Kendo, a swordsmanship-based sport art, and Iaido, the art of drawing the sword and re-sheathing it, as well as cutting an opponent with it, are of note here. or " way of the sword " is the Japanese and South Korean martial art of sword-fighting is a Japanese martial art associated with the smooth controlled movements of drawing the Sword from its Scabbard, striking or cutting an opponent removing blood Many schools also focus almost exclusively on swordsmanship which grew from the noble families' patronage of certain teachers. Some koryu, or ancient, schools still exist along with some more modern schools. is a Japanese word that is used in association with the ancient Japanese martial arts.
European
Roman
Rome provides the foundation for the widespread use of the sword as a weapon in its own right in the West. The Roman legionaries and other forces of the Roman military used the gladius as a short thrusting sword effectively with the scutum, a type of shield, in battle. The Roman legionary was a professional soldier of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC. Commonwealth English! -->The military of ancient Rome relates to the combined military forces of Ancient Rome from the founding of the city Gladius is a Latin word for Sword. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those used by the Greeks Scutum ('skjuːtəm in English pl scuta) is the Latin word for " Shield " although it has in modern times come to be specifically A shield is a protective device meant to intercept attacks The term often refers to a device that is held in the hand as opposed to Armour or a Bullet proof vest Gladiators used a shorter gladius than the military. Gladiators (gladiatores "swordsmen" or "one who uses a sword" from la ''gladius'' "sword" were professional fighters in Ancient Rome who fought The spatha was a longer double-edged sword initially used only by Roman Cavalry units; however by the 2nd century A. The spatha was a type of straight Sword with a long point measuring between 0 D. the spatha was used throughout much of the Roman Empire's legionary force. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial
Imperial Roman soldiers were heavily trained and prided themselves on discipline. This probably carried over to their training with weaponry, but we have no Roman manuals of swordsmanship. One translation of Juvenal's poetry by B. The Holyday in 1661 makes note that the Roman trainees learned to fight with the wooden wasters before moving on to the use of sharpened steel. A waster (ˈweɪstər is a wooden practice weapon usually a Sword. In fact, it is also found that Roman gladiators trained with a wooden sword, which was weighted with lead, against a straw man or a wooden pole known as a palus (an early relative of the later wooden pell). [2] This training would have provided the Roman soldier with a good training in swordsmanship, to be improved upon from practical experience or further advanced training.
Viking Age and Medieval
- For more details on this topic, see German school of swordsmanship and Italian school of swordsmanship. The German school of fencing ( de Deutsche Fechtschule) is the historical system of Combat taught in the Holy Roman Empire in the Late Medieval The term Italian school of Swordsmanship is used to describe the Italian style of fencing and edged-weapon combat from the time of the first extant Italian swordsmanship
Little is known about early medieval fencing techniques save for what may be concluded from archaeological evidence and artistic depiction (see Viking Age arms and armour). Our knowledge about arms and armour of the Viking age ( 8th to 11th centuries Europe is based on relatively sparse archaeological finds pictorial representation What little has been found, however, shows the use of the sword was limited during the Viking age, especially among the Vikings themselves and other northern Germanic tribes. Here, the spear, axe and shield were prominent weapons, with only wealthy individuals owning swords. These weapons, based on the Roman spatha, were made very well. The technique of pattern welding of composite metals provided some of these northern weapons superior properties in strength and resilience to the iron gladius of early Rome. Pattern welding is the practice in Sword and Knife making of forming a blade of several Metal pieces of differing composition that are forge-welded Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26
As time passed, the spatha evolved into the arming sword, a weapon with a notable cruciform hilt common among knights in the Medieval Age. The arming sword (also sometimes called a knight's or knightly sword) is the single handed Cruciform Sword of the High Middle Ages The hilt (sometimes called the haft) of a Sword is its handle consisting of a guard, grip and pommel. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. Some time after this evolution, the earliest known treatises (Fechtbücher) were written, dealing primarily with arming sword and buckler combat. Martial arts manuals are instructions with or without illustrations detailing specific techniques of Martial arts. A buckler (French bouclier 'shield' from old French bocle boucle 'boss' is a small Shield, 15 to 45 cm in diameter gripped in the fist Among these examples is the I.33, the earliest known Fechtbuch. Royal Armouries Ms I33, also known as "the Tower Manuscript " because of its long stay in the Tower of London, is the usual name for the earliest known The German school of swordsmanship can trace itself most closely to Johannes Liechtenauer and his students, who later became the German masters of the 15th century, including Sigmund Ringeck, Hans Talhoffer, Peter von Danzig and Paulus Kal. The German school of fencing ( de Deutsche Fechtschule) is the historical system of Combat taught in the Holy Roman Empire in the Late Medieval Johannes Liechtenauer (also spelled Lichtenauer) was a 14th century German Fencing master Sigmund Ringeck was a 15th century German fencing master, and the author of a Fechtbuch, MS Dresd Hans Talhoffer (also spelled Talhofer) was a fencing-master in southern Germany in the 15th century. Peter von Danzig was a 15th century German Fencing master He is the author of the 1452 Fechtbuch known as Cod Paulus Kal was a 15th century German Fencing master In 1460, he wrote a combat manual describing the art of fencing (Cgm 1507 95 It is possible that the Italian fencing treatise Flos Duellatorum, written by the Italian swordmaster Fiori dei Liberi around 1410, has ties to the German school. Sir Fior Furlan de Civida d'Austria dei Liberi da Premariacco (ca During this period of time, the longsword grew out of the arming sword, eventually resulting in a blade comfortably wielded in both hands at once. The Longsword is a type of European Sword used during the Late medieval and Renaissance periods approximately 1350 to 1550 (with early and late use reaching Armour technology also evolved, leading to the advent of plate armour, and thus swordsmanship was further pressed to meet the demands of killing a very well protected enemy. Plate armour is personal Armour made from large Metal plates worn on the Chest and sometimes the entire Body.
For much of the early medieval period, the sword continued to remain a symbol of status. During later years, production techniques became more efficient, and so, while the sword remained a privilege, it was not so heavily confined to only the richest individuals, but rather to the richest classes.
Renaissance
- For more details on this topic, see Italian school of swordsmanship and Spanish school of swordsmanship. The term Italian school of Swordsmanship is used to describe the Italian style of fencing and edged-weapon combat from the time of the first extant Italian swordsmanship La Verdadera Destreza is a Spanish type of Fencing. The Spanish Sword system is a universal method of fighting based on reason Mathematics
The German school of swordsmanship, in general, faced a decline during the Renaissance as the Italian and Spanish schools, which tilted more toward the rapier and civilian dueling, took the forefront. Georg Mühlberg (1863-1925 was a German Painter. A rapier is a relatively slender sharply pointed Sword, used mainly for thrusting attacks mainly in use in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries As practiced from the 11th to 20th centuries in Western societies a duel is an engagement in combat between two individuals with matched weapons in accordance with their combat The compendium compiled by Paulus Hector Mair in the 1540s looks back to the preceding century of work and attempts to reconstruct and preserve a failing art. Paulus Hector Mair (1517&ndash1579 was an Augsburg civil servant and active in the martial arts of his time. The treatise by Joachim Meyer, dating to the 1570s and notable for its scientific and complete approach to the style (it is suggested that Meyer's students came to him with less military knowledge and therefore required more basic instruction), is the last major account of the German school, and its context is now almost entirely sportive. Joachim Meyer (1537? - 1571 was a self described Freifechter (literally Free Fencer living in the then Free Imperial City of Strassburg in the 16th century
The use of the longsword continued to decline throughout the Renaissance period, marked by the increased effectiveness of the arquebus (a firearm) and the use of pike squares as a powerful implement of battle. The Arquebus (sometimes spelled harquebus, harkbus or hackbut; from Dutch haakbus, meaning "hook gun" is The Pike Square (Gewalthaufen meaning crowd of force) was a military tactic developed by the Swiss Confederacy during the 15th century for use by its Infantry During this time, civilian swords evolved to side-swords, also known as "cut and thrust" swords, and progressed towards the thicker, tapering sword that eventually became the 17th century rapier. A rapier is a relatively slender sharply pointed Sword, used mainly for thrusting attacks mainly in use in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries This new weapon was popular for both protection on the street and as a tool in the duel, but found little success on the battlefield. As practiced from the 11th to 20th centuries in Western societies a duel is an engagement in combat between two individuals with matched weapons in accordance with their combat The Italian, French, and Spanish schools embraced this change in civilian armament and developed systems of rapier fencing. A rapier is a relatively slender sharply pointed Sword, used mainly for thrusting attacks mainly in use in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries The German school, however, provides little on this weapon and ceases its prevalence thereafter.
Modern
- For more details on this topic, see Sport Fencing, Classical fencing, and Historical European martial arts. Fencing is the art of armed Combat involving Cutting, Stabbing, or slapping bludgeoning Weapons directly manipulated by hand Classical fencing is the term used to describe one particular style of Fencing in which one fences in a martially accurate manner with the weapons used HEMA redirects here See HEMA (disambiguation for other uses Historical European Martial arts are Martial arts of European origin
After the demise of the longsword, the backsword became the last prominent battlefield sword. A backsword is a Sword having a Blade with only one edge The back of the sword is often the thickest part of the blade and acts to support and strengthen it The backsword was not a new invention, but managed to outlast other forms of war swords, and was last used primarily by cavalry units and officers. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on The power, accuracy, and reliability of firearms continued to improve, however, and soon swords had little place on the battlefield aside from ceremonial purposes. The preferred civilian dueling weapon shifted from the rapier to the faster but shorter smallsword, and eventually shifted totally away from swords to the pistol, following developments in firearm technology. The small sword or smallsword (also court sword, fr épée de cour or dress sword) is a light one-handed Sword designed for thrusting The civilian affair of dueling was banned in most areas, but persisted to some degree regardless of law until well into the 19th century.
Sport Fencing
The need to train swordsmen for combat in a nonlethal manner led fencing and swordsmanship to include a sport aspect from its beginnings, from before the medieval tournament right up to the modern age. [3] In the mid-18th century, Domenico Angelo's fencing academy in England established the essential rules of posture and footwork that still govern modern sport fencing, although his attacking and parrying methods were still much different from current practice. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system Angelo intended to prepare his students for real combat, and did not use masks, but he was the most prominent fencing master yet to emphasize the health and sporting benefits of fencing more than its use as a killing art, particularly in his influential book The School of Fencing. As fencing progressed, the combat aspect slowly faded until only the rules of the sport remained. While the fencing taught in the late 1800s and early 1900s was intended to serve both for competition and the duel (while understanding the differences between the two situations), the type of fencing taught in a modern sport fencing salle is intended only to train the student to compete in the most effective manner within the rules of the sport. Fencing is the art of armed Combat involving Cutting, Stabbing, or slapping bludgeoning Weapons directly manipulated by hand As this evolution has continued, the training and techniques have become increasingly further removed from their martial roots. One driving force behind this evolution is sport fencing's award of a point to the fencer who scores the first touch; this encourages the competitors to use scoring techniques that result in a first touch in a sporting encounter but would leave them defenseless against a counterthrust, even from a mortally wounded opponent, in a duel with lethal weapons.
Classical Fencing
As early as 1880, attempts were made to recreate the older German, Italian, and Spanish schools of swordsmanship. The lineage of Masters trained to teach the arts had been left to dwindle, however. The classical fencing community, interested in the later rapier and smallsword swordplay, finds its beginnings during this time period. Classical fencing is the term used to describe one particular style of Fencing in which one fences in a martially accurate manner with the weapons used These individuals focus their efforts on the martial systems of combat and dueling developed for the rapier, and attempt to practice as accurately as possible, preferring replica or antique blades to modern sport fencing weapons[4].
Historical Fencing
In 1966, the Society for Creative Anachronism spurred new interest in the idea of historical swordsmanship through ahistoric re-enactment. Society for Creative Anachronism (usually shortened to SCA) is a historical re-creation and Living history group founded in 1966 which This approach did not focus on the swordsmanship from a particularly scholarly viewpoint, nor as the focus of a martial art. With rising interest in the area, the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts[5] (then known as the HACA) (in the USA) and The Academy of European Swordsmanship[6] (in Canada) began their reconstruction of the martial arts by researching the fechtbücher and following interpretations of historical guidelines. The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA is an International Educational Non-profit organization dedicated to the study and practice of The Academy of European Swordsmanship is a Canadian incorporated non-profit organization dedicated to the study and practice of Historical western martial arts. Soon, other organizations such as the Chicago Swordplay Guild[7] (in the USA), Schola Gladiatoria[8] (in the UK) and The Academy of European Mediaeval Martial Arts (in Canada) as well as several organizations throughout Europe began similar work, giving birth to the Historical martial arts reconstruction community. The early history of Martial arts is difficult to reconstruct The reconstruction continues today, leading many within the field to feel that the reborn art is merely in its infancy and that only the simplest elements of western martial heritage have been rediscovered [9].
References
- ^ a b Etymology Online
- ^ L. Friedlander-Drexel. Darstellungen aus der Sittengeschichte Roms per Michael Grant. Gladiators page 40. Barnes and Noble, 1967. Mention from Clements, John. Get thee a waster!
- ^ Antonio Manciolino, in the beginning of his 1531 manual, gives point values for the various body parts. Masaniello Parise supplemented his 1884 fencing manual with a small work, Spada da Terreno in which he gave the reader some general advice for the duel as well as covering which techniques most appropriate to use.
- ^ Classical Fencing - Why Study Classical Fencing?
- ^ The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts Main Page
- ^ The Academy of European Swordsmanship Main Page
- ^ > The Chicago Swordplay Guild Main Page
- ^ Schola Gladiatoria Main Page
- ^ Ranking in ARMA
See also
External links
This is a list of Types of swords found through history all around the worldDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic