Well I dont really Have Any favorite's.But here are some i like. I dont like gun's,I would rather die than ever use one to protect my self. Anyone can pull s trigger. Some weapons i like are. My Body. My Mind And My Soul.
Well unless you have some deep seated issues like Bruce Wayne I'd say your above post is a bit daft. And of course assuming you are not trolling, if firearms take so little skill then why do LEOs and those in the Military spend time developing the skills needed to use them. Yes the physical action of pulling a trigger might be a simple one but like many other actions doing so under the pressure of threat of serious bodily harm is going to be something else. I think you need to drop the romanticised notions you seem to have about some things before you get a cold slap in the face from reality.
None of which are bulletproof. Firearms use is certainly a martial art, and takes a great deal of skill. You might enjoy the following video, or at least find it enlightening. If that's not martial skill, I don't know what is. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa50-plo48"]Todd Jarrett on pistol shooting. - YouTube[/ame] Best regards, -Mark
Gunnery is a martial art, just as archery is. It has been so for centuries. Observe how many ryūha in classical martial arts still preserve the main teachings of historical gunnery from the warring states period of history in Japan. Yō-ryū hōjutsu [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMwCD8VOxVI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMwCD8VOxVI[/ame] Seki-ryū hōjutsu [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b6fwFG1ITM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b6fwFG1ITM[/ame] Morishige-ryū hōjutsu [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njbOPl7BIWk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njbOPl7BIWk[/ame] Ogino-ryū hōjutsu [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=divHReyjxpQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=divHReyjxpQ[/ame] There are even ryūha in koryū bujutsu that still practice with feudal cannon and artillery. When not demonstrating, they do train, going to gunnery ranges and drilling with black powder and ball. Also note how the use of the firearm was extremely instrumental in the unification of Japan by Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Anyone can hit something/someone. Anyone can cut something/someone. Depends, you must look at it in context. Maybe not so easy when your antagonist does everything in his/hers power to avoid and hits/cuts back. Thats when skill matters in combat context.
Cool vids. There's something about that kind of stuff (hojutusu, black powder, hardcore revolutionary war enthusiasts, etc) that just seems magical to me. Old guns are awesome. Best regards, -Mark
Hey Mark I am eyeing up a black powder rifle from Cabelas at the moment - although obviously pyrodex is the norm these days. Cabelas Canada sells them in the 400 range and you do not need a permit! http://www.cabelas.ca/index.cfm?pageID=71§ion=1284§ion2=1459&ID=6023 There is something....honest I suppose about backwoods-ing with one of those, a hatchet, a decent blade and not a lot else!
Thank you for the videos, Kogusoku. I had been aware of such koryu systems but I didn't think that they were still practiced to such an extent today. I would have thought that the strictness of Japanese gun laws would have made it difficult to practice such a system. Obviously not. Do you know where these type of weapons stand in Japanese law? Are they considered similar to bladed weapons, etc used in other koryu?
One way to test your accuracy and patience. I do agree, muskets do have more of an allure than modern firearms. More romantic I suppose.
They are considered as firearms. You require a Jūhōtōkenrui tōrokushō (銃砲刀剣類登録証) which is a licence of ownership that covers swords as well as firearms. As long as you have the licence and obey the laws of the land you are fine.
Other nice thing about it is if you hit it with black powder you KNOW you earned it! I shoot black powder pistols from time to time, get a better grouping with a spud gun!
Wow, that's a beauty! Can't go wrong for the money. One of my students does black powder. One of these days I'll have to go shooting with him. Not that I'm even a mediocre shot despite growing up doing it. It's on the list of training to acquire though. All my friends shoot... heck, a buddy of mine worked at the Edge for a while. Best regards, -Mark
Here's a picture of me posing with a replica I made myself of an early 15th century hand-cannon (you can just about see the original in the museum casing behind me in the pic): http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab271/Stolenbjorn/kanonkopiogoriginal.jpg and here is a video from a show we did last summer, us shooting with 15th century replica hand-cannons and breech-loader(If you want to skip marching and re-enactment-fluff, and just see the guns up close, skip to 1min30sec, and we don't really get to shoot until around 2:40...): [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0czy1nk6gU&feature=youtu.be&noredirect=1"]The Battle of the Odd - YouTube[/ame]
Kogusoku, could you suggest any books or sources for more information on the variations of Tanegashima matchlocks that the Japanese produced after 1543? I have had a general poke around google, but haven't found anything more than very general information. Although recently I came across this site: http://www.japaneseweapons.net/hinawajyu/shurui/english.htm Which was the most solid thing I found.
