#swordsmanship

[we-are-knight]

Gold medal match, Northumbrian League York, Harnischfechten against Jordan Mock.

[kirbyfigure]

𓆩  🍮﹐✧﹏✶ ･ minhkhoa khan

[vadipilled]

Hello people!

Thought I may as well make some sort of introduction for this blog since I intend to be a bit more active from now on (we will see how that actually manifests but it is the intent). This post will change over time to reflect the current state of the blog.

First things first, my pronouns are they/them. Oh, and fuck off all you Terfs and Facists. Now onto the intro proper:

I am a UK based HEMA/Historical Fencing practitioner and a undergrad student studying history. I have been studying various fencing traditions for about 5 years mainly focusing on Armizare (formerly mostly Fiore but I am now in my Vadi era) but I have also explored systems focused on rapier, sabre, and sidesword.

I would not consider myself any sort of expert or authority on anything (I’m no Mr Vadi) but I am a somewhat knowledgeable fencer and I have spent many hours training, research, and sparring. Another important thing to note is I am disabled - I suffer from Left-sided Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy - while generally quite a minor condition it does impact my fencing (and I may have some things to say on this blog about this soon).

So what about the blog? And why Vadi?

On this blog I seek to entertain, have interesting discussions, and possibly even educate people. It’s pretty simple and not all too serious and I very much welcome questions regarding Vadi and Fiore as well as HEMA more generally.

As to my love for Vadi:

Well, I am an twinkish contrarian and Vadi is the much maligned hipster choice for longsword.

To be more serious, I started off doing Fiore but I just wanted something a little different, I started to feel that Fiore didn’t perfectly fit my style and my physical ability, so I began to find stuff to augment Fiore and that led me to Vadi since he was a later master in the same tradition with a few key differences. I started adding more and more different stuff into my style while still being a “Fiorist” but I eventually found myself even more unsatisfied with my new mishmash style, so I decided to just switch entirely to Vadi since I was enjoying his stuff a lot more. Also Vadi is definitely quite niche and unfairly overlooked and I love to champion the underdog.

All this does not mean I hate Fiore or anything, l love his system, it’s a great system, I just prefer Vadi longsword for me.

So that’s most of why I do Vadi, the other part is that joke at the start - I am a twink (and more than a little pathetic) - and I have this idea of Vadi (which is not really particularly realistic) as a pathetic loser twink.

“So why do you characterise him like that?” You may ask.

Um… have you seen the guy? He’s the closest to a twink you are going to get for a fencing master, and he was a bit of a failure

My personal choice to characterise Vadi as a twink stems from my personal identity and a want to “vibe” with the master I study, Vadi was probably not gay but the descriptor twink has become far more than just gay slang.

Other than that I have a few people to recommend:

@we-are-knight - an excellent fencer and an instructor of mine who is infinitely more knowledgeable and experienced when it comes to this whole fencing thing.

Jamie Maclver aka “Mr Vadi”, and Connor Kemp Cowell aka Sinestrahema - these two fantastic people create lots of great content on Vadi and I would not be able to be a Vadi fender without their channels (to clarify, I know neither of them personally).

The final thing is Marshal Boucicaut is my washed goat :)

Bye!

[metamorphicmuse]

Close to the Heart

[talesofedo]

A bit on samurai sword etiquette from the Tozando newsletter.

Check your weapons at the door

During the long peace of the Edo period, the familiar image of the samurai constantly wearing his paired swords was more nuanced than popular imagination suggests. The daishō marked status and privilege, but Tokugawa society was governed by layers of etiquette that carefully regulated when and where weapons could be carried. In practice, there were many situations in which a samurai set aside at least his long sword. These moments did not diminish the meaning of the blades. Rather, they reveal how tightly controlled and symbolically charged sword-wearing actually was.

Formal settings offer the clearest examples. When attending the shogunal court at Edo Castle, daimyō and retainers were required in certain inner precincts to surrender their long swords before entering high ceremonial spaces. This was partly a matter of security, but it also carried unmistakable political symbolism. To lay aside one’s sword in the shōgun’s presence was to acknowledge his supremacy. Similar customs operated in domainal castles throughout Japan, and etiquette manuals from the period make clear that sword protocol was a serious matter.

Outside official spaces, practice was shaped as much by custom as by regulation. When visiting the residence of a superior, a samurai would ordinarily remove his long sword at the entrance. Evidence from urban entertainment districts suggests that comparable habits may have been common in more relaxed social environments as well. In Kyoto’s licensed quarter of Shimabara, for example, the historic ageya house Sumiya preserves Edo-period sword racks near its entrance. The survival of these katana-kake strongly indicates that guests deposited their long swords before proceeding inside. While it would be overstated to claim a universal nationwide rule for every drinking establishment, the physical evidence at Sumiya makes it reasonable to conclude that leaving swords at the entrance of certain pleasure-quarter venues was at least a recognized and perhaps common practice. In spaces where alcohol flowed and tempers could rise, this was as practical as it was polite.

Seen in this light, the samurai’s swords were ever-present symbols but not perpetually worn in every setting. Whether entering a castle audience hall, a superior’s home, or an evening gathering in Shimabara, the act of setting aside the long blade reflected a society deeply invested in order, hierarchy, and controlled displays of power. The enduring image of the warrior with swords always at his side is compelling, but the historical reality is more human and more structured. Even in a culture defined by the blade, there were times when etiquette required that it rest quietly on a rack by the door

[lockedtombmemes]

What is both Gideon's greatest strength and her greatest downfall?

Fencing.

[rogueishlike]

I’ve almost discovered what makes knights so badass

[donfadrique]