Thucydides – Protective Arts

Heracles

In most tellings, the Labors come later. Heroic, impossible tasks imposed to atone for the uncleansable act of killing his own children. Violence precedes expiation. Crime is answered by ordeal. Euripides reverses the order. The Labors come first, to prove that achievement is no protection. The monsters are dead. The roads are passable again. TheContinue reading “Heracles”

SAN NO TACHI

The third paired sword exercise – we broke it down into its constituent movements of uchi komi and kiri kaeshi then rebuilt it as a flow sequence. But each component has its purpose – its bunkai. Any given point in the flow could be a terminal movement. Uchidachi’s opening gambit of kiri kaeshi could remove shidachi’sContinue reading “SAN NO TACHI”