Sword Sunday #40 - "No cuts", a movie, a sword, and a legacy.

Sometimes, a sword never has to leave its scabbard in order to serve its purpose. 

For a case in point, allow me to take you to the end of the 20th century, and a meeting between two men who's names are now known across the United States, though for drastically different reasons. 

The traveler, or visitor, is the soon to be internationally famous Japanese animator and director Hayao Miyazaki. He is several days into a trip across the Pacific ocean, on his way to a face to face meeting with the head of Miramax Pictures. The conversation would be tence, and combative, but the japanese artists was going into this conversation with an iron clad resolve.

In 1985, a much younger Miyazaki has sold the US distribution rights to his environmentally minded  "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" with the hopes of widening his audience. 

The results were, to be polite about it, disastrous. Having sold part of the creative control with the early contract, US producers edited over twenty minutes from the film, rearranged several key scenes to the point where the plot was bordering on nonsensical, and released a marketing poster that had 5 figures on it, none of whom were in the film or had anything to do with the story being told. The US edit was named "Warriors of the wind", which was salt in the would for the pacifist director who had written a movie he intended to tell a message of peace. 

Now a decade later, and just as much wiser, Miyazaki was taking another bite at the US market apple.

And again, the 'suits' in the american movie industry had a very clear idea of how this was going to happen. 

Only this time, they were not ready for Miyazaki.

The stakes this time were even higher, though. The film was another heartfelt work for the career animator and director. Again tapping into the themes of environmentalism, it also drew heavily on human psychology, and themes of Japanese spirituality. The tale was a gripping, gory, violent, and disturbingly emotional tale of the will to live, the fight to do so, and the losses encountered along the way. With a budget that dwarfed his earlier works, this one, he knew, was of the quality that would make it engaging for a mainstream, mature US audience. 

The Movie was "Princess Mononoke". 

No sooner had the first copy for Princess Mononoke made it to the US than Miramax studios went to work with edit orders. Scene of female cleavage, flirting, gore, violence, and anything that could be called intense needed to be cut out, or have the sound design changed in order to not scare off 'the kids'. The art department was already working on posters with a target audience of 8 to 16, though half of them reportedly had not seen any version of the film when they begin their drawings. And at the head of the effort was the head of the studio, supremely confident that he was going to get his way, no matter what. 

Then, the unthinkable happened. 

Miyazaki said 'no'. 

The studio head was, per several reports, flabbergasted that his requests were being "slowed down". He sent another letter, and this one was much more direct. 

Again, the reply came back that Miyazaki would accept none of the the suggested edits. 

Not one.

The Studio (and specifically its head) was now thoroughly bothered by this, a meeting was requested so that Miyazaki could be convinced in person to the suggestions.

He agreed and flew to the US. 

But as this trip was shaping up, another player stepped into the picture. One of Miyazaki's producers went to he trouble of purchasing a authentic Japanese Katana, the world-famous sword type best known for its use in the hands of the Samurai warriors of the Japanese feudal era. He had the item boxed, and expressed mailed to the head of Miramax Studios, with a note place on the blade. 

The note had only two words.

"No Cuts"

By all accounts, the timing of the message was what it needed to be. The Sword arrived ahead of Miyazaki, and no doubt conveyed the message with the type of clarity that the American had not seen before. 

But the studio head would not budge, and pressed on with the meeting, confident he would bend Miyazaki to his will and go on to market Princess Mononoke  to the traditional US animated film market of children 8 to 16 years old. 

Miyazaki Would describe the meeting in simple terms, but his words were telling.

I did go to New York to meet this man, [...] , and I was bombarded with this aggressive attack, all these demands for cuts. I defeated him." 

-Hayao Miyazaki 

Princess Mononoke would go on to begin the process of Catapulting Hayao Miyazaki to world wide recognition, and then on to international stardom in both the animated film industry, and then among film directors across the board. It would be released in the US with an all-star voice cast, additional screen play work done with the help of Neil Gaiman, and a MPAA rating of PG-13, appropriately reflective of the powerful subject matter and story telling methods chosen by the Miyazaki. 

And the Studio head? 

Sadly, his stubbornness with Miyazaki proved to be but a small symptom of a horrific man's destructive need to control almost anything. or anyone he encountered. 

On February 24, 2020, the former Head of Miramax Studios was convicted of 5 counts of sexual assault. Harvey Weinstein, who's headstrong and bullish personality had been tolerated for years because of the cash flow he could generate, had ultimately become the focal point for one of the most intense  call-outs of the #metoo movement.  Coworkers and colleagues have also verified that he was notorious for accepting little if any compromise in business dealings, and openly bragged about ruining people who argued with him.  Hundreds of accounts have surfaced that his 'you will not say no to me' attitude was visited ten-fold on women he was sexually drawn to. 

Few  have ever claimed to have be able to best the once powerful business man on ground of his choosing. 

So, in this strange and convoluted story, it is, in fact, accurate to say that Hayao Miyazaki, the master of modern animation, did do battle with the villainous Harvey Weinstein, and with the help of a sword, defeated him. 

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday #39 - Famous blades from across the world

Author's note: much of the base information here is from the article posted on Feb 7th, 2019, by Faen Aelpha. 

There is probably no more famous blade name in the western world than Excalibur. The legendary sword of King Arthur, the name is recognized from the Ural mountains of Russia to the Western coast of North America. The sword itself has been depicted in nearly every form imaginable on the silver screen, and the name Excalibur has gone on to grace modern weapons, literature, airplanes, military operations, cars, and musical albums, and even one of the more conspicuous films of the 1980s telling one version of the tale of King Arthur. 

If Excalibur ever was a real sword, it would most likely be fashioned after the pattern of the roman gladiolus, the single most common, and advanced sword type of the time contemporary to the birth of the Arthurian legends. 

But not surprisingly, the blade born of British folklore before the times of the Normans is not the only sword to leave its mark on history by name alone. 

Joyeuse

There are actually two Joyeuse swords. The first is the one said to have been the personal sword of Charlemagne, the king who founded what has today become France in the 9th century CE. The second, made in the 13th century, was created as a (then) modern invocation of the original storied blade, and used as a sword of state, or ceremonial sword by the french monarchs. The replica (which some say has the original blade in it, but that is disputed) is on display in the Louvre.

Durandal

Another sword name with a lot of aplicatons today, "Durandal" as a name has been applied to ships of two generations, a anti-runway bomb used by NATO forces, and even a soccer (futbol) star's surname. 

Per the "Song of Roland" (Champion to king Charlemagne) an angel gave this sword to the king. It was made of numerous relics from the Christian tradition, including a tooth from Saint Peter and part of the vestments of the Virgin Mary. In literature, Roland uses it to defend himself against a horde of Muslim fighters. In one very old legend, Durandal was thrown from a cliff by Roland, and may be embedded in a rock face in the mountain village of Rocamadour, in France, even today.

While the amazing (and in the later case, fantastical) stories of both of these blades are largely believed to be more fable than fact, any audience contemporary to the time who heard the word  'sword' would likely have envisioned the the arming, or knightly sword, one of the most common types of single-handed blades in western Europe. 

Zulfiqar

A sword as steeped n history as the religion that helped make it, Zulfiqar was/is a two pointed scimitar that belonged to Hazrat Ali, the cousin of the profit Muhammad. Muhammad himself is reportedly quoted as saying "There is no warrior like Ali and there is no sword like Zulfiqar." The location of the blade is unknown today, at least publicly, but it is believed to be held in a private collection. 

(an artistic reproduction of the blade Zulfiqar. The exact design is unknown)

The Sword of William Wallace

Five foot, four inches long, with a four foot and four in handle, this massive Scottish weapon is as real as the people is killed. Massive, fast moving, 2-handed weapons like this were common in the middle ages, especially among wealthier combatants such as knights, landed nobles, and royal guards. This one, of course, was made famous for its owner, William Wallace, the Scottish warrior who fought the English in the 13th centuries. 

There is a sword on display in Scotland claiming to be the same weapon, but strong evidence exists to suggest that it is not the same blade that William Wallace used, and that it may never have even been a viable combat sword at all. 

Tizona and Colada

Another set of blades with as much fable as fact in their makeup, Tizona and Colada were the Spanish single swords owned, and wielded by Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, also known as Cid the Champion during the time of the expulsion of the moors from the Iberian Peninsula. The story of the man himself is told in "The Song of My Cid", one of the oldest surviving epic poems from the Castilian Region of Spain. 

While one of the two blades named in the poem is on display in Barcelona, the authenticity of its heritage, like so many artifacts of that time and place, is in dispute. Like its northern European contemporaries, a real life blade of that time would likely be between 20 and 30 inches long, straight, and with a fuller to reduce weight and increase strength. 

Skofnung

Having once belonged to the legendary Danish king, Hrólf Kraki, Skofnung is one of Icelandic literature’s most famous swords, a regional counterpart to Excaliber in terms of social standing and gravitas. 

Even if we peel away the fable and magic of the stories that swirled around the regional monarchs, the story of Hrólf himself is fascinating in that he is mentioned in Beowulf, the works of Widsith, and the Chronicon Lethrense and Annales Lundenses, three separate stories from three different authors at different times in history. 

The sword itself is said to hold the spirits of 12 of the king’s bravest bodyguards, and is forbidden from ever being drawn int he presence of women.

Hrunting and Naegling

A pair of swords, they were once the weapons of the mythical hero Beowulf. According to tradition, both were mystical swords though they were unable to defeat the hero’s enemies. In fact, Naegling was broken during a confrontation with a dragon.

Today, no artifacts claiming any of this heritages exist, but a sword from the early 6th century in Iceland would be build along very conservative lines, and possibly even imported (or stolen) from central Europe. 

The sword of Gou Jian

Gou Jian,was the king of Yue (modern northern Zhejiang, China) from the 5th and 4th centuries BCE. 

[ For reference, he and his court would be roughly contemporary with King Leonidas and the Battle of Thermopylae in ancient Greece. ] Gou Jian's word was rediscovered in the 20th century by archaeologists. Legend is that one of them lost a finger to the blade when handling it, but this is unconfirmed. 

The blade is case in an unusual  tin bronze alloy that has proved unusually resistant to tarnish or rust. One of the most interesting aspects of the weapon is actually its scabbard. The wood sheath was so finely made that it formed an air tight seal around the blade, which is believed that the weapon was so well preserved, even though the grave site it was found it was under water at the time. 

The weapon was authenticated by scholars, and is believed to be the authentic weapon of the royal court of Gou Jian. It is on display in china, and is considered a national artifact. In 2013, while on load to Singapore for exhibit, the weapon was damaged, leaving a 7cm crack in the blade itself. As a result, it is not on the list of restricted artifact never to leave mainland china. 

It weighs less than a kilo and measures 58 cm in length, 4.6 cm in width, and 8.5 cm at the handle.

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk

Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday #38: The sword that thinks its a bullwhip: the Urumi

Sometimes called the 'most dangerous sword in the world' the Indian Urumi lives up to its reputation by not only threatening anyone that gets within its daunting range (up to 5 yards in some cases), but also being a serious and ongoing risk to the user themselves if they are not vigilant every moment it is deployed. The Urumi's origins data back over two millennium, with its origins believed to be as far as 3rd or 4th centuries, BCE. 

Training for use of the weapon is daunting and time consuming, with the expected regiment for mastership being up to 12 years, or even longer. The art  it is called Kalaripayattu, and is a system of armed and unarmed fighting that was used on the Indian subcontinent by mercenaries, soldiers, law enforcement, and the wealthy (and their guards). 

During the British colonial period, the Urumi, as well as most of the weapons and training weapons of Kalaripayattu were banned, and its practitioners jailed. The decline in the art has resulted in it's almost complete loss, though it is experiencing a resurgence in resent years after a handful of remaining instructors have started teaching again. 

The weapon itself uses a single handed grip, and a hand covering hilt. The blade is described as long, and very thing, allowing the weapon to loop over on itself easily. Contemporary reports to the times indicate it was easily concealable under a person's belt, and at several points in history it was more common to see women with belts than men, making the item idea for women with both protective, or clandestine objectives. 

The sword's most basic methodology is to keep it moving and swinging around the user, forming a protective bubble that will severely cut  anyone who is caught by its swing. Some records indicate that there were weapons fielded with ten, twenty, or even thirty blades built into the hilt. These were more than enough to disembowel or lacerate an opponent who got within reach of the weapon 

The technique is both acrobatic and aerobatic, demanding good if not exceptional physical conditioning on the part of the user. 

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"

Sword Sunday #37 - An eastern knife for a western regiment. The Kukri

It really doesn't matter who you talk to in military circles, almost anyone with any world-wide exposure has at least glimpsed a Kukri, if not fully known what it was. The weapon, born in the early years of the 19th century in the mountains of Nepal, if believed to be descended from agricultural sickles on the region. But make no mistake, this blade is is a tool that balances its very existence on the line between utility and lethality in the field. 

A proper Kukri is between 16 and 18 inches long, and between 1 and 2 pounds. The weapon is characterized by its bulbous, leaf-shaped blade with a front-heavy balance, and a distinct forward bend midway down the flat, thick back. Part tool, and part weapon, those who carry it can make fine detail cuts with it, can hack down brush and branches with it, or they can lay open a man's neck with the same stroke. 

The Kukri is largely synonymous with the men who traditionally carry it, the Gurkhas. These Nepalese soldiers are fielded by the army of Nepal, as well as the famed Royal Girkha regiment of Great Britain, as well as adjunct regiments or battalions to the nations of India, Brunei, and Singapore. These are not mercenary troops, but in each case are sworn soldiers protecting the nation they fight for. Gurkhas are renowned for their tenacity in combat, prowess on the field, and quiet determination under fire. Each unit, despite different uniforms, and military considerations, will issue their members Kukri.

The Queen reviewing members of the Royal Gurkhas Regiment.

Historically, the blade has been mentioned in western and eastern narratives and history since its early days. In fact, the attentive reader will notes that in Bram Stoker's Dracula, it was Jonathan Harker's Kukri that was used in the final battle to slit the count's throat before Morris's bowie knife was used to punch the heart. 

Historically, military tales are told far and wide of soldiers who made the fatal mistake of getting into close combat with a Girkha. Both the weapon and the men who carry them are regarded as lethal opponents. Several raid in the first world war African theater were noted when raid commanders would list the number of enemy killed on the mission, and then write 'nil' next to 'ammunition expended'. The weapon was carried by the British Girkha rifles from its foundation in the mid 19th century to the current day, and has seen combat (and taken lives) in both world wars, Korea, Vietnam, and the Falklands, just to name a few. 

Gurkha Service no.1 Kukri

Perhaps one of the most famous of modern tales told about the blade comes from India. Bishnu Shrestha, a Indian of Nepalese descent, and former soldier of the Indian Girkha regiment, was on board a train in India when it was stopped and robbed by 30 men. At first the former soldier was ready to hand over his valuables without protest, but when a young women next to him was pulled form her seat and told she was about to be raped, the former solder pulled his Kukri (which he still carried on him) and sent after robbers. He was seriously injured, requiring months of surgeries and treatments, but did make a full recovery. And he also was noted for having successfully saved the woman from being raped.

Bishnu Shrestha in the hospital following the robbery

In the aftermath of the incident, the family of the women offered to pay for Bishnu's medical expenses. To this, he replied "Fighting the enemy in battle is my duty as a soldier. Taking on the thugs on the train was my duty as a human being,"  and declined the offer.

Today, the Kukri is among one of the most storied military blades of the modern world, known, and used in multiple points around the globe, its own reputation for stone-breaking strength, razor sharpness, and unparalleled durability make an authentic Kukria highly sought after blade for collectors, adventurers, and private military contractors internationally.  The Kukri blade is also recognized as a current and viable weapon and tool, even in the dawn of the 21st century. Kukri and kukri style blades are available for prices ranging from $20 to $400, with many of them now pared with modern material, and tools to enhance their utility in a real world situation. But no mater how much tech you put into it, the enduring shape of the forward bent, leaf-shaped blade is testament to the power, even today, of a design that is over two centuries old. 

A SOG Brand, modern "Kukri type" knife. 

His Lordship Ivo Blackhawk
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King!"