Sensei taught a lot of things related to the Chinese sword during the last day of the Taikai.

This sword that we call Jian or Ken is in fact Tsurugi.

This is the weapon of the high level warriors.

Even though the Chinese jian / ken does not carry any « social meaning » the Japanese when referring to Tsurugi include their myth of creation in it. As you all know this is Kusanagi no Tsurugi * given by Susanô to his sister, the sun goddess Amateratsu. She later gave it to Ninigi no Mikoto** the grandfather of the famous emperor Jimmu as a proof of his divine origin.

Kusanagi no Tsurugi is one of the three regalia of the Japanese Emperors.***

So where « ken » is a simple sword, Tsurugi is linked to the divine.

Sensei introduced the day by insisting on the fact that it is impossible to understand Japanese warfare if…