domingo, 31 de diciembre de 2017

Ultimo entreno del año 2017



Cómo pesan los turrones! Al final vino un colega y fuimos dos con el Iaito practicando las katas.
Os añado un recordatorio de las partes de las mismas

  1. Koiguchi No Kirikata (desbloquear el sable)
  2. Nuki Tsuke (desenvainar y cortar)
  3. Seme (amenaza directa)
  4. Furi Kaburi (armar el sable)
  5. Kiri Tsuke (corte final)
  6. Chiburi (sacudir el sable para limpiarlo)
  7. Zanshin / Fumi Kae (vigilancia y cambio de guardia)
  8. Noto (envainar)

How to train like a samurai


At Grand Master Tanaka's school, he teaches his students how to fight, kill, and survive using the traditional methods of the Samurai.

Kitties with kimono



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Iaido past & Present in a Japan Dojo


Watch a mini-documentary style video about an iaido dojo in Okayama. Learn a bit about the dojo and the martial art's history from interviews with an iaido master and his pupils.

viernes, 29 de diciembre de 2017

Samurai Spear Fighting in Armor - Sojutsu 槍術


Spears (yari) were a principle battlefield weapon of the samurai and ashigaru footsoldiers from the time after the Mongol Invasions (1271-1281) to the end of the samurai wars in 1615.

The deadliest Swords in The World: Muramasa Blades


The Muramasa blades were known in ancient Japan to not only be deadly to opponents, but also to the owners themselves.
Muramasa Sengo lived and pursued his sword-making craft during the Muromachi Period – between the 14th and 15th century AD - in feudal Japan’s Ise Province, in a the Kuwana town. He founded the Muramasa school and passed down his sword-making art and style to students. This legacy continued for 200 years. Both Muramasa and his sword-making school were known for their extraordinary quality and sharpness of their blades, making their weapons greatly prized and highly sought after by warriors and generals in the early 1500's.
Muramasa was an incredible swordsmith to the point that people regarded him as one of the finest swordsmiths who ever lived. Although he had incredible talent, he was also known to have a troubled mind. Aside from the quality and sharpness of his swords, he also gained notoriety for his rather volatile nature, and some believed a dark curse or evil spirit emanates from his weapons.
The rumors regarding the supposed “curse” of the Muramasa blades mainly originated from the abrasive and venomous personality of Muramasa himself. Besides being a brilliant swordsmith, he supposedly sometimes went insane, bursting into violent rages and lashing out at whoever was nearby. This unbalanced mind bordering on complete madness, a relentless drive for perfection, and a violent passion for crafting deadly swords gave birth to weapons possessing his genius, intense determination, and insane bloodlust.
Muramasa’s swords were said to have a life of their own. There are tales claiming that the swordsmith had made a deal with the devil to make the deadliest and most powerful weapons. Aside from that, Muramasa allegedly had the habit of whispering a prayer to the gods that his swords would become the “greatest destroyers.”
The swords created by Muramasa were believed capable of possessing their wielders and pushing them beyond the brink of murderous rage. Stories say these swords boost swordsmanship, super strength, and resistance to damage and pain! The cursed Muramasa swords are believed to thirst for blood and if not satisfied with enough blood from enemies, they would turn on their owner forcing them to commit suicide for appeasement!
If a Muramasa blade was drawn, that sword would ruthlessly demand blood before it could be placed back into its scabbard, which meant almost certain doom for its wielder if no one else was around for the weapon to unleash its bloodlust upon. There are also claims that a sheathed Muramasa sword would call to be unleashed and compel their owners to kill!
Although the Muramasa swords were irrefutably effective weapons proving reliable in battle, the dark curse surrounding them allegedly made these weapons just as dangerous for its wielders and those around them. The swords were believed to hardly discriminate between friend and foe, using their owners only as mere instruments to help them kill people — even the wielders’ allies, friends, and family. It was also quite common to hear about owners of Muramasa swords going insane, with their minds bent to or destroyed by the demonic will of their weapons. Sometimes, these warriors ended up killing themselves to escape the curse and the madness that come with the swords.
Even with the “evil” reputation of the Muramasa blades, the swords remained popular in Japan, with Muramasa Sengo’s school of sword-making enduring for the next 200 hundred years. It was only during the reign of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the last feudal government in Japan, that Muramasa’s blades fell out of favor.
The shogun believed that the Muramasa swords were cursed, and blamed them for the demise of many of his allies, friends, and relatives. The Shogun's father, Matsudaira Hirota, as well as his grandfather, Matsudaira Kiyoyasu, were apparently both cut down by their retainers who were in a murderous trance while wielding such swords. Tokugawa even claimed that he was also cut by a Muramasa katana that was carried by one of his samurai guards while he inspected his ranks. His own wife and adopted son were also allegedly executed using a Muramasa sword.
These gave rise to the legend that Muramasa’s blades possessed the curse and power to kill members of the Tokugawa family. As a result of this, the Shogun decided to ban the ownership of Muramasa blades. Many of them were melted down, but some were also hidden away. The Shogun took the ban so seriously that those who were caught in possession or keeping Muramasa blades were punished severely.
One notable case was that of Takanak Ume, the Magistrate of Nagasaki. In 1634, the magistrate was found to have hoarded as many as 24 Muramasa blades, and because of this, he was ordered to commit “seppuku” – a ritual suicide by disembowelment.
Despite the harsh punishments imposed upon those who were caught to be in possession of Muramasa swords, there were those who insisted on keeping their blades, even going so far as to change the markings on these blades to avoid detection from authorities. And because these swords were thought to have a special affinity for killing members of the Tokugawa family, there was also a heightened demand for the Muramasa blades among the Shogun's enemies. Thus for profit, lesser swordsmiths made fakes and today it's difficult to verify the authenticity of surviving Muramasa blades.
Were the Muramasa Blades really cursed with a bloodthirsty evil spirit or were the stories just a byproduct of their crazed popularity back then? Were the violence and killings really the fault of the swords or was it the warriors' own thirst for power?
Nevertheless, Muramasa Blades today still embody the superior Japanese sword-making skills and are present in today’s pop culture. Magical and powerful weapons based on these legendary swords are found in many Asian medias from video games to anime and even in western Marvel comics.
Taken from and more info in:

Life lessons

jueves, 28 de diciembre de 2017

Ofertas de trabajo: Catador de prostitutas

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Love is in the air







P

La farmacéutica Pfizer ha tenido de salir a aclarar algunas cuestiones sobre un rumor que creció como la espuma a nivel mundial (más abajo incluyo links a publicaciones de diversos países con referencia a este rumor.  La historia empieza cuando se anuncia en el  Reino Unido la venta de Viagra sin receta a partir del año próximo (2018) y un tabloide inglés publicó la historia, entre cómica y divertida, del pueblo de Irlanda llamado Ringaskiddy donde Pfizer produce la famosa píldora azul de la felicidad.  

En la noticia del The Sunday Times (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/irelands-viagra-village-of-ringaskiddy-laughs-off-stiff-british-competition-c3nc27wlp)  y posteriormente recogida por otros periódicos ingleses como The Sun (https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5058631/viagra-village-irish-locals-stiff-blue-pill-factory/) o Metro (http://metro.co.uk/2017/12/04/irish-village-where-viagra-is-made-and-even-dogs-walk-around-with-huge-hard-ons-7129688/), los habitantes de Ringaskiddy  hablaban de la existencia de "Viagra en el aire" como en la famosa canción "Love is in the air". o de "Un soplo y estás tieso" o"Hemos recibido los humos del amor durante años, gratis".  La noticia que ha ido creciendo como bola de nieve  ha ido incluyendo comentarios de cada periódico: que visitas del pueblo se quedan a vivir; que el Viagra se coló en el agua del pueblo previo a que se realizan los controles de seguridad; que hasta los perros andan erectos...  

La noticia ha ido creciendo tanto que hasta el propio fabricante ha salido a indicar que no hay nada de cierto en la cuestión. Según el laboratorio se trata apenas de un "mito divertido" que se ha ido extendiendo entre los habitantes de la localidad. 

Lo cierto es que, si se trata de un mito o no, la anécdota no ha inspirado sólo chistes, sino también películas. Holy Water, una comedia irlandesa estrenada en 2009, cuenta cómo el robo de un camión de Viagra acaba convirtiendo un pueblo en Sodoma y Gomorra después de que los ladrones tirasen su botín y la sustancia se filtrase hasta el subsuelo. 

http://www.laprovincia.es/opinion/2017/12/14/humos-viagra-irlanda/1007964.html
http://elmanana.com.mx/noticia/155146/Aseguran-que-fabrica-de-Viagra-emociona-a-todo-un-pueblo-de-Irlanda-solo-con-respirar-Pfizer-lo-niega.html

http://www.notimundo.com.mx/salud/vecinos-fabrica-de-viagra-irlanda/

http://www.elpopular.pe/actualidad-y-policiales/2017-12-14-irlanda-habitantes-de-un-pueblo-dicen-que-humo-de-fabrica-excita-los-hombres


miércoles, 27 de diciembre de 2017

PeiPei Alena -Path of the samurai

martes, 26 de diciembre de 2017

The Altai band from Mongolia



Altai Kai is NOT Mongolian. They reside in a region beside the regional border of Mongolia and heavily influenced by the Mongolian Heritage as there was a time i.e. during the tenure of the Chenghis Khan, Halaku Khan, etc, they were part of Mongolia. In the present era Altai Kai is a Nomadic Tribe and culture who reside in the Republic of Altai, nearby Siberia, under the Russian Republic of Altai. They are known as Altai Kiji. These Turks conquered this part of Mongolia including China, mainly the Hun region during the era of the Uthman Empire of the Islamic Reign and still in China, a group of people known as the Uighurs, reside there. But I appreciate and very much attached to their ancient tradition and heritage as Turkish Altai Nomads. The throat music including the instruments are Mongolian but some of the instruments are Turkish as the dress codes too. Anyway, I am hooked with these Nomads deep in my heart and have a great respect for them. Their throat music is a secret and sacred way to merge with the Mother Nature.

domingo, 24 de diciembre de 2017

Viejas costumbres mexicanas hoy ya obsoletas

Intrusos en el jardín



Insensata gallina inglesa paseándose por el jardín en época de Navidad. Por suerte para ella no la vio mi perro y a diferencia de otras gallinas esta puede volar de ahí que apareciera en el jardín de casa y luego "volara" y nunca mejor dicho
18/12/2017; 13:33
iPhone 7
by CCB

Evolución del estudiante de medicina

Merry Christmas riders!



Oh tempora, oh mores. Colección de carteles antíguos


Donde antes se ensalzaban virtudes saludables de determinados productos, hoy jamás se publicarían por insalubres, peligrosos o por políticamente incorrectos

 

Nadal masnoví





El Masnou
18/12/2017; 11:30
iPhone 7
by CCB

Iluminaciones navideñas confusas





Ciprés con preservativo lumínico.
Ajuntament de Badalona
16/12/2017; 19:42
iPhone 7
by CCB

Merry Xmas' & Happy New Year

sábado, 23 de diciembre de 2017

Thoughts

viernes, 22 de diciembre de 2017

Himeji



The old-school way to do tattoos in Japan




Artist Choshu Horikazu practices tebori. It's a traditional Japanese hand-tapping tattooing technique.

Stage en présence de S. Takanabe 7ème Dan



Décembre 2017

Russian dances




The Igor Moseyed folk dance ensemble on the stage in Stavropol

domingo, 17 de diciembre de 2017

Naturaleza en el jardín



by CCB
2017-12-06;  13.40.47
iPhone 7

Fin de semana de Kendoka



Día de reparación de Shinais y como Dr Frankenstein de piezas muertas cobra vida un nuevo Shinai!

Excursión a Hostalric


La población de Hostalric conserva casi en su totalidad uno de los conjuntos monumentales más notables de la época medieval catalana y está presidida por la imponente fortaleza militar de época moderna.
El cuerpo de este rico patrimonio arquitectónico se materializa en emblemáticos y singulares elementos como la Torre de los Frailes, la Torre del Convento, el recinto amurallado, el Portal de Barcelona, la Cueva del Relliguer y la Fortaleza.
El alma de este legado monumental se esconde entre sus piedras y deja entrever una valiosa memoria histórica: desde la capitalidad de Hostalric sobre el extenso vizcondado de Cabrera durante toda la época medieval, pasando por las luchas feudales y guerras civiles hasta llegar a la Guerra de la Independencia.
Existe la creencia entre las gentes del lugar de que el nombre proviene de un antiguo hostal muy famoso en el pueblo. Como en aquella época Hostalrich era parada casi obligatoria de los viajeros que iban a Barcelona desde Gerona o viceversa, el hostal hizo grandes cantidades de dinero y de ahí la terminación catalana "ric", que en español quiere decir rico.

Photos by CCB
10/12/2017

las apariencias (no) engañan

Impaciencia

Todos los días
Esperando un mensaje
Llegará cuándo?

Haiku by CCB 5-7-5

sábado, 16 de diciembre de 2017

WARRIORS OF BUDO. Kendo


For more information on this new film release and our Warriors of Budo series go to http://emptymindfilms.com

viernes, 8 de diciembre de 2017

Naginata, Tankendo, Jukendo, Jodo



The Naginata is unique in Japanese martial arts in that it has been kept alive primarily by women. It is a tradition dating back many centuries to the wife of the Samurai who would stay home to safeguard the family. The deadly slashing and thrusting of the Naginata evokes the battlefields of 12th century Japan, as Sensei Wataru Suzuki says “The Naginata was used to mow down horses and cavalry soldiers so slashing attacks to the shins is a characteristic of Naginata”