He presented it to her formally, blade facing himself as a sign of respect and non-aggression. Mayamoto son, you are an exceptional swordsman. Your technique is precise, your cuts were genuine, and you honored our agreement to fight with full intent. I did not defeat your art. I simply applied principles that work against any attack, armed or unarmed. Timing, positioning, and understanding of mechanical advantage. Your traditional training is valuable and should be preserved. But all martial arts, traditional or modern, must be tested against resistance to remain effective.
Ko took her sword, returned it to its sia, and performed a formal ray, a deep bow from a seated position. When she spoke, her voice was quiet but clear. I have trained with this sword for 21 years. I have defeated over 200 opponents in kendo matches. I have never been disarmed. You did not use tricks or luck. You understood the weaknesses in sword combat that most unarmed fighters never comprehend. That the weapon is only effective at certain distances and angles, and that controlling the hand that holds the weapon is more important than avoiding the weapon itself.
I was wrong to challenge you with arrogance and I was wrong to assume traditional methods are superior simply because they are old. March 8th, 1971. Shinjuku dojo 30 witnesses 2 minutes and 45 seconds that changed Ko Miiamoto’s understanding of combat and led her to spend the next three years studying Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do alongside her traditional sword arts. She went on to become one of Japan’s leading advocates for crossraining between different marshall systems, writing extensively about how traditional arts must adapt and test themselves against other methodologies.
