In the first National Event, we were required to do Y2&4. I was in the last set of competitors to go in the first round and there were three of us in that set. With me were two older gentlemen, both in their early 50s. One of them was the same rank as I was, while the other was fourth dan.

We were required to use kagum, and that year there were no mats so we were on the slick painted floor of the dome.

The fourth dan would have hit me in the throat with his kagum were it not for luck and quick reflexes on my part.

I agree that we should be ready, willing, and able to do all of our forms with real blades. However, we should also have the humility and concern for others to realize that accidents happen and that unless we all want to go one at a time, a tournament is no place for forms done with sharps.

Of course, a bunch or readily available steel gagum would be very nice. Since they weigh and handle much like a jingum, save for the edge, it should more closely simulate a live blade.

Is there really no exeptions to be made for bringing live steel into the country for the festival?

Anthony Boyd said :

I agree that we should be ready, willing, and able to do all of our forms with real blades. However, we should also have the humility and concern for others to realize that accidents happen and that unless we all want to go one at a time, a tournament is no place for forms done with sharps



I could not agree with Mr. Boyd more.

Hai Dong,

Michael Tabone

Re: Bringing a Live Blade into Korea

Korea has extremely strict laws regarding the importation and possession of "weapons". (I've put scare quotes around the word, because as witness Musashi, a mogum is a pretty lethal peice of equipment, too; but you know what I mean). Korea also is a country with a stupefying amount of bureacratic red tape. That being said, the Federation probably could make it happen, if they put in the effort and were willing in effect to act as guarantors of the re-export of every weapon allowed in under their auspices. I've checked with my brother-in-law, who is a Colonel in the National Police, who said it would be "difficult" but possible.

I would say that it is pretty much middle ground. The style is almost exactly the same as the "old" kagum - but having the weight of the sagum. I liked it.

I can't say that I like the idea of making the "official" gagum lighter. If anything, I think they should go back to the original gagum, from years ago. It had a steel blade without an edge and handled much like the real thing. It has all the pros of a real sword and none of the danger. The steel gagum from MAS is a good example of a great gagum.

I've been saying that for years. Plus it would wear much better than the hollow aluminum. Mine are all in various states of disrepair.

Plus, with the steel gagum, light contact is fine for demonstrations, as long as both students understand the limitations of their swords.

The current hollow kagum is steel. It's just thin stainless, folded and welded.

Here are some comparative sword weights:

Cheness Tenchi w/o groove, 2 lb. 9 oz
Cold Steel Warrior, 2 lb, 6 oz.
Cheness Mokko, 2 lb, 3 oz;
HDGD kagum, 1 lb, 15 oz.;
HDGD jukto, 1 lb. 5 oz.;
Generic aluminum 'Saegum', 1 lb. 2 oz; (HDGD saegum is similar)
HDGD 110 mokgum, 1 lb 2 oz.;
HDGD 100 mokgum, 1 lb.;

I don't have a Dragon or a Bamboo or I'd post those weights here too.

Given the huge difference in balance and weight between an aluminum saegum and a jingum, using the saegum as a training tool seems counterintuitive.

Brad, what method do you use to weigh the swords. I could weigh mine and then post

I actually went to Target and bought a food scale to weigh things like swords. It measures down to ounces.
The weights are without the saya.

Suppose i could have taken each one into the Post Office and weighed it on the scale in the lobby....but not sure what the reaction woud have been when i unsheathed the first one

In any case, all those measurements were taken on the same scale, so they are accurate in relation to each other. I'd be interested to see what your jingum weighs.

What I did not mention in the data is that many of the swords on the list are slightly different lengths, which of course affects everything. But jingums tend to be longer than kagums generally in any case.

It could be made from rainbows and pixie dust, and I still wouldn't care. As long as it weighs and feels like a jingum, but has none of the dangers. Isn't that what we should be leaning towards for a safe alternative to training with a jingum?

For dan grades, I'd like to see the current patterns and cutting categories scrapped and replaced with a single integrated performance.

This alternative format would require the usual pattern combination to be performed, but is also to include target cutting of either bamboo or straw at say 2 or 3 key points seamlessly combined into the performance.

This would bring together and demonstrate what I enjoy most in the art - the tension created by the contrast between its beauty and its lethal effectiveness. The ability to put it all together makes it an art.

The current method finds best practitioners separately, but not this critical combination.

Jingums required, one at a time. Not for juniors either.

I like that format, but something to consider is that it would no longer be equitable for the men to compete against the women. Michael, maybe this one could be an additional competition category, say for 2nd Dan and above.