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A Blade By Any Name
An exposé of swords and swordsmanship

“The pen is mightier than the sword,” said the Englishman Edward Bulwer-Lytton.

Alas, that may be true. But how many works of literary arts illustrate the wonder and fascination of swords through scenes of wars, duels, or portrayals of swashbucklers and beau sabreurs?

King Arthur’s “Excalibur,” Beowulf’s “Hrunting,” the “Flamberge” of Charlemagne—and even “Glamdring,” the sword of Gandalf the Grey—are names of legendary swords both fictional and real that have captured human imagination for generations.

A sword looks simplistic enough—a long, edged blade of metal with a leather or steel grip and a sharp tip. But since Bronze Age, perhaps more than any other instrument, the sword has helped carve the history of mankind.

In the last 600 years, guns and cannons have largely displaced swords in battle, but throughout history, the sword’s symbolic and authoritative nature is indomitable. Carrying a sword projects power, authority, elegance, and personality, and the sword’s characteristics in turn evoke qualities—both the virtues and foibles—of its bearer.

In Japan, the sword defines courage and strength and often accompanies Shinto religious rituals. Japanese swords—katanas—are highly valued and represent bravery in battle. In the Celtic culture, swords depict a part of family crests or emblems, denoting honor, pride, and wealth. Celtic swords also represent familial ties, hierarchy, and blood lineage. And in medieval Europe, knights carry heavy broadswords that embody righteousness, courage, and justice.

Japanese Nihontō
Nihontō is a traditional single-edged Japanese sword, of which the katana is most common. A katana is slender, slightly curved, and has a circular guard. Known for its superb sharpness and cutting ability, the katana has a long grip to accommodate both hands of the user.

Katanas are constructed from tamahagane, a special Japanese carbon-infused steel. A katana’s edge is more malleable than blades made from traditional hard steel, which could break when struck in combat. The hand guard (tsuba) of the Katana is elaborately designed as a work of art—especially during the Edo period—to depict dragons, Japanese scenery, or a family crest.

Katanas are closely associated with the Japanese samurai, a class of warriors during the feudal period. Japanese nobles employed samurais during the struggle for land among three major Japanese clans during the feudal period—the Minamoto, the Taira, and the Fujiwara. Between the 9th and 12th centuries, the samurai became separately classes—the Samurai (knights-retainers) and the Bushi (warriors). The samurais gave complete loyalty to their daimyo (feudal landowners) and received land, honor, and wealth in return. Daimyo used his samurais to protect his property, family, and sovereignty.

Samurais typically carry two swords—a katana and a wakizashi, a shorter sword of less than 24 inches. Believing that their swords are the “souls” of their warriorship, samurais named each sword they carry.

With such power come supreme discipline and responsibility. Central to samurai thought is “bushido," which means the "Way of the Warrior." The samurai’s duty and responsibility transcends his fear of death, and in turn, such tranquility affords him an inner peace to serve faithfully and loyally without a hint of selfishness. In a way, the violence and power of the samurai’s katana is tempered by the serenity of his Bushido thought, believed to have derived from the Shinto religion.

Chinese Jian
The Chinese were experts of technological ingenuity in ancient times, and the Shang Dynasty’s (1700 – 1100 B.C.) mastery of bronze weaponry created the first recorded Chinese swords—short, stout, leaf-shaped blades of about 14 inches in length.

The jian is a double-edged straight sword closely associated with the Chinese civilization for over 2,500 years. The steel jian from the Han Dynasty (207 B.C. – 9 A.D.) onward often boasts wooden carvings, lacquered bamboo scabbards, and ornate inscriptions of family heritage. Later, the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) introduced silk tassles to Chinese swords as decoration as well as a form of distraction in combat.

Ancient Chinese nobles, officials, and martial artists carry jian on a daily basis. Ornate, gilded jian were passed on from father to son as family heirlooms and signifies a family’s tradition and heritage. Specialized swords, cast of gold or cut directly from a block of jade, are often used in elaborate ceremonies in the Imperial Court.

Chinese swords are portrayed to hold immense power for the wielder in “wuxia” literary arts, a broad genre of Chinese fiction depicting martial artists in ancient times. A prime example is 'Smiling Proud Wanderer' by acclaimed wuxia writer Louis Cha. The story writes of a legendary sword manual that would enable whomever that learned from it to be invincible with the “jian." The question of human nature, morality, and the distinction between righteousness and evil become apparent as pugilists struggle violently for possession of this manual.

Lu Dongbing, one of the “Eight Immortals” in Taoist teachings, is traditionally depicted in artworks carrying a Chinese jian.

European Broadsword
King Arthur, the Franco-English monarch from European Middle Ages folklore, carried the “Excalibur,” a legendary sword of great power that came to symbolize the righteous sovereignty of Great Britain.

Lord Alfred Tennyson in his poem The Passing of Arthur, wrote:

There drew he forth the brand Excalibur,
And o'er him, drawing it, the winter moon,
Brightening the skirts of a long cloud, ran forth
And sparkled keen with frost against the hilt:
For all the haft twinkled with diamond sparks,
Myriads of topaz-lights, and jacinth-work
Of subtlest jewellery.

The European broadsword—an example of which was the famed “Excalibur”—is the preferred weapon of medieval knights. The European broadsword weighs more than 32 pounds and is worn on the left side of a knight’s waist. Its sheer heft and power epitomize knighthood chivalry: the upholding of faith, courage, loyalty, honor, and God.

But the sword is only a portion of a knight’s full ensemble. A knight’s full plated armor can weigh more than 100 pounds in total. Medieval European knights are so well armed that he depends on squires to keep his weapons and armor in working condition.

In times of war, local peasants and nobles flee to the castle, gazing at their lord’s knights from afar as they charge into battle. Under their valorous battle cries, it is on a knight’s glittering broadsword that rests their hope for freedom and sovereignty from invading enemies.

Rapier Forms and Fencing
By the sixteenth century, a single-handed, single-bladed sword—the rapier—gained popularity among civilians.

The rapier (rapière in French) has a slender bladeless edge for thrusting, and an ornate and fully protective hilt to guard the hand against foreign thrusts. Among noblemen in renaissance period Western Europe (most notably in France, Italy, and Spain), the rapier was worn as both a fashion accessory and a weapon for dueling.

A typical rapier weighs between 2 and 4 pounds and measures around four feet long from the pommel to the point, and can be balanced at about 4 inches from the cross-guard.

Such rapier is a tool of fencing, the highest—and most elegant—form of Western martial art, requiring rigorous discipline, agility, and control.

Perhaps the most prominent form of rapier dueling is the Italian School of Swordsmanship, first developed in Italy in the early 1400s, and practiced by European swordsmen for centuries, ultimately serving as a precursor for classical fencing techniques developed in the 19th century.

Italian master Fiore dei Liberi shaped the earliest forms of the Italian School. His "Flos Duellatorum" (Flower of Battle) was the first known Italian martial arts manual, and the most extensive from Medieval Europe. His treatise covers martial arts techniques of dueling, short sword, long sword, and grappling.

The Italian city of Bologna has a rich pedigree of fencing, and one of the most famous Italian School traditions came from the fencing style founded by Lippo Bartolomeo Dardi in 1415. Dardi was an expert swordsman as well as an astronomer and mathematics professor at the University of Bologna. The Dardi School taught a dynamic and flamboyant fencing style with intricate footwork and creative attack forms.

With the invention of gunpowder and pistols, the art of dueling became obsolete. European rapier dueling eventually inspired classical fencing, a sport and pastime practiced by European nobles to this day. Fencing was one of the original competitions in the Olympic Games.

The many titles given to specific swords in art and literature, mythology, and history herald the sword’s significance to human culture.

Indeed, men throughout the ages have placed as much trust in his sword as he does in the hand that wields it. As the English playwright John Webster once wrote, “Lay this unto your breast: Old friends, like old swords, still are trusted best.”

New Theaters Going Up on 42nd Street Three theaters, housing, and retail slated for 2012

NEW YORK—Three new theaters promising low-priced $20 tickets are going up on West 42nd Street. Expanding the New York City’s performing arts industry amidst a gloomy economy, the project is an infrastructure investment for the city, which is pitching in $25 million of the $60 construction cost.

Amidst the noise of the construction, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was joined at the site by Council Speaker Christine Quinn and theater representatives on Tuesday to give a peek at what is to come.

"Art and culture is the heartbeat of New York City, and even though times are tough we can still feel it pulsating here at 42nd Street," Bloomberg said.

"Everybody is talking doom and gloom around the world, and right here there are real bright lights that are on Broadway," he said.

The 70,000 square foot project, known as the Signature Center, is being constructed at 10th Ave and 42nd Street, across from the Manhattan Plaza—home to many of the city's artists, actors, and playwrights.

After enduring the noise of construction until its completion in 2012, the new center will bring some extra jobs to the local performing arts community—up to 400 jobs a year.

"There could be no better spot in the city for the Signature Center than right here," said Quinn.

The area surrounding Times Square has more theaters than any other location in the city. Quinn added that constructing additional theaters there "sends a message that the artistic community—Broadway and off-Broadway—is not just alive, but is thriving."

A Struggling Industry

After making the announcement, Bloomberg was joined by Quinn and other speakers in squishing his hand prints into wet cement slabs—a messy, Hollywood-style commemoration of the event.

The theater industry in New York City has had a bumpy ride through the economic recession. Although Broadway has largely held on tight, many off-Broadway shows have not been so lucky.

Aside from the numerous shows struggling to get by, each time Broadway jobs are lost, unemployed musicians and actors flow into the off-Broadway theaters and push out the newcomers to the industry until the next season begins. More than 150 musician jobs were lost since September, following the close of 11 Broadway shows, according to the Huffington Post.

The Signature Center will take a unique approach to help the off-Broadway scene. The three theaters will share a common lobby that is intended to allow actors, musicians, and theatergoers to connect. The "dynamic, shared lobby" will also feature a café and bookstore, according to the center's fact sheet.

The $20 ticket price for all seats also aims to encourage theatergoers. The nonprofit Signature Theater Company secured funding to make the low ticket prices possible in 2005, and plans to continue the trend once the Signature Center opens its doors.

Intimate theater space is also on the list. One of the theaters will have 299 seats and is based on Signature's current theater. A courtyard theater will seat 199, while the third theater will be a miniature traditional opera house that will seat 199.

Infrastructure Initiatives

In addition to the theater space, the Signature Center will also include a hotel, retail, and housing. According to Bloomberg, 164 of the 800 housing units in the tower will be affordable housing.

The construction project fits into Bloomberg's announcement in November of more than $5.3 billion in infrastructure projects. In a Nov. 29 radio address, Bloomberg said not spending on infrastructure in tough economic times is "just shortsighted."

The city has invested $25 million in the Signature Center project—less than half of the center's $60 million goal. Another $16 million has been contributed through private funds.

The project has more than 350 construction workers on site and is expected to be completed in early 2012.

Shen Yun Sparks Artists' Enthusiasm

SAN DIEGO—Shen Yun Performing Arts completed its first of seven shows Saturday evening at the San Diego Civic Theatre. San Diego is the first city in California to receive Shen Yun on its 2010 tour.

Ms. Sharpe, a director of stage production, watched the show with Ms. Osborne, a choreographer. They both thoroughly enjoyed the show.

"This is incredible! This is absolutely incredible!" Ms. Sharpe said enthusiastically. "I like the choreography. The story-telling with the choreography is awesome, it’s just awesome," she exclaimed.

Ms. Sharpe added that Shen Yun's costumes are fantastic and that the colors along with the dances were coordinated well. She feels that if her students watched the show it would broaden their perspective of dance.

Ms. Osborne had similar feelings after watching Shen Yun. She saw in the show dance movements that she would like to teach her students. She also noticed the high degree of difficulty of the dance movements, stating, "that’s really hard to do; that’s a really hard move to make. The dancing, the turning, [and] the spinning consistently across the stage is unreal. It's amazing."

The sky.. How many stories can it tell? One's of glory and misery, hope and sadness, joy and pains and through it all, the sky is there all along. It's dark sometimes and sometimes piercing bright but the sky is there all along. Glorious character always accountable gives light to a new day or closure, soon delivering moons radiance.. Clouds sway way right and left, brushing hues there then over there blending and bending effortlessly moving to a different time. In a blink of the eye the heart beats in suspense to the whisper of the sky saying “move on”. How many stories can the sky tell? Wake up to find out.