There’s something I’ve been noticing the last few months, at least, while watching shows or movies that feature sword fights using asian (Japanese or Chinese, mostly, if they’re even that explicitly identified) fighting styles: often, when a fighter wields a sword one-handed, they’ll visibly hold their free hand with the index and middle fingers pressed together and extended, but the rest of the fingers (sometimes including the thumb) curled back against the palm.
Now, I have no idea what this stance is supposed to be for, if it even exists in real life, or what sword fighting technique or what country of origin it’s supposed to be from. Much less if it’s anything of actual value in combat, or just a reference to an old movie or something.
Can anyone enlighten me, before it drives me completely nuts?
It’s a very common stylistic trait of Chinese sword styles. From what I’d learned from my instructors, it was a training technique meant to help you drill into your muscle memory the chi flow direction. It could be the single or dual finger like you mentioned, or a facing palm following the direction of your thrust. Your off-hand becomes either a guide, or a counter balance to the energy direction of your sword hand. The theory was that your off-hand should be doing something aside from being a mere flailing counterbalance to your sword hand.
Also, given the whirling and acrobatic nature of the styles, it did help you be aware of your off hand and minimize cutting off your own fingers (based on the number of self-inflicted bruises from my non-sharpened practice swords)
My personal opinion is that it ultimately is far more symbolic and ritualistic than actually practical, and just meant to train good form, like a gymnast or a dancer being judged on toe extension.
It’s one of those things where there is no one correct answer and I agree with all the points Gargoylewb makes. In some sword’s removing the tassel would reveal a dart hidden in the handle and the the fingers do suggest how you might use a knife or dart in the other hand.
Miyamoto Musashi recommended gripping a sword tightly with the first two fingers, and loosely with the other two. The technique you describe sounds like a variant on that.
Wait is this the free-hand or the hand holding the sword?
It doesn’t make sens that you would hold the sword with just two-fingers, and the free hand should stay the hell back if you’re fighting against someone with a cutting weapon. Otherwise it doesn’t matter and is almost certainly a stylistic choice. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was actually never used historically.
