the dual styles is an informal style – it is VERY rare to have teachers with that skill and most of the time they learn it themselves.

a shinai / bamboo sword can be a brutal weapon design to beat down the opponent’s guard. unless you can move fast enough, you are leaving a lot of your own guard open and the parry will be weaker. also you are vulnerable to a thrust/stab to the throat (its a valid scoring hit). as a beginner i have seen someone experimented with dual-swords style… and get hit 4-6 times in every round for his trouble for every hit that he tries or managed to land on his opponent.

its kind of like painting a bull’s eye on yourself really.

@Zzz… Actually, to use a katana on each hand is part of the training Musashi’s school, the Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū, uses. If your skill is high, it is very much possible to use a katana one handed, but it would definitely depend on the style of the user more than the design of the weapon. If someone wields a nodachi one handed would be impressive (maybe not practical :P ). It is not designed to be used as such, but then the carved row with which Musashi beat Kojiro that is supposedly a suburito was not designed for battle and yet it helped win a duel (the row WAS longer than Kojiro’s nodachi in any case).
Also, the Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū is designed to be used with a short and a long sword, although in theory the use of 2 wakizashi would again depend on the individual’s style. It would be difficult to intimidate opponents with wooden swords, which Musashi used extensively more than metal swords, even if they seem impressive. In such a case, skill and strategy rather than intimidation would determine the victor and history has a good track on Musashi’s side.

YouTube Link
^ Incidentally, also an American like Carrie.

Cheers.

From mechanical sense dual weilding japanese style swords is far, far inferior to 2 handed single sword styles. The japanese sword, from wakizashi on up (and that includes the shinai), is DESIGNED to be a 2 handed weapon. That way the user can apply the greatest leverage and strength as well as swing it around the fastest. By using only 1 had you basically cripple the sword’s speed, damage, and defensive qualities.

And no matter what anyone say, you don’t use a katana 1 handed, it just isn’t built right. Sure you can swing it but not with any meaningful quality. It’s just like with baseball bats. How many baseball players swing 1 armed? Even Musashi used either a wakizashi with a tachi or a pair of wakizashis.

There is no romance behind a weapon…there is no “hidden potential” or “growth”…you have to use it the way it is designed or pull a 1 time stunt like Musashi. Else don’t bother.

As for dual wielding kendo styles…there probably is one somewhere…god knows there are enough katana fanatics out there…but it’ll be just like that Irishman teaching the secrets of Leaping Mantis style Kung Fu in the slums of Chicago…are you sure that it’s still kendo?

Seriously why not just learn escrima if you are so desperate to look badass?

If the style used by this gaijin is authentic, the blade in her off-hand will be shorter, representing the wakizashi. The main blade will be longer, representing the katana.

It might be because I’m simple-minded, but I loved chibi Tama-chan at the end of the episode: “Yuuji-kun, Yuuji-kun”, while pulling Yuuji’s sleeve. :3

And does the next episode look like a Tama-chan x Yuuji date? Blade Braver included!