Invitation: Armored War in Japan! (Apr 9-10, 2005)

[Yamamori]

My new clan, and our local SCA/ Avalon fighting group, have been invited to a re-enactment-style war here in Japan, and I would like to extend the invitation to other members of the SCA/ Japanese-persona community.

I'm hoping to have a fair number of people there, just to watch if you want, and of course we hope to have some fun at the encampment. If you have authentic-looking armor, you will be invited to participate in the battle.

This event seems to be something along the lines of the Civil War re-enactments you see in the States, although of course eveyone is going to be wearing Japanese armor.

One member of our local group has expressed the hope that this could turn into the Pennsic of Japanese heavy-list fighting. I'm not sure we'll ever convince all of them to start actually hitting each other, but if you come, you can look forward to:

* Free camping space & admission

* Tons of people running around in armor, screaming, shouting, waving various weapons

* Dying gloriously (our side is scripted to lose) in a hopeless assault on the castle

* A good-sized demo of heavy-list fighting after, in which we hope to show them that it's more fun to really hit people

* Local support (it's meant to be a local festival)

* The smell of gun-powder and sound of cannon & matchlocks

* The chance to sniff and roll your eyes at the people who wear European armor to the demo (turn-about is fair play, what?)

Here's some pictures of the last one if you want to check it out:

www.chichibu.ne.jp/~keig/index23.htm

Let me know if you're interested, and please feel free to invite others.

Yamamori/ Corrius

[Yamamori]

Anyone even vaguely interested? I'm not asking for a promise or anything, just trying to see if there's any interest, if I should think about organizing for visitors...

Yamamori.

[Harutsune]

If I was even close to Japan, I would......

[Iriye]

Very much interested; very much logistics impaired.

Rizii

[Otagiri Tatsuzou]

I am very definately vaguely interested.

But my schedules are completely opaque after Febuary 2005.

[Otagiri Tatsuzou]

I wish I had stayed aware of this - if I had replaced my passport in time, I would have booked my ticket today.


Via Aaron on the Armour Archive, here is the latest link:
www.bushinavi.com/event/hachigatajyou/hachigata2005/nojiaihoushiki-rule-e.html

The Avalon group will be playing Christian samurai.

[Date Saburou Yukiie]

I would love to go but I am afraid it is not possible for me either. It has been fifteen years since I have been in Japan - I miss it.
Sigh...
Date

[AJBryant]

As I said on the AA forum:

" Awwww, MAN!!! "

if I had replaced my passport in time, I would have booked my ticket today.

You know, you can expedite a passport to about a week. Costs a bit, but nothing compared to the airfare...


Tony

[Saionji Shonagon]

AJBryant said:

As I said on the AA forum:

" Awwww, MAN!!! "
/quote]

That's ok, "Jehanne" is in lust with a Bosch style hurdy gurdy that appeared on eBay....

Damn, I need a paying job! Soon. Temping sux.

Makiwara the impoverished

[Yamamori]

Greetings from Sendai.

Anyone wondering how the event at Yorii went is invited to look on the BBS of Avalon

www.avalonjp.org

and look up some of the images, and even a short video.

It was... interesting.

There were several good things. The first was the chance to see and, talk to, and enjoy the company of friends and fellows from the SCA and Avalon. Camping on the beach, with the flags all over, having crowds part as we marched in armor, the fact that we had some good armour, provided by one of my clansmen, as well as loaner plastic, the smell of gunpowder, and the smoke, and going over the side of the boat to charge he enemy on the beach. It was an enjoyable event in many ways.

Here's some of the best pictures-

photo.www.infoseek.co.jp/AlbumPage.asp?un=145029&key=1265802&m=0

(The password is 'avalon')

Oh, if you see someone in the pictures in a gold armor with black jimbaori, that's me.

Anyone who has ever done anything formal in Japan will know all about the ever-lasting Speeches By Important People - in this case the venerable village elders of the little town at which this was held. After having us sweating in the sun in armour for about an hour (I started cycling our fighters out of formation to get water so they'd be able to fight) while they talked about... something or another, they tried to get a war-cry out of the assembled fighters...

After the rather unenthusiastic 'oh' raised at the command of the village fathers, our group had it's own ceremony: unscripted, unannounced, but watched by everyone gathered there for the Speeches, all warriors there from the SCA & Avalon swore to follow one of our own, Tada-dono, who had worked hard as our liason to the event organizers - pictures of this are numbers 2 to 5 in the above album. After, our small group's 'Bonzai' was greater than the war-murmer raised by the whole of both armies.

Excitement-wise, storming a beach and running through cannon-smoke was fun, and any time you can run around in armor is good, but since it was more for the spectators, we had to fall back every time we were in danger of winning...

There were published rules, as you may have seen above, and we, if no-one else, tried to follow them. "Touch-kills (with padded weapons) and no striking to the face, strikes to armor are not good."

We were certainly the most disciplined group. A lot of the other participants had little or no experience with this kind of thing, and most of the fighting was wiffling the spears around, trying to smack anybody anywhere, with the wood haft as often as the padding on the end. On the proceedure if you should be struck down, (fall down, count to ten, then fall back thirty paces and start fighting again) the falling back was followed by Avalon & SCA fighters.

As for the high-leadership (that is, event organizers who dressed up to tell us what to do, half general, half referee/director) on our side, they seemed to be more interested in telling people what to do than figuring out what should be done, eaning them the effectionate nick-name "Frag-san." As in "let's frag the lieuy."

It may be that, due to our overwhelmingly effective presence on the battle-field, our better understanding of what should happen on the battle-field, our interest in safety, and our better theatrics, we won't be invited back next year. Or it may be that they'll ask us to organize it.

Either way, if you see a fellow who looks entirely too pleased with things leading a small group of samurai at Pennsic, it's just me, enjoying a well-organized battle, where safety and the rules are honored.

Yamamori Korehide, of clan Yamamori

[modified to be more glass-half-full]

[Otagiri Tatsuzou]

Thanks for the pics!

Looks like there are some more here:
www.bushinavi.com/forum/upl/joyful.cgi

Are the village scenes from the same event?


And a Quicktime movie:
yorii2005-03.mov

[Saionji Shonagon]

After, our small group's 'Bonzai' was greater than the war-murmer raised by the whole of both armies.

"Little trees?" ;->

As for the high-leadership (that is, event organizers who dressed up to tell us what to do, half general, half referee/director) on our side, they seemed to be more interested in telling people what to do than figuring out what should be done, eaning them the effectionate nick-name "Frag-san." As in "let's frag the lieuy."

Ah. REMF, "rear-eschelon mo-" Never mind. A lady should not use such language.

Oh, how inelegant! There's at least one guy who should've been murdered so those big white sneakers could've been looted from his corpse.

Looks like fun. Glad you're home from the wars safely.

M.

[Mykaru]

Corrius,

Did Iwao-san loan his armour to someone else? I saw his stuff, but I also saw him taking pics.

[Mykaru]

Corrius,

Did Iwao-san loan his armour to someone else? I saw his stuff, but I also saw him taking pics.

[Otagiri Tatsuzou]

:bump:

Any news for 2006?