Japan athletes, caregivers turn to art of samurai

By George Nishiyama

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Clad in a dark robe, Yoshinori Kouno glides silently over tatami flooring, then suddenly slices the air with his samurai sword.

The 59-year-old master of Japanese ancient martial arts may never get a chance to test his skills in real combat in the modern world, but some of the country's top athletes are learning from his moves dating back to the days of the samurai warrior.

Even caregivers looking after Japan's ageing population have adopted Kouno's techniques -- those used to confront larger opponents -- in their daily routine of supporting and lifting the elderly, which puts a heavy burden on their backs.

Kouno's quick and potentially deadly moves are the result of over 30 years of researching and practicing the techniques of legendary swordsmen and warriors, and are strikingly different from the way we move our bodies today.

"They constantly confronted situations where you either killed or got killed," Kouno said, adding that under such circumstances, only those with the most efficient moves survived.

One of the key principles he follows is to eliminate any twisting motion to quicken his actions and outwit an opponent.

At a class of some 30 students, Kouno shows how one can predict a boxer-style punch, explaining that it's preceded by a twisting of the shoulder joint.

He then unleashes a jab-like punch, without any twisting, which is too quick for one of the students to escape from.