Weapons sparring, 1934, Nanjing

[GrahamB]

I believe this is filmed at the Guoshu headquarters in Nanjing in 1934. Pretty cool!

https://www.facebook.com/10000155241011 ... 0711044644

It looks a bit like Japanese soldiers to some, but I've put a picture of a Chinese Republican Officer next to the one in the film. Looks like an exact match to me.



Can somebody translate the text at the top of the video?

[Trip]

Not sure if this is helpful but did a Google Translation:

1934年國民革命軍劍擊訓練
Sword and fencing training of the National Revolutionary Army in 1934

[Finny]

Looks like old school (Japanese Army) jukendo training:

[Finny]

The additional protection at the left armpit is kind of a giveaway - unique to jukendo armour. You can see it both on the trainee facing the camera in action, but also on the gent seated bottom right.

[GrahamB]

Thanks for the translation "Sword and fencing training of the National Revolutionary Army in 1934" Trick.

Finny, So we have Chinese army in 1934 using Japanese training methods and kit?

I wonder what's going on.

Have they got hold of Japanese kit? Are they being trained by the Japanese? Are they training to learn to fight the Japanese by using their methods?

Notice that the sword guy is holding it one handed, like a Dao. Is that to practice Dao against a bayonet attack?

Here is a clip of Japanese troops doing Jukendo (it says WW2 but possibly earlier as the second Sino-Japanese war is 1937).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv7BAhoUMB8



Notice the sword guy in the Japanese clip is 2 handed unlike the original clip from China.

[zrm]

There's a bunch of these videos of the Chinese army in the 1930s on the Victorian Era Martial Arts Channel







The fact that they have Japanese kit is not surprising when you read into the history of the Nationals. Many of the national party leaders did their military education in Japan and some even engaged in battles against their previous instructors when the Japanese invaded. If you read some of the early nationalist era martial art books they often mention they wished to revive traditional Chinese martial arts in China a similar fashion to how Japan had revived traditional Japanese martial arts in Japan with Judo and Kendo.

A case in point is Chu Minyi, the respected Wu style Taiji master who was educated in Japan in 1903, became a member of the Nationalist party when they overthrew the Qing, and was later executed for treason for his Japanese ties in 1946.

[GrahamB]

Thanks! Very informative.

[Finny]

There you go - thanks ZRM

[.Q.]

Have they got hold of Japanese kit? Are they being trained by the Japanese? Are they training to learn to fight the Japanese by using their methods?

Yes. Before the war many of China's top scholars/leaders studied military strategies and science in more advance countries like Japan. I only recently saw a history clip that mentioned Japan actually was involved in helping Chinese overthrow the Qing dynasty.