Have you ever heard of Sports Chanbara? Neither have I! I discovered this amazing, amazing sport yesterday at the after-school center I normally go to on Wednesdays. I was there talking to one of my cute little 2nd year students when one of the adult workers brought out this big cardboard box and set it on the table next to me. I looked inside and saw what looked like a bunch of foam bats and helmets. The kids (mainly the boys) got really excited so they put on the helmets, grabbed the foam bats - which were actually foam swords of all different sizes - and start beating the snot out of each other! I thought it was the greatest game ever :D There was a book in the box that came with the rest of the stuff so I picked it up and read the cover: "Sports Chanbara". Intrigued, I opened it and discovered to my delight that the book was written in both English and Japanese, so I read on.

Sports Chanbara is actually a competitive martial art with tournaments held internationally. It developed to allow the "Japanese to rediscover their heritage in a safe, injury-free way" through the use of foam swords and naginata. Um.. riight. Basically what you're doing is trying to hit the other person with floppy, foam swords before they hit you. The only rule in sports Chanbara is the first person who gets hit is out because "in reality warriors on the battlefield only had one chance." How badass is that??? Here's a picture of Chuck Norris fighting a 13 year old boy with foam swords. Did I mention they use foam swords?

Sarcasm aside, the principles of the sport are sound... I guess... but whatever happened to Kendo? Isn't it basically the same thing? There's seems to be a trend in Japan about taking a sport and making it easier so that everyone can play, such as mini-volleyall, or soft tennis, and now sports Chanbara. Man oh man, Japan never ceases to amaze me!

(By the way, I played a few rounds of Chanbara with the kids and totally whupped them ;)