Little Details

Kendo/Kenjutsu moves and terminology


For a fanfic set in 18th century Japan, I am writing a sword duel. The samurai manga on which this fic is based (Blade of the Immortal) has some fantasy elements and some modern vibes, but otherwise is fairly realistic. So I'm looking for some help to keep it real. :) I have some bookish and cinematic knowledge of Japanese arms and armor (lots of black and white samurai flicks, that kind of thing) but I have never picked up a sword myself, nor have I taken classes in any sort of martial arts.

Update: Thank you to everyone who's replied. I'm still looking for combat specifics other than states of mind... which I probably made way TOO specific, considering how long this post got. :D

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I've looked through the medicine : brain injury tags and googled "head injury recovery", "head injury", "brain injury" and so on, so I hope this isn't a waste of your time. Thanks a lot in advance.

The setting is a planet not Earth, where medical technology is *handwave* better than our own, but not futuristic enough to be unrecognizable, and *handwave* brains are a bit different too--the emotional centres send extra messages that influence the physical chemistry of the body, which in turn influences what kind of animal sidekick a human can bond to. (I'd appreciate knowing if the second handwave is implausible.)

Head injuries can cause a change in personality, and I want to do that to a character who picked up a skull fracture from getting flung into a stone wall. I know it can take more than a year to recover from such wounds; what's the shortest believable time I can have them up and moving around with the changed personality, and if possible getting back to practicing skills that require a good deal of physical coordination? It apparently took Phineas Gage a few months to return to work, and I'd like to shorten that if it's not implausible given slightly futuristic technology. (The injury's also not as serious as his!)