Its March the first and back in the early Seventies I would have peered out of my window longingly for the Spring weather on its way.
The object of my longing was to be able to work in the family out-house without freezing to death.
What was I working on I hear you ask [or maybe not].
The answer is Oriental weaponry. As a young teenager I was obsessed with Martial Arts and its weapons!
The sorts of things I made were for example Japanese Katanas out of carpet edgers. The handles were two pieces of wood with the metal edger plate sandwiched between them by way of screws. A proper project sword!
Tonfas were another wooden project. Shapes pieces of plywood were nailed to lengths of brush handle. In fact brush handles were part of many of my creations particularly Okinawan Nunchakus and Chinese shafted spears and tridents.
The most dangerous things I made were shurikens. I cut these from biscuit tin lids and threw them against the wooden fence, where they cut deep into the wood. I was careful to stick to fence shurikining and not veer from there.
Some of my most effective items were long Japanese horse bows made from curved bamboos. Producing the arrows was really satisfying as most ancient Japanese arrowheads had devices like whistles and forks. Mostly I put a table tennis ball on arrows though because me and my mates loved to shoot them at each other across the garden. Don't panic, we were draped in armour made from carpet and chicken wire!
Oh how I loved to make those oriental things in our old out-house, probably more than I did using them. By way of homage I still have a hand made shuriken in my own home now, which I regularly throw against the shed for old time's sake. The thwack as it hits the wood is a sound I still adore!
Did you make stuff in the shed readers?
Here's an old snap of my cellar full of home made weapons and some from Mum's catalogue too!
You certainly took your martial arts to a whole new level of dedication, Woodsy. That looks like one serious dojo for a 70s teenager. The improvised weapons look and sound fearsome... but what was the catalyst that led you to pursue the martial arts at the point in time?
ReplyDeleteThe TV show Kung Fu and the movie Enter the Dragon. I was smitten after that Tone. For a few years in the early to mid Seventies nothing else mattered!
DeleteFrom what you say, Woodsy, I suspect Kung Fu and Enter the Dragon may have had a profound impact upon a lot of people from our generation ! Perhaps in part, they tapped into our collective consciousness and made the martial arts accessible to everyone with a telly. I remember in the 70s, every lad at my school wanting the skills of the quietly spoken Shaolin outcast and social underdog, Kwai Chang Caine. Looking at the pic of your 70s dojo, I guess you were busy turning that dream a reality in your own way. What amazing memories you must have of that adventurous time in your life !
ReplyDeleteYes, they were happy days Tone, fired by that crazy passion teenagers have for stuff like no one else. My mates joined in too and we had sparring contests in the front room once we'd moved all the furniture to the side! We got so into it all we even had written exams in the dojo about the history of martial arts. A few years f us joined proper clubs. I did wing Chun Kung fu and judo. The highpoint of my wing churning was training under situ Joseph Chang, who had just appeared on the tv show How. He'd bent a spear on his Adam's apple no less! Ha ha. Sifu Chung could be traced back to the founder of wing Chun, ip man. Sifu ip famously taught one Bruce Lee!
DeleteA few years = a few of us! Soddin ipad!
DeleteReading your story makes me think that perhaps the TV series and Dragon movie created a social reaction amongst youth back then. Maybe the wonderful Top of the Pops chart topper by Carl Douglas is the zeitgeist of the time/phenomena - 'Everyone was Kung Fu Fighting'. I really enjoyed this snapshot of your memories of those far way 1970s summer days. Respect to you, Woodsy, and all those who were inspired to followed the way of the dragon!
ReplyDeleteReading your story makes me think that perhaps the TV series and Dragon movie created a social reaction amongst youth back then. Maybe the wonderful Top of the Pops chart topper by Carl Douglas is the zeitgeist of the time/phenomena - 'Everyone was Kung Fu Fighting'. I really enjoyed this snapshot of your memories of those far way 1970s summer days. Respect to you, Woodsy, and all those who were inspired to followed the way of the dragon!
ReplyDeleteyep, it was a classic craze Tone. I suppose all crazes have a spark. Like Forry's Famous Monsters of Filmland kicking off the monsters craze a decade before. Carl Douglas was an important anthem of the Kung Fu craze. Less so was Ecky Thump by the Goodies but a lot of fun nonetheless. One if the few things I have from my childhood is the Kung Fu series soundtrack LP. I remember buying it in a large Petrol station shop near my home!
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