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 Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 9:46 pm
It seems that Shinta Hitokiri and myself are both speaking of those three topics in several threads, and so I'd like to give everyone a thread to speak of combat, martial arts, and the different mental states that deal with them in one place so that we may remain on topic. I realize its a broad topic for one to discuss, but they're all related and I'm interested in what others may have to offer. For convenience, I'll copy and paste the last of the relivant posts between Shinta and myself that I can remember and the discussion may continue from there. Shinta Hitokiri Kindyetcruel Shinta Hitokiri Kindyetcruel Shinta Hitokiri There are always ties of uncertainty, yes, but even only one person ebing impeccable with their word makes it so that the realtionship would be far different from the ambiguity that so many suffer. So you've experienced that combat awareness as well. Nirvana was the term my master used, and if you attain that state in a high enough level during combat, it's amazing. The Maestro was at a battle and one of his students managed to take down ten enemies at once. I can tell you more detail, if you want. As far as a person's actions and opinions go, it's because they are dealing with something inside themselves, and so they direct that hostile energy at you. If you do not give fertile ground to those seeds they try to plant, then they cannot negatively affect you. In anything that we can influence, we have a choice. That's very true. Given the choice, it's best for at least one person to be entirely open about how they feel rather than neither party. Things are much less complicated that way. And I mean no disrespect, but your master was incorrect in calling it "nirvana." I speak from personal experience when I say they are two entirely different things. Nirvana is supreme happiness, which to one who is unfamiliar with such emotions, may be confused with apathy. When I achieved nirvana for a time I was more familiar with apathy and depression than any other emotions, and so I described what I felt as "Kind of like a good kind of apathy." It was only later that I discovered it was an unshakable happiness accompanied by an enlightened feeling and unusual clarity of mind. I stayed in that state for about a week before examining myself and comparing how I was then to my peers and decided in order to live a fairly normal life I would have to return to how I was. Even now words escape me on how to accurately describe nirvana. All I can say for sure about it is that how to obtain it differs from person to person, and if you wish I can relate my own story of how I achieved it. And I would be more than happy to hear more, should you be willing to share. What you speak of in reguards to actions and opinions is a very good point, but even so I've seen others act without any logic or reasoning behind their actions. But what you say is mostly true. Well, the Maestro said that the way he described the state he calls nirvana is oneness with God. He saw someone else achieve it mid-combat. He and Maestro Tom Warner were with another person, whose name escapes me at the moment. It was only them left in their army and the other side had about 26 left. The one whose name I don't know started running to draw some of them away from Maestro Hays and Maestro Warner, and about ten of their enemies followed the other. The maestros began tking out their enemies one by one, and the other one kept running. As the maestros were running down their enemies, Maestro Hays shouted: "Turn around, you p***y, and take it like a man!" The other one, who was going florentine (two swords) stopped and turned around. Ironically, his enemies were following him in single file. He started spining his blades, and he proceeded to wipe out all of his pursuers. The maestros and their enemies could only stand there and watch. The one who achieved that state was given the silver star, which is the highest honor for that day's battles. Oneness with God is a good way to describe nirvana. As I said, I felt enlightened and at peace with everything, and an unshakable happiness. I don't believe "oneness with God" is a good description for the state of mind in combat though. I suppose it could be said as that in the way that your actions seem to be guided by a higher power, but as far as I remember when I've achieved that state in a match I did not feel God any more so than I do at any given time in my life. It's possible that the reason for that would be that I was not in a true fight, so that can make a difference. And that is a very interesting story. It's amazing what one can do once they achieve that ideal combat awareness. I believe those that are truely horrifying to face would be one who is not only able to achieve that mindset, but who may also hold the title of berserker. Should the berserker be able to have that level of awareness while switched, I wonder how many others with such awareness it would take in order to best him. But it seems we're going away from the origional topic at hand. Perhaps we should continue our discussion in PMs or a new thread? What's incredible is that Maestro Hays said that he can teach how to achieve that state during combat. I think that one who achieved that state in battle was a sworn in knight, becoming which involves a brutal test. You have to defeat three sworn in knights in combat at once, sustain your wounds, and then beat the Maestro. Beating the maestro is entirely political, though. It's based on whether he thinks you deserve the rank yet. I think we could get some interesting discussion starting a topic like what you mentioned, to be honest. Other people may have some intersting stories or theories, themselves. Shinta Hitokiri Kindyetcruel Shinta Hitokiri Kindyetcruel Shinta Hitokiri Well, it isn't as official as to be done by a ruler such as that, but it's a higher honor in that you are being given the title by a master in combat, and saying the you are taking one of the largest steps towards mastery by being knighted. It'll be at least four years before I can attain that, I'm willing to make a guess at. I see. And what martial art do you study again? If it's truely useful then perhaps I've found one to take on. And congrats LunarVendetta, you reminded me of a saying I've been using alot lately to explain my desire to visit a specific haunted graveyard. "Sometimes you just have to go out and meet some new dead people." ^^; Given, it's probably best not to joke in reguards to that specific graveyard, as even the skeptics refuse to visit it at night. I don't understand why really, since if there's a ghost or demon or whatever they claim is there during the night, it's going to be there during the day as well. Technically, it's centered around kenjutsu, since the sword is the most effective melee weapon in combat, but I'm going to be learning virtually every style of melee weapons combat one can. He said that when we got to Ju Jitsu, he'd bring in masters he knew to teach us that. At the same time, Maestro teaches things that you will actually use in street combat. He would especially know, since he grew up in a very nasty area of California. I see. I'll agree for the most part about the sword being the most effective melee weapon, as range is important, but dual wielding daggers or katar can also be extremely effective. You're lucky to find a place that teaches one how to fight to that extent, especially since it can be useful. But that worries me somewhat... Is Dim Mak one of the things that is being taught to everyone? Knowledge such as that is dangerous and should be censored, as there are several who will use it for more than self defense. I've never heard of Dim Mak, to be honest. What is it exactly? If it is being taught, and it's as dangerous as you say, then I'm sure he'd only teach it to advanced students. We won't start tamashagiri until about three or four years in. I agree that Florentine is a good style, when used right, but I think I need to get to third rank before I learn it. Also, so you know, the second most effective melee weapon is simply a two foot long stick. It's the most practical weapon on the street, honestly. Since I have not replied to him in the thread which the previous quote was taken from, I shall do so now. Dim Mak is the art of the "death touch." It's a series of pressure points on the body that can be poked to cause instantaneous or delayed death. While this sounds like something taken from a fiction novel, it's actually true and there are medical reasons that explain why it works. For countless years it has been taught only to the most trusted disciples in a dojo, but in recent years it has been taught to any and all who wish to pay for lessons. People have even attempted to capitalize off of this deadly art by selling books and diagrams telling exactly where and how to hit each point to be the most effective. Could you explain tamashagiri to me? If I understand correctly, it's "test cutting" where one judges how sharp a blade is by cutting an object in a number of ways (Downward diagonal, upward diagonal, downward straight, and horizontal.) I'm unsure at how they know when to stop though... And that's interesting that a stick is the second most effective weapon on the street. I would assume a dagger or katar would follow the sword, since they're made of metal and have an edge. Naturally I don't mean one made of inferior materials such as stainless steel, I'd rather use the stick than something like that.
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:13 pm
I don't know on Dim Mak. I'll be sure to ask the Maestro about that one. Tamashagiri is the art of cutting with a katana. It is usually practiced on a thick tatami mat usually 4' x 6' rolled around an oak dowell. The idea is that with that large and hard to cut of a target, it simulates the resistance when cutting into a person's body, assuming you miss all the bones but the spine. The owner of the company I got my bokken from can cut a said target wielding a katana with only one hand. A stick can beat spear, knife, ax, etc. The only one that it cannot beat is the sword. Plus, another thing going for it is the fact that you can find something like that anywhere. My master sadi that he's gone to renaissance faires, challenged someone to a duel, and beat them with a stick he pulled off a tree or picked up off the ground.
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Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 12:07 pm
Shinta Hitokiri I don't know on Dim Mak. I'll be sure to ask the Maestro about that one. Tamashagiri is the art of cutting with a katana. It is usually practiced on a thick tatami mat usually 4' x 6' rolled around an oak dowell. The idea is that with that large and hard to cut of a target, it simulates the resistance when cutting into a person's body, assuming you miss all the bones but the spine. As explained to me by my former teacher (whose name I cannot remember), tameshigiri serves three purposes. First and foremost, historically, it was used (as has been mentioned above) to test the quality of a blade. Second, the weave of the tatami resists poorly-directed cuts; I've seen this demonstrated when a student performing tameshigiri came in too shallow and bound his blade in the tatami. Third, the dowel in the center (which, if hard enough wood, can in fact simulate cutting through bone) rejects cuts without the proper speed, power, and angle - another student failed to "throw the tip" during a kiri-age cut and wound up having to have his sword extracted from the dowel. It forces students to realize and remember that their speed, power, and angle should be absolutes when striking. Of course, there's the much-beloved Mizu-Gaeshi double-cut which I saw performed by a student testing for Hyaku-e. From kneeling, with a sheathed katana on the floor at his side, he rose through a kiri-age, dropped the saya, and performed a right-to-left Yoko cut through the upper piece. Poetry. In. Motion. I remember realizing immediately upon joining the school that the instructors were not interested in teaching students how to win martial arts kata competitions, nor bragging about how many people they've beaten in combat. I'd been through a few martial arts schools in which the instructors, while speaking to students who had not yet even begun to learn, regaled them of the people they'd defeated, usually in a "this martial art is better/more powerful/more effective than anything else" sort of tone. My instructors in Atlanta Budokan were very careful about framing any "combat stories" in the form of teaching how a well-trained and conditioned fighter can deal with unpredictable situations, and always with the intent of teaching the students how to "think by not thinking" as they progressed through techniques. Shinta, I can only assume that your Maestro was attempting to get the same point across - that it's not about how big or flashy or expensive your weapon is, and that skill and poise with even a stick can overcome some guy's art piece tool steel "claymore".
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Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 2:08 pm
I would love to hear exactly how a stick beats everything but a sword. I know its possible, but if two people with the same level of skill fought I would assume that the one who held the blade would win assuming that the blade was made of good quality steel. Though I do suppose that the type of wood used does play a role as well. If it's strong, the opponent's blades can get stuck in it if nothing else, which may play in your favor or his depending on who attempts to disarm who first.
And that's good that you found instructors that taught to "think by not thinking." It seems that they too were familiar with that combat awareness and were attempting to teach it to others.
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Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 6:06 pm
One of the advantages it has to a blade is not having one. You can twirl it around in ways you can't with a blade of equal size, lest you get yourself cut. Also, a harder stick would be better. The ones the maestro owns are made of lignum vitae. If you don't know how hard the stuff is, ket me gove you an example. Oak has a hardness rating of about 600. My ipe wood bokken has one of about 3,000. Lignum vitae has one of about 4,500. Also, a stick is far easier to find than a blade, not to mention the fact that your opponent isn't likely to have a high quality knife, if you're fighting on the street.
As far as help from my friend goes on being able to achieve that empty sate at will, I'm very glad that I'll be able to get help with that. She said that we'd have to find some music, scent, etc. that calms me. It's ironic that a girl I know was that very thing, but that's a different story. Basically, the idea is to focus on that one thing until everything else fades away, and then to let go of that as well.
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Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:13 pm
That's interesting, using meditation like that. Essentially I suppose that's what that state is, meditation, but it comes naturally for me as soon as I decide to take a match seriously. But it's likely that I'm special when it comes to that, as I switch personalities from time to time depending on what it is I deal with. Sometimes I'm happy and really outgoing, joking about everything with everyone. Other times I can be completely serious and think through several things at once from a detached point of view. And, as described by friends, I'm a berserker, so if I loose control in a fight I kind of black out and my body moves of its own will. It doesn't happen often at all because I've trained myself to mellow out, since I do prefer to remember what happened in a fight so that I may look back on it and gain lessons from my actions and those of my opponent.
But yes, that's true, a stick is alot easier to find than a blade. Improvised weapons are a good thing, unless of course you're over 21 and have a concealed weapons license. Then I'd say its best to pack a dagger at least, but preferably a small gun, if not both.
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Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:29 pm
Sadly, a concealed gun is illegal where I live. At the same time, I'm going to get myself a very nice tanto soon, if all goes well. It's not that I have neccessarily had trouble getting to the state, but doing it consistently is the hard part, as well as doing it right. It's possible to enter a similar state fueled by emotion, but it's not nearly like the one I told you the story of earlier. If I get angry, I hit a state that is very interesting. The anger burns away everything else, cleaning my system of emotion other than it. It's no longer a game, but a true battle, and I find myself wanting to hurt my enemy, enjoy the idea of seeing them in utter pain and agony. It's a state I refer to as blood fever, and it's a powerul temptation in battle.
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Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 9:27 pm
That's interesting. o-o I thought every state allowed you to obtain a concealed weapons license. Without that license it's illegal to conceal a gun anywhere, and its only good in that state (unless you're able to obtain a national license for it, but I believe that's limited only to law enforcement such as the FBI or CIA.) Aye, I'm familiar with that as well. If someone provokes me in a way that should make me switch to a berserk state, but I have no idea who it is, the blood fever you speak of is probably a prequal to me pulling myself up to switch. I've only had that happen once, and I lacked a target, so my anger had nowhere to go as I refuse to strike someone who is innocent. I didn't quite will myself into switching either, but I could feel it. It was kind of like there was this huge amount of anger and power JUST outside of my reach, and I wanted it. To explain how I almost switched to a berserk state without a target, it was extremely hot and humid, over 100 degrees. I was part of the armed drill team in my school's JROTC program, and I was one of the two commanders for the armed team. We had to practice outside on the parking lot, no shade anywhere nearby. I had only taken a quick sip of my pepsi before I took my team out to run through the routine. After we ran through it a few times I had them fall out of formation so we could take a break and everyone could grab something to drink. I unscrewed the cap to my pepsi and my lips touched the bottle before I looked down to see someone had spit snot in my drink. I suffer from OCD, so stuff like that gets to me more than normal people. That break was only about ten minutes into practice, and we still had another hour or so left. Thankfully, the other armed team commander (a friend I've had since kindergarden) was able to calm me down enough to screw the lid back on and sit the drink down. He was the only one who wasn't afraid of me when I was like that, and he spoke to Chief for me. Rather than deal with it then, Chief had the other armed commander run through his routine and had me practice with him, which only served to anger me even more. Especially when I saw people were staring at me and lacked the courage to continue on when I looked over at them, which even held true for the teachers. I asked a friend about that day last month and now understand to a degree at why everyone was so afraid of me, even those who had known me since third grade or middle school. He said, and I quote "basicly you had a arura around you that was like ******** all of you if you within like 5 feet of me im going to ******** you up. you hair was ******** i do remeber that. you had a 1000 mile long stare and i could feel it." I asked him about my hair, since I couldn't remember what it was like at that time, but was pretty sure that it was really short since that's a requirement of JROTC. He replied, telling me "yea short hair but it was kind of frazzled looking like you just missed being hit by a truck kind of hair. ok if you could imagen this guys hair after he got back up from this kick thats what it looked like http://www.usjjf.org/news/nationals2002/Fighting Competition.jpg poofy yea" I just wish I could verify that stuff with a few more people, but I've gotten out of touch with many of them since graduation.
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Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:37 pm
I see what you mean. I've never been driven over the edge to that sort of extent. I consider it to be self control, but there have been times where I've so desperately wanted to reach my anger and for some reason, it felt like it was sealed, if that makes sense. On the gun laws, I didn't know it was possible to get a permit for that. I may look into that later, when I've reached the age to do so. Besides, it's not worth doing until I become proficient, anyways. As far as refusing to strike an innocent, I'm the same. In fact, usually one of the few things that can get me to such a state is someone hurting an innocent. I cosider myself a guardian, or sentinal of sorts, I suppose.
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 2:06 am
Aye. Being a berserker, if you will, runs in my family though. My father has told me of three times he remembers switching, and we both agreed that my mother is highly capable of doing so if she hasn't already. I've fully switched once that I'm aware of, and luckily that was in elementary school so I didn't really hurt anyone. It was just something small, I was in a basketball game on the far end of the playground, where the teachers couldn't really see. One of the people on the opposite team decided it would be a good idea to tackle me. I remember getting hit, and then standing over him while everyone else just looked at me and he apologized constantly. I have no idea exactly what I did then, I never really thought to ask anyone afterwards since I was only concerned with him not doing that anymore.
My teen years for awhile were a constant state of borderline berserk though. Teen angst and all that, probably didn't help much that I listened to the first Linkin Park CD alot. I don't know exactly how strong it was all the time, but my mother told me once to figure out what was wrong with myself because "you can literally feel the anger coming off of you." Before she told me that I was meditating alot, and I could feel it and curiosity was almost making me want to go for it, but I didn't. After she said that I decided it was time to mellow out, and so here I am today.
And aye, I believe its 21 years old to get a concealed weapons license.
And interestingly enough, I consider myself the same. I'll definately protect those I love (friends, family, if I trust you then I love you to a degree.) and will definately switch to a berserk state for them if needed. If I see someone randomly getting beat up on the street though, I'll step in to help for sure. If I'm not sure if their actions are justified or not, I'll break them up. But if its obvious they arn't, I'll help whoever's getting beat. The only thing that could drive me to switch for a stranger though would be rape. That's the main crime that gets to me more than anything else. It hasn't happened to me, and I haven't had anyone close to me tell me that it's happened to them, but it still affects me strongly nonetheless.
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 6:43 am
Kindyetcruel I would love to hear exactly how a stick beats everything but a sword. I know its possible, but if two people with the same level of skill fought I would assume that the one who held the blade would win assuming that the blade was made of good quality steel. Though I do suppose that the type of wood used does play a role as well. If it's strong, the opponent's blades can get stuck in it if nothing else, which may play in your favor or his depending on who attempts to disarm who first. And that's good that you found instructors that taught to "think by not thinking." It seems that they too were familiar with that combat awareness and were attempting to teach it to others. Shinmen Musashi No Kami Fujiwara No Genshin, or as he is commonly known Miyamoto Musashi, was famous for defeating a skilled opponent armed with a sword with nothing but a boat oar. He is famous for writing the samurai code book "Book of the Five Rings" and has been infamous for being the most skilled swordsman in Japan for his time period. As for being a berserker, while it is rumored that the state is genetic, anyone could reach a state through proper mental conditioning. Also not all berserkers were simply...insane or slip into a fit of insanity at will. Many were under the influence either by drugs or alcohol before battle thus explaining how they were able to push themselves so far without being conscience of it all. Also, concealed weapons are illegal. You may carry a weapon with a license, but to keep it concealed or a secret is against the law for general citizens. If you are carrying a weapon and an officer asks if you are arm, you are to tell them. If not, you can find yourself in a world of trouble. I know from personal experience smile
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 7:37 am
Maku the Dark Kindyetcruel I would love to hear exactly how a stick beats everything but a sword. I know its possible, but if two people with the same level of skill fought I would assume that the one who held the blade would win assuming that the blade was made of good quality steel. Though I do suppose that the type of wood used does play a role as well. If it's strong, the opponent's blades can get stuck in it if nothing else, which may play in your favor or his depending on who attempts to disarm who first. And that's good that you found instructors that taught to "think by not thinking." It seems that they too were familiar with that combat awareness and were attempting to teach it to others. Shinmen Musashi No Kami Fujiwara No Genshin, or as he is commonly known Miyamoto Musashi, was famous for defeating a skilled opponent armed with a sword with nothing but a boat oar. He is famous for writing the samurai code book "Book of the Five Rings" and has been infamous for being the most skilled swordsman in Japan for his time period. As for being a berserker, while it is rumored that the state is genetic, anyone could reach a state through proper mental conditioning. Also not all berserkers were simply...insane or slip into a fit of insanity at will. Many were under the influence either by drugs or alcohol before battle thus explaining how they were able to push themselves so far without being conscience of it all. Also, concealed weapons are illegal. You may carry a weapon with a license, but to keep it concealed or a secret is against the law for general citizens. If you are carrying a weapon and an officer asks if you are arm, you are to tell them. If not, you can find yourself in a world of trouble. I know from personal experience smile I hadn't heard the tale of him beating an opponent with a boat oar, but I did know he wrote the Book of the Five Rings. I think he was more specifically noted as the best duelist in the history of Japan. I really can't be certain on the idea of berserker, to be honest. It's not exactly a favorable trait for swordsmen, from what I know. Besides, as a first rank, my focus is control. The second rank is strength, the third, speed, the fourth, all three, and the fifth being power. I think it's mainly concealed guns that are the biggest worry with police and such. Personally, if I'm able to in the future, I'd probably get a license to be able to carry a sword in public. Besides, a weapon worn openly is less dangerous than one hidden.
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 5:33 pm
Shinta Hitokiri Maku the Dark Kindyetcruel I would love to hear exactly how a stick beats everything but a sword. I know its possible, but if two people with the same level of skill fought I would assume that the one who held the blade would win assuming that the blade was made of good quality steel. Though I do suppose that the type of wood used does play a role as well. If it's strong, the opponent's blades can get stuck in it if nothing else, which may play in your favor or his depending on who attempts to disarm who first. And that's good that you found instructors that taught to "think by not thinking." It seems that they too were familiar with that combat awareness and were attempting to teach it to others. Shinmen Musashi No Kami Fujiwara No Genshin, or as he is commonly known Miyamoto Musashi, was famous for defeating a skilled opponent armed with a sword with nothing but a boat oar. He is famous for writing the samurai code book "Book of the Five Rings" and has been infamous for being the most skilled swordsman in Japan for his time period. As for being a berserker, while it is rumored that the state is genetic, anyone could reach a state through proper mental conditioning. Also not all berserkers were simply...insane or slip into a fit of insanity at will. Many were under the influence either by drugs or alcohol before battle thus explaining how they were able to push themselves so far without being conscience of it all. Also, concealed weapons are illegal. You may carry a weapon with a license, but to keep it concealed or a secret is against the law for general citizens. If you are carrying a weapon and an officer asks if you are arm, you are to tell them. If not, you can find yourself in a world of trouble. I know from personal experience smile I hadn't heard the tale of him beating an opponent with a boat oar, but I did know he wrote the Book of the Five Rings. I think he was more specifically noted as the best duelist in the history of Japan. I really can't be certain on the idea of berserker, to be honest. It's not exactly a favorable trait for swordsmen, from what I know. Besides, as a first rank, my focus is control. The second rank is strength, the third, speed, the fourth, all three, and the fifth being power. I think it's mainly concealed guns that are the biggest worry with police and such. Personally, if I'm able to in the future, I'd probably get a license to be able to carry a sword in public. Besides, a weapon worn openly is less dangerous than one hidden. Aye. The man was infamous for fighting with other household objects in duels. As for being a berserk, it isn't for swordsmen, but for brawlers. Their purpose is to destroy with no stopping. Also, during the old ages, most berserker's best weapons were the offensive kind such as the Mace or the Axe. Those two weapons in constant motion would prove to be devistating in the battlefield, even against a skilled swordsman. *shrugs* Also, there is really no licenses to carrying a sword, only guns. Also, to carry a sword in public is against the law, even if it isn't concealed. The irony that I see is the fact that you can buy a sword at a public shop like the mall, yet to carry it in public is against the law. Anyways, any bladed object that is longer than 4" is considered a weapon. Yeah...I would love to carry a sword around like a samurai who how my hero Vampire Hunter D carries his long sword, but this is reality and such a world doesn't exist...yet.
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 5:59 pm
No, they really do have concealed weapons licenses. Yes, even California. You have to pass certain requirements (no felonies, no record of drug use, show you're aware of how to safely handle a gun, be 21 years of age, stuff like that) but after that you're safe to carry the gun anywhere you want unless specifically forbidden by your state. The areas you're generally unable to carry concealed are places like police stations, elementary or secondary schools (though some states allow you to do so if you have the school's permission) etc. And a concealed weapons license isn't specifically limited to firearms, but swords, nightsticks, and other things as well.
Judging from what I've found in reguards to Kentucky's laws though, it's legal for me to walk through town with a sword on my back and a gun on my side and noone can say a word. The law allows it, but warns that if you openly carry a firearm in a large city you're opening yourself up to harrassment from their police.
Apparently, other states have similar laws as well. If the weapon isn't concealed, then you're in your rights.
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Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 12:19 am
I know. It's really funny, too, because one of my friends would carry around the California gun laws in his wallet when he was walking around with his sword. Whan an officer tried to stop him, he showed the man the paper, and there was nothing the guy could do to him.
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