The kodashi is such a popular division of sports chan-bara that we even say "you start sports chanbara from the kodachi, and pursue the way only to find yourself with the kodachi in the end." The kodachi is also the introduction to this sports.(As for the details of the use of the kodachi, refer to "Kodachi Goshindo" by Tetundo Tanabe, published by Sobunsha) For practice, you can substitute a kodachi with something like a magazine. The kodachi is about the size of a wooden stick or trouncheon, which can be a practical, handy means of self-defense. Sports chanbara is very casual to play as you can thus use a newspaper as a sword. You will enjoy playing only by learning some basic strikes like Ogi uchi, and kakoi-nuki for defense. Although the sword itself is short, skilled player's handling of the kodachi is surprisingly quick that it sometimes surpasses a long sword. This is a sports suit-able to a sports festival.
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