If you want to walk anywhere in the world without injuring your feet, you have two options. You can carpet the surface of the earth and walk barefoot, or you can put on shoes and walk on whatever surface lies in front of you. Obviously, the first option is nonsensical while the second is quite practical. Why is it then, when martial artists engage in weapons sparring, they insist on covering every square inch of every legal target on their body so it can be struck with an unpadded weapon? Why not simply cover the hard surfaces of the weapon and leave the body unprotected and unencumbered. The latter philosophy lies at the heart of the modern Japanese (martial) art known as chanbara.

— Editor