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Popularly speaking the term Chanbara is used to refer to sword fighting movies that story samurai warriors battling one another with dramatic martial arts skills designed more to please a cinema audience than represent traditional arts. In recent years however the term has also been used to describe one of Japan's newest martial arts, also known as Spochan.
The sport came about in 1971. Mr Tanabe, inspired by children 'playing' as samurai warriors and emulating the techniques they were seeing on the movie screen by using sticks and other makeshift 'swords', decided to make this children's game safer and more appealing as a competitive sport. He first used sponge weapons but these have now been replaced with 'air soft' swords which are completely safe to use and allow for the use of full power strikes (head protection and protection on other parts of the body is still used for further safety).
Matches are typically one one one, but variations include one against many and team fights. Handicapping is introduced when necessary by the use of weapons of unequal length. A teenager for example would be given a longer 'sword' to use when facing an adult.
The sport has spread around the world and now holds a World Championship periodically. Unlike the more traditional kendo Chanbara is purely seen as a sport and has the advantage of any good sport that anyone with minimal training can join in and participate from the off.
