Health, Muscle & Fitness Articles Section

A Samurais Power Is In His Little Finger, Not His Samurai Sword

In the 12th Century the Shogunate was formed. The head of this regime was the Shogun, the supreme ruler. Under him where his regional 'daimyo' or 'dukes'. Under each 'daimyo' served the Japanese samurai. When a samurai stepped out of line, became too unruly or displeased his 'daimyo', the samurai would often have to go through a procedure known as yubizume. This procedure is a very barbaric punishment in which the first joint of the little finger on the sword hand would be amputated.

Not only would this be a very painful punishment, but it served a much cleverer purpose. When holding a samurai sword the finger which has the strongest grip is the little finger. Each finger right up to the index has a weaker gripping strength. You can test this yourself. Make a tight fist with what would of been your sword hand, and take a slim object of equal circumference throughout such as a pencil or pen. Now, without causing you harm, take the non-sharp/drawing end and starting with the index finger end of the hand, while retaining a fist, slowly work the pencil/pen into the grip.

You will see the further into the grip the pencil goes, the more resistance there is. You now can see how important the little finger and ring finger would be for gripping samurai swords. To make matters worse, if the samurai further disgraced himself he would be required to take the next joint of his little finger off, and this could even extend onto the other fingers. But what was the use in handicapping the samurai in such a way? Well, not only did it serve as a constant and shameful reminder, but made the samurai more vulnerable than he had been before, therefore more reliant upon his immediate superior, his 'daimyo' for protection.

This brutal practice of yubizume is still used today by the Yakuza / Japanese organised crime families as a means of punishing their unruly members.

Article by Nick Johnson of Japanese Samurai Swords Dot Net http://www.japanese-samurai-swords.net

Dumbbell Routines & Exercises eBook - Click Here

Increase Your Muscle Size And Improve Your Physical Fitness In 90 Days Or You Get To Keep This Breakthrough eBook FREE!

"Dumbbell Exercises and Lifting Routines To Help You Gain More Muscle, Lose Weight, or Just Get Yourself in Better Physical Shape... WITHOUT the Hassles, and Expenses of Health Clubs"

"Instant Access to An Illustrated, PDF Ebook That Will Give YOU The Routines You Need To Get In Better Shape in 90 Days or less - Or Your Money Back!" Get the scoop here.

Serious Fitness Supplements - Muscle Builders

Hyper Gain
Introducing "Hyper Gain"... The First 100% Bioavailable Buffered Creatine Compound With 100% Stable Uptake And ZERO Toxic Conversion That Lives Up To Its Claims Of Huge Gains In Muscle Mass.

Jacked Up
New Anabolic Compound Can Bring Your Post Cycle Testosterone Levels Back To Normal (And Beyond) As Quickly As Possible.

Xenomine
"New Fat Burner Produces 43% Faster Loss Of Unwanted Body Fat… Without Side Effects!" Landmark scientific trial in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" proves the ingredients in Xenomine can rapidly and dramatically burn off unwanted body fat… without the over-stimulation and side effects of Ephedra.

"A Completely Different Approach To Bodybuilding That Can Build Your Physique To Its Maximum Genetic Potential!"

"Break Free From Your Current Rut By Utilizing Muscle Building Volume Training Techniques"

A step-by-step guide that teaches you the secrets, tips, and techniques you need to know to build a chiseled, muscular, ripped, head-turning physique...FAST!

The "Hyper-Growth Muscle Mass Training" course is an extremely effective natural human growth hormone stimulator and packs on slabs of muscle mass, size and enourages hypertrophy faster than you would've ever thought possible...while burning off body fat like crazy!

Highly recommended! Click Here For Maximum Muscle Growth