On April 28–29, the annual Messer Macher Fair took place at the German Blade Museum in Solingen. Knife makers from all over Europe showcased their latest creations and offered supplies for DIY knife-making.

In addition, a varied supporting program was offered. The group “Ars Gladii” from Bregenz demonstrated combat techniques using short swords and bucklers, as described in the oldest surviving fencing manual from the early 13th century. It wasn’t about strength, but rather about how well one could anticipate the opponent’s attacks and prevent them from landing a hit with quick counter-techniques—something quite familiar to martial artists. The striking power of medieval weapons was impressively demonstrated through cutting tests on twisted grass mats.

The Neandertal Kyudo Club was invited this year to participate with demonstrations on the makiwara, thereby representing the Japanese martial art as well. There were many interesting conversations with Western archers. The exchange with bowmaker Jürgen Junkmanns from Erftstadt was particularly fascinating. He specializes in historical and prehistoric bows and showcased his craft with a historical wooden bow, a Korean horn bow, and a Stone Age spear thrower. For the kyudoka, trying their hand at shooting the historical wooden bow was a journey into a completely different world of archery.

It was an interesting and educational weekend during which everyone involved had a lot of fun. You can find some photos in the gallery.

Further information:
http://www.messer-macher-messe.de
http://www.arsgladii.at/index.htm
http://www.pfeil-bogen.de/

Automatically translated by DeepL