Isao Machii - Living Legend / Real-life Anime Protagonist
You've heard of the ancient samurai; you've heard of classic anime; but have you heard of Isao Machii?
Today I would like to talk about this awesome human being, this living legend, grandmaster of the sword, who is the holder of SIX Guinness World Records!
His biggest feat? Cutting a bullet with a katana (=Japanese samurai sword)!
Yes, you heard that right!
Well, to be exact, it was a 6mm pellet from a BB gun rushing at the speed of over 300km/h within a split second. Don't believe me? Good; see it with your own eyes:
On 'Stan Lee's Superhumans' (S1 Ep6):
Click to viewAnd again on the Japanese TV show 'The Best House 123':
(He starts with a football, and then a tennis ball, and so on until he ends the show with the smallest object, the BB pellet, rushing at 350km/h)
Did you really just see this? Yes, you did! Was this live-action anime? No (though I don't blame you for thinking so), this was real life; truth can really be stranger than fiction!
Isao Machii's world records include:
1. Fastest 1,000 Martial Arts Sword Cuts | 19-09-2007
He did that within 36 minutes, 4 seconds, on live TV! My arm hurts just thinking about all that swinging! O_O
2. Most Sword Cuts to Straw Mats in Three Minutes | 21-04-2011
A total of 252 cuts! ✨️ [The straw mats were rolled and placed vertically on holders ready to be sliced; each mat had to be cut between 5 and 10 times.]
What makes this even more admirable is that the traditional way to carry out this exercise is to lay the mats on the floor and cut them; but Machii-sensei always places them vertically, making it even harder to cut them repeatedly without knocking them over.
3. Fastest Tennis Ball Cut by Sword | 08-09-2011
He cut a tennis ball only 6.7 cm in diameter, shot at the high speed of 708 km/h by a special machine - all on national TV!
4. Fastest BB Pellet Cut by Sword | 04-06-2013
The pellet was shot from an air gun and travelled at the speed of 158.29 km/h before Machii-sensei unsheathed his sword and sliced it neatly in two.
5. Most Martial Arts Sword Cuts to One Mat (Suegiri) | 23-04-2015
A total of 8 cuts, beating his own previous record of 7 cuts (established back in 2004! This was actually his first Guinness World record).You know you're a dedicated master of what you do when your greatest competitor is... yourself!
6. Most Martial Arts Sword Cuts In One Minute (Rush Straw) | 02-03-2017
A total of 87!!
Note that this one was beaten in 2022 by Ricardo Jesús Blanes Blancas, who was actually inspired to do this after he happened to watch the official video of Machii-sensei achieving this record:
The art that Machii-sensei practices is called iaijutsu (居合術) or iaido (居合道).
It is essentially the practice of drawing one's sword, cutting down one's opponent and sheathing the sword afterwards. This martial art emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks. The origin of the word 'iai', is, in fact, from the phrase, '常に居て、急に合わす' (tsune ni ite, kyuu ni awasu), which means, 'being constantly prepared to match any opposition immediately'. To be both psychologically and physically ready, at any given moment, is the essence of iaijutsu/iaido.
So, who is this incredible person? Born in Japan on 20 August 1973, Isao Machii (町井勲) began training in martial arts when he was only seven years old! At the age of twenty (1993), he joined a famous iaijutsu dojo (無雙直傅英信流 居合術 兵法奈良龍心館吉岡道場), and achieved the shou-dan level; (after a martial artist masters their art and achieves their black belt, they have 10 super-advanced levels to achieve, of which shoudan is the 1st and lowest). From that point onward, he came first in every iaijutsu tournament held in his reigon (All-Japan Iaido Federation, Kinki Tournament).
Only six years later (1999), he achieved the 5th-Dan level. From then on, he chose not to take part in any further promotion examination in the future. In 2004, he decided to withdraw from the existing school he was a part of, due to the different views he held regarding iaijutsu as a martial art and tameshigiri (=test-cutting) technique, and developed his own school of Iaijutsu with the name, 'Musou Jikiden Eishin-ryuu Machii-ha'. In 2005 he changed that name to 'Shushin-ryu Iaijutsu Heiho' and established his own dojo, '修心館' (Shushinkan)
If you are really lucky and dedicated, you can join Shushinkan and get instructed personally by him! (I'm lowkey jealous of that girl, LOL!) He also has a YouTube channel where you can see him in his daily life, instructing students, giving valuable tips relating to his craft, practicing for world records... you know, just the usual stuff.^^ Here are the links to his own website and YouTube channel in case you're interested:
https://nihontou.jp/syuushinryuu/intro.htm
https://m.youtube.com/@syuushinryuu
Machii-sensei specialises in the art of the sword (we know that!✨️), but he is also an expert of Japanese archery and spearmanship. He is rightly dubbed 'modern samurai' due to his impeccable skills. After achieving his sixth record, he said, 'I see Guinness world records as a way of securing my legacy. They verify attempts with strict rules, very fairly, independently, and officially. It is a great way for me to have my name go down in history around the world.' He pointed out that even though there are a lot of famous stories about the old warriors of Japan, it was hard to be sure whether those fantastic things actually happened or if they are only exaggerations or myths.
He has taken perfect advantage of both the ancient knowledge of his craft, which he mastered, and the scientific and verifiable authenticity our modern times provide, by achieving the world records, and also participating in numerous shows and documentaries, both in Japan and internationally. By doing so, he has not only proven himself to be an exceptional martial artist of our times, who will indeed always be remembered in history, but he has also solidified the importance and sheer beauty of ancient arts which were being forgotten or dismissed by the newer generation; he showed people like you and me a possibility, a dream, a legend come true before our very eyes. Thus the legacy of both Machii-sensei and iaijutsu itself is forever secured.
Some sceptics on the Internet like to doubt/undermine/find fault with him even after seeing for themselves what he can do. If you ask me, they're probably just jealous.😉 Some guy from wherever will think they know more about Japanese culture than anyone else, and say that Machii isn't a 'real' samurai because he isn't cutting people's heads off and kowtowing to the emperor, and that he's apparently a shame to Japanese heritage because he showed his masterful skills on TV for everyone to see, when in reality even the Japanese themselves have named him 'modern samurai'. (Note the word, 'modern'; it isn't medieval Japan anymore; of COURSE the modern samurai has a very different way of life as compared to the ones of old, but that certainly doesn't invalidate his incredible skills.) Others will trivialise his feat of cutting the BB pellet in half and say that since the pellet isn't a 'real' bullet, it isn't such a big deal. Well, what can I say...if it's that easy, smart alec, why don't you try it yourself? And then there's always the old, meh, it's scripted, he didn't really do it (so now you don't trust the Guinness World Records?), and even if he did, it was after countless retakes. Personally, I bet that most of these couch athletes are sitting there, chips in hand, as they write these sorts of spiritless and unsportsmanlike comments; I seriously doubt that any of them could achieve the same thing even if given a hundred chances.
In case you're curious about the sword Machii-sensei uses, it appears to be an uchigatana, a type of katana with the blade facing upwards. Some have even speculated that he may have built it himself, as his sword has very high endurance and was left undamaged even when he once successfully attempted cutting an iron pipe and plate on a TV show. Note however, that even the best sword is useless in an amateur's hands; at the end, it his masterful technique and years of dedicated practice (and perhaps a touch of genius✨️) that enables him to do the amazing things he does.
One overlooked quality of Isao Machii is...his likeness to an anime character! And not only due to his otherworldly skills✨️, but also due to - okay, don't come after me for this, please - his good looks! 😍 Yes, yes, I know, of course I would still appreciate him very much even if he wasn't good-looking, but the fact that he does look good leaves me wondering why more people have not pointed this out. It's like a dream come true; - or an anime story - a master of martial arts who is also relatively young and looks super handsome. 💗 I especially love his hairstyle and his sweet and humble smile.🥰💘 From what I've seen of him, he seems to have a really nice personality as well. 💕
I feel so lucky to have gotten to know Isao Machii, a legendary iaido master of our own times (or a live anime character, whatever you prefer! ✨️); I hope that after reading this, you feel the same as well.
Here's another appearance of Machii-sensei on 'The Best House 123' to fill you with wonder and admiration:
And also, Isao Machii as a fruit ninja!; cause why not: 😁