Yedo & Gicheon

I was recently asked by another friend of mine, a World Haidong Gumdo Federation member, about the historical basis of Haedong Kumdo's Yedo series of sword forms. Her logic was that as HDGD (or HDKD, depending) stems from Gicheon and Shim Gumdo, there should exist some basis for Yedo techniques within these older systems. I've never studied Shim Gumdo, but I'm certainly ok to address the Gicheon relevance.
There are indeed sword forms in Gicheon not unlike some of the Yedo series. I have never been told anything about specific applications or historical uses, though based on the question, I can actually very easily see how at least two forms that I can think of would make very effective use of a slightly shorter blade in close quarters, such as a building interior. I do not know of any differentiated series in Gicheon, (such as HDGD's Ssang-su, Yedo, Bonguk, etc) but links to HDGD are unmistakeable. HDGD's basics, for example, are basically exactly the same as Gicheon's first form, with only slight modifications and additions. SSGB1, respectively, is essentially similar to Gicheon's second form. HDGD basics and SSGB1 & 2 are also performed in a manner more similar to that of all of Gicheon's sword forms. I see more of a differentiation beginning in SSGB3. Gicheon is much more "meditative" than HDGD, with each movement being given the utmost attention. Thus, progress is slower than that of the HDGD student, and there is certainly not as much material to cover.Though I no longer study with the WHDGDF, I think Master Kim, (and Na Han-Il) added something invaluable to the study of Korean sword techniques. There is definitely an element to HDGD not present in Gicheon that very much helped me to surpass a plateau I had been experiencing in my training for some time. I can't describe this exactly, but I would say it has something to do with power, flow, and, believe it or not, theatrics. That last thing is definitely an HDGD staple, and I actually think it does help, rather than hinder, a student's progress and understanding.

Sports Chanbara

A friend of mine, a traditional Japanese Swordsman, recently competed in a "Spo Chan" tournament in Japan. He did not place, and was defeated by opponents that did not use the weapon "as a sword". Many Chanbara competitors use the light weight of their equipment, as well as its flexible nature, to compete in an "unrealistic" manner, similar to scoring via flick in Olympic Fencing. My friend attributes this to the following:
"Tradtional sword arts are a dying breed in Japan. Many influential people want to shake the military stigma of Japanese history, so sport is very much pushed. I'm obviously not saying that iaido & kendo will end tomorrow but the amount of practioners is shrinking in Japan.
In Japan, the children are truly the only natural resource. So, why teach your children how to be soldiers when there is no war? Japan wants to educate the young to be better adults and they feel sport is a more appropriate way. Now don't get me wrong, Japan is still very proud of its past so the martial arts won't disappear. There is just a strong drive to look to the future and the Japanese are very good at adaptation. Sport Chanbara is simply an adpated form of swordsmanship."
In a culture that actually gave rise to a martial art, I can see how this view might be legitimate. As a foreign practitioner on the other side of the world, however, I'm not sure I agree, because of the basic idea that martial training implies "training soldiers". Centuries ago, this may have been the case. I suppose even in the WWII era this may have been the case, as the Japanese military "machine" of the time was driven very much by the country's nostalgic love affair with the samurai. But my point is this: If I want to train a soldier, I'm going to teach him how to use a gun, not a sword. I might even teach him some of the same empty hand techniques found in many martial arts. But I have no reason to teach him tradition, ceremony, etiquette, or philosophy. It is these things that make the martial arts what they are, and differentiate them from pure and simple "fighting methods". So I think just maybe the proliferation of the sort of Chanbara witnessed in Japan today is more a result of keen business, coupled with western influence, than true philosophical change in heart about the future of the children. Just my humble thoughts.
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