Why couldn't samurai be left-handed?

It’s a trifle surprising that such a prohibition could be maintained when, at least in fencing, being able to come in from the side your opponent is less used to dealing with offers a nontrivial advantage; and (at least until you get to the point where a type of military outfit is just cosplay costume for aristocrats pretending to not be purely parasitic) situations where you are engaged in a mutual attempt to kill the other guy often bring out a strain of pragmatism even in otherwise inflexible individuals.

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Yeah, my understanding is that fencing teams WANT lefties because of the advantage.

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My fencing instructor was left-handed which meant it was like fighting a mirror, though one faster and more talented.
However, when I fought another right-handed opponent it seemed ridiculously easy, “this fool is completely open!” *stab

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I’m of the understanding this sort of thing applies to batters and pitchers in baseball as well.

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Japanese sword fighting tends to be done with both hands on the hilt, so left-handed or right-handed does not matter so much.

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My Japanese son would disagree, he uses his hashi in his left hand.

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I was born in 1964, 12 years of Catholic education, no one ever tried to get me to change hands.

My biggest problem way back then was when we started using ink pens, I was always smearing as I wrote.

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I didn’t know that! And Musashi was a badass. Did he do calligraphy left-handed too, does anybody know?

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