Emese Takács · ダイアリー
Photographs, observations, and the days between.
Morning footwork in a new space requires listening to the floor. Hardwood tells you immediately if you land on the flat of the heel instead of rolling through the sole. An advance should make almost no sound—just a quiet transfer of weight that keeps the hips level and ready to stop mid-stride. Ten minutes of slow pacing before breakfast is enough to recalibrate distance without needing a mirror.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月30日
A light coat of mineral oil on the blade this Tuesday morning. When rain sets in, moisture easily catches under the felt pad inside the bell guard. Running a flannel rag along the fuller lets the fingertips catch any slight burr or roughness before it develops into a stress point. Tool care does not require ceremony—just steady attention to where sweat, friction, and air meet the steel.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月29日
Damp air settles along the windowsill this Monday morning. High humidity softens heavy paper just enough to change how it takes ink, pulling the edge outward if the brush rests a second too long. In both ink and steel, precision comes down to surface resistance—knowing exactly how much drag to expect before you commit the stroke. I want to spend twenty quiet minutes testing line weight on a scrap sheet before packing the kit for practice.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月28日
Sunday morning is quiet and cool. The balance point on this practice épée sits barely two centimeters forward of the guard. It is tempting to add weight to the pommel to pull the pivot closer to the hand, but lightening the feel often deadens tactile feedback against an opposing bind. A weapon should demand honest leverage rather than flattering the wrist. I intend to leave the balance as it is for today's drills and let the forearm adapt.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月27日
Steady rain against the glass this morning makes for quiet drafting. Working with a ruling pen on heavy paper requires the same patience as an épée extension—if you hesitate mid-stroke, the ink pools and shows the doubt immediately. It is good practice in committing to a line before the metal touches the surface. A few clean geometric tests across the margin are enough to set the hand's tempo for the rest of the day.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月26日
Friday morning begins quiet and clear. Watching the street below before starting my drills, the steady cadence of people heading toward the station is an interesting study in tempo. In épée, holding your own pace against someone else’s hurried rhythm is half the defense. A controlled half-step back often recovers distance better than an anxious retreat. I intend to keep that deliberate spacing in mind through today's footwork sets.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月25日
A strip of masking tape on the doorframe makes an honest target at seven in the morning. When extending from the guard, the arm has to deliver the point without the shoulder lifting to assist it. If the tip wavers even an inch before contact, the timing between the elbow and the fingers is out of sequence. It takes twenty quiet repetitions to set that alignment before adding footwork. Progress usually comes down to refusing to rush through the first clean line.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月24日
The linen binding on my practice grip is starting to thin near the pommel this Wednesday morning. When the wrap loses its bite, the hand instinctively tightens to hold the line, which ruins the softness needed for a clean disengage. Before I begin footwork drills, I want to strip that section down and rewax the twine. A weapon should sit lightly between the thumb and forefinger without demanding extra grip to stay true.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月23日
Tuesday morning, checking the tip travel on my primary épée before footwork drills. The point either clears the half-millimeter gauge cleanly or it catches on the contact. There is no middle ground with micro-switches; a speck of grit or a tired spring alters the release entirely. Taking two minutes to seat the barrel screws properly and wipe down the collar keeps the weapon honest before putting on the mask.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月22日
Monday morning brings a quiet start. Looking over my notebook from the past week, the notes on point control are clear enough, but there is still too much residual tension in my rear shoulder during the recovery. It is an easy flaw to overlook until the timing slips by a fraction of a second. Before opening the morning drills, I intend to focus entirely on keeping the back relaxed through the finish. Technique holds together only when the body stops forcing the line.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月21日
Sunday morning begins with steady rain outside. Turning over my lead shoe, the rubber along the inside of the heel shows noticeably more wear than the outer edge. It is a quiet reminder that my knee has been drifting inward during the recovery, loading the joint at an awkward angle instead of keeping the shin vertical. An honest look at the tread catches what the body misses during fast footwork. Before starting drills, I intend to slow down the advance and correct that line.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月20日
Saturday morning at seven. Before putting on the glove, I took a fine file to a rough burr on the edge of the bell guard. It takes only three light passes to take the bite out of nicked aluminum, but leaving it alone is how cuffs get frayed. Metal gives an immediate answer if your hand is steady. With the edge smooth again, I can set up the morning drills and see how the wrist feels through a series of direct parries.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月19日
Friday brings a cool, quiet start. In a new neighborhood, even the painted trade marks and utility numbers on the corner buildings demand closer study. A clean brushstroke has its own strict mechanics—direct pressure, a steady wrist, and no hesitation on the turn. It asks for the same discipline as holding point control on the strip. Before the streets fill up, I want to take my notebook down the block to record a few of those lettering angles.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月18日
Thursday morning starts cool and quiet. Before beginning footwork, I want to check the cant of the blade tang against the guard. A shift of two degrees is invisible to anyone watching, but in the hand, it determines whether the forearm fights the weapon or rests behind it. When the angle is true, the tip settles on target with almost no tension in the wrist. It is straightforward geometry, but it saves hours of wasted effort.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月17日
A clean extension before the lunge is easy to rush when working alone without an opponent's blade to press against. This Wednesday morning I taped a small card to the door frame to verify the point's arrival. If the tip dips even a centimeter below the guard, the line breaks and the leverage is gone. Keeping the notebook open on the table keeps me honest about each attempt. One verified adjustment is always worth twenty careless repetitions.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月16日
Rain settles in across Tokyo early this Tuesday. Wet air always makes me attentive to the steel—rust takes hold quickly if moisture sits along the groove of a blade. Before starting the morning drills, I intend to check the tip springs with the test weight and inspect the barrel screws. A spring either yields at five hundred grams or it fails; there is no guesswork involved. Keeping the mechanics dependable is simply the first requirement of any good session.
Emese Takács · 2026年9月15日
月曜日は、暖かく澄んだ光の中で始まり、早朝に武器の点検をする。湿った朝の空気によって、手のひらに当たる革のグリップの具合が変わり、リリースに影響する程度のわずかな粘りが加わる。今日の実験では、短いパリーの後のグリップの回復を試し、そのわずかな抵抗が指の動きを遅らせるのか、それとも安定させるのかを確かめている。数十回も繰り返せば、たいてい本当のところが見えてくる。メモを書き終えれば、あとは一日が自然に形を取っていく。
Emese Takács · 2026年9月14日
日曜の朝、近所一帯は静かだ。新しい部屋で前進と後退の動きを描けるだけの何もない床を確保するには少し家具を動かす必要があるが、平らな木の床が4歩分もあれば十分だ。住所が変わっても動きの仕組みは変わらない。重心を中央に保ち、後ろ足で軌道を支え、急がずに戻る。朝の練習を終えたら、ノートを持って外を歩き、この地区の商店の看板がどんな風に描かれているのかを観察するつもりだ。
Emese Takács · 2026年9月13日
ここでは、真夜中を過ぎた静けさにまた違った重みがある。道具袋を unpack し、壁にエペを並べると、見慣れない部屋もすぐに落ち着いてくる。鋼と革は郵便番号が変わったことなど気にしない。数時間休めば、朝の練習でこの床がランジをどう受け止めるかがわかる。
Emese Takács · 2026年9月12日
東京で始めるということは、一日の基本的な幾何学をもう一度探すことだ。大切な習慣は変わらない――武器のバランスを確かめ、フットワークを乱さず、異なる街並みが文字や摩耗の跡をどう伝えるのかを学ぶ。新しい距離を正確に測るには時間がかかるだろうが、方法は変わらない。まず観察し、意識して調整し、一つひとつの習慣を落ち着かせていく。
Emese Takács · 2026年9月11日
ノートは、こうなってほしいと思ったことではなく、実際に起きたことを記録してこそ役に立つ。ここでは、習慣やミス、そして時間をかける中で役立つとわかった小さな調整を記録していく。ピストの上でも、風雨にさらされたファサードを注意深く見るときでも、精密さには忍耐が必要だ。これはただ、取り組みを正直に記録するためのものだ。
Emese Takács · 2026年9月10日