Samurai swords don't run out of bullets...

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Tomorrow is supposed to be cloudless and calm. I'll see what I can do with the crappy cell phone camera (or the Nikon).
 
Phantom Captain,

Great. :D When you do cuts on water bottles, work on making the cuts as clean as possible. Ideally, the bottle will move little, if at all- it'll just start "bleeding" or gushing water. Full 2 or 3 liter bottles of water can be surprisingly resistant to cuts that don't strike with the edge at the right angle. Just be sure to dry thoroughly and then follow with clove oil (or CLP, if you're a heathen like me) after you finish your session.

Other things to work on: not extending your arms too far from your body, striking with the last few inches of the blade, and stopping your swing just past the target. As CSespt found, it's easy to lose control. Practicing swinging to just past the target will allow a quick redirection if the target moves. After you get good with the initial swing, then work on rotating the blade over and performing a pull-cut going the other direction. Once both the initial swing and the recovery pull-cut are clean, fluid, and effective, use your "coiled" posture after the pull-cut to thrust (tsuki) straight back into the target. :)

There's a "combo" that's effective, quick to explain and learn the basics of, but that you can spend a lot of time mastering. We can always get smoother and more powerful. Always.

John
 
With its cell mate:
DSCN0500.gif

Side view of the operator interface:
DSCN0501.gif

Pommel and guard:
DSCN0504.gif

The Business end:
DSCN0505.gif

I'm hoping the colors come through:
DSCN0506.gif

They are not crappy cell phone pics but since the real Nikon's battery was dead I used the point and shoot which does not do close ups well.
 
jdh,

Wow! Both of those are pretty elaborate! The finish and detail on that cutlass is amazing, the colors are beyond belief! Impressive.
 
JShirley said:

Phantom Captain,

Great. When you do cuts on water bottles, work on making the cuts as clean as possible. Ideally, the bottle will move little, if at all- it'll just start "bleeding" or gushing water. Full 2 or 3 liter bottles of water can be surprisingly resistant to cuts that don't strike with the edge at the right angle. Just be sure to dry thoroughly and then follow with clove oil (or CLP, if you're a heathen like me) after you finish your session.

Other things to work on: not extending your arms too far from your body, striking with the last few inches of the blade, and stopping your swing just past the target. As CSespt found, it's easy to lose control. Practicing swinging to just past the target will allow a quick redirection if the target moves. After you get good with the initial swing, then work on rotating the blade over and performing a pull-cut going the other direction. Once both the initial swing and the recovery pull-cut are clean, fluid, and effective, use your "coiled" posture after the pull-cut to thrust (tsuki) straight back into the target.

There's a "combo" that's effective, quick to explain and learn the basics of, but that you can spend a lot of time mastering. We can always get smoother and more powerful. Always.

John
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I had the Wak out today and was doing some backhand cuts. I was concentrating on the things you pointed out, using the last couple inches of the blade, as well as stopping just past the cut. It's all about conservation of movement, concentration, breathing and focus. I love that.

I do train in a martial art so I get exactly where you are coming from. Have wanted for a while to get into a kendo skill or something of the sort to study deeper in sword techniques.
 
"My father was with the 4th Marine Division during WWII in the Pacific. He took a sword of a Japanese officer after he killed him and was also wounded in the confrontations by the sword. Well without any one ever know it he stored in a trunk in the attic. Well right after I got married he got a letter from the Japanese and US State Department asking for the sword back with an offer to pay for it also. Well he took no money for it and did return it but this particular sword was about 5 centuries old and had been in the family since their one time samurai members had it made. I asked him why he didn't take the money and his answer was I killed their family member and had gotten enough then. At any rate the only time I saw it was when a person from the State Department came and picked it up with a letter of gratitude from the State Department, the Japanese Government and a hand written letter from the family's head (brother of the officer that had it) with a translation of what it said, done by the Department of State."

I'm curious, how did the Japanese family and the Japanese Government find out that your father had the sword? And how did they know/find out he killed the Japanese officer?

Also, the "4th Marine Division"?

http://www.ww2usakilledmissingpow.com/military-units/marines.asp


Just asking..............
 
Hey, clem! Yes, there was a 4th Marine Division in WWII.

And for the guy who was looking for a course to learn how to handle your AR, why don't you join up? They'll give you that training gratis along with a free rifle!;-)

My Dad had an older katana he inherited. It was a couple hundred years old and he sold it to a collector for a significant amount of cash. I remember the case of the JHU student who took out a burglar in this backyard with a katana. No charges in that case. I could see how a short sword would be handy in a confined area. Of course, you would need to put in a good bit of practice to be proficient. Just don't go nuts! I've heard of some people slicing themselves and the cut requires a good deal of stitching. Plus no need to repair the woodwork/wall board from buckshot/bullet damage. Just a mop and a bucket of soap to clean up the blood!
 
What is the difference between men and boys?
The price of their toys!

The Arming sword was my first. It is shaving sharp and the balance is unbelievable. It feels feather light and moves like an extension of your arm. It is one of the "budget" blade lines.

The cutlass is a work of art. It is a mid level grade. Normally that one would have been done with "Techno-Wootz" blade and would have been in the $8-10k range. He decided to do one in non-damascus steel to give someone (me) a chance to own a higher end sword at a more affordable price. He finished it on a Friday, brought it to the show an Saturday, and I was one of the first that got to see it. A little bit of haggling a quick trip back to the house for the Katana and Waki, and the deal was done.

They are made in Driftwood Texas by Angel Sword. The website is http://www.angelsword.com/
if you want to see other examples of his work.
 
I'm curious, how did the Japanese family and the Japanese Government find out that your father had the sword? And how did they know/find out he killed the Japanese officer?

Also, the "4th Marine Division"?
Click to expand...

He declared when he returned home is what he said. Many did many didn't declare what they carried home. It seems Japan at that time tried to recover a few of the swords at that time.

Here is some information on the 4th Marine Division and look at the WWII history down the page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4th_Marine_Division_(United_States)
 
Magwa45 said:
Hey, clem! Yes, there was a 4th Marine Division in WWII.

And for the guy who was looking for a course to learn how to handle your AR, why don't you join up? They'll give you that training gratis along with a free rifle!;-)

My Dad had an older katana he inherited. It was a couple hundred years old and he sold it to a collector for a significant amount of cash. I remember the case of the JHU student who took out a burglar in this backyard with a katana. No charges in that case. I could see how a short sword would be handy in a confined area. Of course, you would need to put in a good bit of practice to be proficient. Just don't go nuts! I've heard of some people slicing themselves and the cut requires a good deal of stitching. Plus no need to repair the woodwork/wall board from buckshot/bullet damage. Just a mop and a bucket of soap to clean up the blood!
Click to expand...
"Hey, clem! Yes, there was a 4th Marine Division in WWII."


Thanks! I missed that in my search.
 
The only way I can pose my question is like this. If I just got a new AR-15, I dont want to go through a month long SWAT course to learn how to handle and use my AR-15. I just want a weekend course to learn how to care for and how to properly sight in my AR-15.
Click to expand...

Hard to beat Project Appleseed for that
applesedinfo.org
 
Owned many katanas, wakizashis and tantos throughout the years.

Started with Paul Chen (PPK, Golden Oriole, Orchid, Musashi), moved to Fred Chen, had Cold Steel (Chisa, warrior), had Bugei (Bamboo, Shobu), and then finally went custom (Hernandez, Sorrels, Dingledine).

What started out as a functional sword, I slowly progress to the art form.

Lots of sword forums out there...

Jeff
 
Wow!! Alaskanativeson, I checked out that site and am amazed! His work is gorgeous. I would definitely love to have one of his katana someday. I guess I can dream!

Thanks for the link! Saved!
 
The katana was not in fact the war sword. The daisho pair came into vogue after the major Japanese wars. The tachi was the pure (older) battle sword, and was designed to be used from horseback. It's like the difference between a fencing rapier and a cavalry saber. Both are dangerous in the right hands, but one is a battlefield weapon, and the other is a court weapon. Some tachi were converted to katana, which usually involved shortening them a bit and changing their fittings.
Click to expand...
Except this isn't actually true. The katana evolved from the tachi during the Warring States Period. The only major difference between early katana and tachi were how they were mounted and carried. Edge up is katana. Edge down is tachi. It isn't uncommon for early blades to be remounted from one to the other. The katana replaced the tachi because edge up became preferred. It put the swordsman in a good neutral middle guard after the draw, not an awkward hanging guard (as with a saber but without the saber hilt's protection to the prominently located hands).

Not all katana are alike though. Because the katana form survived through the relatively peaceful Tokugawa shogunate that followed the Warring States Period, some are definitely more warlike in construction than others. Length and curvature varied a lot with peacetime swords being shorter and straighter than wartime swords.
 
Except this isn't actually true..
Click to expand...

And then, you went on to demonstrate how what I said was, in fact true. :rolleyes: As I said, the tachi was meant to be used from horseback in battle, the difference between a cavalry (war) sword, and a court one.
 
Y'all have just about talked me into getting a practical-grade tachi. That's about the only category of edged weapons that I don't have available for work-outs.

Then, of course, I'd have to get and train a horse... .
 
japanese swords are rather limiting and efficient anyway... and very short for the weight.. but what can you expect when you use a heavy cast iron weight to bring the point of balance further back?... europeans simply used leverage by putting the weight on the opposite side of the grip... the longer the sword, the longer the grip, leverage does the rest so europeans had larger swords that were lighter with better balance
 
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