Katana - Up Close and Personal

[Black Blade]

Sometimes you don't have the gun but might have the steel. A good blade can go along way for when deadly force is needed. With practice a good swordsman can accomplish a lot. Here are two of my katanas I use for tameshigiri (cutting practice with soaked rolled tatami mats). Both are No-Hi "live" blades.

http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/03136b711d3eabe829ec103c302c926d436e7cb3.pjpg

I old Japan condemned prisoners were often used by master swordsmiths to test out new blades. Often the old blades were inscribed with the date and number of condemned prisoners executed.

http://images.yuku.com/image/gif/ab116d11d2cfdfb0d5a26611a5637202ba245742_r.gif

Bladed weapons are just an extension of the martial arts and this is just another element of preparation. Not that they will ever take the place of a firearm but rather are another element of self defense.

- Black Blade

[DMac]

When joking with friends about how to fend off the zombie horde, I always say my weapon of choice would be the katana.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J-5taUpUQk

[Desolation LineTrimmer]

If you like katanas and great science fiction then you will also like Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.

[CrufflerJJ]

Sometimes you don't have the gun but might have the steel. A good blade can go along way for when deadly force is needed. With practice a good swordsman can accomplish a lot. Here are two of my katanas I use for tameshigiri (cutting practice with soaked rolled tatami mats). Both are No-Hi "live" blades.

I old Japan condemned prisoners were often used by master swordsmiths to test out new blades. Often the old blades were inscribed with the date and number of condemned prisoners executed.

http://images.yuku.com/image/gif/ab116d11d2cfdfb0d5a26611a5637202ba245742_r.gif

Bladed weapons are just an extension of the martial arts and this is just another element of preparation. Not that they will ever take the place of a firearm but rather are another element of self defense.

- Black Blade



A good Japanese blade can be an amazing. mixture of strength and delicacy - hard & soft. I don't have a katana, but do own a (tired) wakizashi. I got it many moons ago from a guy named Richard Tonti (Pittsburgh area), who ran a mail order blade sales/restoration business. It's neat to hold, thinking about how it was made back ~1480 or so.

If you ever visit Japan, the city of Mino-Seki (a bit north of Gifu, if I remember correctly) used to hold a monthly sword making demo. They'd not show the entire process, but would have bladesmiths demonstrating a certain part of the mfg process.

These blades are definitely not just weapons - they're also works of art. Nice snicker-snack sharp works of art.

[Heimdhal]

Your Katana meets:

My Brigandine
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m179/TeamPointBlank/Stuff%20to%20Sell/102_3585.jpg

=

Katana stopped!



Haha, Im just messing around. I actualy have a lot of respect for the craftmanship and artistry of the Katana and of its use. I've met some some guys in my live steel reenactment days that were some scary SOB's with a Katana. Their cutting demonstrations were as much of an art as the blades themselves. I never got into them much, but have always admired them from a safe distance.

Big +1 BB.

[CrufflerJJ]

Your Katana meets:

My Brigandine



Very nice! Is it hard leather over chain mail? Any steel scales in the leather, or is it just hardened leather? I'd not seen one before.

[Quantum]

Knife. Gunfight. LOL.

If I run out of ammo, you can deal with my M44's bayonet.

[Heimdhal]

Your Katana meets:

My Brigandine



Very nice! Is it hard leather over chain mail? Any steel scales in the leather, or is it just hardened leather? I'd not seen one before.


Leather over steel plates, with a (chain) mail byrnie (shirt) underneath. Typicaly, one would not wear a full byrnie undearneath, as it was simply too heavy, but would have mail sections incorportated into the armor around the joint areas and areas the armor wouldnt cover (armpits, upper arms, waist/upper thigh). I just have it stored like that so it takes up less space and looks cooler ;)

This one has larger plates, a semi replica of transitional anglo Brigandines. Traditionaly, there would be many, many small plates, numbering at times in the hundreds (1inch x 1inch or 1x2), but those are very labor intensive, and this was much easier to build. My next build, if I ever get around to it, will be with smaller plates in a less grid like pattern.

just some FYI 8)

[skid]

Since we're talking swords, I have a Darksword Squire. This is a replica of an actual sword found in a Museum (as are most of their swords), but using modern 1060 oil hardened steel. It's fun to practice with, but could very easily take an eye out ;)

Their website is: http://www.darksword-armory.com/swords.html

The blades are made in Canada. They also have a good video of an attempted destruction test on a 50 gallon barrel. Real swords can take a surprising amount of abuse

I also bought 3 practice swords that have a fiberglass rod surrounded by medium density foam. You can practice full contact sword fighting, and if you get hit it stings a bit but doesn't hurt too much. I practice with my eldest boy, and we have a lot of fun doing it.

[Heimdhal]

Since we're talking swords, I have a Darksword Squire. This is a replica of an actual sword found in a Museum (as are most of their swords), but using modern 1060 oil hardened steel. It's fun to practice with, but could very easily take an eye out ;)

Their website is: http://www.darksword-armory.com/swords.html

The blades are made in Canada. They also have a good video of an attempted destruction test on a 50 gallon barrel. Real swords can take a surprising amount of abuse

I also bought 3 practice swords that have a fiberglass rod surrounded by medium density foam. You can practice full contact sword fighting, and if you get hit it stings a bit but doesn't hurt too much. I practice with my eldest boy, and we have a lot of fun doing it.


Look into getting some shanai staffs for practice as well. They are made from bamboo and you can pretty much go full on force without risking any major injury (of course this doesnt mean hitting people right in the eye socketc, etc). Its what alot of us "live steel" fighters practice with as they are fairly cheap and easy to replace/repair.

You can go with the solid wood Wasters (european) or Bokkens (asian/japanese), which are made from hardwood and are good because they will replicate a specific sword type and if made right will replicate the weight as well. The down side is they can get fairly expensive for "practice" swords, are solid hard wood, and thus harder to repair if damaged and can and do break bone if you arent carefull (ask my fingers how I know...I've broken nearly every single one at least once at one point or another).


Look up a group called the SCA, Im pretty sure they have canadian chapters. They do a lot of Ratan/Wood sword fighting and large reenacments. Usualy a pretty good group of guys, but every chapter is different. Adrian Empire is another one, not sure if they are in Canada though. They do "live steel" which just means real metal swords.

[skid]

I'm embedding the video of the sword against steel drum test as mentioned in my previous post. I have a similar sword... I'm not sure why it embedded two videos??


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[skid]

Look into getting some shanai staffs for practice as well. They are made from bamboo and you can pretty much go full on force without risking any major injury (of course this doesnt mean hitting people right in the eye socketc, etc). Its what alot of us "live steel" fighters practice with as they are fairly cheap and easy to replace/repair.

You can go with the solid wood Wasters (european) or Bokkens (asian/japanese), which are made from hardwood and are good because they will replicate a specific sword type and if made right will replicate the weight as well. The down side is they can get fairly expensive for "practice" swords, are solid hard wood, and thus harder to repair if damaged and can and do break bone if you arent carefull (ask my fingers how I know...I've broken nearly every single one at least once at one point or another).


I would (wood?) imagine getting hit by a hardwood full weight sword would hurt almost as much as a unsharpened steel sword. The medieval swords and Japanese Katanas have little finger protection. I believe the modern full finger hilt coverage is a more modern development relatively speaking. However, in war during the old days they wore gauntlets to protect the wrist and fingers, along with other armor as could be afforded...

[Heimdhal]

Look into getting some shanai staffs for practice as well. They are made from bamboo and you can pretty much go full on force without risking any major injury (of course this doesnt mean hitting people right in the eye socketc, etc). Its what alot of us "live steel" fighters practice with as they are fairly cheap and easy to replace/repair.

You can go with the solid wood Wasters (european) or Bokkens (asian/japanese), which are made from hardwood and are good because they will replicate a specific sword type and if made right will replicate the weight as well. The down side is they can get fairly expensive for "practice" swords, are solid hard wood, and thus harder to repair if damaged and can and do break bone if you arent carefull (ask my fingers how I know...I've broken nearly every single one at least once at one point or another).


I would (wood?) imagine getting hit by a hardwood full weight sword would hurt almost as much as a unsharpened steel sword. The medieval swords and Japanese Katanas have little finger protection. I believe the modern full finger hilt coverage is a more modern development relatively speaking. However, in war during the old days they wore gauntlets to protect the wrist and fingers, along with other armor as could be afforded...




Yes, gauntlets area a limb saver, literaly. There are some full hilt swords, like the scottish style basket hilt, which became a personal favorite of mine. My gauntlets are pretty beat up, they come in very handy as a weapon in and of themselves. Big steel fist. Basket Hilts are good for that as well, and shields are often overlooked for their offensive capabilties. I've probably taken out as many guys with a good shield as I have a sword.

We did a full range of reenactment. From 1000 AD up into the 1600's, so there was a wide array of arms and armor and techniques that were employed. I really want to get back into it, but it gets expensive fast, even making my own armor as I did, and doings ome for others on the side. I've since sold off/given away most of my gear, except that brigandine above and some other peices, and most of my swords are still with me.

Check those groups out, if they are around you. If not, im sure there are others. You and your son will have an absolute blast, even if you dont become super ninjas of doom. :D

[skid]

"My gauntlets are pretty beat up, they come in very handy as a weapon in and of themselves. Big steel fist."

Yea, I'd hate to take a punch in the chops with these.

German, 15th C.
Originals on display at the National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg

[CrufflerJJ]

Yea, I'd hate to take a punch in the chops with these.

German, 15th C.
Originals on display at the National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg


Beautiful - hand made ~600 years ago. Amazing!