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Post by Reaver on May 7, 2012 1:51:27 GMT
So what do you guys know about europeanized katanas? I've heard them mentioned once or twice, but the only production sword that seems anything like what you would envision is the VA warder. how difficult is it to mount a Katana blade with a guard, european style hilt and pommel? just curious if it's something that can be done with an existing bare blade, or if the entire sword would have to be designed with this end goal in mind.
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on May 7, 2012 2:08:28 GMT
the only hard part would be to peen a pommel due to the distinct shape of katana tangs, its certainly doable, youd just need some tools and finesse.
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Post by deejay on May 7, 2012 17:31:12 GMT
I have seen both a cutless and a scottish? basket hilt with katana blades.
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Post by Jussi Ekholm on May 7, 2012 17:46:33 GMT
Well Aaron Justice did few "Kago ken" years ago, basket hilt on a katana. Besides those I've seen a mameluke hilt with katana blade and one other that had more messer type hilt.
I think Aaron used DF blades on his creations. Attaching a pommel might be hard but if you have good skills and know what you would be doing you could pull it off.
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Post by Vincent Dolan on May 7, 2012 18:14:11 GMT
As long as you don't care about keeping the katana the exact same as it was when you got it, it's not that difficult to do. All you need is a dremel to reshape the tang into a more Euro style and you're good. After that, just mount it on the guard, grip, and pommel, peen it, and your work is done.
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Post by mechanic403 on May 11, 2012 20:11:01 GMT
Hey deejay, got any pics of those kats?
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2012 3:25:07 GMT
I have done a few conversions of katana to 'other things', it is not that difficult if you have minimal tools and some skill. I am not a black smith, just tinker around a bit
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Post by deejay on May 12, 2012 13:53:10 GMT
I will have a look and see alttle later after I get my pond set up for the summer.(Spring comes along at exactly the moment you forget how much work there is to do in a pond>)
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Post by Anders on May 12, 2012 21:13:23 GMT
The Warder is very different from a katana, really - it has a completely different type of blade that doesn't at all behave like a katana. It's more of a European saber with a bastard sword hilt.
That said, some of Lundemo's older warders were much more katana-esque and I think he's actually made europeanized katana.
It's certainly possible - I've designed a few swords with that idea in mind.
There are some restrictions, though. Whatever guard you use would also need to accommodate at least the habaki, and preferably the seppa as well. Also, I personally wouldn't bother trying to attach a pommel the European way - not worth the effort, I suspect, and in case the project turns out a disaster you can't just put the old hilt back on. I would much rather just attatch a pommel-like cap to the end of the tsuka to get the right look. Katana aren't meant to have pommels in the first place, after all.
For this type of project, the replacable fittings is the main advantge of the katana, and I think it would be a shame to lose that. Thus, I would make as little changes to the actual blade as possible, preferably non at all.
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jhart06
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Post by jhart06 on May 12, 2012 21:59:29 GMT
For the way the warder forms are described, a katana would do horribly, actually. They're not well suited to *any* form of real combat (maybe stylized dueling) but his forms involve stabs and thrusts and other motions a katana's geometry might perform, but wouldn't be well suited to. A manchurian saber blade (mounted european), a swiss saber, an elongated and slightly less wide bladed falchion or (ideally imho) a blade style after a civilian shasqua would suit best to a warder blade.
If you look close at reviews and videos of the warder, it isn't even really that horribly close to a katana blade. A shasqua of the civillian type with that quote Kilta Cossack is rambling on about moves very similar (apparently) to how warder's and blademasters are described to have fought in the mainland for WoT.
That said, sinosword or huawei are the go to for things like this, with maybe Zhisword being another.
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Post by Derzis on May 12, 2012 22:41:48 GMT
If I would go for something "not japanese" on a katana tsuka, will be something close to this:  samurai of ayothaya - movie |
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jhart06
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Post by jhart06 on May 12, 2012 22:50:08 GMT
Actually, looking and Lutel and their swiss sabers, I'd say that or the Shasqua could work, with a pommel/handle set up that would let you grip it two handed for certain forms. A straight euro-kat can work, but it has problems.
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2012 23:21:56 GMT
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Post by deejay on May 13, 2012 12:35:42 GMT
Hey-good job finding this-there was some while back a basket hilt kat for sale here-I cant find the thread to save my soul though-but those do look like em.D
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Post by mechanic403 on May 13, 2012 17:42:18 GMT
Sweet thanks
Btw, just watched that samurai of ayothaya, pretty good flick thanks for posting derzis
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Post by Jussi Ekholm on May 13, 2012 19:59:05 GMT
Here is the link for that original Kago Ken: www.swordforum.com/forums/showth ... Kago%20Ken Here is a thread with few new ones: www.swordforum.com/forums/showth ... lt-a-sword I can't find that messer/katana that I mentioned earlier, if I remember correctly it had pins through ana and hilt slabs. Slabs slightly curved in end to act as a pommel, and it had straight crossguard. |
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Aaron
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Post by Aaron on May 17, 2012 17:04:26 GMT
I'm on a similar-but-opposite boat. Whereas many want a katana blade with Euro fittings, I would love to get my hands on a Euro blade with katana fittings. :lol:
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2012 11:54:12 GMT
You could Contact Aaron Justice, he does not do custom work that often but that might just interest him to do for the fun of it. DLS might do it as well
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on May 18, 2012 14:19:47 GMT
that wouldnt be too hard to do if you know how to do tsukamaki, youd need a blade with a pretty wide tang tho to accomodate the mekugi pins
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Post by Reaver on May 18, 2012 18:27:29 GMT
seems like you would need a wide tang anyway to get the balance right, since it wouldn't have a pommel.
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