Happy Independence Day & Greetings
Jul 4, 2012 18:58:45 GMT
Post by Jack Tar on Jul 4, 2012 18:58:45 GMT
Hi, I just joined the forum. I've been using it as a resource for the past couple of months as my latent interest in swords has really taken off.
By way of Introduction, my name is Steve but I'll go by Jack Tar on the forum. I'm retired Navy and as you might guess I'm primarily but not exclusively interested in naval swords, cutlasses in particular.
I guess you could say my parents got my sword collection started when they gave me a Naval Officer's Sword for my commissioning. As far as collecting goes I had a casual interest in militaria connected to the conflict in the Pacific in WWII. Nothing intense; when I saw something interesting I picked it up, so my second sword was a wakizashi-length Kaigunto to go with my type 26 Nambu revolver. While I was in the Navy I spent a total of 7 years in Japan, where I met quite a few people who collected "Japanese art swords" which you might think would spur an interest in Japanese swords. Which it did in some respects, but they kept asking me about western swords so it mostly had the opposite effect. I had a sword, my Japanese friends when they came to my apartment could see I had a sword, I sometimes wore it for ceremonial purposes where it jazzed-up the uniform, so I figured I should learn something about it and its relatives. I learned a little, not much. Just enough to answer a few basic questions they had. But I developed an interest.
So now in addition to the stainless-steel uniform items and a couple of bayonets I have a Cold Steel 1917 Saber, a Cold Steel small sword, a Windlass Steelcrafts Captain's Hanger, and a WS English Cutlass. I'm sure before the month is out I'll be adding a Cold Steel 1917 Cutlass to the collection. And I have questions; lots of questions.
But first, everyone have a happy Fourth of July!
By way of Introduction, my name is Steve but I'll go by Jack Tar on the forum. I'm retired Navy and as you might guess I'm primarily but not exclusively interested in naval swords, cutlasses in particular.
I guess you could say my parents got my sword collection started when they gave me a Naval Officer's Sword for my commissioning. As far as collecting goes I had a casual interest in militaria connected to the conflict in the Pacific in WWII. Nothing intense; when I saw something interesting I picked it up, so my second sword was a wakizashi-length Kaigunto to go with my type 26 Nambu revolver. While I was in the Navy I spent a total of 7 years in Japan, where I met quite a few people who collected "Japanese art swords" which you might think would spur an interest in Japanese swords. Which it did in some respects, but they kept asking me about western swords so it mostly had the opposite effect. I had a sword, my Japanese friends when they came to my apartment could see I had a sword, I sometimes wore it for ceremonial purposes where it jazzed-up the uniform, so I figured I should learn something about it and its relatives. I learned a little, not much. Just enough to answer a few basic questions they had. But I developed an interest.
So now in addition to the stainless-steel uniform items and a couple of bayonets I have a Cold Steel 1917 Saber, a Cold Steel small sword, a Windlass Steelcrafts Captain's Hanger, and a WS English Cutlass. I'm sure before the month is out I'll be adding a Cold Steel 1917 Cutlass to the collection. And I have questions; lots of questions.
But first, everyone have a happy Fourth of July!