|
Post by ambulocetus on Nov 9, 2019 18:29:29 GMT
Thanks, I've always liked Guntos, but the prices are getting higher all the time. This really is the next best thing.
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on Nov 9, 2019 15:05:23 GMT
My project is finally completed. After three or four years of shopping to find just the right pieces to fit it all together, I finally sent them out to get finished. First is an L6 blade from St Nihonto fitted with the nicest set of reproduction Kai Gunto fittings I was able to find. I wish my camera was better so you could see the detail on these fittings. They aren't completely authentic, but they look very nice. It's supposed to be L6, and it has a suguha hamon like most of the L6's I've seen, but who knows for sure. It's beefy and heavy and sharp though. I bought a package of 25 used Seppa from Ebay and picked through them to make a set for these guys. Every Gunto had 6 seppa besides the 2 O-seppa, and they don't look right without them. And second is an old Kris Cutlery blade spruced up with another nice reproduction set; this time a Shin Gunto Type 98. You may be wondering about the color scheme. I got the inspiration from this sword ohmura-study.net/726.html I couldn't find a closer match for the color of the Ito, but I like the way it came out. On a real Gunto, each seppa is made of different metal. With these I used pro model paint to get that look. I know it's not that durable, but it looks good for now. I've got another sword for tameshigiri, so I'm going to go easy with it. My Tsukamaki-shi did an excellent job. It doesn't even feel like the same blade anymore. These swords came out so nice, that now I feel like the guy with the Ferrari who doesn't want to drive it because he's afraid of scratches. I think I can get over that though
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on Apr 4, 2019 2:04:05 GMT
Thanks, I'm looking hard at that Scott Rodell sparring Jian. I wish I had enough money to get the blunt and the matching sharp.
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on Apr 4, 2019 0:50:45 GMT
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on Apr 4, 2019 0:11:34 GMT
Hi folks, I just started a new Tai Chi class and one of the main teachers from China is coming in the fall to teach the sword form. Most of my previous training was in Japanese styles, so I don't have a Chinese sword. The last seminar I went to was pretty crowded, so I'm thinking I better not take a sharp just in case. Does somebody make the Jian equivalent of an Iaito or must I get one of those flippy floppy Wushu swords?
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on Jan 15, 2019 1:51:45 GMT
Hey no problem. A lot of his (or maybe her?) stuff is kind of gaudy, but I always got good customer service. a couple of other sellers that i've purchased from are lqshijian2014 and mirxu2014. Theres always new ones popping up, but I always wait until they've been around at least a couple years.
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on Jan 14, 2019 23:58:58 GMT
I found the seller mazin55go, but it really seems funny that a Japanese seller would be selling Chinese fittings without saying that they are made in China. It seems to me he wants the buyers to assume that they are genuine Japanese pieces, but you can get the same stuff from Arts-feng for a quarter of the price.
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on Dec 31, 2018 15:38:49 GMT
This reminds me of an old saying in Karate, "a black belt is rarely injured by another black belt, he is usually injured by a white belt because they sometimes move unpredictably." There was a story told in my first Dojo that one day the Kenjutsu teacher was sparring with one of his senior students when he twisted his ankle and dropped to one knee in pain. He looked up and his student was halfway across the room, having jumped back immediately. The teacher asked him "what are you doing way over there?" and the student replied "I've never seen a move like that before, and I didn't want any part of it."
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on May 8, 2018 12:21:49 GMT
Here is another style that uses a large sword. Note how he uses his waist and footwork to go with the momentum of the weight, rather than fighting against it.
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on May 8, 2018 5:18:59 GMT
Interesting. I used to be in a style called Tenshin Ryu. I don't think they are related though, because it was written as 天真流 and they don't seem to have anything in common. It looks like it's a fun style to practice, even if it is a little too flashy.
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on May 7, 2018 12:55:44 GMT
Well, I don't know much about this style, but I do know that many Koryu styles have techniques that appear "sketchy" to those of us on the outside, but there is usually a reason for the way they do things that the students learn through oral teachings. Or it could be just as impractical as it appears. Since I know little about the style, anything else I could say would just be conjecture. Still, it is interesting to see how one can do Batto with a long sword. It looks like it's at least 36 inches. The wakizashi worn by the opponent looks a little peculiar too.
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on May 7, 2018 4:23:43 GMT
Seido just posted a video of Shinmuso Hayashizaki Ryu, A style that does Iai with a Nodachi. Very interesting to watch.
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on Apr 10, 2018 23:43:22 GMT
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on Apr 8, 2018 18:17:20 GMT
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on Feb 9, 2018 5:43:49 GMT
Thanks! Yea, the webbing I used made nice crisp folds for the wrapping, and it was easy to keep tight since it doesn't stretch at all, but it was too stiff to make pretty end knots. The tsuba was from a Marto. The good ones actually have decent fittings. Better than the Chinese zinc alloy anyway. I was going to use the fuchi and kashira too, but the nakago is so big that there wouldn't have been much wood left on the tsuka after sanding it to fit. Heres a picture of the set.
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on Feb 8, 2018 23:14:57 GMT
Yeah,the core is Chinese Oak. It was very hard to do the little bit of carving I had to do. I know it's not the best wood for a tsuka, but the seller had the best looking shape on ebay. The wood is a lot denser than the original tsuka, so with a heavier tsuba it actually moved the POB about a quarter inch closer to the habaki even though the tsuka is skinnier and shorter. The original mekugi were unusable, so I have to get some new ones. I just stuck a bolt in there so it wouldn't slide out while I was photographing it. Don't worry, I won't use it like that.
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on Feb 8, 2018 22:19:49 GMT
A couple more glamor shots.
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on Feb 8, 2018 22:17:04 GMT
The Hanwei Renshu has a nice blade, but the tsuka is terrible. It was jammed on there with plastic shims and you can see what happened. This will not do. I purchased a new tsuka core from swordmaster19 on ebay. I had to buy a wood chisel to finish it up because Hanwei has a different nakago than other Chinese forges. Then I epoxied it together. When the epoxy was dry, I double checked the fit, then mixed up some resin and coated the wood with a carbon fiber sheathing. While the epoxy was drying, I painted a tsuba that was left over from my last project. Once the carbon fiber was dry, I sanded down the rough edges, and started wrap hineri maki with kevlar webbing. The finished result.It doesn't look too great because the webbing is very stiff and hard to make a good knot, but it's tight and it feels real good in the hand.
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on Jan 20, 2018 2:38:08 GMT
Thanks, that's what I was hoping to hear. It's not quite as sharp as my Hanwei Renshu, but it's still pretty sharp. It goes through paper really easy. I can't wait until the weather breaks, I have some pool noodles sitting on my porch that are just asking for it. In case you're curious, I plan on re-mounting the blade and making a reproduction of this sword ohmura-study.net/726.html Do you know what the nakago looks like?
|
|
|
Post by ambulocetus on Jan 19, 2018 3:42:19 GMT
I forgot the handle The hamon is subtle but I tried to get it
|
|