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samurai swords

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Urimaginaryfrnd View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Urimaginaryfrnd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/15/2008 at 16:58
I'd rather have the Light Saber also but we peons cant all be Jedi.
 
I'm more interested in a practical battle ready weapon.  Karate

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Bobby Paul Doherty
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/15/2008 at 17:34
Have you ever practiced fencing or swordsmanship of any type?  If not, then I would not experiment with  katana.  To use it properly you need to know what you are doing.  Besides, if you are looking for a weapon, would that be against humans or animals? is it just a back-up weapon for when your firearm is not available?

Anyhow, unless you actually know what you are doing as far as swordsmanship goes, look at at phillipine-style bladed weapons for something a bit more versatile and easy to use.  Something like the Pinuti from Kris cutlery or their Espada y Daga set:
http://kriscutlery.com/documents/philippine.html

I have a Pinuti that has served me well for a number of years, and it can be used for brush clearing as well as just about any machete.

Some other recommendations as far as blades go:

Fehrman Knives are extremely well made and CPM 3V steel they use is extraordinarily durable (stay away from recurved blades, they are hard to sharpen in field conditions):
http://www.fehrmanknives.com/knives.htm  Shadow Scout is my favourite design out of their line.  That is a VERY fast knife.

Jerry Hossom's knives are an incredible combination of speed and strength, but VERY expensive.  A couple of his designs are also made by Spyderco, but those have recurve blades which I do not like.

Nepalese Khukhuri knives despite their odd shape are incredibly efficient choppers with excellent versatilty.  Sirupati from Himalayan Imports is probably the best combination of tool and weapon (with a little more emphasis on weapon).  If you only plan to get one, get a 18" model.  Anothe verstaily Khukhiru design is Gelbu Special.  There are a few Khukhiri makers/importers out there.  The only one I would deal with is Himalayan Imports.

For something fairly inexpensive, but very well made (and leaning a bit more toward the tool part of the equation) look at Ranger Knives.  Very strdu and affordable knives (and a great guy making them).  I like cord-wrapped handles, but I usually wrap them in a different way, so I just re-wrap them the way I like.

Another inexpensive, but versatile knife is Kershaw Outcast.  I still do not like its recurve blade shape, but mine has held up well and is surprisingly comfortable to use.

If you want more options, I can dig through my notes from some knife testing I have done a while back.  Also, I only talked abut fixed blade knives here.  If you want some information on folders, I can dig that up as well.

ILya










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Dale Clifford View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dale Clifford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/15/2008 at 18:14
for every kuboto there is a counter, for the sword there is the manrikigusari (weighted chain) and sai,-- sai technique will translate to escrima sticks, and short staff, easier to carry doesn't weight much, or raise eyebrows.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike McDonald Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/15/2008 at 20:34
This is why we carry guns.  Emoticons
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mike650 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/15/2008 at 20:52
“A hunt based only on trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be.” – Fred Bear
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Urimaginaryfrnd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/15/2008 at 21:29
Originally posted by Mike McDonald Mike McDonald wrote:

This is why we carry guns.  Emoticons
 
 
Sword = doesnt need to be reloaded in CQB self defense. I'm thinking two handed sword means better control and should work like a baseball bat or better than a sharp stick to keep mulptiple lightly armed agressors off of you in the event that there are no guns.  Just a thought but I'm not sure things wont go from bad to worse. 
 
Little experience with swords or martial arts but I wouldn't mind learning a little sword technique.

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Dale Clifford View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dale Clifford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/16/2008 at 08:44
even a trained person with a firearm is at a severe disadvantage with multiples, how long can you hold up your arms ?? imagine a 6-8 lb, 5 ft long piece of steel attached to the ends-- only one of your agressors has to close within your defence range to make the sword useless,
thats why the chinese invented the yari, (spear technique) most european sword techniques are designed to maintain  distancing.
the samuari sword is held like a wet towel with one hand as the piviot around the tusbi and the power hand held at the back, lightly with usually the small finger lax over the end. the sword is "popped" at the target and doesn't remain on strike sight. one must bring the sword back as fast as the forward cutting stroke, to stop any type of sword grab by the opponent. the sword strike is designed to be made at an oblique angle so the opponent cannot mentally calculate the strike angle and offer a defence. there are over 100 very unique strikes with samuri not common with saber or thrusting weapons.
a saber or eppy can be used to distance the opponent but lacks the cutting ability of a curved blade.
not trying to talk you out of one -- just trying to get some of the hollywood bullsh*t out of the way.
carrying the "blade" is the main event-- the "first strike" of the samuri is just slightly slower than the presentation with a 45 and has total knock down power. warriors believed the practice of bushido allowed them to anticipate the "kill" of their enemy and were allowed to strike first-- this is only allowed in old Japan and wyoming.


Edited by Dale Clifford - November/16/2008 at 08:46
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/16/2008 at 16:22
Wes, I would suggest that you give up on the samurai sword idea.  Get something that looks like a light machete.  It will be far more effective in your hands. 

As for holding off multiple attackers, I suggest a hand grenade.

Aside from that, if you have to deal with multiple threats, you want speed, i.e. a fairly light blade that can both stab and cut.  If you insist on a sword, look at chinese darn dao, it is much easier to use (I would still get a phillipine pinuti or nepalese sirupati though).

ILya
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ed Connelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/17/2008 at 14:33
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/24/2008 at 08:22
I studied Shinkage-ryu early on in martial arts, but have not practiced beibo in a long time.  I began to neglect the art in moving to full-contact Karate, Kickboxing, mixed martial arts... all of which are perversions of true martial arts.  I gave my wife a katana which belonged to an Imperial Marine (similar to the ones depicted in this thread).  The true Samurai swords, as stated here, are very valuable, very hard to come by.  All are signed by the maker on the hilt.  Years ago, Japan undertook a "recovery" program to try to obtain all of the "true" Samurai swords, military swords and return them to Japan.  So, as stated here on several posts, BE CAREFUL.  Many have been recovered by Japan through programs claiming to "establish authenticity", or to "read and document its history for you, and restore it".  In some cases, elaborate fakes were returned in place of the original, in some cases they were merely "confiscated" and sent back to Japan.  The U.S. Government will NOT assist you if that happens.  Japan reclaims them as "historical artifacts, belonging to the Japanese people".  I, personally, have found only a few Americans who can adequately "read" the information on the hilts. I can recognize certain signatures, but other than that, disuse has greatly diminished my skill. Long story short, there are few true Samurai weapons left in the U.S. and possession costs many thousands of dollars.  An Imperial Marine Katana can be had, depending on dealer's knowledge, condition (not only whether it is a fake, but whether the sword has been sharpened, removing the himona, whether the blade has rust pits), etc, can be had for several hundred to a couple of thousand dollars.  I do know a person who once held the sword the Japanese used to surrender in WWII.  
None of the swords generally available are of the caliber of the "true" Samurai swords.  In a true Samurai, the blade is "folded" thousands of times and it was finally "cured" in blood (the Japanese believe it imparted "magical powers" to the sword, and many artisans believe there is some truth the old tales of improved hardness and resiliency).  The swords were "rated" on a progressive scale, the highest number being the best sword.  Slaves were forced to lie flat, one on top of the other, and a master swordsman attempted to slice through as many slaves as possible to establish the rating.  A truly fine sword, one worthy of a Samurai, must have a rating not lower than 8, some were rated as 10's and I have even heard of a  couple of 12's.  This is legend, but my Master swore it was true.  Who am I to argue...
Iai-do is the art of drawing and cutting.  I practiced Kendo for a time in Los Angeles with a Japanese Master.  I also studied Aikido with the 4th Generation Master under Ueshiba.  
In close quarters, if the implement is handy, a sword is a marvelous tool.  However, one reason it is no longer widely used is its obsolescence.  One cannot generally carry one down the street.  The same is true of the sai, the nunchucku, the manrikigusari (which can, without LONG training, maim the possessor as easily as an opponent), throwing stars, etc.  Generally, such martial arts weapons can only, if they can be carried at all, be carried from a student's home to the dojo, dojang, training facility, etc, and home.  Some states require such weapons to remain on the premises of the training facility.  Know your state laws on such matter well.  I have an instructor friend who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for defending himself from a gang with a nunchucku.  
Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living
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