What does it do to you when you help create a blade, and when does your feeling tell you when something is in your eyes a good piece?

This is a very interesting question. Actually, Kawachi Kunihira’s book, The Art of the Japanese Sword, starts with this sentence: “When you look at a japanese sword, what do you feel?”   It is exactly the same thing. The swords are always the same, but each viewer will have a different reaction. Some people find them scary, others cool, others yet powerful, some people think of discipline, the way of the warrior in life, others yet think of killing and cutting people down, others see pure art.

I cannot really pretend that I help create a blade. The work that I do on some swords is purely technical and all the aspects that actually influence the quality of the blade are done by the (my) master. Imagine a chef, and he needs to make a great sauce. He might ask you to cut carrots and another guy to pour water (and these guys will become very good at cutting carrots and pouring water, among other things all necessary to make a sauce), but only the chef will make the sauce. When the apprentices become chefs, they make their own sauce!

As for my feeling… hmm veeeeery tough question! I am so intimate with swords that my feeling is complex and always changing. If I stick to your question, that is, what I feel when I see a really good sword, well I can say it is something etheral, like the sword was not made my a human. Perfection in anything always inspires this feeling, I think. I want to produce this kind of work, but maybe I never will!
The more I advance, the more picky I become. Less than divine perfection is not enough. I enjoy every sword, though, but my observation becomes more rethoric, less emotional. Swords that really move me, I always feel that I want to meet the guy who made it!

What would be a simple coposition to make the hardening clay and what type of commercial steel is better to try to forge our “first sword” (or folded knife or some just for starters)?

The first part of the question : 3 parts clay, 2 parts pulverized polishing stone, one part charcoal.

Hmm.. I don’t know western steels at all! If you can find them, Hitachi Materials’ Yasuki steels are the best (those commonly called “white paper” and “blue paper” and “yellow paper”). If you can find some Yasuki white #2, it’s a very very good cutlery steel. Otherwise, you can shop for Sweden steels, they have been famous for a long time.

But you know what? They are still expensive. Steel is expensive. There are so many old steels lying every where, please recycle and practice! Your best bet is to find old files and work from there. Many people make great knives from files. Go to flea markets and buy old rusty files for cheap!

In any case I suggest you start working with carbon steels. Forget alloys or stainless for now.

What is the real purpose of the habaki and why is it such an important part of the blade. How about the placement of the mune and  ha machi. I see lot of swords where they don’t line up, is that a normal thing ?

That is a very important question. The habaki is indeed critical. Well, a very simple and practical answer is: What happens if you remove the habaki and put the sword in its scabbard? The sword will not hold! The habaki’s purpose is to keep the blade secure in the scabbard, that’s it! That’s why it’s tapered: it wedges against the four carved out corners inside the scabbard.

Otherwise, there are many types of habaki and many approaches to their use. Most traditional swords have their machi in line, but it is true that I have see some swords with the ha-machi a bit higher. I  don’t know exactly why, but I feel it might be to allow to fit a cheaper habaki    It’s easier to fit the habaki if it doesn’t have to wrap around the edge, so maybe only cheaper swords have their machi not in line?!
I will ask around!

Obviously a fine sword has a fine feeling in hand. Some swords are made only for their look, and feel terrible in the hand. It’s up to each swordsmith to put more or less consideration into the actual practicality of a sword. Of course, there were many fencing styles and schools of sword making over the past 1000 years, and not all swords were fine tools either! As for myself, I’m hoping to make fine fencing tools as well as fine works of art, all in the same sword. Bear with me!

In order to be allowed to make swords in Japan, you need a licence. But how can you learn how to make a proper sword and pass your test if you are not allowed to make any during your apprenticeship ?!

You work on your master’s swords! That’s why it’s important to have a great master, and a proper training situation. Your master will be making swords, and then he will delegate work to you. He will ask you to actually make that or this part of the sword. That means he trusts you enough, and that trust has to be built. Because there is no such things as practice: we’re always working for real, from the start. We never “just practice”. Not much room for mistakes. I often hear of apprentices making terrible mistakes, and wrecking swords that were almost finished. It’s very scary. One way we practice, though, is by making our own tools, but we make them for real too!

You’ve got to be learning all the time. Your teacher will do something many times in front of you, and then once he will just say “do it!” and you have to do it well and perfect right there, or you just lost your chance to step up. This is stressful, but it’s very good to keep the standards and learning attitude very finely tuned. I once heard that traditionally, potters in Japan would train their son by making him stand in front the throwing wheel for hours while their father was working. At some point, when the father would say “do it!” after many weeks or months, the son would just know what do to.

I experienced that myself many times. I watched my master work for so long, by cutting charcoal next to him or assisting him directly, that I know intuitively what to do. The other day I surprised myself again, because I had to do something I had never done, and I couldn’t remember how to do it at all. But when I sat at the forge, my hands knew what to do! I knew every step and I just did it. It was a proof that japanese apprenticeship is the best way to learn. You don’t need to fill your brain with theories and explanations. Just observe very attentively a competent craftsman, and then do it. Observe again, and do it again. No need to talk, no need to explain.

Traditionally, apprentices lived with their master’s family, being part of the family. That meant they also participated in daily chores. Newcomers would help the wife cook and clean around. Not much forging for the first year. Nowadays there are many different situation, including the classical one, because japanese swordsmiths are not rich, and cannot always take charge of additional family members.

In my case, for the first three years of my apprenticeship, I was teaching English on week-ends, and visited my master daily on weekdays. That meant no day off for a year or so, and then only Sundays. From the fourth year, however, I’m lucky enough to have a mixture of much support from my wife, and then a tiny bit of English teaching (a couple of hours per month) and some side business (I act as a broker for western sword owners who want to purchase a sword, or get one restored or appraised).

I also spent three weeks at my master’s own master, the traditional way. Like my master used to say, the only free time you have is on the toilet and in the bath! Otherwise, every minute is controlled and directed by your master, and there’s no procrastinating around. From 5h25 in the morning to 23h00 at night, it was work, with a total of 1h40m for three meals and one tea break. It’s good to develop one’s skills. It’s very bad for one’s social skills

I read that you didn’t practice any fencing martial art. How can you know or understand the requirements of certain practitioners who use a katana?

When you seriously get into making something, very often you understand more than those who use it. I’m sure that F1 engineers understand what happens during a race than the pilots. The pilots are more intuitive, and they have experience. The engineers understand problems of gravity, g-force, rubber against pavement friction, engine combustion, engine power transfered to wheels, direction, aerodynamics, etc.. A fine swordsmith understands very well what a fine sword should be. We get so intimate with each blade we know them by heart.

For example, we understand how well a sword can cut, without actually cutting something, by feeling the nature (hardness, brittleness, “tightness”, etc) of the steel when we forge it, by feeling its reaction when we quench it, and by feeling its nature while shaping it with drawknives, files and polishing stones. Moreover, when a polisher works on a sword, he understands just as much how good the sword is.

Cutting power is just, after all, determined by blade geometry and the hardness-toughness of a steel.

And yes, it works: we agree with sword users and they agree with us!

This being said, I practiced Aikido – will practice again when I get near a dojo again! – and I practice kenjutsu katas with a bokken sometimes. It doesn’t have much to do with my work, it’s just to keep me in shape

Why did you choose to become a smith rather than a polisher or fittings maker ?

It’s really the environment of the swordsmith that reached me. Working in the forge, by the live fire, pumping the bellows, shaping steel into such beauty and elegance.. I can’t get enough! Beside, it’s the one main element of creation: all other trades revolve around swords, but we swordsmiths make the swords. It’s a little bit like comparing the trade of a painter with a frame maker and an oil paint manufacturer..

They’re all equally important, but they all revolve around the painter. I’m not saying I want the world to revolve around me (actually it’s the opposite, if I had a choice), but the swordsmith is the creator and creating is my breathing. I need it to live. So it’s the freedom to create and the context of work.

A special trade is polishing, though. I have infinite respect for the polisher’s work. It’s tedious and very very very difficult! People who think they can polish without training are usually very wrong. It’s infinitely complex, and without the polisher’s work the swordsmith’s work would be invisible. I could never do it myself, though!

The very idea of working alone, at peace, retired in a workshop set in the countryside, nearby a fire, with steel only for raw material, doing a work that never ceases to bring renewal and wonder, delighted him very much and In December 2005 he decided to chase his dreams and took of to Japan to start his Smith apprenticeship.

Now, anno 2009, he is still living and studying there and his aim is to become a licensed (westerner) swordsmith in Japan.
To quote Pierre :

“I’m at this point where I have touched everything, tried every technique but haven’t mastered anything! It’s very challenging and stimulating at the same time.”

I’m not sure about you but I’m very curious in such a way of living and Pierre is willing to accept questions and doing an interview..so…
Wondering how it is to chase an living your dream, this is your chance !!

Put your questions (regarding Japanese Swords) in the comment box below, or in the box on the right side of  this video and we make sure they got included in the interview. If there’s enough interest, we might plan to do some other things as well

So what would you like to ask to PIERRE ?

This Konron custom project included a green high quality cotton Japanese kaku-sageo. The fuchi/kashira are standard Konron-stuff. It’s actually quite nice, but needed some bling-bling to it. Abrasive paper took some shiny brass into the floral design. The tsuba has had a treatment with iron chloride, heat treatment and wax coating.

The saya is black gloss with horn fittings. Unfortunately I did not take any pics of the tsukamaki process (My hands were fully occupied).

Why even bother some of you might ask? It is expensive and demanding to do tsukamaki yourself. Yes, but that really isn’t why I chose to make my own ito. The main reason is that leather ito typically is made from three or more pieces glued together.

The result is somewhat so-so because the gluing leaves ugly joints – which are often left visible in the maki. I asked several suppliers if they could make a better solution. But that would either be too expensive (usd 200+) or just more or less impossible. Next thing, I found a nice longish piece of dark green ox hide, thickness 1mm. The hide is large enough for 20 leather itos. Cost: 26 euro.

From this hide I cut the ito by using a roller scissor. (Set pics in here). I Doubled the hide and with one cut I made two identical straps 10mm wide. The straps were glued together accordingly and voila one leather ito:10mm-460cm. When stretched rock hard over the tsuka and the small pieces of hishigami the ito narrows down to a perfect 7mm.

However the really neat trick here is that I folded the ito in such a way that the one joint was completely covered. To put it simple I just folded the joint itself underneath the overlapping fold by the first “diamond”. Got it?

Anyway, this is how my Japanese Swords project turned out.

Enjoy and hope you found this article useful and if you have any questions, just reply right here under this post

Home made katana

One of my interests is Japanese swords (and related weapons) and as I’m used doing some DIY with iron and wood, I’ve made some katana’s, naginata’s and yari’s, over the last years, and when people saw the results of my DIY actions, I frequently got the question “how do you make that?”, that’s why I’ve written down this little manual on how to make your own katana.

As working with tools isn’t without any risk, the following isn’t meant for those who are just beginning with DIY.

The following picture shows most of the tools I use.

The Blade .

I take a metal plate (a piece of 1 meter length, approximately 7 cm wide and minimal 5 mm thick) and spray it with trace lacquer. When the trace lacquer has dried I draw/scratch the outline of the katana, the first time I took my iaito apart and used the iaito blade as a template.

If it looks fine, I use an angle grinder with a cutting disk to roughly cut out the shape of the metal plate. After that I use an abrasive grinding disk to grind it down to the markings. For the last part I’m using a hand file. If the outline isn’t done correctly, and not fluent you can get a “wavy” cutting edge after filing down the sides.

When the outline shape has been finished (and I’m pleased about it), I spray trace lacquer on both sides of the blade. As soon as the lacquer has dried I draw the desired shinogi line, and the “cutting edge” using a pair of compasses. For the cutting edge I draw a line through the middle (lengthwise).

After that I use the grinder (with the abrasive grinding disk) to grind down the cutting edge. For the last part I use sanding disks, grid 60 to 180. (With a rubber backing pad)

As soon as one side is equally diagonal I use my angle grinder to do the same with the other side. I will be doing this until an edge of approximately 1mm thick remains. When the edge is 1mm thick I proceed with a hand file, to prevent grinding it down to much. If you grind beyond the drawn line and you look down the cutting edge you will see that the cutting edge is undulating instead of a nice straight line.

Making a habaki is an art in itself, I’ve tried several times to make one but the result always was a pile of molted copper, therefore I grind the Habaki into the blade. (pic’s.6 and 7) , just like the knife makers do (called a ricasso).

When this is finished and the result is satisfying, I will make the tsuba, tsuka and the saya. For the form of the tsuba you can chose whatever you like. there are more then enough examples available on the internet

I use the following procedure for making a tsuba:

I take a piece of a metal plate (5 mm.) and draw the desired model on it. After this I drill holes were I want to remove metal. (for example the nakago-ana). When the holes have been drilled I use locksmith files to make the openings in the desired shape. The last step is filling the outer limits of the tsuba. As far as final finish is concerned, there are several options, for instance: One could polish the tsuba, or polish the tsuba and heat the tsuba with a blowtorch; the metal will turn blue, or pound it with a hammer for an irregular pattern (combat tsuba)

Tsuka and Saya

After I finished the tsuba I draw the outline of the nakago for the tsuka. (take the thickness of the tsuba into account). When drawing the inside of the saya and tsuka, don’t forget to mirror it.

when this is done I use a milling machine or a chisel to cut out the desired form. I drill a small hole (or two) on one side to indicate the place where the mekugi will be placed before gluing the two parts of the tsuka together

As soon as the tsuka is glued and grinded in the desired shape I fit it on to the blade and check if everything is nice and straight, I put the tsuba and the tsuka on de nakago as tight as possible and drill through the wood and the iron (this time the hole should have the right size for the mekugi. If I make the mekugi ana in the nakago 5 mm., than the hole at the ura side is 4,5 mm. and the hole on the omote side I make 5,5 or 6 mm. (the mekugi will taper from 4,5 to 6 mm.)

As a mekugi is thicker on the ura side and smaller on the omote side, I have to drill the hole on the omote side a bit wider. If you carry the sword with the edge up, than the thickest part of the mekugi has to be on the side (ura) of your body

The same procedure can be used for the production of the saya, the only difference will be the depth of the groove in which the blade has to fit, this is necessary because the blade may not touch the inner side of the saya. (if the blade is 5 mm. thick, mill a depth of 3 mm. in both sides) Because I use a ricasso instead of a habaki, I mill the opening (koi guchi) of the saya not deeper then 2 mm. (over a length of 3 cm) Later I will grind this area by hand to the proper depth to get a perfect fit for the blade.

When both sides are milled out, I draw the outline of the saya on one half and cut it out with a jigsaw.

I leave the other half of the saya as it is.

Before gluing both saya parts together, I try to slide the blade in the saya, if the blade doesn’t slide into the saya smoothly; it is still possible to correct the groove.

The next step will be to glue the parts together, remove the excessive glue in the saya with a piece of wire. If the glue stays in the saya and hardens, it can make scratches on the blade. After this I grind the saya in the shape I desire

If you like, you could make a koiguchi/kojiri, fuchi/kashira from an other kind of wood or horn.

Polishing

If everything is ok, it’s time to polish the blade. It’s advisable to wear leather gloves and use a piece of metal or wood to support the sanding paper. I start with grid 120 until al the marks from the angle grinder are gone. After that I increase the grid from 240, 320, 400, 600, etc. To check if the blade is without any dents I use a chunk of wood (10/15 cm long) on which I nailed a piece of sanding paper. (the sanding paper attached with small nails on

both sides of the wood) and sand lengthwise, through the difference in color it is possible to see if there are any dents in the blade. The best way to see if the polishing goes well is to sand in a different direction with every new grid, for example: grid 240 will be used diagonal; grid 320 will be used lengthwise. use grid 240 until the marks of the previous grid (120) are gone.

The blade in picture 14 has been polished with grid 240, the marks of the angle grinder are gone.

The blade in picture 15 has (after using several grids) been polished with grid 1200. After that the blade has been polished with a polishing machine and polishing wax.

The Hamon.

Now it’s time to make an artificial hamon on the blade. There are probably much more ways of making a hamon, but I tried the following:

1ste: Take a piece of Crepe tape, approximately 10cm. Cut a wave pattern in it and stick it onto your blade. Keep doing this in the length of the blade, until both sides of the blade are done.

After this use a piece of sanding paper (grid 240) and start sanding the part of the blade without

When you are finished with this, use a Scotchbrite (ultra fine) sanding pad. the sanding marks of the grid 240 will get smoother and along the border of the tape you get a fine line, a kind of artificial nioi.

Clean the blade thoroughly and oil it to prevent the blade from rust.

2nd: Using ferric-chloride to etch a hamon on the blade. You carefully apply the ferric-chloride to the edge of the blade with some cotton wool. Wait a while, than neutralize is with soda and clean the blade with water. It’s difficult to get a nice and straight hamon with this method (I wasn’t too happy with the results).

3 rd : option is a combination of both methods, to get a less aggressive result it is possible to water down the ferric –chloride. I achieve the best result with the first option. A real hamon would be the ultimate option but I don’t have a forge to experiment, so this is the best option for me.

Almost done.

As most swords I produce are for display purposes, and not for cutting exercises the mekugi are made from chop sticks. The swords, naginata and yari that will be used for demonstrations etc are glued together with 2 component epoxy glue. Also the tsuka will be assembled with (2) 5 mm RVS bolts and nuts.

You can finish the wood any way you want. (Spray it in a color, use teak oil) and then assemble it. The sword in picture 18 has been done with linseed oil. This gives a soft glare and the structure of the wood stays.

Or like in picture 19) the finish has been done in soft matt lacquer.

high gloss lacquer (picture20).

The nicest thing of making your own katana is that you can do it without any limitations, except those of your own imagination.

I hope that whoever tries to make a katana, enjoys it as much as I do. I also hope that this manual can be useful for anyone who wants to try it. As mentioned before it is also possible to make a naginata, tanto or any other kind of knife in the same way. I am well aware that you can’t make a ” real ” katana, wakizashi, tanto or naginata etc. in this way, but to me it is a hobby that I try to do with the tools I have and the materials I can lay my hands on. Most of the materials I use are left-over’s, a kind of recycling or “Japanese junkyard weaponry” could be a better expression.

To make the swords etc as seen on the pictures has taken me 5 years to learn. Literally with blood, sweat and tears. Therefore I recommend everyone who has plans for such a project to be careful. An angle grinder can be a weapon in his own rights, with which one could easily wound himself. As everyone is responsible for his own actions, the writer or publicist of this article can not be held responsible in case of any damage or wounds………….

review by Serge Winckelmans

This summer I was on vacation in Spain. Been there, my eye felt down to a ornamental katana set, and I bought it. Once I came back in Belgium I searched the web for a real katana and I found a site (in Belgium) who would deliver me a real (low budget) katana. When I saw the testings of this katana, my mind was sold to swords in general.

The next thing I did was ordering a KONRON 9260 katana at samoerai sword shop (dot com). A few days later I found a site on the internet which claims helping people finding decent swords for a reasonable price, this site was sword buyers guide. From that moment on I learned a lot of things about swords and what they can do. I own a few swords now so I can see the difference between the different suppliers. All I can say is that this katana is a decent backyard-cutting sword with nice fittings. The review will tell you the rest.

The katana is through hardened, which means that the traditional clay process wasn’t used so you won’t find a hamon on this blade. This katana is great for frequent cutting exercises (tameshigiri) . Cutting multiple rolls of beach mats or Tatami omote , goza, or even bamboo and other medium hard targets are no problem for this sword (see later in this review). This katana doesn’t has a real hamon but on the other hand it uses real Japanese fittings, Japanese cotton ito, signature on tang and a unique serial number. Dry handling of the blade revealed that it is quick and light, the fittings seemed at first glance to be tight and well placed. I’ll get into details later on.

DESIGN, FIT and FINISH

The Blade

A deep bo-hi runs the length of this curved blade. The blade came sharp. No Hamon.

The kissaki is well defined and attractive, coming to a razor sharp point that would be useful for stabbing. More on the blade when we get to the cutting tests.
The Tsuka

The tsuka is wood wrapped with real rayskin and wrapped with real Japanese cotton ito. The fuchi is a beautiful flower pattern which is gold plated painted.

The menuki are real Japanese gold plated fittings. As you can see, the rayskin is very attractive.
The Kashira

Has a beautiful flower patern, which is subtile gold plated painted. No plastic fittings!

The Tsuba

This is the Japanese “sunburst” design. This is a classic known tsuba but still a beauty on each kind of katana.

The Saya

Black lacquered wood, no scratches, no defects. Not much else to add there, it looks really good.

The sageo is a high quality, thick cord and very tightly wrapped.

A nice touch is the golden colored shitidome, which gives the saya that dash of color and character.

The Konron katana fits very well in the saya. I prefer to have a snug fit and not have the katana fall out if turned upside down. I feel this is safer. One thing I noticed is that the koiguchi (saya opening) is completely lacquered like the saya.

TESTING

I first tested the sword on plastic bottles (different kinds) filled with water.

Then I hung up a bottle on a cord

As you can see, NICE clean cuts!

On the last one I used a tatami mat.

My last touch against the tatami mat.

And again, nice clean cuts. This katana is a real bone-breaker.

5 minutes of pleasure….

CONCLUSION
Is the Konron a decent cutter? Of course it is! The Konron katana seems to be a very well built beautiful looking sword. As it is a weapon, functionality is as important, if not more important, than aesthetics. The Konron 9260 katana definitely does not disappoint in the functionality category.

THE VERDICT

Historical Accuracy: N/A
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Handling: 5/5
Structural Integrity: 5/5
Value for Money: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5 (Excellent)

Recently I tested the Kiku Katana. The version I’ve got is without bo-hi.
I will start with this review with the looks, fit and finish of this katana. Then I’ll tell you
what kind of tests I performed with it, and my conclusions about the Kiku katana.

The Looks

The Kiku is delivered in a blue sword bag, which is suitable for full Koshirae ( the katana fully equipped with tsuba etc. )

The first thing which strikes me when I see this Kiku katana is the sori ( the curvature of the blade ). Even with the blade in the saya it is obvious that this katana is unlike the average katana. The sori is prominent and gives it quite a different look ( and feel, but that is for later in this review ).

The Kiku katana in his saya.

The katana has a tight fit is his saya and doesn’t rattle. It all feels very sturdy. The saya is painted in shining black. The paint work is tight and can withstand some abuse.

The sageo is nicely wrapped and is made of woven cotton. The ito is tightly wrapped on the tsuka and it’s made of imported Japanese cotton. The same is of real ray skin. The menuki is a koi Carp. The fuchi is simple but has a good finish. The tsuba resembles a “water theme”

The menuki. Fuchi, seppa and tsuba.

The tsuka is attached to the nakago with two mekugi. The entire tsuka etc. can be dismounted for maintenance of the katana.
The blade has a fine polish, and its yokote is clearly visible. The Kissaki is nicely shaped.
As the katana is thru-hardened there is no hamon line present.

Yokote and Kissaki. The Kiku katana in full.

The Specifications:

Total length : 103,5 cm
Tsuka : 27,5 cm
Nagasa : 75,5 cm
Thickness tsuba : 0,5 cm
Point of balance : 14,0 cm van de tsuba
Steel : 1060 spring steel

The Tests

Of course I’ve tested this katana. For this testing I’ve done several cutting tests.
For starters I have been cutting some paper. Just to see how sharp the edge would be.
This was no problem for the katana. To make it more of a challenge I’ve tried to cut
some pieces from a telephone book. This is also quite easy to do. After this I tried to
cut the telephone book in two with a single blow. It worked, but because of the sori
I couldn’t cut entirely through the length of it. Just half an inch stays together.

Cutting paper is easy. Even a telephone book isn’t a match for the Kiku katana.

I also tried the katana on some bottles, including a double cut on two bottles on top of each other. The Kiku is quick and manoeuvrable enough for this kind of action. A container from the orange juice is so nicely cut with the first stroke, that the top stays on while cutting it a second time. This shows U how sharp the Kiku katana really is.

The telephone book, cut in pieces. Second slash through the container, the
top stays on.

For my last two tests I first take a rubber boot and stick a hard plastic bottle in it. The katana
slices through this without any delay. Than I got an old sneaker which I tried to cut in two.
The Kiku gets through this as if it wasn’t there. But again I made a mistake with the sori of this katana. Because of this the last centimetre of the sneaker stays together.

You can watch al those tests here :

Conclusion:

This Kiku katana is a nicely finished katana. Suitable for dojo exercise but also for many fun filled hours of backyard tameshigiri.
I really had to get used to the sori of this katana, as it is much more prominent then with any other katana I owned. But once you get used to it, it cuts like a hot knife through butter.

It’s definitely worth its money.

Hans

If you are also armed with a knife, the first thing you need to do is get it in your hand in the proper grip. A proper knife grip should be a powerful one that you can stab and slice without a chance of losing your weapon. I prefer the knife pointing toward you opponent with your thumb over your fingers, like making a fist or a baseball bat grip. With this grip you can stab and slice with power and without loosing your grip on the knife.

Your stance is also very important; a solid stance that you can move from is best. If you have your feet shoulder width apart you can move forward, sideways, and backwards. This way you are not limited in your movement. You can dodge and strike your opponent when the opportunity arises. Your knife hand should be the front hand. This way your weapon is closer to your opponent, so you can use your knife to block and strike. Do you stand facing your opponent or turned sideways? This should depend on your distance from your opponent. If you are far enough away that they cannot reach you then the open stance is ok. If you are close, you will have to turn to the side to protect your vital organs and get in a better positon to thrust forward with your weapon.

You must practice your knife proficiency with a knife by using practice knives (plastic, wood, or metal dull knives) on dummies or a willing partner. Make sure you use eye protection and make some rules if you are using a partner. Practice blocking, stabbing and slicing. Your targets are neck, chest, and abdomen; these are the vital spots that can cause death. You should also practice targeting the inner arms and back of legs, these spots can incapacitate an opponent by cutting tendons and rendering the limb useless.

Knife use law is complicated, if you use a knife in a fight you must be justified in using a deadly weapon. In our great country we enjoy freedom with laws that protect the innocent, but it is your responsibility to know these laws and follow them. If you use your knife to protect yourself in a deadly confrontation you will have to justify this to the court, so be prepared by researching the laws in your area.

Your knife is a tool, and like any tool should be taken care of so it will work when needed. The old saying “A sharp knife is a safe knife” is so true. Here is a new saying “ A person that is prepared for the fight, will win”. This also rings true.

This article was written by Jeff Gaastra, a martial arts school owner and instructor since 1981. Jeff has a family owned knife store that you can purchase all major brands of quality knives. www.KnifeDealsPlus.com 800-867-7496 Article by Copyright © Jeff Gaastra, Reprint permission granted with this footer included.

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When looking for some pictures today in our archive, I realized that over de years we collected a few 1000 high resolution pictures of japanese swords and other samurai related stuff such as armors, kabuto&mempo, different sword parts, etc. While strolling through them, I did found some very nice ones that ..hell I even didn’t know they were still here

So I came up with the idea to make some of them available to the public ..

So if you need a nice desktop paper (wallpaper) perhaps you can find it here. Now, I can’t put all of them here in just 1 day so I will add new one’s on a regular base. To save to your desktop, click on the format you need. That will take you to the actual size of the picture. Go with your mouse over the picture and right click. You will see ’set as wallpaper’ or ’set as background’…click and you’re done…

If you have any requests, just let me know !

Here are the first ones :

1024×768 Download
1440×900 Download

1024×768 Download
1440×900 Download

1024×768 Download
1440×900 Download

1024×768 Download
1440×900 Download

1024×768 Download
1440×900 Download