awestruck

Posted by: Anonymous

awestruck - 05/14/04 11:41 PM

hey everyone. i'm new to the forum, and, well,new to all of this. every aspect of these samurai swords and their history fascinates me. i'm trying to learn as much as i can, and i would appreciate any help any of you can offer me. i'm excited, as i ordered two bokken practice swords, and i'm in desperate search of the right katana to buy. i don't need to start off with a 5,000$ katana.. but if that's what i end up with eventually - no complaints! these things are beautiful. i want to know more. where to get them, who makes them, and the history and terminology of each peice of the katana. hope to hear from some of you soon, and i hope you'll shed some light on all of the questions buzzing in my head.

-kendall
Posted by: laf7773

Re: awestruck - 05/16/04 02:45 PM

It really depends on what you are going to study. And yes you have to study under a competant instructor. The martial arts of any kind shouldn't be learned from a book or videos. Books and videos are good for reference only, not instruction. They aren't going to teach you proper distance, timing or correct you when you are wrong. Otherwise you get bad habbits that are harder to undo than if you learned the right way in the first place.

With that said. You don't need to buy a real katana at first. If you are training in kenjutsu or iaido you will need the boken you already have. For iaido you will need an iaido sword. The can be bought for about $300-$700 or so. Bugei.com has a lot of good swords, they have iaito up to about $1050. They also sell folded and forged swords for much more. I believe all of the swords they sell are from Paul Chen.

The best thing to do is find a good instructor and see what his recomendations and requirements are.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: awestruck - 05/16/04 05:48 PM

i agree with you. im not tacking sword lessons but i know what to do. (the only reason im not tacking lessons is because my dad wont let me get a sword.) ive been to alot of places online and saw some swords (that are japanese style) that were fordged for $200. my friend also bought a sword online and it was a frodged sword, but it only caughst $250.75 and its a good sword. just go to google and type in: cheap japanese swords. [IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif[/IMG]
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: awestruck - 05/16/04 10:41 PM

hey i realy appreciate your input. it seems to me, from the outside, that it's more of a mentality and art than it is a sword and a cool looking japanese inscription on your ass. i'm not just interested in the look of it, i want to become it. and.. it's hard for me to get into without (like you said) someone to talk to about it. to show me. i'm a very hands on person, and if i see it and someone tells me it - i remember it. if i read it.. it has little to no effect. i'll be looking for a local instructor, and, honestly if it takes moving (which my other plans may require), i'll do it. there's something that i'm not getting out of my every day activities. and maybe this is it..? i bought a katana today. real cheap. it's a 46" one, though. that's what i like about it. it's nothing great, but it's a sword. and i've ust kind of played around with it, and i know that it's a very small step into something that could be really great.
Posted by: laf7773

Re: awestruck - 05/17/04 12:37 AM

Small problem here. If you bought a cheap sword and your practicing with it you may end up hurting yourself. The swords you buy in the mall and various places for $50-$200 are not made to be used. They are for display only. They can't take the stress of being whipped around or bounced off of stuff. They will break and could cause serious damage. You can get a low level iaito for about $200, just be carefull. Just because it says it's forged doesn't mean it is meant for cutting. Get an instructor, otherwise your wasting your time. Stick to the boken (wooden sword) till you can get a quality sword and instructor.

[This message has been edited by laf7773 (edited 05-17-2004).]
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: awestruck - 05/17/04 10:29 AM

yes of course. when i say i'm playing around with it, i'm not hitting anything other than pillows on my bed, or just holding it and sorta slashing it around. but yeah i'm being very careful. the blade is only sharpened at 30 degrees or something like that. i'm not using it for practice, that's what the bokken are for. i'm searching for an instructor today - but i doubt there is one where i live. oh, and about the bokken, i ordered a couple of them from e-blades.com. they're made by united. the guy says he can't get them to me until early next month... i payed 6.50 for each - but somehow i have this feeling that they might snap when i use them. will they? should i go with a different bokken? also, what is hanwei? is it a type or style of sword, or is it made by someone in particular?
Posted by: laf7773

Re: awestruck - 05/17/04 12:54 PM

Hanwei is a product line of Paul Chen. Most are pretty good swords. Don't get fool into buying a paul chen sword for $50-100, they are just for decoration. I understand your trying to be carefull with the sword but even hitting it o pillows can cause problems. The construction in the handle can't take it. When you swing it around the blade can come loose from the handle. They really are only good for hanging on the wall.

You can get a decent Paul Chen sword for about $250 or so. The practical plus katana is decent and will run about $280.

Where do you live, maybe i can find something in your area for you.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: awestruck - 05/17/04 07:23 PM

yeah i understand. it's just so cool looking. i want to know more about it. 99.9% it sits on the shelf on display, and during that time i'm online looking for the right (real) katana to purchase in the future. i didn't get around to looking for an instructor today, but i live in Naples Florida. the zip code is 34105. it's very ritzy - old people oriented here. no one cares about this sort of thing. i hate this town. please don't thnik i'm just some rich bastard that's going to go buy himself a 3,000 dollar sword and tell people i know what i'm doing. i hope people like that lose a finger for the injustice of the katana. i am not rich, i just want to know this. i'm knowledge thirsty and i want something different going on. and this is it. i know it.
Posted by: laf7773

Re: awestruck - 05/17/04 10:19 PM

This may at least be a good place to look and ask questions http://www.gulfcoastaiki.com/
They advertise a "katana" class on saturdays. I can't say if they are any good but it is at least worth looking at. If they can't give you what you want they may be able to point you in the direction of someone who can. I found about 40 schools in your area, most of them being tae kwon do, but some okinawan kabudo schools will offer japanese sword lessons if the instructor has studied it. Be sure to look at different schools before joining one. Good luck.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: awestruck - 08/11/04 10:58 AM

I found this website that may be helpful to someone.
http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/nihonto.htm
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: awestruck - 10/17/04 10:04 PM

vodafones-

hey, i live in naples florida and would like to find an instructor also..somehow ran into this thread randomly...

anyway, is there someway i could contact you through email or instant messenger?