Heroic Dreams - All Things Medieval

 Here is a video of the beginning of my adventure in Japan.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OceFbtzJ4w0[/youtube]

Things have been going well for me on the island of Okinawa and I have been talking to a lot of different people about where I can find myself a real Samurai Sword. Of course people have been telling me I can just buy something through the net but this doesn’t fulfill the sumbolism of it.

I have been getting snippets of information about various ways to get a sword and people sometimes mention, with a proclivity toward speaking in hushed tones, the Japanese Mafia. I would imagine this type of sword has real significance in certain secret circles. And it is magnified by the fact that Okinawa has been ruled by other countries for a very long time which means they probably have several secret organizations that have been around for a very long time.

For centuries now they have been barred from the use of swords and you can bet this hasn’t stopped them from making them! It simply drove underground the art of making and using them.

A solid clue as to where I will get my sword

Anyhoo, I was on this peculiar little tour a couple of days ago and we were visiting  several small artisans and businesses in the area. The Japanese tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about all things Okinawan and Japanese and being close to 70 years old she has experienced and witnessed a lot of the history. Outside one of the shops while my fellow tour mates were looking at the wares of a local artisan I approached her with the question of my quest for a Samurai Sword and well……

she explained to me some of the intricacies of the whole thing and we talked about the only sword maker on the island (the only official one anyway). Then she went on to draw me out a map of a section of the city of Kyoto which is in the Japanese Mainland. And on this map she showed me exactly where to go to purchase a real samurai sword.

So, my quest moves closer to completion and today I will be flying over to Tokyo, and a couple of days after that I take a bullet train to Kyoto.

Stay tuned, I will keep you updated on my quest for a real samurai sword and I have a whole lot of fascinating stuff to tell you about the local castles, the samurai, the ancient city of Kyoto and much more…

Did you know that there is one man in Japan who is the Samurai Sword guy? He determines which swords are national treasures and of course, these national treasures will never be allowed to leave the island. Anyway, he lives in Kyoto…..

 I have videos and lots of pics coming… The quest for a real samurai sword continues.

Here is the latest project on my website. It is a tutorial with a video on how to carve some miniature wooden daggers with the attractive Kriss style wavy blade. In the picture above you can see the example Kriss that I use to make the miniatures which range from 6 inches to about 1 1/2 inches. The large one could be used as a letter opener or just something to keep on your desk. And the smaller ones would be perfect for a necklace. This is a fun project that doesn’t take many tools and if you use balsa wood you can make one in a jiffy. My website has the full tutorial and a template you can download and print. How to carve a Kriss style ornamental dagger

I am very much into medieval Europe and have a complete fascination with the period and the place, castles, weapons, chivalry and the whole area. But lately, I have been getting exposed to some wonderful stuff about the same period of time in Asia and in particular in Japan. It’s, of course a fascinating place and period of time and the parallels between Medieval Japan and Medieval Europe are striking when it comes to many things such as castles and swords.

Well anyway, with my upcoming trip to Japan I have been learning a lot about the country, customs and of course the castles and the swords. And when I get back I will have a lot of great stuff for you, and I may even post to my blog while I am there. 

But I want to share with you a few of the things I am experiencing with the help of some wonderful people.

Somebody mailed me an issue of a magazine called “Okinawa Living” particularly because it has a great article about a castle called “Shuri Castle” which was originally built around 1453 and is considered to be the crown jewel of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Chances are good that I will be visiting this castle so I will post some pictures and thoughts about it.

Somebody also sent me a web link to a Martial Arts store that sells a lot of Samurai Swords. (Ippon-do Martial Arts) And I am definitely visiting this store because I am without a doubt going to purchase a sword and bring it back home with me. And this brought up a whole bunch of new questions which people have been kind enough to help me with.

I got a great email from Elaine at esprittravel.com. She sent me a wonderful e-brochure about tours in Japan and it shows some really remarkable places that fit the bill exactly for what I am looking to do while I am there. Esprit travel specializes in creating individually crafted journeys focusing on the arts, crafts, history, culture and cuisine of Asia. Which is absolutely beautiful and exactly what I want to do while I am in Japan. My thanks to Elaine for the wonderful brochure and if you are looking for a special travel agency for a trip to Asia I recommend you check Esprit travel out.

Now, About Samurai Swords!

I am a big fan of swords but know very little about Samurai Swords but some people have been very helpful in answering my questions about them. In particular, I will be buying one while I am in Japan but had questions about customs, fees, travel and flying with a Samurai Sword! Well, its pretty obvious I won’t be able to carry one on the plane but a call to my airline verified that I can put swords in my checked baggage. As far as customs goes there are some rules when it comes to the value of the sword and the heritage of it. And my thanks to David W. for his guidance in this matter. He outlined a couple of important things I need to know. Generally if the cost of something is under 800 dollars there is no worry about customs or taxes. And under this price I will be able to get myself a nice sword. And this is what I am looking to get. Something of good quality that is a spiritual and symbolic token of my trip. He has also told me some interesting things about Japanese swords. The Japanese are very serious about their swords and they can be considered National Treasures - and rightfully so. So there are rules. If I want to get a “Real” Japanese sword of exceptional quality it can run me upward of 1500 dollars and will come with a certificate of authenticity. This kind of sword, generally, cannot just be taken out of the country. You have to fill out paper work and get permission to have it shipped out of the country which the seller of the sword will complete for you.

There is also, as David points out, a higher echelon of Japanese swords that are considered National Treasures. These swords can run 10k to 75k or more depending on their pedigree (i.e. if it was owned by a famous Samurai). And something like this is taken very seriously. It can take as much as six months to get approval for it to be shipped out of the country.

I have to give another thank you to a webmaster that I have exchanged links with. It is not related to Japan or Japanese swords yet it is still very relevant. The site is Chinese-swords-guide.com and there is a lot of great information about chinese swords, collecting them, fighting with them, cutting with them, restoring them,and much more. It’s a great site if you are interested in this type of sword, its use and history.

I recently purchased and received the William Wallace Braveheart sword so I have a review and some thoughts about this sword. If you are thinking about buying a sword this may help you with your purchase. First off, I purchased it through Amazon.com (You can see it and check out the price here:  Original William Wallace…#1 Medieval Sword ). I tend to do this for safety. I know that Amazon is going to back my purchase. And I take a good look at the actual vendor to see that they have been in business for quite a while and they have plenty of good reviews for the Amazon offerings.

About the shipping: It came double boxed and double wrapped so I received it in perfect condition. The handle is real leather and it is the kind of leather that is rough so it has a good grip and feel to it. Some types of finished leather can be slippery or very sensitive. This leather is a good leather for a grip, it won’t slip if your hands are sweaty. 

About the Sword: The overall length is 52 inches and the blade is 41 inches in length, with the reduction in blade size for the Ricassa the exposed blade length is 33.5 inches. And it weighs in at a little over 3.5 pounds, and a little under 4.5 pounds with the sheath on. So, this is a pretty big sword and the blade is Stainless steel with a factory edge on it that is not combat ready. This is obviously not a combat sword, it is a display sword although it is perfectly fine to take it down off the wall and heft it, or carry it around as part of your gear. But the blade will not tolerate combat.

A Video About this sword: I have created a video (on my youtube channel) that shows you more about this sword and I also take the handle apart so you can get a look at how it’s assembled - and I give some tips on care. Overall I really like this sword and I love the tie-in to the movie Braveheart. For the price it is a great value.