James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Bleach Anime Kenpachi Zaraki Sword Replica | Japanese Manga Fantasy Katana w/ White Scabbard
54 sec read
Another of the unique swords in the Japanese manga series Bleach, this interesting blade is the personal weapon of Kenpachi Zaraki, a powerful supernatural warrior and captain of the 11th Division of the Soul Reapers. Set far in Japan’s future and well into a fantastic afterlife, Bleach follows a war between Soul Reapers (or escorts of the dead) and the Hollows (evil beings seeking to cheat death by not going into the light).
The construction of this fantasy katana matches important details of Kenpachi Zaraki’s sword, including a unique cast metal tsuba and plain wrapping of grip and scabbard with white cotton cloth tape. The true power behind this 43-inch katana with a 28-inch blade of high carbon stainless steel was said to be the warrior, not the sword. Because of his great spiritual powers, Kenpachi Zaraki refused even to learn kendo until joining the Soul Reapers, and actually needed artificial handicaps to give his opponents a fair chance.
In the Bleach saga, one of these handicaps was that his magical weapon or zanpakuto lacked a name, and as a result could not transform into its supernatural counterpart or activate any of its hidden magical powers. Combined with an eyepatch that absorbed much of Kenpachi Zaraki’s inner strengths, this reduced him to a mere competitive level and allowed him to enjoy battles without those bothersome, premature victories.
Distinctive even among the fantastic weapons of Bleach, the Kenpachi Zaraki Sword should be a welcome addition to the weapons collection of any Bleach fan.
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Another of the unique swords in the Japanese manga series Bleach, this interesting blade is the personal weapon of Kenpachi Zaraki, a powerful supernatural warrior and captain of the 11th Division of the Soul Reapers. Set far in Japan’s future and well into a fantastic afterlife, Bleach follows a war between Soul Reapers (or escorts of the dead) and the Hollows (evil beings seeking to cheat death by not going into the light).
