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.
This shorter straight blade katana from Hanwei Forge recreates the blade favored by the ninja of Japan, who sometimes created useful and easily concealed weapons from large swords broken in combat. The Practical Shinobi Ninja-To includes some of the cost-costing methods features found in Hanwei’s larger practical cutters.
No quality was lost in the full tang blade of this 34-1/2-inch high carbon steel sword, which is hand forged and clay tempered to produce the differential hardness of a high performance sword. The hamon or tempering mark along the edge marks the real thing in this katana — the mark shows that a layer of clay protected the edge during quenching, keeping the edge hard as the temper of the spine dropped to a tougher and more impact-resistant level.
Inexpensive black iron fittings with an antiqued black finish cut the cost without taking away from the appearance of the weapon. Details on the cast iron tsuba or bladeguard show some of the kuji-kiri hand postures from the mystical side of the ninja tradition. Using intricate finger positions and secret mental techniques, the ancient ninja channeled mystical energies in order to produce such impossible feats as disappearing in plain sight.
The traditional appearance of the tsuka or grip hides synthetic white rayskin instead of the more expensive version, and the tsuka-ito or woven wrapping is actually synthetic black leather. Bindings of the black lacquered hardwood scabbard are authentic black cotton.
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.
This shorter straight blade katana from Hanwei Forge recreates the blade favored by the ninja of Japan, who sometimes created useful and easily concealed weapons from large swords broken in combat. The Practical Shinobi Ninja-To includes some of the cost-costing methods features found in Hanwei’s larger practical cutters.
