JT Hats
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.


Musashi Miyamoto Double Sword Set | Samurai or Ninja Katana & Wakizashi w/ Scabbard

57 sec read

Musashi Miyamoto Double Sword Set This high carbon stainless steel double sword set from Musashi takes a new approach to the two-sword fighting style of Musashi Miyamoto of medieval Japan. The single scabbard holds both a full-sized katana and a hidden wakizashi.

Withdraw the katana from its sheath and the sageo or cord wrapping of the wooden scabbard becomes the hilt of the smaller wakizashi. Both swords are simple blades of solid high carbon stainless steel, made without blood grooves and uniformly tempered. Fittings and swords are display quality. Testing either sword on real targets could quickly loosen fittings and damage the blades.

Traditionally styled wrappings like these use synthetic cord and other materials to simulate the look of more expensive weapons. Some of the set’s metal fittings are plated rather than solid, and some were pressed in place rather than cast to fit. The sword set is still an unusual piece for the collector of fantasy weapons.

This stainless steel sword set won’t require more than minimal care to keep the polish of the blades in top condition. The wooden scabbard’s coating of black lacquer protects wood and steel from moisture, but storing the swords in a high humidity area could still cause a few problems.

Musashi Miyamoto carried two separate weapons, so this sword set only approximates the weapons he preferred. Technically, it’s a better match for the swords of modern ninja movies than for any swords of historical importance.

See the Musashi Daito from Hanwei Forge for a more authentic replica of Musashi Miyamoto’s personal battle sword.

Find this Musashi Sword Set:

 

JT Hats
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.


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