Sharing my excitement for my first sword

[Krisxylove]

I would encourage you to learn to sharpen. Just not on a sword. It's a useful skill to have. Even if all you ever sharpen are kitchen knives.

You read my mind. I did buy the stones already at 50% off which is now back at regular price. So it would be dumb to return it lol. I do have a couple knives that my dad gave me which are only good enough to practice on.

 

[Krisxylove]

I regularly sharpen my shaving razor with stones. after about 14 years of experience I can consistently sharpen a straight razor to a perfect shaving edge. Despite this I wouldn't touch a sword with a whet stone that wasn't just a practice sword that I was okay with ruining. Swords are so damn hard to sharpen with a whet stone or diamond stone because of the length of the blade. It is super difficult to get the same angle the entire length and not accidentally roll the edge. If you want to get good at sharpening a sword with a stone then you might want to invest in a few more swords to practice on first.

Have fun with your new dao! Train hard!

Oh geeze, I can just see it now shaving my legs with a strait razor after taking it off the wet stone. I do feel a bit like a sleeping dragon has been awakened. A blade kind of just makes it real. It's like serious, not a game. Thank you for the reinforcement and encouragement.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I only planned on form practice. But it does make sense that in order to foster a deeper connection with your blade and better understand your blade, you have to actually cut things with it. I'd consider doing something like this further down the road

Do not practice forms with a sharp blade until you have a LOT of experience. Unless you like stiches.

 

[Gyakuto]

You read my mind. I did buy the stones already at 50% off which is now back at regular price. So it would be dumb to return it lol. I do have a couple knives that my dad gave me which are only good enough to practice on.

Have a look at this.

I’ve been stung and bought cheapo whetstones which become gouged with minimal use.

 

[Gyakuto]

I bought one of these on the advice of the OUTDOORS55 of the video above.

It’s easy to use…virtually foolproof…and sharpens very well. It was £118

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Do not practice forms with a sharp blade until you have a LOT of experience. Unless you like stiches.

Even if you do, be prepared for an injury. Pretty sure all of us that do that semi-regularly can point to times that we've nicked ourselves or worse.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I only planned on form practice.

You own a gun for self-defense. Will you own a gun just for target shooting?

 

[isshinryuronin]

Do not practice forms with a sharp blade until you have a LOT of experience. Unless you like stiches.

This is good advice for kids, someone who wants a toy, the occasional "player" in martial arts acting on their own or under an incompetent sensei.

I learned iaido in a dojo where only live blades were used. The headmaster was one of the top iai practitioners in the USA, Sensei Yamazaki. (Interesting note: He was Arnold's sword coach for the original Conan movies.) He was very old school, and the dojo atmosphere was steeped in self-discipline and respect. These qualities are a must when slinging sharp steel around with a group of people. In the three years I studied there, no injuries occurred. (I did hear of one that happened a couple of years before I started - one of the black belts impaled himself doing a reverse thrust - he fully recovered. The story helped my own gyaku tsuki become very precise. ) There is a definite mindset, a calmness, one needs. This attitude is maintained even when cleaning the blade after class is over.

.https://youtu.be/q_BZj4Sg45o

Using real weapons forces one to respect the blade and be mindful of every movement. When practicing with "fake" weapons there is little or no danger in being sloppy. This can lead to bad habits and poses a danger in future use of a real weapon. The inherent danger using a live blade sharpens one's skills, physical and mental. Such a discipline is not for everybody

 

[Badhabits]

I bought one of these on the advice of the OUTDOORS55 of the video above.
View attachment 32290
It’s easy to use…virtually foolproof…and sharpens very well. It was £118
View attachment 32291
View attachment 32292

I have one too. It is a great tool, well worth the money.
My father's machete collection ( he spent a ton of time in the woods and amassed a very large collection of them, made in various countries from around the world ) was passed to me when he passed. Along with what is essentially an old, much larger version of a belt sharpener for them.
And a ton of Camellia oil to protect the blades. That stuff seems to last longer on blades before drying out.

 

[Gyakuto]

I have one too. It is a great tool, well worth the money.

They really are, aren’t they.

My father's machete collection ( he spent a ton of time in the woods and amassed a very large collection of them, made in various countries from around the world ) was passed to me when he passed. Along with what is essentially an old, much larger version of a belt sharpener for them.

Do you use that sharpener on them?

And a ton of Camellia oil to protect the blades. That stuff seems to last longer on blades before drying out.

I tried that on my swords as it’s traditional but found the highly polished surface (I assume) caused it to bead up leaving areas of steel exposed. Also being organic, it breaks down into nasty sticky stuff. which is a bugg*r to remove so I switched back to mineral oil (sword oil).

 

[Badhabits]

They really are, aren’t they.

Do you use that sharpener on them?

I tried that on my swords as it’s traditional but found the highly polished surface (I assume) caused it to bead up leaving areas of steel exposed. Also being organic, it breaks down into nasty sticky stuff. which is a bugg*r to remove so I switched back to mineral oil (sword oil).

Use the big belt sharpener occasionally for the two out of the collection that I use. The rest don't get used, they're like heirlooms now. It doesn't have guides like the worksharp so takes a little more skill to use. It does work well though. It has 1" wide belts. I got his knife collection as well and around 30 various stones.
I haven't noticed the cammelia oil leaving any sticky stuff, but all the blades get cleaned and oiled regularly so maybe not enough time to break down? Love cleaning, oiling and sharpening. It's like a spiritual experience

 

[Krisxylove]

It's been a week since I got my first sword. I wanted some time to become familiar with something very new before I express my first impressions. My sword came in last Monday and initially I inspected it very critically. I was looking for parts that were loose or that rattle. I found none. I didn't expect to get a thousand dollar sword I just wanted something that was budget and simple yet "battle ready". But what I noticed very quickly was a bit more esoteric. This thing is very foreign in my hands. It was heavier than I expected. It was scary and intimidating. I wasn't about to start spinning this thing around, I never even held steel in my hands before. The first day I didn't know what to do with it. I took it out of the scabbard, kind of looked at the blade and later that evening I did have a special connection with it. I sort of started inspecting it formally like you would see an Army man do with a rifle. And I ended up doing some very slow and careful form developing my first sense of the weight and angling of the blade. It has a power to it. I feel a little bit more grown up. It's something that demands respect and discipline because after all it does bite. I know people do the paper cutting test. It cut the paper sometimes but I suspect there is a bit of technique to cutting paper. Otherwise I do feel some bite running my thumb across the blade but it's not razering though paper like I see people do. I am curious though if stropping with that green honing wax will give it any extra touch.

Lucky for me my training sword came in the following day. I decided to go with the steel one. I wanted something that matches the weight, length and general design. And it is important to me that if I can't train with my real sword, I at least want to train with steel of some kind. I have to say it was like the Christmas present I always wanted. I immediately connected with it. It is a single piece of cast aluminum. Nice and firm and heavy. It has a satisfying weight in the handle.

I want to point out something that I discovered. Training with a plain old standard stick is all wrong. I'm very new to sword form and my performance is like what you'd expect from a beginner learning a new form. But when I got this sword in my hand, immediately something just switched on. My form just flowed unlike I have ever done with the stick. Is it the weight, the geometry, something mental or spiritual? IDK but I'm obsessed. I just didn't expect that I would be more excited with my training sword than my real sword but, yeah. I do want to put energy to my real sword so I will practice very deliberate slow form on occasions every week or so.

It's just crazy though. It took me a lot of time to develop the connection with my staff. The time and energy I put into it really made it special to me over a period. Now whenever I grab it to train, I feel the connection and something switches on. But with the sword I felt the connection instantly. That's all I have to say I guess. I just wanted to share my initial experience. Thank you everyone for all the advice and tips. The support and encouragement.

Edit: On my first night with the training sword, I hit the outside of my left knee cap (it hurt) and stabbed myself in the inner thigh above my left kneecap

 

[Krisxylove]

This is good advice for kids, someone who wants a toy, the occasional "player" in martial arts acting on their own or under an incompetent sensei.

I learned iaido in a dojo where only live blades were used. The headmaster was one of the top iai practitioners in the USA, Sensei Yamazaki. (Interesting note: He was Arnold's sword coach for the original Conan movies.) He was very old school, and the dojo atmosphere was steeped in self-discipline and respect. These qualities are a must when slinging sharp steel around with a group of people. In the three years I studied there, no injuries occurred. (I did hear of one that happened a couple of years before I started - one of the black belts impaled himself doing a reverse thrust - he fully recovered. The story helped my own gyaku tsuki become very precise. ) There is a definite mindset, a calmness, one needs. This attitude is maintained even when cleaning the blade after class is over.

.https://youtu.be/q_BZj4Sg45o

Using real weapons forces one to respect the blade and be mindful of every movement. When practicing with "fake" weapons there is little or no danger in being sloppy. This can lead to bad habits and poses a danger in future use of a real weapon. The inherent danger using a live blade sharpens one's skills, physical and mental. Such a discipline is not for everybody

Love this!

 

[Gyakuto]

.It was heavier than I expected. It was scary and intimidating.

How much does it weigh?

I am curious though if stropping with that green honing wax will give it any extra touch.

Can you feel a roll over on the edge? If so, stropping might help by removing it. Green wax is terrible stuff. Get yourself some diamond stropping fluid.

I want to point out something that I discovered. Training with a plain old standard stick is all wrong. I'm very new to sword form and my performance is like what you'd expect from a beginner learning a new form. But when I got this sword in my hand, immediately something just switched on. My form just flowed unlike I have ever done with the stick. Is it the weight, the geometry, something mental or spiritual?

I always burn incense and incant a Shintō prayer over a new sword, especially if it’s antique and may well have dispatched a person, like my 1547- forged short sword.

IDK but I'm obsessed. I just didn't expect that I would be more excited with my training sword than my real sword but, yeah. I do want to put energy to my real sword so I will practice very deliberate slow form on occasions every week or so.

Oh dear, you’re hooked

It's just crazy though. It took me a lot of time to develop the connection with my staff. The time and energy I put into it really made it special to me over a period. Now whenever I grab it to train, I feel the connection and something switches on. But with the sword I felt the connection instantly.

I think using it will further develop that connection further.

That's all I have to say I guess. I just wanted to share my initial experience. Thank you everyone for all the advice and tips. The support and encouragement.

Hang on, hang on….we’re going to need some photos of it!

 

[Haruhiko]

View attachment 32268
It's the Ryujin 65MN Spring steel Willow Leaf Dao. And my very first sword! It's cheap I know but I have never been so excited to get something in the mail! Which is taking forever. I'm just sharing my excitement with you all. I learned Meihua Dao with a stick and getting a real sword is a really big deal for me. Because swords are dangerous, I'm considering either wrapping the scabbard to the pommel with athletic tape (which may be too heavy IDK yet), or buying a cheap training one that is firm and close to equal weight. I'm looking at the standard Broad Sword from AWMA. Monday can't come fast enough.

Congratulations! Mine arrives (an iaito) in late March. Not for cutting (zinc-aluminium blade), but for Musō Shinden-Ryū koryū practice.

Is that for cutting? What's AWMA? So many questions.

 

[Krisxylove]

How much does it weigh?

Can you feel a roll over on the edge? If so, stropping might help by removing it. Green wax is terrible stuff. Get yourself some diamond stropping fluid.

I always burn incense and incant a Shintō prayer over a new sword, especially if it’s antique and may well have dispatched a person, like my 1547- forged short sword.

Oh dear, you’re hooked

I think using it will further develop that connection further.

Hang on, hang on….we’re going to need some photos of it!

It's 1.8 lbs. Barely noticeably heavier than the training sword. Does rolling mean the "burr" you feel when you run your finger across the edge? If so, that yes.

I learned about Shinto in college, very fascinating stuff. I'd love to visit a monastery on top of a mountain some day. Is the 1547 the one you got recently with the customs issue? I don't care what people say, a blade like that would come standard with a spirit in it

 

[Krisxylove]

Congratulations! Mine arrives (an iaito) in late March. Not for cutting (zinc-aluminium blade), but for Musō Shinden-Ryū koryū practice.

Is that for cutting? What's AWMA? So many questions.

March?! That's crazy. I looked up Musō Shinden-Ryū koryū. That's the sword drawing. The Japanese are such perfectionists and it really shows lol. It's really amazing though. Kill Bill

I bought two swords. One with a blade and one for training. I got the "Standard Broadsword" from AWMA. And it is amazing as far as a Chinese training dao.

 

[Gyakuto]

It's 1.8 lbs.

That’s quite a hefty weight for a one- handed sword (I assume it’s one handed!

Barely noticeably heavier than the training sword. Does rolling mean the "burr" you feel when you run your finger across the edge? If so, that yes.

Stropping will help, in that case. Diamond stropping solution is really effective and go gently. There are lots of videos to help you with this.

I learned about Shinto in college, very fascinating stuff.

You’d have to incant something Daoist for you sword!

I'd love to visit a monastery on top of a mountain some day.

The climbing bit is troublesome!

I specifically searched out a small shrine/temple in Nara that is for swords people. After a bit of searching, found it and it was tiny and the whole complex of shrines and temples was closing in about 30 minutes. I gestured to a priest, sitting in a small office close to the shrine, if we could go into it considering the time. He waved me on, so I climbed the small number of steps up to the sliding the door, opened it and stepped in. It was pitch dark in side, I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face, so I just stood there quietly, in the hope my eyes would dark-adapt quickly and I’d start seeing what was in there. In the darkness I started to notice two points of light. It was eerie and as the minutes past, a golden circular glow with…with facial features began to manifest. What was I seeing? They were two crystal eyes, with black, menacing pupils! The face became clearer and more distinct and I realised I was looking into the face of a golden Fudo Myoō, his teeth bared and his whole body covered in buttery gold leaf. He was beautifully fearful. Next to him, on both sides, I could make two other slightly smaller golden figures which I eventually recognised as Marishiten and Bishamonten, Buddhist martial deities worshipped by the samurai. I put my hands together, bowed and began a Shingon mantra to these, and other deities, “Ōn baishira mantaya sowaka. Ōn ishanya intaraya sowaka….” placing extra emphasis in the words that specifically invoke Fudo Myoō, Marishiten and Bishamonten. When i finished, ai lit a stick of incense, bowed again and stepped back out into blinding daylight! It was a really special and magical time…

Is the 1547 the one you got recently with the customs issue?

Ah, no, that was a recently forged sword (2017) and a whopping 1400g (3.08lbs) in weight and a very long 2.5 shaku (about 30 inches) blade.

The wakizashi has been in England since about 1870. It’s amazing to think it was forged when Henry VIII was on the British throne!

I don't care what people say, a blade like that would come standard with a spirit in it

Let’s hope a benevolent one!

 

[Krisxylove]

Yeah it's pretty heavy. And I have skinny little wrists. Correct it is one handed. Good news is the training sword is very close to the weight and it's just a matter of time I get stronger.

Stropping will help, in that case. Diamond stropping solution is really effective and go gently. There are lots of videos to help you with this.

Thanks, I heard about the diamond solution, I'll go with that.

You’d have to incant something Daoist for you sword!

I don't know any incantations but I do find that kind of stuff very interesting. I'm really into new agey spiritual stuff. You're right though I should, I'll think of something.

This story you shared of visiting the shrine was just fantastic. You have quite a way with words. It was just a wonderful read and very inspirational. I looked a little into Fudo Myoō. I just love it. I want this statue now and will look into these martial deities further.

The wakizashi has been in England since about 1870. It’s amazing to think it was forged when Henry VIII was on the British throne!

That really is crazy what all it has been through. Did you get any documentation of it's past? How it eventually made it to England?

Let’s hope a benevolent one!

You seem pretty in touch with this kind of stuff. If it was something wicked I think you would know it already.

 

[Gyakuto]

Yeah it's pretty heavy. And I have skinny little wrists. Correct it is one handed. Good news is the training sword is very close to the weight and it's just a matter of time I get stronger.

I perform radius/ulnar deviation exercises in the gym (with a special handle on the cable machine) to strengthen my single handed cuts (‘katate uchi’). A sledgehammer can be used to do the same thing if you’re interested in trying that.

I don't know any incantations but I do find that kind of stuff very interesting. I'm really into new agey spiritual stuff. You're right though I should, I'll think of something.

Just speak from the heart, burn incense and light a candle. Ask for winning lottery numbers while you’re at it.

This story you shared of visiting the shrine was just fantastic. You have quite a way with words.

I wish I’d listened a little more in creative writing classes at school. I was too busy thinking about science!

It was just a wonderful read and very inspirational. I looked a little into Fudo Myoō. I just love it. I want this statue now and will look into these martial deities further.

Originally Fudo Myoō was a demon, hence his appearance, before changing his ways on hearing Buddhist doctrine and becoming the chief ‘Wisdom King’. Fudo Myoō statues appear ferocious and menacing, with threatening postures and faces designed to subdue evil and frighten unbelievers into accepting Buddhist law.

Marishiten was introduced to Japan along with the Shingon and Tendai sects of Esoteric Buddhism in the early 9th century, s/he was worshipped by warriors, especially archers, from the middle ages onward for the gift of invisibility.

Bishamonten is the god of warriors (but not of war) and prayed to for victory prior to battle. He is also a god of defense against foreign invaders, a deity of healing with the power to save emperors from life-threatening illness and to expel demons of plague, keep personal enemies away and reward followers with good fortune and money!

That really is crazy what all it has been through. Did you get any documentation of it's past? How it eventually made it to England?

Yes, it has a NBTHK certificate of appraisal as it went back to Japan in 1974. The Meiji restoration of 1868 was followed the abolition of the samurai class and they had to give up their swords. Many English people out there bought the up or just took them back to their countries for display in their stately homes and museums. When those families came to an end and estates were sold or museums closed down, they were bought up by various antique dealers for sale! That’s where I bought the wakizashi from (and a katana made in 1840).

You seem pretty in touch with this kind of stuff. If it was something wicked I think you would know it already.

Wickedness is in the eye of the beholder