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.
Perfect as a costume accessory at an anime convention, this entirely wooden sword in the style of Rangiku Matsumoto’s Haineko blade avoids the complications of real steel in modern public places. Keep the genuine blades at home.
This all-wood reproduction measures 39-1/2 inches overall and sports a silver-painted wooden blade 27 inches long. A wooden blade this thin is fragile, but this sword was intended to be decorative only. Very light in weight, the blade is over-balanced by the ten-inch wooden handle. Even pommel and blade guard are wooden pieces, while some other fittings are merely symbolized by paint. The wooden scabbard is functional and a good fit for the blade, but problems could definitely arise if this decorative sword is stored in a humid location. Wood swells and shifts, so storing blade and scabbard separately might be a great idea.
Nylon cord sageo on scabbard and woven nylon ito on the wooden hand grip give the sword a look comparable to the magical Haineko or Ash Cat sword of Rangiku Matsumoto, the buxom lieutenant of the 10th Division Soul Reapers. Rangiku is known for using her unusually good looks as often as her zanpakuto, distracting her male opponents with her loosely tied robes and ample cleavage. Her sword’s blade guard symbolizes a cat’s head, and when activated, the magical blade dissolves into what appears to be harmless ash. The magical ash blocks strikes as a shield would, and if the ash lands on an opponent, a flick of the sword’s disconnected grip slashes the flesh of Rangiku’s enemy.
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.
Perfect as a costume accessory at an anime convention, this entirely wooden sword in the style of Rangiku Matsumoto’s Haineko blade avoids the complications of real steel in modern public places. Keep the genuine blades at home.
