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 Sousuke Aizen Katana, Kyo-ka Suigetsu | Anime Manga Fantasy Samurai Mirror Sword Replica
1 min read
The details of this replica Bleach sword should accurately match the personal weapon of the story’s main antagonist — Sousouke Aisen, one-time captain of the 5th Division Soul Reapers and the creator of the Hollows.
The sword called Kyo-ka Suigetsu presents its ordinary form as a katana with a distinctive hexagonal tsuba or blade guard. Without any other obvious decoration, the only distinguishing characteristic of the katana in its physical form is the distinctive green ito or woven cord grip. The “mirror flower water moon” sword possesses the intangible power of illusion, and when enemies see it, their perceptions become controlled by an unbreakable hypnotic spell.
That’s more than a little confusing, considering that some photos of the Kyouka Suigetsu sword depict it as having a blue ito instead of a green one, but since confusion is the sword’s primary power, that may be acceptable to collectors of Bleach manga weapons. The physical form of this replica sword is otherwise accurate, 40 inches long overall with a 27-inch blade of high carbon stainless steel and a traditionally styled saya or scabbard of lacquered hardwood. The 440 stainless steel blade isn’t tempered for combat use but will suffice for display or costume purposes.
All weapons in the Bleach manga do have physical and spiritual forms, and replica weapons try to reproduce only one aspect of the swords. The accurate form of the “complete hypnosis” sword may be one of the more difficult to pin down.
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.
The details of this replica Bleach sword should accurately match the personal weapon of the story’s main antagonist — Sousouke Aisen, one-time captain of the 5th Division Soul Reapers and the creator of the Hollows.
