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.
Hanwei Gorin Iaito Forge Katana | Paul Chen | Martial Arts Training Sword
1 min read
If you’re considering the purchase of this sword, be aware that it’s part of a training tradition and not intended for combat. This is a well-made training sword, and does cost more than a bokken, or wooden training sword. Actually a lot more — enough that many people will think they ought to get the real thing.
The Iaito sword is the real thing, but its purpose is the practice of drawing the sword. In Japanese sword fighting, the first movement was often the last movement of the fight, so a lot of emphasis was placed on learning it properly. In American terms, it was the gunslinger’s “quick draw.” Unless you’re the first and you’re accurate, the rest hardly matters. The Iaito was designed for that quick draw practice, and the Hanwei Forge version by Paul Chen makes that quality training sword available to serious students today.
The blade of the CAS Hanwei Gorin Iaito comes in four lengths, from 26 to 29 inches. A 10-3/4-inch handle allows a two-handed grip and a powerful swing that’s beyond the ability of the 400 stainless steel tempered blade to absorb, if you use it for striking. At one pound 15 ounces, it’s a very lightweight blade intended for the repetition of movements and not actually for chopping or slicing targets. Iaito swords traditionally are not even sharpened, and this alloy steel was not chosen to hold an edge. Hanwei’s Iaito features a bo-hi, or lateral groove, which makes the blade sing as it passes through the air but doesn’t contribute to strength. The hamon — a tempering mark along the blade’s edge — is etched and doesn’t signify true edge tempering. This is a good-looking, well-balanced training sword. In the gunslinger sense, it isn’t loaded and wasn’t intended to be. If you’re looking for a combat quality sword, Hanwei makes those, too.
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.
If you’re considering the purchase of this sword, be aware that it’s part of a training tradition and not intended for combat. This is a well-made training sword, and does cost more than a bokken, or wooden training sword. Actually a lot more — enough that many people will think they ought to get the real thing.
