11-01-2022, 12:09 AM
D00M has two professional swordsmen. Like for reals. DM & the Yeti (coming soon to a theater near you) make our livings by the sword. I feel that’s worthy of documenting here.
Ok, really this is about the wonderful sword day I had for Halloween and I want to share (really I just want to make the Yeti jelly).
As I mentioned today was another research day developing my dream Chinese weapons exhibit for CHSA so another day spent with that marvelous collection. I got to handle a piece that’s estimated at 6 figures - that blade was early steel refurbished and polished - national treasure quality. Also got to play with some other exquisite pieces - beautiful pattern-welded blades, jade & bronze blades, so many blades that I lost count. We’re beginning to organize an exhibit - selecting pieces and imagining how they might be arranged to best tell their stories. We don’t have final approval from the board yet, but one of the board members joined us and was blown away by what he saw. If all goes as planned, we’ll open this around Chinese New Year (late January)
But that’s not all. A few weeks ago, a Seattle tai chi master asked me about a Japanese sword one of her ex-bfs gave her. She had tossed it in storage but was now cleaning that out and looking for a home for it. From the photos she sent, it looked like a gunto (military issue wwii blade). I told her as much, qualifying that it’s hard to tell from the photos she sent. She asked me if I wanted it and I said I don’t have the budget for yet another sword right now, to which she replied ‘I’ll just give it to you. I want it to have a good home.’ Somd people foster kittens; she fosters a samurai sword. That’s an offer I could refuse so I sent her a check to cover shipping plus a penny to buy it, explaining the tradition of not gifting blades because it means severing the relationship - she said it was given to her just before they broke up.
The sword arrived today. Not a gunto. It’s a wakazashi in good condition - some minor chips in the scabbard and blade but the fittings are superb and the handle wrap looks original - my guess is 18-17th century but I’d have to crack it open to read the tang inscription and that’s something I’ll leave to someone more skilled. But clearly, this is a serious antique borderline museum quality. What a treasure.
I’m going to attribute this windfall to good sword karma.
Ok, really this is about the wonderful sword day I had for Halloween and I want to share (really I just want to make the Yeti jelly).
As I mentioned today was another research day developing my dream Chinese weapons exhibit for CHSA so another day spent with that marvelous collection. I got to handle a piece that’s estimated at 6 figures - that blade was early steel refurbished and polished - national treasure quality. Also got to play with some other exquisite pieces - beautiful pattern-welded blades, jade & bronze blades, so many blades that I lost count. We’re beginning to organize an exhibit - selecting pieces and imagining how they might be arranged to best tell their stories. We don’t have final approval from the board yet, but one of the board members joined us and was blown away by what he saw. If all goes as planned, we’ll open this around Chinese New Year (late January)
But that’s not all. A few weeks ago, a Seattle tai chi master asked me about a Japanese sword one of her ex-bfs gave her. She had tossed it in storage but was now cleaning that out and looking for a home for it. From the photos she sent, it looked like a gunto (military issue wwii blade). I told her as much, qualifying that it’s hard to tell from the photos she sent. She asked me if I wanted it and I said I don’t have the budget for yet another sword right now, to which she replied ‘I’ll just give it to you. I want it to have a good home.’ Somd people foster kittens; she fosters a samurai sword. That’s an offer I could refuse so I sent her a check to cover shipping plus a penny to buy it, explaining the tradition of not gifting blades because it means severing the relationship - she said it was given to her just before they broke up.
The sword arrived today. Not a gunto. It’s a wakazashi in good condition - some minor chips in the scabbard and blade but the fittings are superb and the handle wrap looks original - my guess is 18-17th century but I’d have to crack it open to read the tang inscription and that’s something I’ll leave to someone more skilled. But clearly, this is a serious antique borderline museum quality. What a treasure.
I’m going to attribute this windfall to good sword karma.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
