why do you guys keep banning me? (Zot! Because we can) (Juwish modz totally rewl!)

22,161 posted on 09/18/2004 10:58:42 AM PDT by King Prout (civilization is a veneereal disease)

a boken is a wood sword (japanese "bo"+"ken" = "wood/stick-sword"), traditionally made of dense-grain hardwood, used to practice kata (formalized training movements and sequences), suburi (strength training), and kumite (training-fights, or sparring). It is used primarily in kenjutsu (sword fighting) training as part of traditional budo (the martial arts of the Samurai), but is used to a lesser extent in Iaido (lightning draw), Kendo (fencing), and the modern and essentially defensive martial art of Aikido.

The boken I am making is closer to a suburi-to than a kumite boken - it is very heavy, by my choice. I am carving it from a section of a live-oak branch that Francis stripped from one of my trees. I lucked out in that this section's grain almost perfectly matches the ideal curve of a japanese longsword (katana, to, tachi, or no-dachi).

I am rediscovering how much I enjoy manual woodwork, and how soothing to me such work can be.

The image you posted appears to picture one of the cheap Taiwanese Red Oak boken available from most Martial Arts suppliers. Their grains tend to be broad and weakly interlocked: They crack and splinter very easily, and should never be used in kumite. They are far too light for productive suburi, except for a total novice. All they are good for is kata practice, despite the (incorrect, non-traditional) inclusion of the plastic handguard.

I train in kenjutsu.
I use my "katana" for Iaido practice.
I say "katana" because it isn't, really: It is a Japanese non-com sword from just prior to the invasion of China. "Hand-made" in a factory, from modern true steel, rather than a true hand-forged fulti-folded multi-billet differentially-quenched katana.

22,162 posted on 09/18/2004 11:05:45 AM PDT by King Prout (civilization is a veneereal disease)

To: NicknamedBob

http://www.backwoodshome.com/

If you like mother earth news you'll really like backwoods home. Check them out online.

22,163 posted on 09/18/2004 11:07:04 AM PDT by bad company (What's the font kenneth?)

Good to see you're still here.

22,164 posted on 09/18/2004 11:09:16 AM PDT by bad company (What's the font kenneth?)

I am rather pleased by that fact, meself :)

22,165 posted on 09/18/2004 11:12:40 AM PDT by King Prout (civilization is a veneereal disease)

To: Neets; Darksheare; scott0347; timpad; KangarooJacqui; The Scourge of Yazid; Conspiracy Guy; ...

RKBA news:

1. please welcome freedumb2003 to the looney-bin

2. as you can see, The Powers have been magnanimous :)

22,166 posted on 09/18/2004 11:16:06 AM PDT by King Prout (civilization is a veneereal disease)

Hey! Good to see you! I'm glad you are still among the living on the Undead Thread! (aka: The Pirate PJ Party)

:)

22,167 posted on 09/18/2004 11:18:22 AM PDT by Monkey Face (If your legs bent the other way, what would a chair look like? (Gallagher))

I am humbled. I will use my Beeber only for the greater good and never in anger. I will stune only the stune-worthy.

22,168 posted on 09/18/2004 11:19:55 AM PDT by freedumb2003 (I <change typeballs>am<change typeballs> Buckhead)

To: King Prout; freedumb2003

Welcome to our own little corner of maddness. :)

22,169 posted on 09/18/2004 11:20:10 AM PDT by Americanwolf ("Be vwey vwey quite! I am hunting DU Twolls! ---Elmer Fuwd Free Republic member and cartoon icon)

I use my "katana" for Iaido practice

I tried that in college once and she slapped my face but good!

22,170 posted on 09/18/2004 11:20:54 AM PDT by freedumb2003 (I <change typeballs>am<change typeballs> Buckhead)

To: Americanwolf

Welcome to our own little corner of maddness

And I hope to help build that corner into ... well, a corner I suppose.

*mumbling* Jeeze, Corner is one of those amorphous absolutes... how can you tell when it is over? Can a a corner be enlarged? Wow, this responsibility os bigger than I thought...

22,171 posted on 09/18/2004 11:23:15 AM PDT by freedumb2003 (I <change typeballs>am<change typeballs> Buckhead)

I ~~was afraid he'd show up~~ would like to extend a very warm welcome!

22,172 posted on 09/18/2004 11:23:43 AM PDT by OSHA (Don't call them forgeries. Dan wants to be the one to break that news.)

Just got off of your home page. I talk a lot with youngsters going "over there" and will be adding your list to mine. Pretty good compilation there.

22,173 posted on 09/18/2004 11:23:43 AM PDT by bad company (What's the font kenneth?)

To: Monkey Face; King Prout

We're still waiting for a Yoe-woman pic post! ;)

I ain't King Prout, but I can certainly assign yoe-woman as a post on the UT!!

22,174 posted on 09/18/2004 11:24:54 AM PDT by freedumb2003 (I <change typeballs>am<change typeballs> Buckhead)

LOLOL

My cat is looking over here like her servant (moi) is a crazy man (she is right)

22,175 posted on 09/18/2004 11:25:41 AM PDT by freedumb2003 (I <change typeballs>am<change typeballs> Buckhead)

Dang it! Some low life has hung an obscenity in the middle of our thoughtful and helpful list of keywords! (HINT: Look in the F's)

Do you thing we can get it removed without losing all of them again?

22,176 posted on 09/18/2004 11:28:24 AM PDT by OSHA (Don't call them forgeries. Dan wants to be the one to break that news.)

To: King Prout; freedumb2003

Arrr!

Oops, Welcome aboard officially the RKBA combo Paver/rubber room mobile.
Rubber chickens and Mini Moose available in concession stands.

22,177 posted on 09/18/2004 11:28:52 AM PDT by Darksheare (Freedom is worth ALL of our lives if it frees even ONE person.)

To: freedumb2003

We hope you enjoy our humble little thread! :)

22,178 posted on 09/18/2004 11:29:32 AM PDT by NYC GOP Chick

To: OSHA; King Prout

The mods can see who it was, keywords have an 'entered by' tag on them that the mods can trace.

22,179 posted on 09/18/2004 11:29:55 AM PDT by Darksheare (Freedom is worth ALL of our lives if it frees even ONE person.)

To: freedumb2003

We're still waiting for a Yoe-woman pic post! ;) I ain't King Prout, but I can certainly assign yoe-woman as a post on the UT!!

huh???

ok, I grok that "UT" means "Undead Thread", but what is this "yoe-woman" stuff?

(and, yes: thoroughly confusing Us is a perfect way to establish indisputable RKBA street creds)

22,180 posted on 09/18/2004 11:30:14 AM PDT by King Prout (civilization is a veneereal disease)

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