2007 Disappointments and Surprises:

2007 Disappointments and Surprises:

It is November of 2007 and our new book, When Two Tigers Fight, isn’t as close to being finished as I would like! As to be expected there have been several setbacks along the way. Some of these delays have already held-up the progress of the book for months. One disappointment was the mile-long laundry list of excuses from a knifemaker who strung me along for way too many months. Each email offered a future delivery time only to be missed time after time. Actually this was not an isolated incident. I have come to the conclusion that two weeks from a knifemaker means two galactic weeks, which is about the equivalent of about 6 Earth months. Remember what I said that a man is only as good as his word? I meant the quality of his word not the quantity. Most of the knives have finally shipped, they are finely made knives, and all’s well that ends well, I suppose.
Then there was the long lost Laredo Bowie. This time it was my turn to send copious emails. When it finally came, almost 6 months late, it was not the latest San Mai version as promised. It was not made in the USA or in Japan, but the cheaper version made in Taiwan. Admittedly the price was less than originally quoted, but I wanted the best example of the knife to review for our book, not the cheapest. I offered several times to pay an additional fee for the better knife, but what I got is what you’ll read about in the book.
Also a disappointment were the people to whom I sent free copes of my first book intended for their review and comment. Some of these folks never even acknowledged its arrival, not even an email. What did I expect from a guy who likes to be called Animal, and a few others, but hey Chris what happened, no reply or comment from you? By the way, I bought videos or books from all of these people. One of the worst disappointments was the Editor of Paladin Press saying The Rhythm of One was a good book but it didn’t really have anything new to offer. What it really boiled down to was that it said a lot of new things that might have conflicted with a named writer who seems to have a stranglehold on the genre’. If you cannot figure that one out, open a copy of their catalog and see whose name appears as an expert on just about everything knife related.
A personal disappointment was not attending the 2007 Riddle of Steel. Truly there is nothing else like it in the world! But, it would have been less than a total experience for me without having my best friend, training partner, and daughter along to share it with. One of the last "male bastions" and all that, geeze guys grow up. Women warriors should always be welcome anywhere. Google the names Morrigan, Scathac, Boadicea, or Tomoe Gozen and see what you find. But enough whining already. That’s the rules and I either acquiesce or stay home.
There were also some very pleasant surprises in 2007. Some of the best custom knives that I bought this year came secondhand at good prices from one Ebay seller. They were also by makers previously unknown to me. There were also some very nice reviews of The Rhythm of One and my Cobra by Michael Thau, Mark Davies, and others in the self-defense trade. Thanks guys! The photos of the Cobra finally made it into Tactical Knives magazine, my thanks to Steven Dick, Editor. This year I discovered the Usual Suspects Network (USN). What a cool place to check out new makers, new knives, and delve into some interesting topics. Its going to get expensive belonging to this forum I think. I did manage to sell a total of five Cobra knives in 2007 and the buyers were all very pleased! That’s not exactly enough business to provide me with a comfortable retirement, but it was satisfying to know that the basic design is solid, functional, and saleable. Hopefully next year there will be more sales of the Cobra and our new "MIK" (Modern Indonesian Knife) from Zola Octanoviar. This should be a modern take on the venerable Rencong.
The very best thing to happen this year was the opportunity to finally meet Gary Bradburn in person! He is an old school gentleman, good friend, and maker of the nicest Shobu tanto this side of the Pacific, maybe this side of the Galaxy! Gary is a man who always goes the extra mile to make his customers happy. Although thousands of miles separate us I feel like I can count Zola Octanoviar among my very best friends too. Check out our articles on Zola and the Noesantaraa knives further down the blog. Zola is going to strike out on his own and we are going to help support his efforts. For next year I have to figure out how to meet Mark Davies, since we have shared emails, websites and such. Hey Mark, thanks for the Black Devil F/S. All in all it was a good year and I am going to ignore the disappointments and forge ahead with work on our book and spend more time with those folks whose company and correspondence I enjoy. I have also had the pleasure of correspnding with Tom Sotis of AMOK! and knifemakers James Coogler (dragon karambit)and Mark Terrell (the Hangnail)whose karambits are sweet knives! I wanted to add a thankyou here to Peter Parkinson and Brent Sandow for the terrific work they did making my chisel-tipped Fairbairns for testing. An article will be posted on the tests later. Great knives from two great people.
When all is said and done, the bottom line is this: While the function of steel is to cut, it can also bind. If you’re a warrior you’ll know what I mean.
As a reminder, check out Mark Davies’ website here. http://www.tacticaledge.co.uk/instructional_articles.asp
and Gary’s website here.
http://www.bradburnknives.com/

Dances With Knives

Dances With Knives

Remember the header at the top of this page? It says: "sometimes irreverent, often opinionated, and always brutally honest?" This blog is one of those moments. It is based on the cool reception our knife demo received at the Taikai. When we finished we felt as though we had exposed something primal and unsettling. As it was often inscribed on ancient maps, "Beyond this point there be serpents." For many of the people there we had gone beyond that point.

If you take reptile brain thinking and polish it over and over, long enough and hard enough, polish it with focus and sincerity, add in some pain and suffering, you know what you get? Eventally you get a person with a warrior mentality. I already see the questions and concerns forming on your brow. You’re thinking why would anyone want to do that? You’ll tell me that your martial arts school is all about creating peace and harmony, polishing the soul and improving your character. Those are admirable goals, and part of the true warrior’s makeup, but they are not a martial art, nor are they a self-defense. I think you have your definitions mixed up.
Modern martial arts are suffering from a case of piñata syndrome. With piñata syndrome you take a lot of goodies and place them inside a hollow form created by building up layer upon layer of bland paper mache’. To make it more attractive you paint it with bright flashy colors. (You know its still only hollow paper mache’ but you don't tell your students that.) Your piñata is worthless, its what is inside that gives it value. To get to the goodies you have to ruin the paint job and break through all the built-up layers of paper. How do you do that? You use your reptile brain, and a big stick, and beat on it until it breaks wide open. Depending upon how many layers thick it is it might take a few seconds or a few minutes.
Statistics say that the average knife fight lasts no more than five seconds! That’s right, five seconds. Even if you have learned all of the right techniques, but you have buried them (along with your reptile brain), under layers of philosophy, civility, morality, and legality, can you get to the goodies in under five seconds? My insurance agent says that funerals are running in the $7-10,000 range. That’s a big out of pocket expense for a five second lapse in judgement. One of my sword students told me he would rather be dead than spend his life in prison for defending himself! Really? Folks, based on the questions in response to our knife demo, I am worried. It bothers me when honest, upright citizens, and trained martial artists, tell me they are more afraid of facing jail time for defending themselves with a weapon, than they are of the injury or death that might result from being attacked by an armed assailant! This is ludicrous, it is unjust, and it is unbefitting a nation and society such as ours. Our personal timidity, false morality, layer upon layer of ambiguous laws, and our liberal minded court system have made victims of us all. We are fruit on the vine for thugs, muggers, and murderers, who have the skills, the intent and the desire, to simply reach out and take what they desire. These people have not polished their reptile brains but through concerted training, whether on the streets or in prison courtyards, they have strengthed the body it drives.
My student brought up the old argument: "what good does it do to know how to fight with a katana when no one carries them on the streets?" He studies kobudo, the use of farming implements as weapons. Well you don’t dare use real weapons today since that would be incompatible with peace and harmony. Kobudo in martial arts schools today is more like dancing with weapon look-alikes. Schools use rubber Nunchaku, and blunted wood or aluminum Sai and Kama. The real articles are illegal in most states. Therefore, I’m going to turn his question around and ask you the reader, what good does it do to train with these non-weapons? Indeed it does no good to train at all if the intent of the student is only to learn how to dance with weapons. These canned routines (often performed to music) may teach coordination and rhythm and maybe improve your focus. The dance itself will not polish the reptile brain nor will it develop a warrior mentality. More importantly, learning to dance will not extend that five second window of opportunity you have when someone comes at you with a knife. If you polish the reptile brain, hone the warrior mentality, everything becomes a weapon. You will not need to carry a katana or a kama, but if you do you will know how and when to use it, and when not to. Dancing with rubber knives, kamas, or sai will not save your life nor will it prevent you from going to prison, but it may give you the peace and harmony that that you say you are training for, that peace that comes from entering into eternal rest.

Iaido

A Cherry Blossom's Fall

I decided to insert this article as a change of pace. At the White Shadow dojo one of our major studies is iaido, the art of drawing and cutting with the katana. I wrote this article a while back for some of my Iai students. I hope you enjoy it.


I mention in every class that students should work slowly and purposefully. Still most students seem more intent on increasing their speed. While this is not uncommon, it is a fault normally associated with beginners.


Iaido is primarily a post Sengoku Jidai--the Warring States Period—art form. Many of the kata are no more than 150 years old, many are less! The purpose of Art, despite what the modernists would have us believe, is to create beauty in ways and places where before there was none. There is a tremendous difference between an accomplished swordsman, and a killer with a sword. A critical part of that difference is Art, beauty. Beauty can be as delicate as a cherry blossom falling to the ground, or as awesome as the water cascading over Niagara Falls. There is a time and place for each of these. Both of them, while at opposite ends of the spectrum of power, share certain attributes of form, movement, time and space.


In any Art, one of the artist’s aspirations is to achieve a balance between the positive and negative spaces, and create a sense of dynamic tension. In this photograph you can almost taste the tension between the two figures. This is not a point from which either of these two swordsmen would wish to rush forward precipitously. It is a splendid example of Yang energy (on the left) and Yin energy (on the right). At this point, the death of the man on the right seems to be a fait accompli, but the swordsman on the left is not rushing into the trap, nor is the man on the right breaking his composure, or posture, or admitting defeat.


It is important to notice the grip of the swordsman on the left. The sword is held lightly, delicately poised to strike. His arms are opened wide to prevent constricting his energy and no emotion is displayed on his face. This is a unique example of art, a moment frozen in time, lingering between a movement and a rest, between life and death.


In your own practice try to incorporate the power of both the waterfall and the cherry blossom’s fall, balancing your timing and energy. Try to create beauty in your postures and movements, working your forms slowly and purposefully at first. Make each move as if it were going to be photographed and recorded as your last moment on earth.

Goldsworthy Knife

Mark Goldsworthy Pakal Knife

I just received my Kwi Kwa Ju pakal knife from Mark Goldsworthy. It came in a very reasonable time, compared to my recent experiences with another custom maker. The knife and sheath makes a terrific package at an attractive price! I suggest you contact Mark soon about one of these little beauties. The thing that impresses me most is the handle. It is as smooth as polished stone and yet so ergonomicaly shaped that it is very comfortable and secure in the hand. It fits in almost every grip equally well. The double edged blade is also impressive, perfectly ground, and the top grind is quite complex. I just can't say enough good things about this knife. It has quickly become one of my favorite EDC knives. I will be buying more knives from this guy as soon as the coffers are up to it.

Refining Gross Motor Skills

Refining Gross Motor Skills

Many new schools have sprung up that will make you a master of real combat arts in 48 hours or less. No I am not kidding, check out the Internet and see for yourself. I’ve talked about this before so you can assume that it bugs me. Why? Because I hate to see people scammed, and I also would hate to see you attempt to defend yourself with any of these new-found techniques. The human body, by design, can only move in so many ways. It is after all a mechanical contrivance, complete with hydraulic and electrical systems, animated by a life force that you may call a spirit, soul, etc. Despite that life-force it still has certain limitations.

I will readily admit that the human body is ingeniously designed with self-healing properties, redundant systems (for most functions) and a computer the likes of which none has been able to fully duplicate. And yet for all of its marvels, knees and elbows still only bend one way, the neck can only swivel safely so many degrees, and there are certain critical organs that must remain inviolate if we are to remain alive. We begin life with very limited mobility and coordination and travel a long path to refine our motor skills.

Refining what is referred to as Gross Motor Skills is only possible through endless repetitions. You did not learn to walk by standing up one time and heading across the carpet. That once wonderfully complicated, nearly insurmountable task, is now a part of your gross motor skills. Its "just" walking. Once you have a child you rediscover how incredibly difficult walking is, all over again. Or maybe you have been seriously injured, or lost a limb and have to relearn the process of "just" walking again. No one can teach you to walk again in two days, and no one can teach you refined fighting skills in two days, or two weeks. It may take you two months or years, but not two days. You will not absorb and master complicated self-defense techniques with one repetition. I really hate to burst your bubble but that is not how learning takes place. You know it, and I know it, but the people selling 48 hour self-defense classes do not seem to know it! Why is that?

If you fail to master their self-defense or combative skills curriculum in one weekend these same people will tell you not to worry because in a "real fight" you can only rely on your gross motor skills. Gee, is this a different reality than they were supposed to be teaching me in the 48 hours of Reality Based fighting? What the heck, when you came to class you already had those gross motor skills, kicking, biting, arm twisting, and eye gouging! But now you have spent a lot of money and call it reality based ground fighting. You already knew how to run away, so what exactly did you get for your money? I’ll let you answer that question.

You can refine your gross motor skills to higher and higher levels to where eventually techniques that you could not perform after dozens of tries become natural, instinctive movements. This won’t happen in 48 hours. It won’t happen because you spent a lot of money or attended one seminar. It will only happen if you spend the time, however much time it takes, to find perfection through endless repetitions.

Let me give you an example of how you can tell you are making progress. Sometimes when Gwynne and I are working on a new technique I will throw a punch or kick from an odd angle or using interrupted timing. Without a moments thought, she blocks or sweeps away my attack. She doesn’t have to launch into her fighting stance or engage some ancient mental mudra, she just moves. Its not the technique I wanted but I caught her off guard or attacked while she was pre-occupied. It doesn’t matter her block was in place and my attack was foiled. Her natural defense is the result of countless repetitions, not a weekend seminar or a ninety-minute videotape. The important point to recognize is that her natural reactions are not the same gross motor skills she started with 12 years ago.

There are no shortcuts in the learning process other than limiting the number of techniques you learn. It is better if you only have four techniques and practice those four thousands of times, rather than have thousands of techniques and practice them only four times. But I guess deep down you really knew that didn’t you. Go find a good teacher and spend a few years with him or her.

Gross Motor Skills

Gross Motor Skills

The rain pasting the windshield seemed heavy with the chill of winter. As the car enters the curve the driver feels the backend losing its grip on the pavement. He silently wished he had been paying closer attention and noticed the ice forming on the shiny steel road signs, especially the one marking "curves ahead." As the rear of the car spun rapidly out of control he hit the brakes hard only milliseconds before the sound of the car hitting the tree broke the black silence of the night. Sirens wailed in the distance.
Let’s rewind this scenario. The heavy rain began forming a thin layer of ice on the chrome strip surrounding his windshield. The driver relaxed his grip on the steering wheel so he could feel the slightest feedback between the road’s icy surface and his tires. As he entered the turn the backend began to slip slowly toward the waiting ditch. Deftly, he feathered the gas and tapped the brake pedal several times. Smoothly easing the steering wheel to correct for the slide. He found himself breathing a sigh of relief as the road straightened before him.
How many times have you heard that in a life and death situation the only thing you can depend upon are your gross motor skills? I am sure that I have said the same thing. So what just happened here? The application of gross motor skills got our first driver killed. He followed his basest instincts and died in the process. That’s not what we wanted to prove, is it! It has taken me many years to realize that you can spend a lifetime learning stupid, overly complicated, suicidal techniques that will fail you when you need them most. You could sit back and do nothing, saying, "When push comes to shove I’ll just fall back on my instincts," like driver number one. Or, you could work at improving your gross motor skills and gut reactions raising them to a higher, but reliable, level.
Some schools I know would not give you a passing grade unless you could tell them the exact degree to turn the steering wheel, the specific number of taps to the brakes, and the correct exit speed for a corner of such and such radius. This is what I mean by stupid. over complication. Another curve, a different speed and you would still die. Other schools say, "Hey if it works you’re good to go." Is the second driver a sissy because at some point in his life he practiced correcting for a slide? If all that can be relied upon are gross motor skills, didn’t he waste a lot of time practicing? There needs to be a reasonable mid-point, a rational approach to your training and education. By the way, don’t ignore the peripheral look for icing on the windshield, or the relaxed grip on the steering wheel for feedback. These are two critical components to any survival situation. Icy roads and knife-fighting may not seem like related topics. The martial arts do not grow in a vacuum, they are an integral part of your life and how you approach life is how you will approach the arts.

What's Up?

What's Up?

Our new book, When Two Tigers Fight, is getting there, slowly. Right now I am editing it again for the umpteenth time and shuffling topics around to where they best fit. There are still at least two knife makers holding up the process of reviewing their knives because, THE KNIVES AREN"T HERE YET! The knives are in fact over 6 months behind the promised delivery dates.

Gwynne and I are busy working on some left-handed techniques and also taking an Italian style fencing class. I am already mentally trying to connect the dots between fencing moves and knife work.

In November we are going to the NYC Custom Knife Show to pick up three new Cobras from Brent Sandow along with two new tactical, Chisel Point Commando knives. If you want a Cobra, now is the time to speak up. Yup the Chisel Tip F/Ss are something new that I wanted to try and Peter and Brent have humored me. You will see these knives featured in our new book too. Whether they will work or not is yet to be determined. I am waiting for a new shipment of knives from Noviar and there will be s few kerambit ready for immediate sale/shipment. Contact me if you are interested.

I recently bought this mini-neck knife from Dan Certo of Relentless Knives. He makes nice stuff and eventually I will order a bigger knife. For some reason I bought another Fer De Lance. Like I needed three of them huh! The Fer de Lance by Pacific Cutlery is my all-time favorite factory made knife and I am going to include a short review of it in our book too even though it has been out of production for a long time. Maybe some new maker will be inspired by its beautiful lines.

Keep checking back to see how our book is progressing and for knives we will have available for sale. I will also be listing Cobras on the USN Usual Suspects Network site. If you haven’t already checked the USN site out you should.

Bun Bu Ichi

Bun Bu Ichi:

In the pure warrior the fine arts and the weapons arts are one and this concept is known as Bun, Bu Ichi. A warrior devoid of any social graces is not a pure warrior but a thug or barbarian. A socialite without martial abilities is either a dilettante, a sportsman, or a potential victim of the aforementioned thugs and barbarians. What about the person who seems to possess, at least superficially, all of these sporting, social, and martial attributes?

Let me give you an example. The other day at our first fencing class the instructor passed around his elegant Small Sword so that we could feel the balance, weight, and aliveness of a real fighting sword. When it found its way to the senior-most student, who has reputedly been trained by the best, she ran her fingers all up and down the blade and made a cute wincing gesture as she pointed out to the other students the obviously pointed tip. I was almost hoping for a Stephen King happening, where the sword would do something terribly diabolical, and that we would watch, in suitable horror, as the sword redressed this insult by severing multiple body parts or perform a grand disemboweling. Nothing personal mind you.

I thought to myself, "What’s wrong with this picture," although I said nothing about it. Several days later my daughter brought it up. She wondered why so many people who ought to know better still act like complete idiots around weapons. Sure it was "just" a small sword and we were in a class setting, not heures de combat, locked in a mortal struggle, but whatever happened to common sense, courtesy, and respect. I can only imagine the physical response a Japanese swordsman would offer if some idiot were to treat his katana in this way!

What made this little exhibition all the more disrespectful was that the instructor was at that moment trying to impress upon the group his feeling that swords are animate objects and possess a desire to join in the fray, to be used in combat or the duel. All I could think of was the movie a Knight’s Tale where the beautiful maiden refers to her knightly courtier as, "a boy on a horse with a stick." To which the indignant squire responds, "Hello, its called a lance!" I felt like telling this advanced student, "Hello, it’s a live blade." Therein is one of the main differences between warriors, socialites, and sporting people, knowing the difference between a piece of inanimate equipment and a "Live" object, and showing it the proper respect.

If a person in their fifties, a student of the sword arts, lacks this understanding, then how can we expect to find it or instill it in our youths? To this day I find it very difficult to abuse or disprespect a weapon, even a piece of junk, unless it is for a very good reason like destructive testing. Yet I have seen people take up a priceless knife or sword and treat it callously, indifferently, like it was a disposable commodity.

The Old Knife Ploy

The Old Knife Ploy

"Sure that’s just a ploy to buy another knife!" OOPS, I guess my wife is onto my scheme. It does seem that I have amassed a lot of new knives while making very little advances in writing my new book. My latest acquisition is an odd looking knife produced by Spyderco™. One of the determining factors in buying this knife, called the "Civilian," was that James Keating actually produced a video for users of this unique knife. I intend to order a copy of the video at my first opportunity. The other factor was a comment I read that the knife proved to be "too lethal" for the use that it was originally intended for. I an abstruse way that recommends it to me for self-defense use.
One of the most interesting parts of writing this new book has been my exploration of the fringes of knife design. This fully serrated hawkbill style knife certainly pushes the limits in imagination and functionality. Spyderco included a long note in the vinyl zipper case explaining that this knife was a departure from their normal "White Hat" (good guys) policy of making knives to be used strictly as tools. I think this is the first time I ever knew a company to feel obligated to explain their stand on the function of a knife. This is a quote from their website.
"In the 1990s Spyderco was approached by a specialized branch of U.S. law enforcement about making a knife for their undercover agents. These plain-clothes LEOs found themselves in situations where they often could not carry a firearm but carrying a knife was not a problem. Most had no formal training in self-defense tactics but as a last resort could use a blade to protect or extricate themselves from a life-threatening situation. This was how the Civilian model came to be."
Spyderco Website

The Civilian is a natural extension of my investigation into exotic knives like the Szabo/Black Cloud Argentine, Jaws, and Kamaitachi, as well as more traditional keris and kerambit. The blade form and function clearly parallel that of a karambit. Each new blade teaches me something, alters my perceptions of what works and why, and leads me onto new levels of understanding. Hopefully I can pass this knowledge onto you, the reader, in such a way as to help you decide upon a knife that is perfectly suited for your personal training and defense. I must admit that the shape of the Civilian is counter to my visual tastes in knives, that is one of the useless prejudices that I need to shed. After all, I have said time and time again, "knives are intended to do two things, cut and stab." Stay tuned because now it’s time to head for the dojo to see how well the Civilian performs these tasks.

An Odd Knife

An Odd Knife:

Every once in a while you come across a knife that defies identification. This knife came out the Northwest corner of the US, but it may have originated elsewhere. Based on the Patina I would date it early 20th century or later 19th century. Usually the blade's shape clearly defines the function of the knife itself. The handle is often less influential. This knife poses a real conundrum, its shape and function are both puzzling. It appears to be designed to slice something on a countertop or cutting board, the very utilitarian handle being offset to allow the users knuckles to clear the work surface. The handles appear to be plain Birch scales held by steel pins.

The sharp upward sweep of the blade would suit a rocking, cutting motion, but of what? The heavy weight blade (1/4" thick) is professionally forged and completely unmarked. The back of the blade does not have any signs of being hammered or beaten on. Someone scoured up the blade surface with a power grinder. I have removed as much of the damage as possible with wet-dry paper, bringing the edge back in the process.
I have asked all of my knife friends and no one seems to know what this knife was designed for. I even sent a photo to Bernard Levine, a renowned knife expert. He could offer no explanation either. Should you have a suggestion please email me at ghdave2@hotmail.com.

Buddy Can You Spare a Dime?

Buddy can you Spare a Dime?

This was a common plaint from unemployed people during the depression and although I am not quite old enough to remember the depression, this phrase was still in use during my childhood. What has this got to do with knife fighting or self defense?
A few days ago I needed my knife to open a package. I whipped out my trusty Kershaw™ Speed Bump and thumbed the bump to flip it open. It didn’t open. Without bothering to look down I tried again, and a third time. I rolled the knife over in my hand and pushed down to release the lock. As usual, it was already unlocked. About this time, from out of the space between the liner and the blade, a dime fell to the floor, and the blade sluggishly half-opened.

Well luckily my package was not in the attack mode. If it had been a drug crazed, pill popping murderer I would have been in serious trouble. Not only would my knife have been ineffective, but, I was so distracted that there was a hole big enough in my self-defense to drive an Abrams tank through. So, even though this has become one of my favorite tactical folders, this lesson re-emphasizes the fact that in a tight spot nothing beats a small fixed blade knife, like a Bradburn Tanto or one of our Cobras.

Keep this episode in mind the next time you chuck some spare change in the same pocket where you keep your folder. Some day this lesson might save your life!

Noesantara Knife Review

A Review of the Noesantara Knives

As soon as the box of knives arrived from Indonesia I began anxiously looking through them and making some general observations based on the criteria Noesantara wanted to achieve. There were two types of badik, a pisau raut, a kerambit and a golok. The knives were very neatly fitted into precise cutouts in the styrofoam packing. Noviar advised me to, abuse" the Golok as I saw fit. My first impression of the knives was very positive and so was Gwynne’s, and she said she is hard to impress!

The woodwork on all the knives is excellent quality. The way the 2 parts of the sheaths are fit together is perfect and the finish is excellent. The first thing that I noticed was the smooth satin finish on the wooden parts. This is important since that is the first thing the customer will see too.
The woodcarving is artistic and well executed. Having carved dirk handles and rifle stocks in very hard wood I appreciate the traditional workmanship.

The blade grinds are nice and even (symmetrical) from one side of the blade to the other. In some pieces they need some more blending and that is one of the things that the folks at Noesantara plan to correct. The thickness of the blades is generally in good proportion to the overall size of the blade.

The packaging was very good as already mentioned and nothing was damaged in shipping.
All of the handles are large enough for my hands and fit me quite well. Even the tiny Pisau Raut knife can be used successfully for self defense and is easy to conceal. With a kydex sheath it could be easily hidden and is also a legal size to carry in most states.

The larger Badik is truly the masterpiece of the group. Absolutely a beautiful fighting knife. Out of all the knives it also has the best heft or feel in my hands. This is due to the thicker blade and the taper of the blade toward the point. A Superb knife, the man who made it can be very proud of his work. The way the sheath is contoured to match the blade grinds is very attractive. This is an example of where it would be good to have two sheaths. One traditional one, which shows the beauty of the wood, knife, and workmanship, and a kydex or leather one to be used for daily carry. (Noesantara is exploring both sheath options.) I was also impressed with the copper wire inlays in the sheath, which added to the overall subtle elegance of the weapon. I can guarantee you that this beautiful knife will never leave my collection.
The Kerambit, knife and sheath, are extremely graceful and the color of the wood and the finish is great! This is a really great little knife. The Golok handle fits my hand (and gwynne’s smaller hand) well and provides a very secure grip. I think that this is one of the styles of traditional handles that will work without any changes other than maybe to flatten it just a little to make it less visible or bulky if worn under a coat. This knife has good balance and the blade style is very good for fighting, camping, and hunting.

There are very few meaningful negatives that I found. For example the small scratches here and there in the blades. I would say that these knives are far above average, compared to many I have seen from the Pacific rim area. Will the knives cut? Check out gwynne's cut using the Golok. The top half of the pool noodle still in mid-air. It takes a good sharp knife to cleanly slice these somewhat gummy foam tubes. I know that the Badik will cut at least as good as the Golok, because it is even sharper.

The only drawback to buying a knife from Noesantara is having to wait a couple weeks for it to arrive. I assure you the wait is worthwhile if you want to enjoy a unique edged experience. The weapons are combat quality and the seller's integrity is unquestionable. I am looking forward to their future projects with great enthusiasm. Please contact me if you have further questions or want to know more about Noesantara.

E-interview with Noesantara

E-Interview with Noesantara:

(Noesantara is the previous name of INDONESIA. The word INDONESIA was founded in 1928, before that we call our country as Noesantara. Noesantara also literally known as Archipelago. Zola Octanoviar)

After several months of exchanging emails with Zola Octanoviar, looking at the methods their friends use to create knives, and the incredible diversity of weapons, I had a hundred questions running through my mind. I proceeded to send "Noviar" a list of some of those questions and I am going to share the collective responses from Noesantara with you. I have taken the liberty of editing both the questions and answers to save space. Photo from left to right: Zola Octanoviar, Kang Rhaman (knifemaker), Lucky Prianata.
Q: Are Indonesian knife makers held in any special regard, like Japanese swordmakers, or are they treated the same as any local craftsmen?
A: Some knife makers, especially those who make Keris are considered to be a "Noble / Respectable / Holy Man / Special Man." Some were even said to bring wealth and prosperity to the kingdom because of their special skills.
Q: Historically many swordmakers in Japan were at least marginal Shinto Priests. Is there any similar religious connotation associated with Indonesian Knife makers?
A: Keris making has a strong connection to ancient Javanese belief called "Kejawen." This belief crosses religious boundaries between Hindu, Muslim and Christian, and establishes much of the ritual associated with keris making. The keris maker was held to be a Holy Man.
Q: Do most modern knifemakers in Indonesia use new steel from blanks or from other sources?
A: Some makers use European steel brought by the Dutch for bridges, etc. Some makers still make their blades from smelting iron ore but this is no longer common. The preferred steel is from the leaf springs of Jeeps, BMW, and Mercedes Benz. Older springs are more desirable than new ones.
Q: What is the usual quenching/tempering process and medium?
A: Most makers judge by the color of the steel when to quench and temper. They do not use a magnet to test for temperature. Water and oil are both used, depending upon the maker’s preference or experience. The colors are observed in a darkly lit workshop.
Q: How do the makers achieve such a smooth polish on the wooden and horn surfaces?
A: A form of pumice like material is used to smoothen the surfaces after which the wooden ones are finished with furniture grade varnish.
Q: Do knife makers apprentice, and if so for about how long.
A: Yes they apprentice, usually with a family elder. The apprenticeship can last for 10-15 years.
Q: Is the art of knife making growing or fading, and do most people buy local knives or modern production knives?
A: It is definitely fading! For example, most young people buy Japanese sword instead of Golok or traditional pieces. Daily cutlery purchases are mostly cheap Chinese imports of poor quality. If nothing is done then knife making the traditional way may die out within the next 50 years.
Q: Is there much demand for traditional swords? Are they used mostly for ceremonial events or martial arts training?
A: Some swords are still used for daily activities, such as hunting. The sword is also used in ritual ceremonies and dances, but the quality of the swords has declined until the balance, strength, and sharpness is very poor. (This is one of the reasons that Noesantara is attempting to reverse this trend. My note) In some remote areas extraordinary people still exist who make wonderful, sharp, balanced, pieces.
Q: And finally, do many people today practice the traditional martial arts, and if so are these normally taught in formal schools or in a home dojo?
A: Almost every village has a silat school that teaches young people. Some silat is taught in the home while other is taught in public school. In the cities the silat is fading as students turn to Japanese arts. The younger generation finds silat boring because the teacher insists on learning the basics by repetition before moving on to advanced studies. While this type of training is good for the student most of today’s generation is impatient.
My thanks to Octanoviar and Noesantara for the in-depth replies and insights into the direction that Indonesian arts and crafts are headed. I hope that through their efforts things can be turned around and that their arts will flourish once again. The plague of cheap Chinese products is like a scourge on the world right now and even smaller countries like Indonesia are feeling its negative impact on their culture and way of life. Noviar, Lucky and I are working together to design an "MIK" Modern Indonesian Knife for martial artists and those interested in a knife for daily-carry self defense. If you are interested in buying a high quality "MIK" or a traditional knife from Noesantara please contact me.

Dull knives and Dim-Witted People

Dull Knives and Dim-witted People:

“I don’t sharpen them because too many people pick them up at shows and bleed all over my knives.” Have you ever heard such a dumb response? That’s the answer I got from the maker of a custom Bowie knife I recently bought. So lets get this right, I paid $225 for a really nice, but dull knife. Folks a dull knife is nothing more than an expensive and ineffective prybar. I’ve heard this sort of thing too many times before. Ebay sellers say, “If you want it really sharp we can do that before we ship it.” Why do you have to make a special request that your knife be delivered sharp? How many times have you heard that, “the back edge could be easily sharpened.” Then sharpen it! You Mr. Knifemaker have the equipment. Don’t expect your customer, with nothing more than the knife sharpener on the back of his electric can opener, to do it.

Let’s go back to one of my earliest premises about buying and using a fighting knife. A knife, of any kind, is designed for only two purposes, to puncture or to cut. If it won't’ cut we’re reduced to one function, stabbing. If I wanted that I’d buy a Fairbairn Sykes or an ice pick and get something that really excels at stabbing, not a partially sharpened Bowie or a dull “Tactical” knife. If it will not do either, then it is not a knife, and if I wanted a prybar I’d go to Home Depot.

Does this knife maker have a valid excuse for not sharpening his knives? In days long past I used to demonstrate Muzzle-loading rifle building at historical events and gun shows. Inevitably some idiot (always a man) would walk up, and without asking, pick up my razor sharp carving tools and run his finger across the edge. Occasionally they would get bitten. Is this a problem? Only in this day and age of frivolous litigation and frivolous men (including judges) who lack common sense or a sense of etiquette would it be a problem. Let me give you another good example. As a member of our Japanese Sister City I was dressed in traditional Japanese clothing (including my sword) waiting to walk in a parade. The head instructor of a local karate club came over to introduce himself to me. He commented on my katana and as a courtesy I handed it to him so he could take a closer look. At this point he twirled it around like a baton and commented, “It has good balance.” I was speechless! It was beyond my comprehension that a teacher of martial arts could be so ignorant of proper etiquette when handling another persons sword. Here was a full-grown man supposedly responsible for teaching children respect and courtesy. Acting this way in Japan would have probably resulted in him being knocked on his fat butt. Had this been a shinken (or live blade) he might have gotten cut. If he had dropped it it could have been badly damaged, which was my real concern.

So, back to the dull knives and dim-wits. Fighting knives should be made and kept as sharp as the steel will permit. If you get cut, you did something stupid! Training knives and swords ought to be dulled for safety. The fact that they are dull is no excuse for treating them indifferently or casually. Training weapons should be treated with the same respect as their sharpened counterparts. In Japan it is a huge breech of courtesy to step over another persons wooden training sword. Twirling their sword would be absolutely unthinkable! Grabbing a knife or sword by the blade is an inconceivable act of disrespect to the weapon and its owner. If you are the owner or a martial arts instructor you ought to be sent back to weapons basics and white belt status. If you think that weapon etiquette is all foolish romantic hogwash maybe you should stick to manipulating your blackberry’s, X-boxes, and I-pods and leave men’s things to men.

Indonesian Knives

Indonesian Knives:

The introduction of a different culture to the martial arts mix will often influence both weapons design and fighting techniques. The bladed arts of the Philippines and Indonesia have been very influential in modern knife design. For example, the handle of my Cobra is shaped similar to a Keris or Lawi Ayam from Indonesia. Perhaps no other culture has invented and utilized a greater variety of exotic edged weapons than the peoples of the Philippines and Indonesian Archipelago.

Before you go running off and buy a Golock, Barong, Badik, etc. I should warn you that there is one caveat to this wonderful bounty of sharp things, it is that these culture-specific knives are often very narrowly focused in application. This does not necessarily mean they are not fully functional weapons, but they may not be good all-around weapons. Another problem with exotic weapons is finding a qualified teacher who can instruct you in their proper use. Unless you find a legitimate teacher you may never extract the knife’s full potential. There are also certain edged weapons whose function is more closely associated with religious or mystical ritual rather than combat. That is a topic for another time and currently beyond my scope. Having said this, I would recommend that you spend the time to find a teacher and invest the money in one or more of these knives. Their unique shapes will force you to learn new movements and techniques, therefore increasing your skills, but only if you seriously apply yourself to learning them correctly. A good reference book on Indonesian combat styles is Donn Draeger's, "The Weapons and Fighting Arts of Indonesia." You can still find copies of this through Alibris.

Blade shapes from this region of the world are extremely diverse! They range in style from recognizable Bowie-looking knives to looking like something evil from "Lord of the Rings." They come in all sizes and shapes. Many of these weapons have an organic sort of look to them that is not found in the West. It is difficult to learn about these weapons because many of the books about them are written in Dutch. Go figure. For you younger readers it was Dutch Indonesia for many years. Many of these reference books are out of print and quite expensive. On Noviar’s recommendation I finally found and bought a copy of "TRADITIONAL WEAPONS OF THE INDONESIAN ARCHIPELAGO" by A. G. Van Zonneveld. This 160 page encyclopedic book provides brief descriptions and 650 photos of the weapons from this region. The photos are sometimes small, and while it is not cheap it is in English and an invaluable reference.

It was by chance that I became acquainted withZola Octanoviar. He is a young man who is working diligently to raise awareness of Indonesian edged weapons and to "improve our pieces to reach global accepted quality." During many subsequent emails back and forth we have discussed topics as far ranging as Scottish dirks and how to polish buffalo horn. Noviar is assisted in his efforts by his best friend Luck Prianata. Lucky is also a fervid Silat practitioner. Together they have marketed the local knife craftsmen’s wares on Ebay, organized a booth at a craft/trade fair, and personally donated monies and materials to assist struggling artisans in their local area.

From the numerous photos and videos they have shared with me, the knives they are selling seem to be of exceptional quality and artistry. Before too long I hope to review them in person and provide you with a critique of how well they perform and the fit and finish. To help them replace some of the books they lost in the tsunami a couple years back I have agreed to exchange books for knives. As part of our relationship they have asked for my input on American tastes in knives and how to size the handles to fit larger western hands. Lucky and Noviar are passionate about their traditional edged weapons and weapons arts and want to offer only serious knives, not tourist trash. I will keep you posted as this project evolves. I cannot wait to handle the Badik and other knives they made especially for this review. If you seeone of their knives on Ebay you might want to add it to your collection and find someone qualified to teach you how to use it.

Dark Ages

Dark Ages

We are living in an ever increasingly violent world. In the first quarter of 2007 there were nearly 200 homicides in the city of Philadelphia alone! The bulk of them were committed with handguns. Despite this, and despite being a student and instructor of martial arts, I do not believe that enrolling yourself and your children in a martial arts school is the complete answer. I do not believe that the solution to violence is always more violence, or that total surrender or slumping into pathetic compliance will work either. I wish I had THE answer.

What terrible cancerous malaise has fallen upon us? I am reminded of the dark times before the coming of King Arthur when it was said that the men were less and less and the beasts became more and more. Today, in this darkest of ages, our men have themselves become the beasts, transformed into predators, muggers, murderers, and rapists. Individual’s lives have become worthless, other persons’ property has become fair game, free for the taking, and the vilest and nastiest element of our race have begun to replace men of honor, integrity, and dignity.

This disease is not limited to the lower social classes, but then it never was. Privilege has often bred pestilence, abusive use of power and wealth. Violence and crime are not solely the mark of the poor or homeless, for these people are also the victims. Violence has become the sport of many of the privileged people, the rich and educated. Business executives and Sports and Movie icons are paid ludicrous salaries, which they spend on drugs and illicit sexual encounters. Accepting bribes and callously doing whatever it takes to win a game or sign a business deal has become commonplace. Corporations sack employees to please shareholders and increase profitability. Politicians take bribes, pander to special interest groups, and rapaciously sacrifice America’s soil, jobs, and sons to foreign investors in support of corrupt foreign governments. Judges operate beyond the pale of common sense and it is the victims whom too often become the accused and persecuted. In the olden days a person who suffered perpetually from bad luck or ill temperament was said to have been born under a dark star, or during the ebb tide. How can we make excuses for the tens of thousands of men without any moral accountability who are locked away in prisons or waiting trial? Were they all born under dark stars, even the privileged nouveau riche?

I had one writer post a lengthy comment contradicting my blog article, "To Rule the Night." That is his right. The writer offered a counter view to my position wherein I stated that a defense against physical assault is only possible if you are armed at least as well as the indigent criminal population. The writer said that rather than arm himself he would prefer to live in a disarmed society like Great Britain. That is his choice to make, although it is a wonderfully naïve Polly Anna approach. It has always been the hue and cry of liberals that to disarm crime you must also disarm the law-abiding citizenry. Criminals will always find a way to obtain weapons. That’s why they are criminals. Using weapons and hurting people is a part of their job description. Taking away the guns, knives, bows and arrows of the population will leave everyone resorting to baseball bats, right? No, I don’t think so. The criminal will still find a way to buy or steal a gun. He wants to have an "edge" before he risks his sorry life robbing you.
Given a choice I would rather try to defend myself with a legally owned (or otherwise if necessary) knife or gun than to allow myself to be beaten to death with a blunt object. I hope that you have not forgotten the televised attack with baseball bats on a homeless person. He was nearly beaten to death by several bored uptown youths? I suppose it was great fun until they realized they had been caught on a security camera. What if he had died? Would his have been a noble death because he did not use a weapon to defend himself? We all die. There is no escaping from this fact. As I see it we may die in one of four ways:

• Natural causes
• Wracked by disease
• An accident
• Or by murder.
  

The only one of these four that we have any control over is the last one. Dying of old age is natural, and while doctors may offer some hope for relief from disease, life remains terminal. Accidents may be avoidable, and I stand by my contention that death by murder is also avoidable. The laws of the land cannot protect you from criminals, the police cannot protect you from criminals either. All that they can do is investigate how and why you were murdered and file a detailed report with glossy 8x10 photos of the crime scene. While my outlook might seem pessimistic or morbid, I prefer to consider it simply a realistic appraisal.

Its OK if you don’t like my suggestions for defending yourself. There is nothing preventing you from turning in your guns and knives to the local constabulary. You could even place a sign in your window advertising "Easy Target." That would permit us armed citizenry to live unmolested for a bit more time. Once all of you easy targets are mugged or murdered I suppose that us barbarians will have to resort to fighting violence with violence again. With any luck, some day like in days of old when knights were bold, men will once again become more and more, and the two-legged beasts will be rendered extinct. Until then you can drink your latte’ and wine coolers and talk about non-aggression, but in the meantime, keep your stinking hands off my knives and guns.

"Never mistake an act of kindness for weakness" anonymous

State of the Art: Kiku Matsuda

Kiku Matsuda
State of the Art:

From the sands of Kittyhawk to the skies over Baghdad, aeronautic technology has undergone incredible changes in what we often refer to as the State of the Art. The march of knife technology, from flint shard to super stainless steels, has been less world shattering, maybe. The Japanese ashigaru trudging back with broken swords on their waists after battling the Mongols might disagree with me. The first Greeks to bang bronze blades against iron ones would also have something pithy to say about the evolution of edged weapons technology.

More than eight hundred years after the Mongol invaders were repulsed, men are still making katana in the same basic style that emerged from the knowledge gained in those battles. Some of these are made of tamahagane, smelted the old way. Other katana are made using "State of the Art" powdered Swedish steels and modern metallurgy. The evolutionary process of blade design may have slowed, as wars are waged remotely using laser guided missiles and satellite guided drones, but blade evolution has not stopped completely. Maybe the question is whether it is evolution, or intelligent design, that feeds the creativity of today’s generation of knife makers?

In my new book, When Two Tigers Fight, I will be discussing the tantoesque-Bowies, Bowie-fied tanto, and Indo-Euro-Asian hybrids. These exciting new trends in knifemaking are obvious examples of cross-cultural pollination, the fruits of our world growing smaller and smaller. But, how often do we see true evolution, or innovation, within an already timeless design? The "Full Contact" Fighting knife is only one example of Kiku Matsuda’s evolution of the timeless. There are many more examples of his work to be found at http://www.japaneseknifedirect.com/ .

After only a few moments spent looking over his knives on the Japan Knife Direct website I bought what he calls his back-up knife. One of the reasons I bought this small knife was because most of the other sizes were already sold! At 7.25 inches overall, this is a perfect sized back-up every-day-carry knife. The 3.25 inch blade was delivered razor sharp! The quality of the grinding and the overall knife fit and finish is excellent! It came fitted with a compact, perfectly fit kydex sheath. Although most people like them, I am not a fan of the Techlok™ system on a small knife sheath because it makes it unnecessarily bulky. In my opinion the mini Full Contact is a superb knife capable of providing you with a sure defense. Kiku san uses a unique lanyard arrangement on his knives that at first glance seemed awkward. I soon discovered that if you slid your fingers between the grip and the lanyard you could actually let go of the knife without dropping it, freeing your hand for other tasks. Close your fingers and the knife comes right back to where it should be, ready to be used again. This is a far better system than having a single lanyard placed at the butt.

Anyway, within five days of placing my order I had my new Kiku Mini "Full-Contact" fighting knife in my hand and a day later I placed an order for a full-sized version as soon as one might come available. Jemmy Iwahara quickly contacted a knife store and procured one of these rare knives for me and within a week it too arrived at my door. The hand ground nine inch blade on my full sized "Full Contact" has the blade shaped in the traditional hamaguri-ba (apple seed) profile, known for its strength and fearsome cutting ability. The length of the tip is somewhere between an O-kissaki and a chu-kissaki in size and it is gracefully curved like the tip of a katana. Moving further back along the blade, where the yokote would normally be, we find instead a distinct transition line that delineates between the slightly reinforced tip and the beginning of the primary edgei. The primary edge, like the tip, is hair shaving sharp. A six inch long beveled false edge mimics the Ihori style mune, but unlike its feudal predecessor, it is sharpened adding to the blade’s overall functionality. Replacing the traditional frosty hamon is a unique pattern created by a special acid etch. This etch is said to increase rust resistance while eliminating surface reflections. Resembling a Jackson Pollock canvas, the etched blade surface adds an interesting artistic touch. In place of the clay hardened blade of old is one manufactured from a modern steel, along with its attendant special heat treatment to ensure edge retention and improve cutting.

If you are a Strider-oholic or stuck on Mercworx, the Iwaharas and Kiku san have a cure, but it is not a cheap one. Kiku san’s knives are extraordinary pieces of art and edged weaponry and they are priced accordingly. Those who know quality won’t balk at the price and those with deep pockets who love beautiful knives can fulfill their desires at Japan Knife Direct. There are at least four other Kiku knives I would like to own. If you see one you like, buy it right then, because Kiku san’s knives do not hang around very long. Jemmy and Koki Iwahara will give you world-class service, with great communications, and some of the quickest shipping on the planet. Invest in the State of the Art, buy a Kiku Matsuda masterpiece, and tell them I sent you.

PS: Kiku san's knives will be among those featured in our second book, "When Two Tigers Fight."

The Wotan Project

The Wotan Project

Background:

"The Gebruder Weyersberg (Weyersberg Brothers) was founded in Solingen, Germany in 1787 and represented a tradition of forgers and sword makers dating back to the 1600’s. Operating in Brazil since 1932, under the name INDÚSTRIA e COMÉRCIO CORNETA S. A. the company had established a business making pocketknives using forged blades. Knives and scissors of many kinds of domestic cutlery were added to the line as the company grew. Increasing demand from the automotive industries led to Corneta focusing its production on forged auto parts almost exclusively.
Having been away from the cutlery industry for over twenty years, CORNETA made the wise decision to contract a custom knife maker to head up the project. Peter Hammer was chosen and brought to the project a deeply professional commitment to quality and functionality." Background History provided by Mr. Helio Barretos.

My Review:

Brazilian knifemaker Peter Hammer certainly did his homework before designing the new series of tactical knives for the Wotan Project. The knife I received for review has a seven and three quarter inch clip point saber ground blade. It is a very rugged knife, being approximately six millimeters thick. My sample blade has an unsharpened false edge and its overall shape somewhat resembles the popular Cold Steel™ SRK. While a clip point, saber ground knife is nothing out of the usual, this one is drop forged with an integral guard. Corneta’s trademark, a coronet, is stamped into the precisely formed ricasso. The low gloss black finish applied to the blade is similar to that found on many modern tactical knives. This Wotan knife was sharp enough to shave hair from my arm, but not razor sharp. Since this is a combat oriented knife, and not intended for slicing tomatoes or filleting fish, it is certainly sharp enough. The stout blade tip lies on center, which is something I advocate when buying a fighting knife.
The integral double guard is very well formed and smoothly radiused into the ricasso. This is one of one thousand knives in the series and the guard is stamped 00080. Accompanying the knife was a certificate of authenticity and quality signed by Peter Hammer. Although my Portuguese language skills are nonexistent, there are detailed instructions on how to maintain and re-sharpen the knife when it becomes necessary. I am sure that with importation of the knives into the USA the instructions will be printed in English.
The roughly four and one half inch long handle is molded in Kraton with crisp checkering and a lanyard tube. A well placed palm swell provides a comfortable and secure grip. The only negative I could find with this knife is that it was awkward to use a fencer’s grip on the handle. Resting my thumb against the guard forced my hand too far back and off the end of the handle. While a five inch handle might have been better, when held in a hammer grip the fit was excellent.
The quality of the sheath is far better than most of today’s competition. It is made from a heavy nylon web belting material folded and stitched up the sides, ending in a reasonably sized belt loop. It has an above average nylon strap and snap for retention. A metal extension on the snap allows one to easily unsnap the retainer, unlike those sheaths with only a floppy nylon tab to pull on. A right or left-hand arrangement of the strap can be accomplished by merely rotating the strap on its rivet from left to right. There is also a provision at the bottom of the sheath for a leg tie down if you desire to use one.
If I were going off to serve my country, or on an extended camping trip, this knife would readily handle most of the day to day chores and more than adequately fulfill a self-defense role as well. Other knives in the Wotan lineup include a shorter six inch blade and a choice of a saber or flat grind. Prices for these knives were not available at the time of the writing. The sample sent to me will be comparably priced to knives of similar quality and retail just under $200 according to Mr. Neto. Please contact me for further information.

Disrespected Vets

Disrespected Vets
I am not overly fond of the new American language, or the men of this generation, but I felt that in this case the word disrespected was descriptive.
After forty years I only vaguely remember the time I spent in Vietnam, much it is like a dream. I look at the fading photos of the skinny, smiling kid with blonde hair and his ribs sticking out, and I feel somehow related to him, distantly perhaps. Occasionally I see these same youthful faces on today’s soldiers but there is one major difference. Nothing else can be seen but their faces, sometimes only their eyes. Their bodies are encased in armored chest protectors, with hands, knees, and elbows covered in hockey-like gear. Sometimes even the faces are erased, hidden by goggles, face shields, or night vision apparatus. They look more like machines, Star Wars Storm Troopers, than they do men. I often wonder if they have the same fears, hopes, and dreams that my generation of warriors did.
But these young men and women are not the veterans I refer to in this blog. The disrespected Iraqi veterans are four fighting knives now in my collection. Lying in one drawer are two Ek knives and in another drawer two custom knives. Although they are not abused, they are the victims of a moral neglect. I bought these knives on Ebay, and the question that disturbs me is what sort of warrior would willingly part with his closest friend and weapon? There wasn’t a night in Vietnam that I didn’t sleep without a knife (and/or a pistol) under my pillow, and I was one of the lucky ones to have a pillow. I never put on my pants without putting on my knife. To neglect wearing my knife would have been unthinkably careless, plain stupid. One of my Vietnam knives was stolen, and one was lost during one of my mother’s moves. Although they were not expensive knives I missed them. To me it would have been a sacrilege to sell them.
Let me introduce you to these disrespected vets. The top one is a beautiful custom combat knife by Mike Irie. It came from a young man who could hardly wait to divest himself of it. He wanted the money so he could go on a cruise with his parents. I could not help but wonder if it was the same parents who might have bought him the very expensive knife. This is a knife I would have loved to carry to Vietnam with me.
The second Iraqi veteran is a very sleek fighting knife by W.C. Davis. It too lies slumbering in that drawer, dotingly cared for by me, and not its original owner. You know, I vividly remember throwing away all of my dyed green BVDs when I got back from Vietnam, but my knives, never. In fact, I searched for years until I found a replacement for the German dagger that my mother lost.
A spare hand grenade ring dangles from the lanyard of the W-3 Ek, the third knife down in the photo. This knife had the cheap wooden handles sanded down to fit the owner’s hand, and yet this knife too has now parted company with its owner. This knife has seen more use than the others, and it has the odor of war, sand, and sweat about it. This Ek is not an extravagant knife, like the Irie or the Davis, but it is an honest, tired vet. I am pleased that it found its way to me.
The last knife is another Ek, an M-6 double-edged Bowie. The owner said he wanted to get rid of everything that reminded him of being over there. I wondered if I should have kept his address so that a few years from now he could reclaim his knife and his memories. This Ek has also been used. It is not some foot locker prima donna. At some point the owner removed the original paracord wrap and replaced it with black Ek micarta scales. That makes it a nicer knife to handle. The M-6 Ek is a solid fighting knife worthy of any warrior.
Only the two Eks show any signs of use and sharpening. I know that the Irie was carried too because the sheath shows wear and has sand embedded in the nylon weave. Only the owners of these knives know why they were discarded, and now you know one of the reasons why I am not enthused with today’s generation of warriors. I suppose that war has become too complicated for knives or that I have become too old for the way of today’s world, and yes, despite my grumbling, I think that we have some of the finest men and women in uniform that the world has seen. It is too bad that they are seen in so many places.

Kiku Matsuda Knife Maker

Kiku Matsuda[1]:

“Kiku Matsuda, the new knifemaker who has a magic hand in grinding and polishing the blades in any angles and directions. Unlike normal grinders, he uses a side flat area of the power wheel, that is his canvas to create any 3D grindings, concave, hollow, flat, Hamaguri (convex), twist, double and triple grindings in a free hand. He says his fingers move automatically from his imagination. This is amazing!
His father has been running a small workshop in Seki for blade grinding work for Seki production knife makers. Kiku has joined at the age of 15 and learned the grinding technique from his father. He is now 56, and his 40 years experiences and techniques have proved to be a best grinder in the world. His fine work was admitted by William Henry Knives some years ago, and all of their custom grade blades are being hand ground and polished by him.
After his son, Masayuki (3rd generation) has joined, he has started making his own knives (handmade custom knives). At the local knife shows, his unique Tactical knives have quickly received great reputations for it’s unique blade style and extreme durability and sharpness. His first preference in blade steel is the new OU-31. ( user/OU-31 Steel.pdfuser/OU-31 Steel.pdf see details of this newly developed specialty steel here), but he also uses D2, ATS-34 and VG-10.
The blade durability, edge sharpness, and longer edge retention of his knives are not only for the steel character, but also for his special Hamaguri-Ba (Japanese Convex edge famous for Katana) grinding. After polished the blade, he will use a special art etching process on the blade for non-glare finish, corrosion resistance and blade surface protection. He prefers to use G-10 for the handles, hand contoured and shaped to fit with hand with a unique parachute cord guard. Each knife comes with hand fitted Kydex sheath with Tek-Lok carrying device.
You will be amazed with the outstanding blade grinding and cutting performance of Kiku Knives, when you actually use one. We would like you to experience and prove it to yourself. However, his custom knife production is very limited right now, as he still devotes most of his work for the blade grinding for several knife makers. So far, he only made some knives for the shows. Kiku is my long time friend, and I have been helping him traveling and conducting international shows in last 4 years.” Jemme Iwahara

I will post a review of the two knives I bought later in the week. For now, Suffice it to say that if I did not like the first knife I would not have bought a second one. Pictured here is the mini Full Contact Back-up knife by Kiku san.

[1] Quoted, unedited, with the permission of Jemme Iwahara, Japan Knife Direct

A SAMPLING OF OUR NEW BOOK:

WHEN TWO TIGERS FIGHT

Chapter I: Introduction

When Two Tigers Fight, One Will Die and the Other Will Be Scarred For Life.
The main focus of this book is a select few friends who are makers of fighting knives, and how their knives can be used in the defense of your life.
The knives illustrated herein are for the most part my own, I bought them and therefore I have a personal working knowledge of them. My opinions are not based on other’s writings or knives that I have only seen or read about in magazines.
It is only due to my wife’s gracious nature that I have been able to expend so much of my time and our money following my passion for steel.

Never before in the history of modern Man have so many people been engaged in custom knife-making. Unfortunately, while many of these knife-makers are excellent craftsmen very few of them are capable of capturing the essence of a fighting knife. Why, because not one in a hundred, perhaps not even one in a thousand, have ever been trained in the use of a fighting knife.

What is truth?
I think this is a question that anyone teaching Martial Arts needs to ask of themselves, especially those of us teaching the gritty art of knife-fighting and defense. Some truths will become self-evident in this book and others will perhaps remain less obvious.
Pseudo-Budo Warriors:
The Knife-Fighter: the Man the Myth, the Legend:
Dropping into a low crouch, his lips curled back in a snarl. A deep growl resonated from deep within his throat as his tongue flicked back and forth across his teeth like a darting snake. I knew I was in for trouble, he was in a foul temper and his knife was thirsting for blood. I silently slid my blade from its sheath.
This is "reality," as depicted in most knife-fighting media on the market today

Chapter II: Tools of the Trade
Weapon Design, by Evolution or Revolution:
hat criteria are at work in the design of a fighting knife, whether it is a dagger or a Bowie? What role does culture or ethnicity play in the design process? There are two major, diametrically opposed philosophies covering the design of weaponry and its usage. This seems to be the same sort of East - West dichotomy that divides and influences so many aspects of the two halves of our world. Topics include:
A Culture of Steel:
Some Lessons in Blade Geometry:
What is a Tactical Knife?
The Long and Short of it:
What kind of steel is that?
Which is Best, Cut and/or Thrust:
Any Old Knife Will Do:
Selecting a Fighting Knife:
How does one go about selecting a suitable fighting knife?

Fit and Finish: and some random thoughts:
Clattering Kydex, whatever happened to cows?
Damned if you do, Dead if you don’t:
Carrying Concealed:

Chapter III: A Focus on a Select Few Makers:
This section will discuss a select few knifemakers and their work.
Peter Parkinson and the F/S Fairbairn Sykes:
Brent Sandow Viper and Victorian:
Gary Bradburn Shobu Tanto series:
The Decker~Sandow Cobra:
Laci Szabo Knives:
John Gonzalez knives:
A Plethora of Bowies: choppers and fencers
The Smatchet: mostly a chopping weapon.
Frizzell Boot Dagger and Bowie:
Richard Derespina’s Knives
Graham Brothers Knives
DJ Urbanovsky & American Kami knives

Finally, My Choice for the Perfect Fighting Knife:
After collecting fighting knives for over 40 years my vote is finally in for "the Perfect Fighting Knife." Drum roll please! The title goes to ………. You have to buy the book to find out!

Chapter IV:
Some Factory Knives of Interest:

The Urban Dart

Cold Steel Bowies
Benchmade Griptilian fixed blade
Ontario Knives Bagwell Bowies
Wotan Project: Brazil
ROSarms USA: Russia
Ethnic knives from Indonesia
Fighting Folders:

Chapter V: Concepts and Techniques
Itto ~ Itten:
Knife Grips: a review
Losing Your Grip:
Knife Disarms:
Disarming Using a Knife:
Chicken Wings, Keeping Your Elbows in:
Hyoshi: Timing and a Bit of Morality:
Fighting Ranges:
Transitioning: Opening and Closing the Distance:
Dancing to a Broken Rhythm:
Compression and Expansion, manipulating the range:
Keep it Stupid, Simple:
Closest Target ~ Shortest Distance:
Picking a Stance:
The Knife Becomes a Hand:

This is just a very small sample of the topics covered in our new book. It will be fully illustrated and already over 175 pages long. Please contact us for more information! Publication will hopefully be in the Fall of 2007.
Questions/Comments? Email me at: ghdave2@hotmail.com

Sifu, the teacher

Sifu, The Teacher:

Unique among modern folding knives, the Sifu (top knife in photo) from Round Eye Knife And Tool, aka REKAT, has often been referred to as the "Mega-folder." The Sifu has a 5.75 inch long blade and an overall length of nearly a foot. The ATS-34 blade is a graceful recurved design with a nicely beveled spine. This was among the last knives produced by REKAT and today specimens are extremely difficult to find. It took me many years to acquire one of these intimidating folders.

The locking mechanism is reputed to withstand a test load of 500 pounds, which is more than ample for any self-defense use. The scales are a finely checkered micarta like those found on many Benchmade knives. The grip is contoured with five finger grooves. The extreme length of the handle allows the user to shift his hand rearward, for greater extension, or choke up on the handle for greater grip strength. The opening and closing is smooth and the lock up is solid. Most impressive with a blade this long is the fact that there is no side-play in the joint. I own three REKAT knives and they are all extremely well made and exceedingly sharp. If you have the opportunity to add a any model REKAT folder to your collection you will not regret it.

Folders of this size were quite common in the Mediterranean. Known sometimes as Navaja, carried most notably by Spaniards, they were often as large as the average Bowie knife and used for work, to preserve their honor, or to settle some vendetta. Some European and British cutlers also manufactured folding Bowies. Most of these had a blade that extended past the handles when folded, necessitating that it be provided with a sheath. When closed, the owner possessed a small knife for utility purposes, and when opened, an intimidating fighting knife. A knife of similar construction is available from Laci Szabo called the "RAD." Check out Laci's website at Szaboinc.

Like a Wooden Puppet

"Be Like a Wooden Puppet"

How many times do you feel that a technique must work successfully before you can consider yourself an adept? Yagyu Munenori had a number of things to say about this in the family book of strategy called the Heiho Kaden sho.

“No matter what you do, if you do it single-mindedly, trying to control your mind correctly and not allowing it to be distracted (unfocused[1]), you will end up becoming muddle-headed. You do something right once, so you think you are good enough; but then you do it wrong. You do it right twice and wrong once, so you may be pleased that you have reached a point where you do something right two out of three times; but then you do it wrong twice in a row and find everything confusing. All this is because you are determined to do something well.”

This is a part of the learning curve in most endeavors. If the subject is history or grammar the consequences of errors can be minimal. If your study involves an empty hand martial art, mistakes could get you seriously injured. Mistakes involving a weapon such as a knife, sword, or staff may be terminal. So paying attention is important. But isn’t Munenori saying that too much attention may actually be detrimental?

The Yagyu clan was famous throughout Japan for their muto dori (no-sword) techniques. In fact it was a demonstration of these moves that eventually gained them the honor of sword instructor to the Tokugawa Shoguns. Despite this, Hiroaki Sato states that “after working hard at the art of no sword he (Yagyu Muneyoshi) reached a stage where, without a sword, he could defeat ‘six or seven out of ten armed men,’ or defeat one armed man ‘six or seven out of ten times[2].’”

This admission comes from one of the most skilled exponents of muto in all of Japan. Was Muneyoshi satisfied with that percentage? I doubt it. After all, that means that in actual combat he would be killed 3 to 4 times out of ten encounters. Getting killed more than once is sure to be discouraging. So, this suggests that there is no end to training, no such thing as good enough, that muto dori is not infallible, and a 60 % success rate is not acceptable in single combat.

Munenori writes that you must train diligently until you become like a wooden puppet.
[1] my addition
[2] The Sword and the Mind Hiroaki Sato pg.100 footnotes