Joey H.

I don't know about the samurai spirt but the "drop" rule makes the game much more interesting. You can save all the pieces that you capture until they are aboslutly needed. Another words I could be about 2 moves from check mate but make a drop and start to win the game. Makes it much harder and better then the western style of chess. The games can also last very long!

Was just wondering if anyone played? If so do you play online or just in person? I found a couple places to play online with and without other players. http://www.japanesechess.org if you go to the links page you can find places to play aginst people. BTW if you want to try and play 99.9% of the players are Japanese and will kick your arse! Need Java to play! hit me up for a game I would love to play not too many people I know that play! Just give me Time and date Joey

Yeah, I am realizing that myself. Evertime I learn something else about nihonto I just want to learn more about it. Yesterday/early this morning I read about the diffrent type of tanto's on Dr. Stein's site and found that they had the single shot pistols and I never thought about that even being made.

I saw something the other day on TV where a family, in the US, only ate raw foods. The mom took a chicken breast out of the package let it thaw and just ate it completely raw no cooking no spice. I can see maybe eating a small piece for sashimi but not and entire breast by it self.

Hey Dirk, So what got you into Nihonto? I have only been studying now for about a week so........I will try to wait a while before I get my first blade probly about a year. to make sure I know what I am doing. That way I won't make a costly mistake. What I would really like to have is a Gassan Sadatoshi, but I have a feeling that, that might just be impossible! For right now I am just trying to learn as much as I can on the web till I get my first books in a couple weeks.

Is there a diffrence between shinsakuto made with actual people handling the hammers and those made with the use of a power hammer?

Well glad to hear that I am not the only one that is still a beginner! For all those that have been collecting for a while all the stories are very cool to hear! I am thankfull for all your work to futher the intrest of newbies like myself with info and you have/are sharing to help us learn. Brian I wouldn't consider you a beginner since you know WAY more then I do, and BTW thank you for the time and hardwork at keeping the forums up and running! Dr. Stein your site is just full of info and I am reading all the info you have on it everyday and it is helping me a lot! Strider, where in MO are you from? I take it from some of the stories I am a youngster on here a whole whopping 26.

Just curoius how long everyone has been collecting Nihon-to, and how long after you got into it did you ake your first purchase?

Well, I might just have to take you up on that! You might want to make it closer to 350$ then 250$. I am a pretty big guy and I have drank full bottles in one evening and barly been buzzed. I have never been drunk enough to puke yet, but deffiantly wouldn't want to throw-up good sushi. I knew that sake was a general term for alcohol, but didn't know the Nihon-shu which is good to know very much appreciated! Kampi!! Joey

Ahhh, I love sushi as well, Brian! Need some BAD! Rich, I don't know why you had problems with sake? After drinking it I have NEVER had any probs that would be considered part of a hang over. As far as I know you don't get hang overs from sake anyway you must have had something that wasn't Sake or some REALLY bad sake. Also from what I have learned is that the sake you get from a Sushi bar, in the states that is, is pretty much crap! They usally tend to serve real cheap sake and heat it up to make it smoother and less bitter. Brian, Now as far as Shochu I have never had any of that yet, but I hear it is pretty stout stuff! Joey

I have been drinking Sake for about 6 months now and it is pretty much the only alchole that I will drink. Have had about 7 bottles everything from a cheap $8 bottle of FU-KE to a $40 bottle of Horin Gekkeikan Junmai-Diaginjo. Was just wondering if anyone else drank Sake and if you might have any suggestions and/or stories about it.

lol yeah apparently there is a lot of info. I think I am gonna start with Samurai Sword: A Handbook by John M. Yumoto, and The Japanese Sword: A Comprehensive Guide by Kanzan Sato. From everything that I can tell these are what everyone seems to recommend/recongise and the best for beginers.

hanks Gabriel, I will just read all the info first, and then if any questions that come up aren't cleared up I will post a question. Well I might not be on for a while since I have a lot of reading to do. Jezz and I thought I was done with homework! Good thing history was one of my favorite subjects. Peace, Joey H.

Thank you everyone, I will be sure to check out all those sites and books. I really appreiate all the info and hopefully this will help me learning more about Nihonto. If I find anything that I might not understand I will be sure to ask about it here. Gabriel, Yeah, seeing Gassan working on that blade was just amazing. I have always had an interest katana's as well as samurai. I always felt that they were still making nihonto in the tradional ways, but never knew anything about it. Seeing this though showed me some of the ways they were made as well as a name that I could search. Doing a search for Gassan SadaYoshi lead me to nihonto. To be totaly honest seeing the katana at the end of the show REALLY got to me. Just seeing the little bit of it that we do I just knew that was a beautiful blade. Okay, just to clarify that I am reading this right there are basicly two diffrent types of blades that are common Tachi(really curved or straight) and BUKE-ZUKURI (slight-curve) being the one that is the most common?

Hello, My name is Joey, and I have always been intrested in swords, but just recently found out about Nihonto. I have a few swords although all are just wall hangers. I would like to someday own a Nihonto. Over the last few days I have been searching the web for information on Nihonto and have found a lot but yet at the same time not a lot of info. I am starting to pick a few things up here and there, but I am not for sure what sites I should and shouldn't be visting or where to really start. Any and all info that anyone could give me would be very helpful. The thing that actually got me in to Nihonto was the Secrets of the Samurai special and seeing the work of Gassan Sadayoshi. Thanks, Joey H.