Showing posts with label asian sword. Show all posts
Showing posts with label asian sword. Show all posts
Gin Ichimaru is the captain of the 3rd Division in Gotei 13 before he betrayed Soul Society and joined Sosuke Aizen's Arrancar army as a commander. During his stay as captain in Soul Society, he had a loyal lieutenant Izuru Kira. Gin's story started from the day he saved Rangiku Matsumoto from starvation when they were still children, and this resulted in the two being good friends ever since. Rangiku is the only person Gin seems to truly care about, although he tends to disappear often, as Rangiku puts it. He also very secretive about his movements and never shares much with her. Gin was considered a child prodigy when he graduated from the academy within one year. He was then assigned to a seated position in the 5th Division. There Gin killed the 3rd seat of the division with ease, which made Aizen truly interested in him. When Aizen was made Captain of the 5th Division, Gin was promoted to lieutenant rank.
Gin Ichimaru's zanpakuto is Shinso which literally translates to 'Divine Spear'. Shinso takes the form of a wakizashi (Japanese short sword) when sealed. The guard looks very similar to an 'S'. Shinso is released into shikai mode by the phrase ikorose or 'shoot to kill' (how cool is that?). In shikai form, Shinso's blade glows bright-white and extends at high speed to impale an enemy. This was first shown in the confrontation with Kurosaki Ichigo who tried to break-in to Soul Society. In addition to making it a deadly long-range weapon, Shinso's extending blade also carries tremendous force without affecting Gin, making it useful to dislodge heavy objects. Gin pushed both Ichigo and the giant Jidanbo out from under the Seireitei gate, despite the latter being firmly braced under it. Once extended, Gin can maintain the blade's length and swing Shinso in wide arcs, attacking multiple targets quickly and simultaneously.
While it hasn't been seen in the actual series, various Bleach console games have depicted Shinso as having additional abilities. In Bleach: The Blade of Fate, Bleach: Dark Souls, and Bleach: Shattered Blade, Gin fires Shinso into the sky and swords similar to Shinso's unreleased state rain all around him. In Bleach: Blade Battlers, Gin shoots Shinso into the ground and the blade hits the opponent from underneath, whereas in Bleach: Heat the Soul 5, a wave of blades instead shoots up from the ground to hit the opponent. Gin's bankai ability has not been revealed yet but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a huge long sword that can extend sideways too. Just my imagination.
The Gin Ichimaru Shinso Zanpakuto Sword replica from 247Swords
have an overall length of 38", blade length 27" and handle length 11". The scabbard that comes with the sword is made of wood with a high-gloss black liquid finish. At the scabbard, a black cotton sage-o (hanging cord) is tied around a wooden Kurigata (loop for the cord). The Koi-guchi (open-end scabbard mouth) is black bull horn to match the sword's color. The blade is made of 440 stainless steel and comes factory sharpened. What's different with this replica is (I'm sure you guessed it too) - the length, it's more of a Japanese katana than a wakizashi. Maybe the manufacturer wanted to make it more worthwhile for their customers, give it the extra mile or inches so to speak. But the other thing is the hilt is wrapped in black rather than blue as in the anime. Most probably this sword was designed based on the black and white manga.
There is another version of Gin Ichimaru Shinso Zanpakuto Sword replica from TotalActionAnime.
It is a bit longer with overall length at 40" and blade length 27". The blade's edge is not that sharp and is made of polished stainless steel. The handle is wrapped in black leather (again) and the sword replica comes with a high-gloss black scabbard.
set are Carbon Steel blades with two tone colors, black and silver which have an Arabian look. The spine of the blade has the cut-outs imitating the sword which seen in Bleach Manga. The guard and fittings are also made from Carbon Steel while the entire metal parts of this sword has been Electroplated to prevent from rust or weather damage. The handle has been wrapped with red nylon cord for extra grip followed by a red tassel attached to the pommel. The Katen Kyokotsu Twin Sword Replica set comes equipped with two black nylon sheaths with back straps for easy maneuverability Katen Kyokotsu Twin Sword Replica Feature:
* Overall Length: 26 inch.
* Blade Material: Carbon Steel Black and Silver Tone.
* Fittings Material: Carbon Steel, Electroplated to Prevent Rust and Corrosion.
* Handle Material: Red Nylon Cord Wrap with Red Tassel Attached.
* Includes: Two Sword with Black Nylon Sheath
There are only a handful of Senbonzakura sword replicas, one of them is from Grey Eagles. The Kuchiki Byakuya Zanpakuto Senbonzakura sword replica from Grey Eagles
has an overall length of 42" and blade length 26". The blade is made of carbon steel with a false edge. The signature guard is exactly as seen in the anime, with the shape of a double '8'. The sword replica has a simple blue-nylon wrapped handle and comes with a wooden scabbard. The scabbard has a black finish and tied to it is a blue nylon sageo (cord). Overall the Senbonzakura sword replica is simple in design, which is why the price is pretty affordable.
I observed a few visitors to my blog were searching for The Heaven's Fall sword from Hong Kong's 2005 'Seven Swords' movie directed by Tsui Hark. Yes, I do monitor my blog's traffic profile to see what visitors look for and try to fill in the 'missing link' whenever I can. I hope they come back again and find this post useful. Seven Swords was the opening film to the 2005 Venice Film Festival. Adapted from the Chinese novel 'Seven Swords of Mount Heaven' written by renowned Wuxia author Liang Yusheng, Seven Swords is also a tribute movie to Akira Kurosawa's infamous 1954 film 'Seven Samurai'. The film is the first of a planned trilogy and was originally four hours long before edited down to 153 minutes. There's even a Hong Kong TV series version, I only watched a few episodes cause Donnie Yen's not in it. Otherwise I would be glued to my TV set instead of my laptop.
The movie starts with Master Shadow-glow who leaves behind the mundane affairs of the world and goes hermit among the peaks of Mount Heaven. After spending few decades there, he became a great master of sword-casting and made seven prized swords. They were given the names The Unlearn, The Dragon, The Transcience, The Star-chasers, The Celestial Beam, The Deity and The Heaven's Fall. The seven swords represent the seven states of period and mind that Master Shadow-glow experienced on Mount Heaven. Each one of them bears a different meaning.
The Heaven's Fall sword had a unique origin. Master Shadow-glow practices austerity by casting swords and had over a thousand swords with different styles and functions. However, when these swords are compared with The Deity, they are inferior in both shape and spirit. One day, as usual, Master Shadow-glow was watching the clouds and mountains from afar. Out of the blue, a stream of clouds plunged down like a waterfall, drawing a frozen line across the sky. Master Shadow-glow suddenly was enlightened with the fact that The Deity is too primitive and is thus restrained in both shape and spirit. In a bid to break the confines of The Deity, Master Shadow-glow melted a hundred swords to cast The Heaven's Fall. The sword was later given to Wu Yuanyin.
has three circle cut outs which allow the blade to be locked in place in the handle. The blade slides from one end of the handle to the other just like in the movies. The movie sword can even be used with the handle locked in the center of the blade, so you will get the blade coming out of each side of the handle (like a short bo with blades). The movie sword has an overall length of 40", blade length 27.5" and handle length 12.25". Blade thickness is about 0.125" and the whole sword weighs approximately 5 lbs.
In NBC sci-fi series HEROES, Adam Monroe is the same Takezo Kensei from feudal Japan who has the ability to regenerate his body making him almost immortal. He's like the Highlander MacLeod hybrid minus the Scottish accent and kilt. In Japanese history, Takezo Kensei is actually a revered hero - the word "Kensei" is a title which literally means "Sword Saint". Takezo Kensei lived his life as a swordsman who fought dozens of battles to protect the people of Japan and their freedom. In the TV hit series, Hiro Nakamura came to idolize Takezo from bedtime stories read by his father when he was a child.
Legend has it at a time when Japan was facing the threat of an impending war, Takezo found a sword frozen in the snow with mystical powers that helped him focus his strength and courage. To learn more of the sword's secrets and save Japan, he went to meet the Dragon of Kiso Mountain and asked for his help. The Dragon agreed but only in exchange for the love of his life. Takezo was deeply in love with a princess but he knew Japan would fall if he did not make this sacrifice. He finally agreed and the Dragon taught him everything he needed to know. With the knowledge and skills learned, Takezo became Kensei - a sword saint and won a great battle which saved the people of Japan.
After the battle, the Dragon came to Kensei’s palace to claim his prize but Kensei refused to surrender the princess. Instead he cut out his own heart, handed it to the Dragon and said, “My love is in here. Take it.” And then he died. The Dragon was deeply moved to see that Kensei was willing to sacrifice himself for his people and his true love. Impressed with Kensei's true and righteous virtue, the Dragon revived Kensei’s heart and breathed fire-life back into his corpse. Given a second chance, the Takezo dynasty went on to rule Japan with valor and love for a hundred years. Pretty nice folklore if I may say so.
There is a licensed reproduction of the HEROES Takezo Kensei Movie Sword Replica by United Cutlery.
If there are no stocks available or you prefer a cheaper alternative, check out the HEROES Takezo Kensei Movie Sword Replica from Heavenlyswords.
Kenshin Himura is the popular character from the Rurouni Kenshin manga series created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Watsuki designed Kenshin to be the physical opposite of Hiko Seijuro, a character that appeared in his first one-shot manga - 'Crescent Moon in the Warring States'. Seijuro was later introduced into Rurouni Kenshin as Kenshin's mentor and master.
The manga setting takes place during the early Meiji period in Japan. Kenshin Himura is a legendary assassin known as 'Hitokiri Battosai' or 'Battosai the Slayer'. At the end of the Bakumatsu, he became a wandering samurai, wielding a Sakabato. The term Sakabato literally means 'reverse blade sword' which is a unique type of Japanese sword. The normal Japanese Katana favoured by the samurai has the outwardly-curved side of the blade sharpened, the Sakabato is sharpened on the opposite inwardly-curved side. This is why it is known as a reverse blade sword. It is non-lethal until it's turned over. Although many Sakabato replicas have been reproduced, it is purely a brainchild of Nobuhiro Watsuki and no such sword has ever been recorded in history.
A fan of the Shinsengumi, Watsuki designed the characters based on real Shinsengumi members and other historical icons from the Bakumatsu period. In actual Japanese history, the Four Hitokiri of the Bakumatsu (Bakumatsu Shidai Hitokiri) was a term given to four samurai during the Bakumatsu era. The four samurai were Kawakami Gensai, Kirino Toshiaki (also known as Nakamura Hanjiro), Tanaka Shinbei, and Okada Izo. Kenshin Himura's character was loosely taken from Kawakami Gensai. The four samurai were warrior elites who opposed the Tokugawa shogunate and later supported the Meiji Emperor. Along with the title of Hitokiri, they were also called 'The Four Butchers' (Shidai Nikuya) or 'Heaven's Punishment against enemies of Imperial restoration' (Teikoku Fukki no Teki ni Taisuru Tenchu).
The first sword replica featured here is the functional version. The elegant Rurouni Kenshin Reverse Blade Sword replica (Sakabato) from SwordDemon
The outward-curve of the full tang blade is blunt, shown in the image as the bottom edge. You can see the bottom edge has a wide Shinogi (blade ridge) decorated with an even deep Hi (groove). Notice the entirely different Kissaki (blade point) at the blade tip. The Tsuba (guard) has a simple and elegant round design, just like the anime. The Tsuka (handle) has been created with traditional Samurai components and uses authentic Same (rayskin cover for Tsuka) with a real Ito (braid) wrapped cloth handle. With the antiqued Fuchi (collar on hilt) and Kashira (pommel), the full tang Sakabato makes a stunning addition to your Katana collection. You don't see a reverse blade sword everyday right?
The sword has been reproduced under the specifications of the Rurouni Kenshin anime series' and mangas. Included with the Rurouni Kenshin Reverse Blade Sword replica (Sakabato) is a black cotton sword bag and wooden Saya (scabbard) coated with a high-gloss black finish. Last checked, the Sakabato sword replica was on 49% discount, a bargain for Kenshin fans.
If you are looking for a decorative sword, then the 40" Rurouni Kenshin Reverse Blade Sword Replica (Sakabato) from RoyalArm
Zabuza Momochi is one of the first strong adversaries appearing at the beginning chapters of Naruto. Zabuza was once a member of the Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, a group of shinobi who wield exceptionally large swords. The swords are passed down from one generation to another. Zabuza's sword is called Kubikiri Hocho which translates to "Decapitating Knife".
After a failed coup to assassinate Kirigakure's leadership, Zabuza and his followers fled the village and began working as hired assassins. As a Kirigakure shinobi, he is well-skilled in water-jutsu and this was shown in the fight with Hatake Kakashi and company which marks one of the early pinnacle battles in Naruto. In the end Zabuza was defeated by Kakashi and this failure caused him his life when his employer decided to hire other assassins to take him out.
After his death, Zabuza's sword ended-up in the hands of Suigetsu Houzuki who is the brother of Mangetsu Houzuki (believed to be one of the Seven Swordsmen). Suigetsu later joined Uchiha Sasuke's Hawk group after Sasuke defeated Orochimaru.
Sometime before being introduced, Suigetsu trained to be one of Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen of the Mist but failed. Suigetsu then begun his quest to collect all of the swords of the Seven Swordsmen for himself instead. To this end, he hopes to be able to take Hoshigaki Kisame's sword Samehada by working with Sasuke.
Zabuza fans will certainly want a life-size replica of Kubikiri Hocho which is a whopping huge sword to wield, not to mention the weight. Bad news is I couldn't find a steel replica of that size. Good news is the Stainless Steel Zabuza Momochi Sword replica from TopSwords which is a smaller 42" version of the sword. Overall I'd say it's a pretty marvelous looking piece especially the huge blade. The blade is made of 440 Stainless Steel with a width as wide as the guard. It features a hollow circle near the blade tip and partial hollow at the blade edge near the guard, similar to the design in the anime. The handle is made of metal and wrapped with leather. There are four exposed metal rings at the handle making the Zabuza Momochi Sword really eye-catching. A genuine leather sheath is also included with the sword replica.
If you're looking for Zabuza's costume, check out the site at AllAnimeDVD.com. They also have selections of other Naruto character costumes. Perfect for Halloween, birthdays, cosplay events and themed parties. Just take your pick.
I'm not a big fan of Tom Cruise but I sure seen a lot of his antiques in real life and had a few good laughs. I'm sure Oprah did too. The Last Samurai (2003) movie starring Mr. Cruise, tells the story of an American soldier Nathan Algren who initially fought against the samurai led by Lord Katsumoto, but in the end joined forces and fought alongside them during the Meiji Restoration era in 1876 and 1877. The movie is not a true story but it does contain historical elements from the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion led by Saigo Takamori and the story of Jules Brunet, a French army captain who fought alongside Enomoto Takeaki in a previous Boshin War.
Historically, the only recorded significant event of foreigners assuming active role in Japanese civil war is that of French military advisors under Jules Brunet and this was during the Boshin War, not the Satsuma Rebellion featured in the film. They joined forces favourable to the Shogun under Enomoto Takeaki. The Last Samurai also replaced the key French figures with American characters.
In the real Satsuma Rebellion, no Westerners were ever recorded to have fought on either side of the rebellion. The battle was also more one-sided than what was described in The Last Samurai. The event happened in 1877,10 years after the Boshin War, and 10 years after the Imperial Japanese Army was formed. The Imperial Army sent a massive force of 300,000 soldiers under Kawamura Sumiyoshi to the island of Kyushu to crush Saigo Takamori and his 40,000 strong troops. The Imperial soldiers were equipped with modern weaponries including howitzers and surveillance balloons. In reality all sides of the conflict in both Boshin War and Satsuma Rebellion, used modern equipment to some degree.
Although the character of Lord Katsumoto (played by Ken Watanabe) is based on Saigo Takamori, the last battle in the movie is not taken from his final stand against the Imperial Army. The scene was actually based on a different battle where a group of disgruntled retainers attacked the new Imperial Army without any firearms or western weapons and that event took place somewhere around the same time.
In the ending chapters of The Last Samurai, Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) received a Japanese katana from the samurai. That katana has been reproduced by Musashi into an exact functional sword replica. The Musashi Handmade Full-Tang Last Samurai Movie Sword Replica from 247Swords
Inscribed on the Last Samurai Sword's blade is the Kanji "I belong to the warrior in whom the old ways have joined the new". The blade features a kissake (blade point), hamon (temper pattern) and comes with a sharpened edge. A full-tang construction is built into the movie sword. The habaki (blade collar) is a one piece brass construction with two copper seppa (washer/spacer). The actual tsuba (guard) is blackened iron with a pin-wheel design. Black cotton cord wraps the tsuka (handle) over a white ray skin and secures the kashira (pommel) made of oxidized copper. The tangs of the Last Samurai Movie Sword are secured by two bamboo mekugi (sword peg) while the menuki (hilt ornaments) are copper dragons on each sides of the handle. The saya (scabbard) is made of hard wood with a high-gloss black finish. The koiguchi (scabbard mouth) is bull horn while the sageo (cord) is a black cotton cord wrapped over the kurikata (loop for cord). This Last Samurai Movie Sword replica also comes with a free wooden display stand and a beautiful gift box decorated with yellow silk inlay.
If you prefer a decorative sword, the Stainless Steel Last Samurai Movie Sword Replica from TrueSwords
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