Eric Jackson43 said:Back in the 80s, Sonny Chiba played Hattori Hanzo in the series "Kage no Gundan." That's why Tarantino used the same name as a tribute, framing his character as a distant descendant of the original Hattori Hanzo.
I guess that works... thanks, things make a bit more sense now...
placidbison20 said:Edward Sanchez72, the whole Kill Bill thing is basically just one big joke at the expense of American cinema and culture. Even the way they used the name Hattori Hanzo is like that.
Look, I get it... it's just a modern adaptation built on those cheap trash movies they churned out back in the 80s or whatever. You know, those stuff where they film in Asia and then slap some English subtitles on it, making everyone sound like some random guy from a police academy training video. But even in those absolute trash gems, I've seen that certain names actually belong right where they are...
Jerry Thompson said:The only decent part of this movie is when they show Hattori Hanzo's katanas. 🙂too good to be true...
I just don't get one thing here... why would a big-budget production claim Hattori Hanzo was the swordsmith? It feels pretty off, especially since anyone who actually knows anything about this stuff knows Hanzo has nothing to do with that. I highly doubt choosing that specific name was some kind of accident... does anyone else know what's going on? Maybe the film took some heat for it, because the mistakes are everywhere—just like seeing a jet flying in the background of Gladiator, for instance...
Jerry Thompson....is there even such a thing as any other ninja? Some kids grew up on junk food and cheap snacks... me? I grew up on American Ninja...
Please, I’m asking nicely, don't delete this post... I really want to make things right with a friend for Christmas, since this is basically my public apology 🙂... look... Tommy, you're right, the gym is everything... it's the foundation for every single athlete out there, whether they're just starting out or going pro. And I swear, I never intended to spout such nonsense that downplayed the very sport I dedicated so much of my life to. My mistake, my mistake... a massive mistake on my part.
Edward Sanchez72 said:My bad, I didn't explain myself very clearly. I was actually talking about the first photo (the tsuba, fuchi, kashira, etc.).
Alright, no big deal. But honestly, looking at those other photos... it still makes me wonder about the sori. What's the actual point of the sori—you know, that curvature of the blade—and is there a specific reason for all those different variations? I’m going to try to dig into this with some folks I know over at MIT... I have a contact there, so if I get any real answers, I'll post them. These kinds of structural stresses and technical details are fascinating, and frankly, I want to know more since I'm still learning the ropes.
happyman said:Edward Sanchez72, that post about the katanas was awesome, and I really liked the photos. But could you actually explain what the purpose of each of those parts you listed is?
Sorry... I have to admit, I’m not following you. If you're talking about that first photo with the tsuba, fuchi, kashira, and so on—then fine, no problem. I thought about it, but I was absolutely wiped last night so I didn't get around to describing every single shot. But if you mean those bottom two pictures showing the blade components... I just don't get the question. Like... what's the "purpose" of the nakaga??? What's the purpose of the sori??? I get asking about the munemachi and hamachi... and how they connect to the habaki... I can write a whole essay on that since there's even a little diagram showing how the habaki, seppa, and those joints fit together. But for certain parts of the blade, asking what their "purpose" is makes zero sense. They exist because of the blade's design and they don't serve a specific function, they just have names because every sword is different. You know what I mean? Please clarify what you're looking for and I'll be happy to go into detail on whatever you need. Thanks!
@sun tzu... since you asked for it on the blog, I’ve started putting together some thoughts on katanas. Honestly, thanks for the nudge, because what kind of place writes about samurai without leading with the blades themselves? Since I have a massive amount of material on katanas, I’ve just posted some photos and close-ups of blade components for now. I’m debating whether to dive into all the different variations of specific parts... but the problem is there are way TOO many variations, so I'm stuck on which ones to actually include. I’ll need to dig deeper into the research to figure out which variations are the most essential before I write anything substantial. I have a great book on the subject, so expect plenty of katana content coming your way soon. Thanks for the interest. Cheers.
Thanks... hey, if you end up writing about stuff like this, drop a link to your blog. I’d love to feature it on my own site—trying to build up a solid collection of links to similar articles written in English... if you don't mind, obviously. Also, I’ve hit a wall with one specific thing I just can't seem to translate correctly. It’s right at the very end of my latest piece, so if anyone knows how to phrase it properly, I’d really appreciate the help. Thanks in advance.
Oh, yeah, thanks a whole lot. Since I don't know the first thing about CSS, I have to admit I really struggled to wrap my head around it just to get this blog looking the way it does now—my editing skills were basically non-existent. Given how slammed I've been lately, I haven't had any time to put together a new post, but I’m thinking about running a poll to see what people actually want to read about. Whatever gets the most votes, that's what I'll write about...
Yeah, that’s exactly what I thought... Now I’m stuck dealing with this long-term planning headache. I really don't want to overcomplicate things by jumping ahead too fast with stuff that's tightly linked to specific events... but honestly, the blogging tools over at HuffPost are solid since they use tags, so you can actually find everything easily.
Thanks... and honestly, I’m going to keep at it. The issue is that you can get several different translations of a Japanese text from completely different people, and then the context just vanishes. Besides, I’m no linguist, so my own translations are pretty questionable too... which is why I'm going to stay away from translating stuff like *The Book of Five Rings* or any kind of poetry, because the actual meaning will just get lost in the shuffle. But I did find a massive collection of high-quality Japanese-to-English translations online, so for now, I’ll just stick to those...
And if anyone sees something they're interested in, feel free to jump in... if there's something actually worth posting, I'll get it done gladly.
But here's a question... let's say... I have this MASSIVE biography of Tokugawa Ieyasu.... what would be better... translating it in multiple parts to create some kind of serialized story, or just dropping one huge chunk all at once? To be clear... that's the dilemma I'm facing with all the long-form texts.
So, I just spent some time scrolling through your blog... if I’m reading you right, you’re pretty heavily focused on Aikido and martial arts. I have a bit of a different vision in my head. I’m going to try my best to steer clear of certain topics, even though given how massive this subject is, that’s going to be an uphill battle 🙂 My plan is to focus more on translating texts and diving into history. Honestly, I don't know enough about the technical stuff to start lecturing people on it, so I figured I’d just learn a thing or two along the way while I work.
Given the topics I’m planning to dive into, I don't think starting this thread was a mistake... Basically, I just launched my own blog over at hanzo.blog. I want to cover everything related to ninjas, samurai, and ancient Japanese culture—customs, martial arts, you name it. Literally all of it. So, I’m coming to you guys for critiques and suggestions. If you have any useful links, images, or articles you think I should translate and post, send them my way. Maybe one day this could actually turn into some kind of useful resource for Americans interested in this stuff. I'm pretty sure there are enough people here who care about this topic, so I really hope I can be helpful... It's still in its infancy, so please bear with me 🙂 Thanks!
The HPV virus is incredibly common... we’re talking about roughly 90% of women, so honestly, don't act surprised if you have it. It’s just the reality of things. The real danger comes from those high-risk strains because they have a much higher tendency to trigger cervical cancer. But here’s the thing: cervical cancer is COMPLETELY curable if you catch it early... so whether you've got a high-risk or low-risk strain, it all comes down to one thing: Pap smears, Pap smears, and more Pap smears. Now, there is also PCR testing. A PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test is arguably the gold standard since it relies on the exponential multiplication of tiny amounts of viral DNA, making the virus way easier to detect. I’m pretty sure it costs a fortune, though... which probably doesn't matter much given your situation, since you want the most accurate result possible—something a regular Pap smear doesn't always guarantee, but I'm just saying. From what I understand, women with HPV are advised to get Pap smears every six months (correct me if I'm wrong), so with checks that frequent, the margin for error gets slimmed down significantly. Don't sweat it... as long as you stay on top of your regular checkups, you'll be fine... As for medication, I really don't know how things work in that department...
God, my gym routine was getting so damn boring... I was actually starting to loathe stepping foot in there, so I figured I’d give Ninjutsu a shot since it isn't just mindless lifting. Now? I'm hooked. I wouldn't go back to that old gym even if my life depended on it! If I hadn't had much more important things going on in my life, I probably would've been a wrestler. Started training, put in two years, and then just had to stop...
wanderingridge said:👍 you definitely heard that in that Minotaur highlight reel😎
I gotta admit, this is the first time I’ve actually heard that guy mentioned in a highlight reel... I first heard the song while playing that game, and ever since then, I actually started getting into Static-X. Now, The only is a staple for me whenever I listen to any compilation. They also have that track... "Cold"... from some vampire movie or whatever. It's a solid track.