I can see the headline now. Escape Artists forum moderator attacks police with ninja sword.
It could happen.
Check out this article:
http://www.thearma.org/essays/Fringe.htmSome samples:
From the Fringes
For anyone who imagines that knowing something about actual self-defense against swords, whether armed or unarmed, is irrelevant in the modern world, these accounts may give them pause. These absurdities and incidents, the vast majority from just the last few years alone are disturbing, but far from reflecting the whole picture. And what is it with these Samurai Night Fevers?
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Sheraden, Pa. December, 2005. Pittsburgh police are investigating a bizarre attack involving a samurai sword, in Sheraden. Police said 51-year-old Steve Dunlap got into an argument with his live-in girlfriend and her brother -- then pulled out a samurai sword and started swinging. The sword cut both the girlfriend and her brother. Police said when Dunlop attempted an overhead chop, the sword got stuck in the ceiling and the victims tried to wrestle it away from him. (source: www.thepittsburghchannel.com)
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North Liberty, Iowa. August 2005. A man faces up to two years prison and a $5000 fine after standing naked in his front yard and then chasing his complaining neighbors with a sword. (Source: WFTV.com)
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Queens Village, NYC. July, 2005. A shotgun and sword-wielding madman wounded two police officers at close range after they caught him at 2 am blasting the head off a 107-year-old statue of St. Anne and the Virgin Mary outside a Queens church. When his sword failed to destroy the icon, he went back to his home to fetch a pump-action shotgun, returned and opened fire. Ranting, "I'm a hustler! I'm a warrior!" the African-American man, age 25, used a sword to lop off the granite statue's arms and blew the head off with a 12-gauge shotgun before ambushing the police from less than 8 feet away. The church’s pastor said the man, "He has a psychological problem with religion." The officers were reported in stable condition fro their wounds. (Source: New York Daily News online)
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Jacksonville, Florida. July 2005. After taunting over the death of a dog escalated into an argument, a Jacksonville woman said her husband dared her to take a decorative sword above the fireplace to settle things. That resulted in a 53-year old man being stabbed though his right bicep and into his right side. His injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said. According to a police report, the 52 year old wife told officers her husband taunted her when he came home about 7:30 p.m. and learned the family dog had been euthanized earlier in the day. As the argument escalated, the husband told her to "just get the sword bitch," she told police. She lunged at her husband and stuck him. The couple is getting a divorce. (Source: WFTV.com)
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Rocky Mount, North Carolina. December, 2004. A neighborhood duel between two moms arms with a machete and a sword erupted at a morning bus stop after their two small children had a minor spat. The women, ages 29 and 19 were later released on bond from police custody. One woman came armed with the machete and a person standing by went and retrieved the sword to arm the other. The combatants reportedly faced off and attempted to strike each other until police arrived. A man was also arrested for encouraging and cheering on the fight (Source: Rocky Mountain Telegram).
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[my all-time favourite]
Edmonton, Alberta. Sep. 2002. A crudely disguised man wielding a samurai sword burst into a Canadian Jehovah's Witness church and tried to rob 65 congregation members before he was foiled by one who used his cell phone to alert police. Police responded quickly and arrested the man after convincing him to drop the two-foot long blade. Edmonton police officers at the scene also recovered a soup ladle and a medieval-style mace from the suspect, apparently in his early 30s, who was dressed in a trench coat, sunglasses, rubber gloves and ---a mask fashioned out of banana peels. (source: Reuters).
[that one never gets old]
Notice that the overwhelming majority of those stories involve katanas.
I dunno. Maybe something in the grip harbours the
claviceps purpurea fungus, leading to
ergotism.
Me though,
I prefer a rapier for thrusting, and either a buckler or dagger in the off-hand.
@ Bdoomed: Consider getting some
Ballistol or mineral oil to keep it nice. (Not WD-40 or 3-in-1 oil) I know people who swear by it. Also, do
not store your sword in its scabbard for long periods of time since the leather (or whatever) traps moisture which can produce rust spots and pitting on the blade, or mess up the shiny plating (if that's how it's made).
« Last Edit: January 13, 2011, 03:54:33 AM by Planish »
I feed The Pod.
("planish" rhymes with "vanish")
