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DIY: $200 Katana…Testing

July 13, 2025 // 0 Comments

At the beginning of 2025, we started the $200 Katana Project. The goal was to see if we could assemble a high-quality katana by sourcing all the parts from China. The project [...]

DIY: $200 Katana…Anchoring the Blade

March 16, 2025 // 0 Comments

Until recently, sourcing component parts for a katana directly from craftsmen in China was not practical for an individual, especially from overseas…but no longer!!! [...]

DIY: $200 Katana…Assembly

March 9, 2025 // 0 Comments

One of the 2025 RainyDayProjects was to assemble a katana with pieces sourced directly from China using their version of Amazon marketplace (Temu and Aliexpress). We wanted [...]

DIY: $200 Katana…Test Fit

February 23, 2025 // 0 Comments

We started our katana DIY project at the beginning of the year. Our budget is: $50 for all the components (tsuka, seppa, etc.); $50 for the saya (lacquered, buffalo horn [...]

Tameshigiri Series: FirstCuts

September 15, 2024 // 0 Comments

In recent posts to our Tameshigiri series, we showed the carving of the cutting post and the rolling of the tatami mats. With those tasks completed, the remaining two tasks [...]

Tameshigiri Series: Rolling the mats

September 8, 2024 // 0 Comments

In the previous installment of the Tameshigiri Series, we showed how we made the post for holding a rolled-up tatami mat for cutting. In this installment, we will detail [...]

Tameshigiri Series: Cutting Post

September 1, 2024 // 0 Comments

In 2012 Gleason Sensei briefly considered adding a “live blade” session to Shobu Aikido’s program. His intent was to give his students the opportunity to [...]

YMAA Boston @ ICMAC

October 14, 2019 // 0 Comments

We went to the 8th New England Chinese Martial Arts Championship organized by ICMAC last weekend. We went because YMAA Boston, where some RainyDayMagazine folks go to study [...]
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