FIRST WEAPONS

[Hogosha]

My first weapon was a dagger I bought for very cheap but my first MA weapon was a bokken.

[Hokori]

My first was a bo.

[Taku-Shimazu]

My first was home-made Shuriken and a Kunai, I used to train throwing it a a tree for practice, and I still do.

[The_One]

The cane was my first true weapon. Anything else before that were toys and what-not.

[greenbelt_girl15]

We use rubber knives for self-defence practice at my dojo but I guess my first weapon would be the tambo.

[Jian]

Bo staff, then nunchuku, then katana then others

[Lady Kitana]

I don't really have a first weapon , but I am looking foward to day when I can learn one . lol can anyone guess what it might be *points to avatar*

 

[Jian]

bo staff?

[Grenadier]

For martial arts training?

 

My first weapon was a set of tonfa, made out of black lacquered hardwood (maple). I bought this set just after I had gotten my first promotion to 7th Kyu. Tried learning from a book, but let's face it; a book can only take you so far, else the "black belt in 10 days" texts would be the norm. Fortunately, one of the senior students there had extensive experience with tonfa, and gave me some lessons in them in exchange for a box of 20 floppy disks (very expensive at the time). These were taken away from me by the parents, since they were extremely anti-weapon (of any kind).

 

My second weapon was a plain ol' ash bo, purchased from Sensei. At first, the parents strongly objected, confiscated the bo, and even tried to talk to Sensei, hoping to convince her that I could progress without weapons training. During that time, I had simply gone over to the lumber store, and bought a 1" dowel rod to serve as a makeshift bo, so that I could train. Fortunately, Sensei put her foot down, and simply said "no weapons training, no advancement." Eventually, the folks grudgingly accepted this.

 

The next weapon was a pair of chrome plated sai, octagonal pommels. Being my first metal weapons, the folks were outraged, but since we had a sai kata, once again, Sensei was able to talk them down.

 

This all became a moot issue after I moved away from home. No more of the "our house, our rules" statements.

 

Throughout the years afterwards, I experimented with various cheap stainless steel swords bought through the mail order catalogs, thinking I would find a quality blade. It wasn't until 1994 that I finally got my first real sword through Kris Cutlery, and the sheer quantum jump in difference in terms of quality, was just astounding.

 

I still have that 26" bladed katana, with its wonderful mahogany wood handle, just as a memory piece. A great cutter, but I've since then, graduated onto Last Legend's offering. I currently have a Mark V katana (4096 layer folded 27" blade), that has been a most wonderful blade for tameshigiri. Yes, I realize that there are all sorts of Bugei, Clark, Trim, etc., blades that are superior, and I'm not going to argue, since I'm in complete agreement, but for the money spent, I got what I wanted.

[chakramlover32]

mine was a sharpened sai

but through constant use it soon

went blunt