OT Hissatsu Knife

The Hissatsu is a production version of an osoraku-zukuri tanto in Aikuchi mounts.

It's a rare, but a traditional shape.

I can assure you that it is no fillet knife. It's rather thick, 1/4 inch.

The shape is designed more for stabbing than chopping or slashing. The unique shape lets it go through body armor and keeps it from getting stuck.
 
Kismet said:
My only ethnic joke is about the Irish:

Why does it take five Irishmen to change a light-bulb?

One to change the bulb, and four to remark about how grand the old bulb was.
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James Joyce's "The Dead" is about just that. It is a favorite of mine. Here is a link if anyone is interested:

The Dead
 
Kismet,
How you'd guess I was Scotch Irish? (and if a family search is correct, way way down the line, descended from Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. Though Mom likes to think half the Island is descended from Bruce. )

Ask a Russian peasent of a hundred years ago if there is injustice and suffering, and he'll wonder why you even asked.
I wish I'd been bigger and stronger.
All of this- Khukuris, killer blades, martial arts, telling the truth, keeping your word, Hollowdweller raising his goats and making cheese: all of this is about self reliance and making a way through life. Firearms and weapons skills give a sense of control over things we have no, or very little control over.

There was a khuk in my hands that day- I'd put it on the shelf behind the counter at the Cafe. Never once did I even dream of using it.

The two times in my life I had a firearm in my hands, ready to fire at an assailent, I used my wits to avoid shooting.

This is germane to this Forum- I don't admire ninjas. I don't dream of stealth knives. But I do admire men who attempt to 'do right' and walk straight.

I've met imminent danger and stood, but what good is that if I merely get snuffed out?
I'm encouraging my son to study martial arts. I guess like my handgun skills, it should give him more choice, not less.

After this all happened, two years ago, I made a point of walking up to this clown in a small office room, and looking right at/past him, spoke to an aquaintence behind him. I honestly don't think anything else will ever happen. If he ever nuts up and attempts to harm my family, there are laws about self defense in Montana and the proper use of force.

Enough said about this.
I shouldn't have talked about it, but it cropped right out. I don't need any encouragement other than Kismet saying 'crap'.
I just wish I'd been more.


munk
 
Eleven; I don't often meet people who actually read Joyce and recomend him. I made it through his masterpeice and his autobiography, and quit half way through Finnigans Wake.


munk
 
munk said:
Eleven; I don't often meet people who actually read Joyce and recomend him. I made it through his masterpeice and his autobiography, and quit half way through Finnigans Wake.


munk
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I think that in itself proves you are braver than most. :)
take care sir. eleven
 
munk said:
It's the just constant but gentle tug of war between you knife fanatics and the wood cutters. I'm a wood cutter/ hiker. Some of you guys are...well...uh... I could have used one of you for a friend that day in the Cafe I got my skull fractured.

My M14 bayonet looks pretty mean, but I'm guessing isn't as light and flexible as the silver stealth killer in the photos.

I only own one killer blade, really, if you get past knowing all blades are 'killer'; and that's the Cherokee Rose. I only got that because a friend and another friend sort of put a trail in front of it for me, and of course, because Life's Cheap Out Here in the Mo. River Breaks....


munk
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I have almost as many bowie / fighting / military / special utility fixed blade knives as I do khuks, and at least that many folders. Many of the knives in that genre are junk, (none that I own I hope!) but many are really cool. Several are very collectible and have doubled or tripled in price, and are just beautiful to look at. If you want to see sheer knife collecting FANATICS in action, cruise over to the Randall forum. They don't share information, they guard it pretty jealously, and give the word "shark" a whole new meaning. I stopped lusting after Randalls when I got the few I really wanted and ordered the rest (I still have 3 on order with a 4-5 YEAR wait), but the sticker shock of $600-$700 per knife for the ones I wanted was too much.

The Hissatsu has to be seen and held to be appreciated. The "no guard" concept is very traditional, esp. in Japanese knives. An American example would be the Natchez bowies, also with no guard. As thick as it is, it would make a poor filet knife, unless you were fileting a great white or something...

As for utility, it is far more utilitarian than say a 25" or 30" HI blade in any configuration, and yet those are fun to own as well.

Different strokes for different HI folks...! (-:)

Norm
 
Norm, my 25" AK is one of my more useful blades, but then, you don't fell too many trees in California, do you? It's very important California retain its trees to fuel the massive forest fires...

My 20" Villager may be the most all around useful, though, being just short enough to delimb, something the larger blades can't do as well.

As I've said before, the fact someone wants a certain firearm, knife, club, or cartridge is reason enough for its existence.


munk

edit- it was a tanto fighter blade, along with a Camilus battle blade, that got me started looking into knives again. So I have fallen to the killer blade cult- I was looking for something lighter and less obtrusive than a firearm for hiking in case of animal or human predation. When I found HI khuks, I gave the tanto away, but still have the Camillus somewhere...
 
munk said:
Norm, my 25" AK is one of my more useful blades, but then, you don't fell too many trees in California, do you? It's very important California retain its trees to fuel the massive forest fires...

My 20" Villager may be the most all around useful, though, being just short enough to delimb, something the larger blades can't do as well.

As I've said before, the fact someone wants a certain firearm, knife, club, or cartridge is reason enough for its existence.


munk

edit- it was a tanto fighter blade, along with a Camilus battle blade, that got me started looking into knives again. So I have fallen to the killer blade cult- I was looking for something lighter and less obtrusive than a firearm for hiking in case of animal or human predation. When I found HI khuks, I gave the tanto away, but still have the Camillus somewhere...
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The biggest khuk I have is a 26" Chiruwa Ak, and it is just too heavy for me to use at close to 5 pounds. From what you've written you have several larger AK's that are really optimized for chopping use; I remember you mentioning a 20" Ak before. Most of my large ones are too heavy, although I could handle an 18" alright. I think you must have lucked into some nicely balanced / weighted ones.

Actually, the 25" Kobra is a very useful knife for clearing out vines and blackberry growth and similar stuff, so I can't generalize there either..

Thanks,

Norm
 
If you have a 3 pound 20" AK you are lucky. My 20" villager AK is 2.6 pounds or so. My 25" AK is 3.5 or so, and since the edge was reprofiled by Yvsa, no longer sticks in wood but has become a chomping machine.

Hollow has reported thinner edges chop better, at least in many applications. I am still tesing this theory. It is also the belief of the Tora group, and to my surprise when testing their WWll, it did cut very very well, though was some ounces lighter than most HI M43s or WWlls.

The thicker edges push more than penetrate. When I delimb, even with my relatively light 20" AK, more of the branches are smashed off than actually cut. Sort of a smackcut.

Now that I own a heavy full sized Ganga Ram, I'll be testing it later and report back on what I find. It is one of the old ones with massive spine and thick blade.

If you have trouble swinging a 5 pound AK, I'd fare worse.


munk
 
munk said:
If you have a 3 pound 20" AK you are lucky. My 20" villager AK is 2.6 pounds or so. My 25" AK is 3.5 or so, and since the edge was reprofiled by Yvsa, no longer sticks in wood but has become a chomping machine.

Hollow has reported thinner edges chop better, at least in many applications. I am still tesing this theory. It is also the belief of the Tora group, and to my surprise when testing their WWll, it did cut very very well, though was some ounces lighter than most HI M43s or WWlls.

The thicker edges push more than penetrate. When I delimb, even with my relatively light 20" AK, more of the branches are smashed off than actually cut. Sort of a smackcut.

Now that I own a heavy full sized Ganga Ram, I'll be testing it later and report back on what I find. It is one of the old ones with massive spine and thick blade.

If you have trouble swinging a 5 pound AK, I'd fare worse.


munk
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My 20" AK is 2 lbs., 4 oz. which is a good weight. I wish I had been able to score a 25" with a standard tang to keep down weight. If I could choose I would also get a longer handle. The Chiruwa AK is 4.6 lbs. and 26 1/2" long, but has a handle meant for Nepalese hands, that is it is just a bare one hand fit for me. Combined with the heavy weight it is not a comfortable knife to swing, but is fun to play with.

I agree about the fast thin blades. My BK&T Reinhardt kukri with the esta-loc handle has a relatively thin light blade with a convex edge, but it absolutely sails through wood. Heavier is not always better.

Tell me about your full-sized Ganga Ram. Do you have a length and weight established for it yet? Is the handle wood or horn?

I have been trying to score a wood one for a while now, and may just go to the last resort and order one as pictured on the HI site and pay full boat! The 22" as described seems to be hard to get...

Thanks for any info.

Norm
 
The full sized Ganga Ram is 21" and three pounds. THe spine is a half inch thick. The blade tapers nicely and is convex. It is the Friendship model showing a Kami and an American shaking hands inscribed on the blade. The blade is one Yvsa owned and graciously consented to sell to me. It was an honor for me because though I know many of you swimming sharks have badgered our resident Wise man for his old blades, I was too shy to ask him for a couple years. The knife includes an original Kumar Karda, which Yvsa says is very rare. I do not know why it is very rare. The handle is small for me. Yvsa trimmed it down a bit to fit himself, and though my hands are not truly large they must be larger than his.

As for the handle being narrow for me; Nasty said something to me that met what I'd already internalised; that his big blades could have small handles to remind him to allow the weight of the blade to work, not his muscles.


Your AK handles sounds too small for the weight, though. My 25" AK has a wonderful handle- large around and very long. ABout a hand and a half worth.

I have Yvsa's old SS too. The two blades arrived in a package- a kind of wood cutters dream. I don't know why everyone makes fun of the SS. Yvsa thinned the handle, and I can grip it fine. The thing is excellent for trimming wood stubs by the firebox, the only liability is if it sails through an obstacle with it's weight you'd better have provided clearence so it won't go through the floor in the basement. !!

It seems to like traveling along once the locomotive gets up to steam. It hates braking.

Norm, I'd get your AK rehandled. Why not? With a grip on it, don't you think you could swing the thing? or is it just too darn heavy? The trade off with weight is theoretically to cut and smash deeper than small and thin with fewer strokes to fell a tree. THe virtue of smaller is to cut deeper but with more strokes but less displacement of material. So does a thing get cut off with 37 swipes or 15, and how much energy was used by each approach?


You know how a SW grip goes around the N frame? I'd leave your chiruwa handle intact and have new halves meet around it, sealing it, just like a revolver grip.
Instead of pins you might even put in female and male screw inserts, if you know what I mean by that.

Too bad we don't live down the street from one another. I could spend a lot of time brainstorming and experimenting with equipment and materials in a shop.

munk
 
Munk, that sounds like a great knife. I actually have a big Ganga Ram with horn handle that I bought from Uncle Bill last year, but it is not nearly as massive as yours, being an inch shorter and weighing about a half-pound less with a thinner spine. If I had known Yvsa at the time (I suspect you guys did this trade before I found the Cantina a year ago) I might have bugged him for it as well. Other than trying to hynotize him into parting with his original YCS though I have been pretty good! Luckily the new run of YCS and FF are filling some holes in my collection that you old timers didn't have.

I don't think you said; is the handle wood or horn? I am assuming wood because you said Yvsa thinned it down, which is a bit easier to do with wood.

Actually I just got it out, and I realize what the problem is with the handle on the big AK I have. It is really long enough, but too big around so that I feel I barely have a grip on it, and with my hands that is saying something as I usually like the fat handles. I could experiment with thinning it down, but then would have to deal with the chiruwa tang and pins, so I'll probably leave it alone.

Thanks for the feedback!

Norm
 
The handle is wood. My respect for Yvsa over the years, always big from the beginning, just gets bigger every year. But to each his own. I would not have tried to wiggle a YCS out of him. It was too intimate a knife, and I did not feel I had the authority or right to even try.

Then of course, well after all the facts, I find you sharks have been nibbling at the Old NDN all along while I held back in deference!!!

I do not own many of the HI blades- including the YVS and FF.
I'm not rich. But my life's not over yet and the future brings many delightful things. Besides, there is always Karma; my blade from Yvsa is the 'friendship model' and I don't have to tell you how special that makes me feel.

I'd take that handle down, Norm. The metal can be sanded away just like the wood, and the two still fit fine. The pins can be replaced. REally, even I once pinned a handle. Get some brass rod.


munk
 
Yvsa offered me a YCS two years ago. It's my most prized khuk, right alongside the "77,777 Dhankuta" from Uncle Bill.
 
raghorn said:
Yvsa offered me a YCS two years ago. It's my most prized khuk, right alongside the "77,777 Dhankuta" from Uncle Bill.
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I won't get rid of the very first YCS as it's slated to be passed down to my heirs.
The one Raggie got was one of the few, very damned few, horn handled YCS's!

But I do have a few others that I'm going to be offering up one of these days sometime in the future. Nothing rare or spectacular, just run of the mill stuff.
But to do that I will go for a gold membership.:D
There's a couple that have already had dibs placed on them. One of them I have to put back together.
That's another reason I'm working to get back in shape. Too much time spent not being able to do what I really want to do.;)
 
munk said:
Life for me is eating **** too often, and living with the results.
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Someone once said to me, "When life deals you lemons, make lemonade."

So, when life deals you "****". Make ****ade.

I never liked that guy much.


:rolleyes:

That's the most cussin' I've done in years :D
 
munk said:
This is germane to this Forum- I don't admire ninjas. munk
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now Im not certain thats a fair thing to say. I am almsot certain you dont really know much about the real people who we call "ninjas".
I live here and study them and I still dont really know them.
They lived in a different world.
I bet you would have been one of them, Munk.
I have no doubts.
 
One thing I am sure of, though tempted for humor's sake; I made no mention of disregard for Danny in Japan; because unlike Soldier of Fortune wannabes Danny can Be any thing he wants and that's fine with this Poster. In fact, I count on it.

I think the things I do are not by book- read the other thread on investigating a break-in. For whatever reason, God gave me a quick hand with a handgun, and a receptive mind to Divine Grace. Why not? I'm often in trouble, though rarely lethal.

If the Angels do look towards me, my friends often do; and in the Divine Scheme, am not certain there's a dfference between the two.



munk

Now godamit I have said poetry.
 
What are we talking about?
I am so lost.
Im off to school.
I need some Japanese co-eds to clear my mind.
 
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