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About a decade has passed
since I started to collect swords, around 1997, from my beloved city of
Macau which, however, is quite isolated from the main
centers of sword collections.
A word here for the world wide web has been of the foremost
importance in communications.
My early purchases taught me through time and still do, as I recall them with fond
memories, for they allowed me to go beyond the bokken that were available.
Living in this (for me) historical city of
Macau,
has however provided me with the potential of visiting places and benefitting
from the
multicultural heritage
and creative potentialities that are embedded in the city's history.
I used its background to firstly customize the production swords I bought,
which were made of the best industrial steel available in Manchuria
railway tracks: they were Sheffield steel...
As time evolved and I discovered Sword
Forum International in 1998 I started to gain more information on
sourcing and other technical information. Other forums followed and I made
many acquaintances and some friends as well as customers that became
friends when I created Bladesign.
There was a period where I switched to custom made swords, and Howard
Clark was the first smith from whom I owned a custom sword. My
interest in swords were of two types. One was my own intervention on
designing them, and the other were the smiths,their work and personalities.
As an ex-Museum Director for 20 years I was interested both in the
creative process and the people behind them. The next smith was Rick
Barrett whom I managed to visit and interview. Later, with Adrian
Ko and SFI I was able to organize the
Fire
and the Forge exhibition after I organized the first ever swords and
weaponry exhibition in Macau, as the Head of the Cultural and Recreational
Department, in 1993. The Exhibition was called
Portuguese Armoury
and was much later placed online.
There was this interest lurking since my early days in Aikido.
Then I met Joe Walters and developped different projects with him.
At the same time I had my Sword of Runes made by Glen Parrell.
Nathan Creel made me a wonderful new Dha with superb workmanship.
He is highly talented.
In my permanent but divided interests into different areas of creativity,
I kept or sold swords, and moved on to own a sword by Anthony
DiCristofano.
Many swords have come to me and left me. I spiritually or phisically
enjoyed all of them, and this site is my own retrospection on the
swords I have or had. I hope that by sharing them, I can provide a view of
my own limitations and unavailability to financially own nihon-tô, but am
glad for every sword I own or owned. They taught me to develop
my creative instincts and the knowledge of my own limitations. |
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