Nine Directions.com

Today may be the start of the beginning that has already started.

2012-01-30T07:23:00.000-08:00

I wish to expand on what has already started.

I have been looking for the right or correct piece of land for over a year now. In the beginning I wanted a large portion, 100acers. Or 4,356,000 sq ft. February 15 2011 I had found a great place. I had talked to the agent in North Bay and every thing sounded great. I took to the road and I was off.

Upon arriving at the reality office the nice lady behind the Desk asked “did you bring your snow shoes? Because once you get off the bike you will sink to your hips in snow” Wow, not only did I not have them with me I didn’t have them at all. On top of that what kind of bike is getting me there? (Turns out this bike was an ATV with Tracks on it…Very cool… it reminded me of the HISS tanks form G.I. Joe…) At this moment I thought to my self…Self I have yet to buy anything, sign anything, hell all I had done is spend money on gas to see this place, yet with only that small investment I was already up to my hips…This idea needs more thought.

Fast forward almost one year to the 5^th of February 2012. I will be heading north this time just west of the bottom of Algonquin Park. I have much more understanding of what I will need to have in place to build this goal.

What is this goal you ask….I will get to that another day…got to keep you interested…Chris….

The land that I am looking for is to have at least one bonus…At one time that bonus was to be power. Having power is so nice, light at night, water pumping during the day…wait a well that would be nice, showers always feel good at the end of a hard days work….septic…Hmmm….Yet none of these were chosen…I say that because just me being on the land requires a drive way. This simple little pile of dirt allows me to enter the property with all of my tools.

With all that drivel put aside the one bonus that I wish to have is a driveway. Simply the ability to enter the property with my tools and get to work on building my ….not yet.

Until next time…

From Paper to Steel.

2010-08-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

I fired up the forge and started to heat up and shape my steel. At the end of the day I had this my new San Kagi.

This is the first of the proto type. In many ways it is a brother to the Tekko kage, as it is large and very heavy. The fingers are 17” long ½” wide and ¾” high. I believe they weight 6 pounds each.

I fingers are not sharp. This style is meant for ripping. Well more accurately this style is meant to train the body to hold proper posture and to amplify when one goes past the point of balance.

Next before I can even train or test them is building the support for the wrist.

My idea as of this moment is to build a brace that can be worn on the arm that the San kagi can strap into easily. So one can wear and remove them quickly. The brace will be made of latigo leather for its strength and look.

The inspiration of this project is Wolverine. In the past I have made many claws in his style but all have been for show with no function what so ever…well other than look. I want to take it further. This model is for training to understand the movement and the force needed to make it functional cutter. One this model is finished the testing will begin. The testing will to understand the movement.

With that said a sharp cutting version of this style will be created in the near future.

New claws

2010-07-30T20:34:00.001-07:00

San Kagi

Ahh, the fun of creating tools.

I like claws. Yep it’s really that simple. Granted I like a lot of thing most of which you can find on this site. Yet at this moment, Friday at 11:18pm I wanted a new set of claws.

I have drawn out the plan for my new set of claws which I have boringly named San Kagi.

Despite the name, which may change depending on the wind, these claws are nothing to light at. The weight “I believe” be around 5 lbs each. The fingers of the claws will extend 9 inches past my knuckles. That is twice the reach of the Tekko kage. Also the brace on the arm will only be 3 inches. This balance will move the weight ahead from my forearm to my hand. They will be even harder to wield than the Tekko kage.

New toy means new weight. New weight means new balance. New Balance means more training. More training means…well really it only means more training, but trainings good. In the end It will lead to happiness. Life is good.

If you are interested in finding out more let me know. The goal is to start heating the metal the weekend of August 7th and 8th.

Check back for more details

The Day has arrived.

2010-07-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for a week and the day has come at last. My butterfly swords are here!

This would be my second set. The first set are Butterfly knifes in my books as they are short for my arm length. This set is the right length.

So what do I think of my new swords. I love them…almost. I love the idea of them. Having blades the length of your fore arm is very handy. I love the idea that I can spin them on my hands for close combat and back out again for short range.

So why don’t I like these…well I believe that they should spin easily in the hand. Sai spin easily in the hand I want these to do the same. Since they are the same idea, in a way, I think its little to ask.

How to check if they will spin easily, hold the item if you can give thumbs up and nothing obstructs your view past your thumb golden, if not you will have to change your grip to have them rotate.

What will be done next is bring them to the drawing board. There I will set up the look and feel of this great little short range tool. Once I have finalized that I will head to the forge.

Yet I need to answer one more question before I even go there…should each handle be hand made on the forge or hand made in the foundry?

Oh the questions.

Soon I new set of swords will be built.

Yet first, another kunai. I have been able to get my hands on and old picture of a forged kunai. This has been the best quality picture so far.

We will see what happens.

M

The story of a Bronze Kunai

2010-06-23T11:54:00.000-07:00

Well I love kunai…ok, ok I love them all but today my thoughts are of Kunai.

I have been forging them for some time now. I have tried long handles short handles, thick blades thin blades long blade short blades wide blades thin blades hammer handles large ring handles rope rings and I have mixed them all together.

Out of all the kunai I have made my Tobu kunai is my favourite.

It throws well, it digs well, it cuts well…but it takes a lot of time to forge…sad

I want more yet I need time to train I can’t always be at the forge as the more time I spend at the forge the less time I spend in the dojo life is tuff!

So I have decided to cast the Kunai. Long ago that was the production of tools of war. They were cast and they were cast of Bronze.

Now bronze is a very cool metal. It can hold a crazy sharp edge, it is strong and it has the same weight as steel.

That is just what I have done!

I know can have lots of kunai at a more affordable price. At $45.00 each it’s quit a deal if I do say so my self…which I do.

Why did I need to have more? Easy…throw a kunai walk up take the kunai out of the target walk back, throw the kunai and repeat really slows down training. I want more… at least 3 in hand. This way I can feel the movement and start to hide my unnecessary movement.

So that’s my story of a bronze kunai.

Mangetsu

more info check out

You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7Doi9pVe_A

Web site
http://www.ninedirections.com/Shinobi-Tools/Throwing-Kunai-p81.html

Its been how long?

2010-06-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

It has been almost 6 months since my last post. What happened…a lot!

In that time I have had a new toys come off the forge,
My leather work is back in action,
I have had two great shows,
I am now teaching Ninjutsu each week from my own Shibu
And currently I am studying for my Personal Trainer Certificate.

First the Toy

Tsumayoji Kunai, the toothpick.
This is a small type kunai inspired from the Chinese ring dagger. A few months back I had an order come in for a ring dagger that was built to function as a kunai. The customer new what they wanted and that is what I built. Yet I have to say I was never happy with the tool. It was just too heavy for the spinning. It through well, it dug great but spinning…way too much force generated and it was tuff to keep it on my finger.

Well I was upset so I started to dig in my mind with a figurative kunai.
In time I created what I now call Tsumayoji Kunai. It’s a mixture of Chinese ring dagger, Japanese Kunai and 10% Naruto.

Check out the You-Tube video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnSG_nV70_s

Next leather

Before my last show I wanted to have a new toy for display. I had been playing with the idea of a back plate that can hold tools while I run around. I had put it off as it was more of a toy than or practical use. Well Anime North is all about toys so it was time.

I used only Latigo leather (the best leather for outdoor use) as it hold up to all sorts of weather. I riveted the entire brace to hold strong.

In the end I was very happy its built to fit me, and hold 2 sai and one katana or 2 katana.

Next my Shows

First show was Ad Astra a Sci-fi convention. Small turn out, but lots of fun. Those that attended stayed the whole weekend and we had a great time.

Granted we had a small space yet once we set up no one else came…most booths were packed together. We had more than 40 feet around us. I guess that’s how it goes when you are the only one selling the sharp pointy items.

Next was Anime North. My favourite show of the year! AN has the best people every year. I always have a good time. This year keeping to the hand made items I added the Moku Tsume or Wooden claws. We were sold out by Sunday morning.
Saturday after noon one of the weapon check personal came over to check out the booth commenting that “we always k now when it is your stuff coming through”

Check out the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFhNM2fy6jM

Moving on from that

Ninjutsu action
I am now teaching under Mangetsu (my Shibu) every Wednesday night here in Toronto.
I have been waiting some time to get this going…why I have been waiting…not sure…the important thing is it is up and running.

If you are in the area let me know and join in for a class!

And lastly for today, Can-fit-pro. I am working to be certified in the area of personal training. I feel adding a bit of science into my training would be fun and helpful. With this new knowledge I plane to tweak my training programme. I will add in science to a traditional approach to training. I goal is to build health strong bodies that are able to deal with complicated movement easier because of a more thought-out training programme.

Well it’s nice to be back in the world of communication.

All the best

2009-12-14T17:02:00.000-08:00

Sai

I was given a pair of Sai by a good friend many years ago. I liked them yet that was about it, I liked them. At that time I didn’t understand the tool one bit. It wasn’t until I had to learn Jutte techniques in school that I started my understanding. We had a few wooden Jutte but nothing of weight and the fact there was four of us that needed to train with Jutte. I felt it would be best to use my sai as they could be used in the same way as Jutte, that and they were big enough to catch our large bokuto.

Well it had started, the first technique the sword comes in I step off I am to attack the hands than leverage the sword out of the attackers hand. Well not only did the technique work well, I noticed that I could catch the wrist of my attacker and that’s when a whole new world opened up to me! The world of Sai.

On top of that I had two Sai, one for each hand. Now I could deflect weapons, block, hook, trap weapons, arms and legs!!! I love this. At this point I started to understand the energy of Jumonji no kamae. With these two 18” Sai I could strike with 3 different ranges, I could keep them concealed and I could throw them. Have I said how much I love working with Sai yet? Cause I do!

Well as all good things come to an end, my teacher had ordered in a Jutte for each of us to use. It was time to put the sai away and start to understand the tool I was to truly understand at the time.

My passion for this tool continued, yet I wanted a different feeling to my Sai. For one my 18” sai were too short for my liking. I was told that they need to extend past the elbow by an inch. So I bought my self a set of sai that extended past my elbow 1 inch. I found them boring! They were two long they just didn’t have the right feeling!

I sold that pair and went without Sai for about a year. I was working on my own set. A set that would be heavy so I could feel them and they could teach me to move, I wanted them to be able to capture limbs. I wanted them to be sharp, a live tool commands respect so if one doesn’t respect said tool it will bi! I wanted the teeth of these Sai to be straight so they could even capture limbs that are two big to be caught. (not that I wish to do so, honestly I am a very non-violent person) did I say sharp already?...oh yes I did, moving on.

Earlier this year I made a set of sai on the forge. Upon putting them together I was so existed! Once they were forged I held them and moved with them…it wasn’t good. They didn’t move it was as if they were asleep or just not interested in working. Again I had no sai. How could such a simple tool be so complicated to create? Kunai aren’t this hard to create, what was I missing?

A few more months past by before I started looking at them again. Not sure what I was going to do with them. I had to head up north for work and my good friend (the same that gave me my first set) lent me his personal Sai to work with. Once I got home first thing first the Sai need to breath, let’s see how they move. This is where it all started to make sense.

Upon spinning them in my hand form open to close I noticed it’s as if, it’s rolling over my hand. HA! It’s the center lump on the Sai! You know that lump that seems to be the connecting point of the teeth and center bar. I went and grabbed my Sai and about 24’ feet of cloth. I started wrapping the center as tight as I could, making sure it was balanced. It took me 15 minutes to complete. Then I spun it in my hand !!!YES!!! That was it the whole time. I wanted the center pivot point I needed that extra surface area to have the feel I wanted.

Since that day I have yet to be without that sai. It weights 2 lbs, 8oz Soon its sister will be brought to life. I will be back having a pair of Sai that are truly my own.

I must thank my friend for introducing me to Sai, and reintroducing them again 10 years later. Thank you Chris!

2009-12-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

The Kunai; used for digging, prying, climbing and throwing. An all around all purpose tool. Not all kunai were created equally though. Some were meant for very specific purposes. To build in the balance of use one may find themselves owning a few kunai to fill all the jobs.

The 3 major are; One prying and removing stone, Two working the soil for harvest and 3 fighting.

A prying kunai had a thick handle and blade with a blunt end so to give extra surface to hammer it into place. This ``Thick`` end made the Kunai balance move more towards the center of the tool, great for throwing. This tool would have been used to take apart walls and dig traps.

Working the soil kunai would have a wooden handle around its steel tang. This style makes it easy to feel for root structures and for digging since the handle was wider and thicker than both of its brothers. The balance of this kunai was not great for throwing.

Fighting Kunai looked like its brothers yet its handle formed into a ring allowing it to carry a rope if need be. This kunai would be able to hide as a farming tool, yet when needed could spring to life as weapon. Adding rope allowed one to gain distance with the tool, the distance depended only on the rope that was carried. The Kunai had a forward balance making throwing interesting yet keeping rope work fun.

Kunai have had a long history. There ability to function is still around today. As the Top and bottom Kunai are both built by Nine Directions.com and the center Kunai is being mass produced today in Japan as a gardening tool.

Steel Shadow

2009-10-11T07:36:00.000-07:00

First test was slow and painful. I spent 5 minutes working on a dead tree and was only able to remove the bark.

After that my hands hurt, too much force was being put into a very small part of my hand.

I made a few changes.

This time the fingers reach just 2 inches past my own, the back of the fingers reach almost to my elbow. The handle has been changed as well. This time around it would be ½ wide, 1” thick.

Since the day I have added cotton around the handle so it fits better in my hand.

Check out the video and if you have an idea of something they need to be tested against post a comment on you tube.

Matthew

2009-09-22T15:38:00.001-07:00

I have finished two more tools. These are a little different. They were an order from my teacher. He asked for an ONO a very large axe and a BISENTO a very large Naginata.

He wanted them both in wood so they would be safe for training.

I started to collect the wood 2 years ago. The heads were had of Elm from a tree that came down a few years earlier. The handles were from a maple that came down just this last year.

The heads have been drying slowly since they had been cut out. I needed them to dry as slow as possible so they wouldn’t crack and loss strength. The maple handles were still moist so I wrapped steel around the ends so it couldn’t crack.

I connected the heads to the handles with more wood. I used doweling to hold them in place. I used ¼” oak dowels.

Once they were together I started oiling them. It takes a few days to fill them with oil. Yet all that time pays off with the final look. To know that they are well oiled means they are unlikely to crack.

Its sad to see them go to there new home, I have been looking after them for so long it seems strange another is no responsible for there well being. Side note for those that remember the old IKEA commercial that’s asks “do you fell sorry for the lamp?” yes, I felt sorry for the lamp.

I will get over it. I have a new project to work on. My work trailer needs a forge built into it. So I best get to it.

Best of luck

2009-09-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

I have called this a Kusari-Gama.

Yet it is not a Kusari because it comes with rope not chain, on top of that it is more a Jin-gama than a Kusari-Gama. Yet I feel it is best called a Kusari-Gama because it is the familiar name.

A Jin-Gama was a Kama, chain and weight that was made for the battle field, the blade was heavier and straighter and the weight was attached to the top of the blade for one hand use.

In the Ninja museum in Iga province of Japan there is a Kama-Bo that has a natural branch for the handle in stead of carved handle found on Jin-Gama and Kusari-Gama.

I wanted a Kama that had the battle field properties of puncturing and a heavy weight yet it needed to look like a Kama. It needed to have the ability to harvest yet it needed a top mount for chain or rope for fighting. So I end up with a Kusari-Gama that could pass as a farming tool yet had the capability to fight on the battle field like a Jin-Gama

This piece was born.

Questions comments send them!
and check out

www.ninedirections.com

2009-08-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

Kyoketsu-Shoge is an interesting little tool. There is a spear point, a hooked edge like a kama, a length of rope 9’ feet and up and a weight attached to the end of the rope.

Rope, all ranges, used to entangle, control, climbing, restricting. Used with a weight it can strike, thrust, entangle,

The Kyoketsu-Shoge is a tool that seems to be a combination of a couple tools in one.

Stress.

I feel over whelmed today. Is the heat? It may be yet even so that is only an excuse. My mind is every where and it’s not happy in any of those places.

I understand the mind is able to do one thing at a time. The one thing I seem to be doing is being stressed.

I haven’t felt this way for some time.

I felt this way early one in my uchi deshi (live in student) programme. Why do I let my self feel this way? I asked my self, I understood it had been my decision to feel this way. No one was holding a gun to my head I was just letting myself live with the feeling.

Just like today. Have a forgotten the lesson that I had learnt in that year? I had learnt that living with stress was like carrying extra luggage. I didn’t need the luggage and I just brought it along so it can affect every instance of my time. I had made my mind up I would not carry such a stupid idea any more.

Yet here I am holding that same stupid luggage!

I admit a live in programme is as close to real life as a penguin sunning him self on a beach, while drinking a fresh cup of coffee that had just washed up on shore.

Just the same, I had it mastered with in the programme, before tests I was just ready. Stress did not enter my vocabulary.

I once heard that worrying about something is just as affective as chewing bubble gum to solve a math equation. Bloody useless!

Yet again I sit here being stressed.

I felt that I would answer such a question while writing. I must admit that this article was going to be on the Kyoketsu-Shoge a very cool little tool. It’s awesome at stabbing, sword capturing, thrusting and striking; it’s also got the ability to have a rope attached so one can use rope techniques. To top it of the rope has a weight to add even more techniques to its arsenal. This one little tool can works form a short range all the way up to far range rope permitting.

Well it seems I was able to talk of both and I feel less stress.

Having faith in ones training trusting you can find answers in your practice.

Instead of being stressed I will act, I will act by creating more of what I wish to understand.

Best of luck

Historic Connection

2009-07-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

Its was 12 hours before the forge was to be fired up for a 3 day forging fest. I needed something more to build. I have lists of items but I wanted to make this one! Yet this one was still an unknown.

As I continued going through my books of ninja tools I found inspiration with in Ninjutsu History and Traditions pg 171 I was almost to the end when I saw what I had seen many times, yet today was the day (well tomorrow in this case) that I would make these Wide Shuriken that I see Hatsumi Soke hold in so many pictures. In this picture they are spread in his hand as a Peacock spreads his feathers.

The Shuriken that I’m talking of are wide Bo-Shuriken. They are about an inch in width, around 8`` to 9`` inches in length and 1é8 in width. These measurements are taken from the picture as best as I can measure.

I sent off an e-mail to my steel guy for the steel I needed. That was the second add on e-mail I had sent that night to him.

I work with mild steel. Katana of the day had a carbon content of 7% carbon. I am told that mild steel is very close to that. I prefer to use steel as close as to what would have been used at the time to have a better look into the past.

Once I had them at the forge I took of the extra steel and sent them to turn red in the fire. Forging them was relatively easy, yet time consuming. Once the shape had been found I fired them up again and sent them for a rapid cool to maintain that wonderful shape.

Once they all had been formed and treated, it was off to the target tree. (Target tree is a dead tree that has much of its density left and half its former height) 6 foot range no problem. I moved to the next distance…didn’t go so well. I will need to give this tool more time.

I have put together a short video of these shuriken so people may gain a little insight to the bo-Shuriken for themselves. The distance that I used in the video is 6 feet. Once I understand the tool further I will up date the my next understanding of the tool.

For now I will end with a statement of my happiness with this tool. On the Historic connection that I feel with this tool proves it was the one tool I was looking for. My understanding of the tool has started with the creation, next step is use.

Well I best quit sitting here and get back to training,

Matthew Wright

What is the fate of this bread

2009-07-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

I have been working on food that can be taken into the woods, easy to store, long lasting nutritious and that tastes good.

I have many answers yet I have yet to try, so I best not comment at this time.

Will asking this question I came across this “Bread” I thought others may find this just as interesting as I do.

I found some army food and in side this heavily armoured plastic bag I found bread.

I broke it in half to see what it looked like. It looked like bread, like sculpted bread, as if it were poured into a cast and let set. Scratch that, it didn’t look like bread.

It smelt of molasses, it tasted of molasses. Like gum that just wouldn’t stay together.

With in the packaging I found a packet that said “fresh Saver” I believe mine was broken.

At the end of a film on “fast Food” the gentleman contains some “fast food” items, to watch there disintegration. The fries looked normal long after they should have been dirt.

With in a show of “water holding thoughts”, 2 containers of rice; one had Positive words and the other negative words marked on there containers. In the end the container that had a positive word seemed to be lighter in colour as the other with the negative had grown dark and … well gross looking.

I want to see what happens to this bread, after a month, will it be pleasant or will it be gross?

I found a glass jar, took a part of the bread placed it in the jar than sealed up the jar.

I had a story told to me of a young child that had mold as a pet. They would feed it and talk to it. I thought that very weird. Now that I have done this, I think back to this story and I’m reminded how strange I once thought that idea. Yet here I am now doing that very thing. Change is a constant.

I will up date this next month so we can all enjoy this.

Matthew Wright

A Ninja in the present world

2009-07-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

It’s the year 2009, I find myself living down town Toronto. I have a great apartment and wonderful women in my life. My master bedroom, is my armoury, the den attached is a small dojo for my practice. My living room is my office and my balcony is my wood shop. I teach Ninjutsu, and I study it relentlessly. I am obsessed with creating tools from my linage of martial practice. I live the life of a modern Ninja living in peace.

Yet with in my dream life I have a problem. I must choose a path and the path I must choose is against the laws of ninjutsu. I wish to create with in my laws of creation. I wish to do this full time. To create brings me peace and a better understanding of the world around me. I wish to make a living on sharing my art with those that see what I see. Here is the problem for them to see what I do, I need to be seen and I need the world to now that I am here.

I question to myself, is this in the laws of Ninjutsu to be seen? To have people know what I do. When the teaching leads to the idea of not being seen, or does it? I do know for certain that the teaching leads to enlightenment.

I cannot answer the question of if or if not I am a hypocrite. What I will do is walk my path and find my answers on the way. I will persevere with in my practice. I will continue making my tools. I will practice the basics of the art and I will study the words I have of Hatsumi. I will also add more tools into my understanding. I will share my findings in my study of tools of the past and I will share my thoughts of Ninpo.

With in my new tool, Blogging, I will talk of my experiences. I hope to gain form this is new contacts. I wish for people to view my web site, for those that can visit my Armoury. I will shine light on a part of Ninjutsu that I was not able to find, but had to experience. I hope my experiences will move some to experience for them self’s the art that is Ninjutsu.

Matthew Wright
www.ninedirections.com