Philippe Posted September 3, 2011 Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 There was the Rambo knife thread, now here's my Castillo Sword thread.:)You may remember the sword given by Costillo to Gretsky's boy Marty while staying at the safe-house with Laura and Marty.I happen to been given a similar sword by a close friend of mine who collect these and who is a avid practitioner of Japanese Martial Arts.Anyway, I took some snapshots of the episode to refresh some memories:Now, here are some pictures of mine. First of all I want to add that this is a replica, the real ones are really expensive and they can go as far as the price of serious car.Secondly, many will think it's a Katana. It is not, the katana is the longer big brother of this sword. Both where worn back in feudal Japan by the samurais.The type of sword I have is called wakizashi. The wakizashi was always carried along with the katana, to make a daisho or pair. The wakizashi was, esentially, a shorter katana that could be wielded with one hand. One of the main uses of the wakizashi was to fight indoors, where the low ceilings would make use of the long katana nearly impossible.The katana-bearing samurai would never leave behind their wakizashi, which was often used as a backup weapon if the katana was lost or damaged. The wakizashi came in handy when, at many times, the katana's length was a disadvantage.http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x214/niceguyphil/Bushido/R0011763-1.jpgLike you can see in the above picture, there's a wave shaped line in the blade itself.The wave shape denotes the forging of two types of metals: the first metal on the cutting side is made of the hardest and strongest type of metal. The second metal on the none cutting side is made of the lightest metal. This combination makes for a lightweight yet powerful sword that can easily cut a head off while remaining light in handling and wearing.I hope that was insightful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.A.Castillo Posted September 3, 2011 Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 That's pretty cool sword :thumbsup:Looks almost exactly like the one used in "Bushido"Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philippe Posted September 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 That's pretty cool sword :thumbsup:Looks almost exactly like the one used in "Bushido"Nice!Thanks Markwey! Yes, I instantly recognized mine in the one I saw in the episode.Indeed that makes me a happy fella! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators timm525 Posted September 3, 2011 Administrators Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cageyJG Posted September 3, 2011 Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 Great thread, lots of effort from you posting all those pics, "A+++, would Castillo again."Thanks for adding to my knowledge on the shorter sword. I always thought that was intended for ceremonial purposes. To me, that never made a lot of sense. I've also wondered how the wave pattern gets into the blade and how that all began. An authentic katana, so I'm told, is made of many many layers of folded and hammered metals. Lastly, the sword handle: I've only rarely seen a handle that was not made of that fiberglass/plastic with the little bumps, and that was on Civil War-era sabre - apparently wood, leather, and brass wire. The modern handle disappoints me somewhat in that it's not of a more natural material. Even on my own sword (Toledo, Spain), which is of good quality, it still has that heavy fiberglass/plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COOPER&BURNETT Posted September 4, 2011 Report Share Posted September 4, 2011 Nice "Castillo" sword. I can't remember, was that Jack's sword, and is now handed down to jack's son, or was this Castillos sword?Was this ever made clear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavinsky Posted September 4, 2011 Report Share Posted September 4, 2011 Not sure, but I remember him giving it to him so I think it must have been his (Castillos) own sword as the only thing he was packing when he met with Castillo at that bath house was a Mac 10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philippe Posted September 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2011 An authentic katana, so I'm told, is made of many many layers of folded and hammered metals.cageyJG, You are indeed right - there are many layers but I basically gave the run down on the principle - I'm no expert myself but this is what my friend told me.I think there are different ways of forging this swords hence the sometimes very heavy price-tag.Lastly, the sword handle: I've only rarely seen a handle that was not made of that fiberglass/plastic with the little bumps, and that was on Civil War-era sabre - apparently wood, leather, and brass wire. The modern handle disappoints me somewhat in that it's not of a more natural material. Even on my own sword (Toledo, Spain), which is of good quality, it still has that heavy fiberglass/plastic.The white thing on these blades are originally ray (fish) skin wrapped around wood.Here's a diagram I found:Finally, most 'modern' version of these swords (even expensive ones)are not at all made for combat, they are just decorative items. I can't remember, was that Jack's sword, and is now handed down to jack's son, or was this Castillos sword?Was this ever made clear?Coop, This one is open for interpretation, when Costillo gives the sword to Marty, he says 'this is yours' and then he get stabbed by Laura.Was this Jack's sword and conserved by Costillo when he thought Jack was Dead during DEA days? Could be, but then again it could just be Castillo's sword... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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