A plea (se) to any Hollywood natives!

[jblakey]

Hi Guys,

I've started working on building a replica of Bill's Hanzo Hattori katana from Kill Bill 1/2, and I'm coming to the sad conclusion that there just isn't enough material to work with to be assured of a good replica. Just not enough frames.

Luckily, I've discovered that The Hollywood Museum (at 1660 N. Highland Ave, in Hollywood), is currently holding a David Carradine exhibit, and the sword in question is apparently on display! Is this too much of a coincidence? Is this replica fated to be crafted?

If anyone could get some pics / first hand information about the sword for me, to help me make an accurate replica, I'd really appreciate it!

In particular, I'm looking for information as to which handle ornaments (menuki) were used - I think I've got pretty much everything else, although a good pic or two of the end cap (kashira) of the sword and the end cap (kojiri) on the scabbard (saya) would be very appreciated. I've got guesses for those, though. The menuki are the main unknown at this point...

Also, on-screen, no evidence of the blade being engraved is ever shown, although all current replicas do engrave the blade. Is the blade engraved? THIS MUST BE ANSWERED!

Much thanks in advance to anyone who can help me with this,
jason

ps - remember, the Universe wants this to happen!

 

[Lunaman]

Hi Guys,

I've started working on building a replica of Bill's Hanzo Hattori katana from Kill Bill 1/2, and I'm coming to the sad conclusion that there just isn't enough material to work with to be assured of a good replica. Just not enough frames.

Luckily, I've discovered that The Hollywood Museum (at 1660 N. Highland Ave, in Hollywood), is currently holding a David Carradine exhibit, and the sword in question is apparently on display! Is this too much of a coincidence? Is this replica fated to be crafted?

If anyone could get some pics / first hand information about the sword for me, to help me make an accurate replica, I'd really appreciate it!

In particular, I'm looking for information as to which handle ornaments (menuki) were used - I think I've got pretty much everything else, although a good pic or two of the end cap (kashira) of the sword and the end cap (kojiri) on the scabbard (saya) would be very appreciated. I've got guesses for those, though. The menuki are the main unknown at this point...

Also, on-screen, no evidence of the blade being engraved is ever shown, although all current replicas do engrave the blade. Is the blade engraved? THIS MUST BE ANSWERED!

Much thanks in advance to anyone who can help me with this,
jason

ps - remember, the Universe wants this to happen!

Hey brother. I could give it a shot.

 

[jasonw2112]

Hey there! I was going to mention the deleted scene, but it looks like you have that covered! Look forward
to some construction pics!

The "Kill Bill Diary", by David Carradine mention's that he was given the sword (or at least one of them!). So whatever is on display
is Hopefully the hero sword!

 

[jblakey]

Hey Lunaman - I didn't know you were in LA! I would appreciate it (might be a fine tsuba in it for ya!)

Hi Jason, yeah, I'm hoping it's the hero prop. I've seen a youtube video showing some of Carradine's collection, and none of them were it, but here's hoping...



Thanks,
jason

 

[Lunaman]

Hey Lunaman - I didn't know you were in LA! I would appreciate it (might be a fine tsuba in it for ya!)

Hi Jason, yeah, I'm hoping it's the hero prop. I've seen a youtube video showing some of Carradine's collection, and none of them were it, but here's hoping...



Thanks,
jason

Haha, yea, I moved out here right after you helped me finish my Hanzo sword. Headed to the museum now, I have the afternoon off. Cheers.

 

[jblakey]

What!?!?! That's insane! It's like this internet thing can be used to do stuff, not just watch cat videos!

THanks much,
jason

 

[Lunaman]

What!?!?! That's insane! It's like this internet thing can be used to do stuff, not just watch cat videos!

THanks much,
jason

Haha, almost!
Alright, here's the tough news first: it's a stunt blade, it's displayed at a distance in a very dim area, so my pics won't show any more detail than the screencaps. I strained my eyes and zoom as much as I could, but could not make a positive menuki ID under these conditions, could be anything from cherry blossoms to dragons. Perhaps someone with a high res DSLR optimized for low light levels and a decent zoom lens could fare a little better, but the angles are just terrible. I had to literally crawl on my belly in front of the display to get most of my pics.
That all being said, though it's one of the full contact stunt blades with a chewed-up edge, it does seen to be outfitted with the same detail as the hero swords, even though it's in a slight state of disrepair. It's definitely Bill's sword, not Bud's or the Bride's, even though it's listed erroneously as the Bride's sword in the display.
The kashira is a sort of gunto-esque open affair that matched your reference photos, and has a freely rotating ring passing through the center. The kojiri was behind a mannequin's leg and almost impossible to see, but it seemed to match the general design of the kashira as if they were a matched set. The tsuba is the same yamato budogu pattern as the Bride's sword, and the two-tone sageo is of the same shorter length and Myouga musubi knot setup as the Bride's sword. Sageo's a little dirty, but color seems to match your reference.
The reflective stripes are missing on much of the saya, but the lacquer shows where the adhesive sat. A shorter section is still present near the end, trapped by the silver-colored semigane ring. I believe it to be silver colored reflective mylar tape, but it's age and dirtiness could perhaps indicate a thin strip of metal, though that seems unlikely. Couldn't be totally sure at the distance and in the dim, but the adhesive left over and context clues seemed to indicate the tape was used. Looking at the pictures now, it's looks possible that the tape is intact along the length and simply faded or weathered enough to look like adhesive residue, but in person it very much looked like two separate sections--no reflective stripe before the semigane ring, lifted up and weathered stripe after the semigane ring.
There is no engraving on the blade! Granted, this might not be definitive, since it's a stunt sword, but I can't imagine they would leave out that detail anyway.
I will upload what frustrating photos I was able to nab later tonight.
Cheers.

EDIT to add the snapshots:











[URL=http://s100.photobucket.com/user/Lunaman1/media/Hollywood%20Museum%20July%202013/DSCF2895_zpsb54af78d.jpg.html]

[/URL]

[URL=http://s100.photobucket.com/user/Lunaman1/media/Hollywood%20Museum%20July%202013/20130719_144514_zps4ed2e45c.jpg.html]

--Luna

 

[Rik1138]

How much did it cost to get in? I work around the corner, but never bothered to check it out...

I also thought they had a strict no photos policy, is that not the case? I might have to pop in and check that out...

 

[Lunaman]

How much did it cost to get in? I work around the corner, but never bothered to check it out...

adult ticket purchased online was $15.

I also thought they had a strict no photos policy, is that not the case? I might have to pop in and check that out...

No flash photography, but regular snapshots were permitted. It's a quirky little museum, still tied up in the history of the Max Factor building housed there, so some of the exhibits are jarringly make-up and hair-dye focused. I thought the dungeon was fairly cool, as well has the top floor--they've got Reeve's Superman outfit up there. Might not justify the ticket price on their own, but if you bring a friend with any interest in old Hollywood and Marilyn Monroe (The place is INSANELY Marilyn-devoted) it could make for a nifty afternoon of meandering.

 

[SlimeTime13]

iv been there, its a cool place

 

[jblakey]

Dude! That is awesome! Thank you very much! You can really see how slim that tsuka is - and the profile of the kashira / kojiri! I definitely owe you one!

Thanks so much!

jason

 

[Lunaman]

Dude! That is awesome! Thank you very much! You can really see how slim that tsuka is - and the profile of the kashira / kojiri! I definitely owe you one!

Thanks so much!

jason

For sure, man! I'm just sorry all the pics are so grainy and/or dim. It's a really awkward setup there, haha. Looking forward to seeing how the replica turns out.