User:Spearweasel

I am called Kamaitachi no Kansuke, a warrior monk from 1570's Japan. I have been a resident of the Barony of Bryn Gwlad, in Ansteorra since Anno Societatis XXXV (2000). I am primarily active in heavy fighting and archery, but I am also very interested in the SCA's online presence, persona development, and the thinking behind both. I currently have no time in SCA kingdoms beyond my own, though I make a point of communicating with SCAdians from all over the world.

I run a website called the SCA Asian Persona Survey[1]. It is a simple collection of links, names, locations, and contact information for SCAdians playing personae that hail from the parts of Asia farthest removed from Europe: China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia, or the Mongol Empire. It is primarily to foster a sense of community and solidarity among those of us who play personae out of the mainstream of traditional SCA culture.

So, what is a "Spearweasel" you ask?

Many years ago, a friend observed me fighting with a polearm. He thought it looked like I was using a Garden Weasel rather than a polearm, and immediately dubbed me "Spearweasel". This being much easier to say than my original Japanese persona name, it was adopted into general use as my nickname. Catchy, I think, and much easier to say than "Kamaitachi no Kansuke" for most people. I've been using the name since 1998, and its how most know me.

What is a "Kamaitachi", by the way?

The kamaitachi is a creature from Japanese folklore, depicted as three blindingly fast weasels with razor sharp claws - the first knocks you down, the second slices you open, and the third closes your wound, leaving no blood. The term, which apparently is a pun, translates roughly as "sickle weasel". This is pretty close to "Spearweasel", and since it a) already existed in folklore, and b) was a scary monster with slicing and dicing, it seemed like the sort of nickname a warrior might adopt to sound more impressive. Close enough, so I ran with it.