Photo: Tom Kishida

Born in England, Paul followed in his father's footsteps and began Karate at the age of seven. He went on to represent the English International Karate Team
and was English Champion in 1992,1993 and 1995. In 1993 he joined The British Museum in London, eventually achieving his goal of joining the Department
of Japanese Antiquities. There he cared for and studied the Japanese sword and armor collections under the guidance of Victor Harris (Translator of
Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings). Paul has also presented swords on the BBC and BBC Radio 4, Discovery Channel (Weapons Masters and
Some Assembly Required.), Los Anglese JATV and several appearances on Japanese Television. On his various trips to Japan representing the British
Museum, Paul studied swords at many shrines, museums, and the workshops of eminent swordsmiths and polishers. He also studied the art of oshigata
drawing from a Shinto priest/curator at Atsuta Jingu (a premier shrine in Japan and home of the Imperial regalia sword - the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi) and under
a sword specialist from Tokyo National Museum. He subsequently produced oshigata for some of the British Museum's sword collection. Paul left the British
Museum in 2003 and relocated to Los Angeles, where in 2005 he curated an exhibition of modern Japanese swords (hailed by the Los Angeles Japanese
Consulate General "as the first exhibition of its kind in America.") at The Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. In 2006, he arranged for a top Japanese sword
polisher, 4th generation Fujishiro polisher-Tatsuya Fujishiro, to perform a demonstration in England and translated his lectures. Paul has provided
translations for the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo (Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai), the All Japan Swordsmiths Association and the All Japan Sword
Traders Association. He has also translated a publication entitled Ono Yoshimitsu's World of Juka-Choji for the Hayashibara Museum in Okayama and has
co-authored a book on Japanese sword appraisal.

In October 2006, he became the first non-Japanese to win the NBTHK Tokyo Chapter kantei kai (sword appraisal meeting). He currently resides in Tokyo
where he continues to study the Japanese sword as well as Kendo, Iaido, Ono-ha Ittoryu and Batto jutsu. He has also produced articles on the Japanese sword
for The To-ken Society of Great Britain, The Nanka To-ken Kai (Southern California Sword Society), Cultural News (Los Angeles). and been featured in
interviews by Tokyo Metropolis Magazine, The Daily Yomiuri and The Asahi Weekly.