Whats Your Opinion ,,,other End Of The Scale.

[Stephen]

We get many post on AA's higher end swords, and we marvel.

 

where does that leave the new collector who would have to take out a second mortgage to obtain such. 

(Remember your not a REAL nihonto collector yet.... tongue in cheek)

 

So here is a nice start under $1500,  your opinion?

 

 

 

https://www.aoijapan.com/wakizashi-harima-daijo-fujiwara-masamichi

[paulb]

I think it is a good looking sword with a lot to learn from. Condition looks good too.

It highlights what I think is a very good point Stephen. When starting out it is easy to become obsessed with size (must have a katana etc.) As a result people often start by buying tired, mediocre work in less than good condition when they could invest a similar amount of money in something like this and learn a whole lot more.

[Jussi Ekholm]

I think it's a good honest sword that would be a nice sword to own and study. Unfortunately it does not fit the direction where I am trying to go with my own collection so it is not a sword for me personally. However I believe it is much better value for money than several of the items on my own watchlist.

 

I like how you put up this topic Stephen as it is important for many new people to know you can find nice swords for decent prices. There are actually plenty of good deals around for a smaller budget. I think the important thing is to be able to find them which can be difficult for new collectors. Of course different people value different things when choosing their swords so it's good that there is variance. In general I think that many dealers around the world have much better deals than the eBay "bargains". Of course there is the little excitement factor in trying to find few gems from eBay but generally I think you will get a lot better value for money from known dealers (or from forums like NMB).

[Michaelr]

Stephen and Paul, this is a great question and a great point. I am a old collector but very new to this field. Even though my knowledge is so far limited I know what I like. I am trying to learn all that I can about " what I like". As a beginning collector my budget is somewhat limited and so something like this one is within my budget. I think that it is a beautiful blade and is the style that catches my eye. For me it doesn't have to be a Katana length only a beautiful blade that is right and in a price range that I can afford. With all the help and knowledge of this board and its members I am learning.Thank you all for sharing your time and knowledge so that us new guys can make wise decisions with the budget we have. Mike

[Katsujinken]

I think one could certainly do a lot worse for this price. The key is education – do you understand what you're getting?

 

That said, this blade isn't papered yet. It looks like Aoi will guarantee Hozon, but I don't have any experience working with them on a submitting for shinsa. Maybe someone else can weigh in with an opinion? Yes of course papers aren't everything (buy the blade!), but I think it is smart for a new collector to rely on the NBTHK in this way. You need knowledge and experience to "buy the blade".

 

$1500 for a healthy Shinto wak with Hozon is relatively low risk. And who knows, maybe it'll even go TH and then you'll probably make a profit on it. The danger is more around the $15,000 Shinto blade with Tokubetsu Hozon that is mostly healthy but otherwise completely unremarkable or of little historical significance. Or when one is actually paying for an expensive koshirae with no historical significance wrapped around a blade that should cost half as much. Etc.

 

Tough to make those mistakes when spending less than $10,000 though.

[PNSSHOGUN]

$1500 is a very good price for a piece like this in good polish, amazes me sometimes to see JyoJyo Saku work this affordable when you also see rusted, sanded down shinto katana or shin gunto for nearly as much.

 

Always worth checking proper dealers out as opposed to ebay or other less scrupulous channels!

[Jean]

Very good one for the price

[Vermithrax16]

No expert at all, but this is a fine era piece in excellent condition. Perhaps not date or smith rare, but some people like me just want to buy this sort of thing to admire, not try to make money back later on.

[Vermithrax16]

I think it's a good honest sword that would be a nice sword to own and study. Unfortunately it does not fit the direction where I am trying to go with my own collection so it is not a sword for me personally. However I believe it is much better value for money than several of the items on my own watchlist.

 

I like how you put up this topic Stephen as it is important for many new people to know you can find nice swords for decent prices. There are actually plenty of good deals around for a smaller budget. I think the important thing is to be able to find them which can be difficult for new collectors. Of course different people value different things when choosing their swords so it's good that there is variance. In general I think that many dealers around the world have much better deals than the eBay "bargains". Of course there is the little excitement factor in trying to find few gems from eBay but generally I think you will get a lot better value for money from known dealers (or from forums like NMB).

 

This fits my last post.

[DirkO]

$1500 is a very good price for a piece like this in good polish, amazes me sometimes to see JyoJyo Saku work this affordable when you also see rusted, sanded down shinto katana or shin gunto for nearly as much.

 

Always worth checking proper dealers out as opposed to ebay or other less scrupulous channels!

Please bear in mind that this JoJo Saku rank is done by Tsuruta himself as a personal opinion. No connection with Fujishiro ranking.

[Jean]

Something must be cleared about Tsuruta san rating. It has nothing to do with Fujshiro's rating because:

 

- Fujishiro san rated smiths

- Tsuruta san rates individual blades

 

A chu saku smith can forge a jo or a jo jo saku blade, he is not necessarily a jo saku smith. In the same way a jo saku smith can forge a chu saku blade.