Jump to content

Looking For Verification And Buyers Advice On 3 Swords


fr0stblade

Recommended Posts

The following 3 sword are on a 2nd hand seller with no set price/free offers.

I would like some verification on the authenticity and age that the seller claims.

 

(The images are not of the best quality, some details may not be clear)

 

Sword 1: https://imgur.com/a/2b5Rfht

ca. 1550 Muromachi periode

 

Sword 2: https://imgur.com/a/ETKmrh9

ca. 1400 Signature: kanetsune gaku-mei

 

Sword 3: https://imgur.com/a/IMzC4w6

ca. 1500/1550 Signature: Moritaka chikuzen kongobyoe moritaka school

 

What would be a good offer on each sword?

 

Thanks in advance,

Stephan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Stephan,

All 3 are authentic Nihonto and could be (could also be something else) what the seller states, and there could be problems that aren't apparent from the pictures.  The pix provide too little information.  Why not buy from a trusted dealer who gives thorough descriptions and who will stand behind his merchandise?

Grey

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stephan, are you really ready to buy any Japanese sword? Have you learned enough to be able to tell whether those blades are what they are claimed to be? Have you invested in a few books, & spent the time studying them?

 

It's nice to see you on the forum, but asking this type of question probably isn't going to get you definitive answers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the replies.

 

I have always been interested in Japanese history and folklore, so I got excited to see these pop up on our country ebay-ish site.

I dont really know how to indentify and important things to look out for,I did some research on it and got a little overwhelmed with all the different terms. Are there any books or sites that you could recommend me?

 

I would never buy one of these pieces of history and neglect it though so i would do proper research.

It might also take a while before i am able to purchase one as my spending budged is slightly limited atm ( will change this year most likely )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Start with a few websites:

 

http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/information.html

Loads of knowledge from a Japanese sword smith and sword connoisseur Hirsohi Kojima (4th Naohiro)

 

 

http://www.sho-shin.com

Not easy to navigate, but a good resource on the 8 roads (a system much older than the gokaden) and sword schools.

 

Search our forum for anything that you want to research - great posts here and also some good articles:

http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/forum/17-articles/

 

As for books, let me start with a great shop run by Grey Doffin, our long time member and one of the nicest and most helpful guys around :)

Grey will get you any book, even if he hasn't it in stock.

 

I will restrict my short list to sword books:

 

Facts & Fundamentals of Japanese Swords  by Nobuo Nakahara

Take the statements with a grain of salt. Nakahara is a contrarian, which makes for a fun reading but some of his statements seem unfounded.

 

As a resource when studying swords in hand:

The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords by Kokan Nagayama

 

Get Markus Sesko's books on Lulu.com:

https://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=Markus+sesko&type=

 

 

You cannot live without his Index and I recommend his Koto-kantei Zenshu and Shinto & Shinshinto-kantei Zenshu. Excellent to study great swords. 

 

Two large positions for serious studying of traditions and schools:

 

Yamanaka Newsletters ( the reformatted version): 

http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b550-nihonto-newsletter-yamanaka

 

Nihonto Koza translated by Harry Afu Watson's (Grey will find you a set, I am sure)

 

That should be enough for a while ;) Others here will have more excellent recommendations, I am sure :)

 

Have fun!  :thumbsup:

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agreed - how much are they?  At certain prices, all posters would say grab them.  At other prices, they would all say don't touch them.  They all look to me on quick inspection to be authentic collector grade samurai swords that would be excellent for a new collector and, if bought at good prices, ones that will always have a market.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Stephan.  Hard to say without being able to judge the state of polish on any of them, though the attributions seem likely to be right.  However, can we assume there are no papers?  On ebay, these swords would likely fetch about $3750, or so (maybe about $800-1000 each for the wakizashis, and about $2000 for the katana).  But I suspect that the number you have quoted is in Euros, correct?   I would say that the prices are in the range of fair market value, and certainly no super bargains.  If you like them, you could always offer him less and maybe get into them right. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one, unless your post is really relevant and adds to the topic..

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...