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Showing content with the highest reputation on 08/06/2020 in all areas

  1. Well, I have a Shingunto with a circa 1650 katana by the Hizen Nidai Tadahiro. The blade has been polished in Japan and gained Tokubetsu Hozon and resides in a gorgeous Tora Honoki shirasaya with a gold foiled silver habaki. The koshirae has a tsunagi with the original habaki and resides in a splendid bag that I bought off a Board member. When I curl up my toes the blade and koshirae will go to its new custodian together, along with the letter from the Japanese Colonel who owned it to the Australian major who took it in surrender. It might not be widely known that the Shingunto koshirae is modelled on a circa 1400 tachi koshirae and therefore represents the most recent "fit out" for war. Given that any katana with considerable age has no doubt had many koshirae refits in its lifetime - including "fashion" changes eg., the New Year koshirae - it is absolutely pointless and a historical heresy to take a blade out of its Shingunto koshirae and put it in an ersatz mockup, for that's what it is even with antique fittings. A case in point. I was at a gun show 2,000 miles from my home town going through a dealer's stock of swords when I picked up a sword in "civilian" (i.e., dealer's homemade) koshirae. It just didn't look right - they never do, Adam - but imagine my surprise when I pulled the blade and recognised it instantly. It had belonged to a friend of mine who had passed it off in a trade some considerable time before. When I first saw it the blade was in a very respectable Shingunto koshirae with an interesting blanco handle. All very nice and eminently collectable. I can imagine the koshirae was broken up into component parts and sold off as "spares" to maximise return on the Holy Dollar. The salient point is that the "homemade" (dealer) koshirae did absolutely nothing for the sword, nothing at all. So I am most certainly with John and Chris. Make a koshirae for it if you have to Adam, but to someone who has sensibilities it will be instantly recognisable for what it is, an insufficient copy. At the same time, make a tsunagi for the Shingunto koshirae and keep it with the sword for the next custodian who might break up your creation and reunite the blade with its Shingunto koshirae. Unless, of course, you have the blade professionally polished and that of course is another kettle of fish!!! BaZZa.
    5 points
  2. So you want to change the mounts to modern made replicas with no historical connection to the sword as opposed to keeping the last true mounts used for war in our lifetime? Given the quality of the mounts and family Mon it would not be stretch to theorize this was a family blade given to the son for war service. Type 98 in original condition are now being papered for both blade & mounts by the NTHK, mainly due to idiots unceremoniously dumping the koshirae off to put them in low quality modern "samurai" mounts. If you must make a koshirae for them at least retain the mounts so the real history of the sword remains.
    5 points
  3. Other people have said it all. My main contribution is to point out that the last "working owner" of the blade would not have seen it as in any way inferior, in fact as a mount officialy approved of by the (god) Emperor and taken to serve the same, he would have seen it as the swords best ever avatar. On another note, I buy bare blades, usually nihonto and remount them, if I get one in the original saya I am delighted. I use antique tosugo, real Honoki, and Ito imported from Japan, and genuine Same. I even use Washi for hishigame ....... It is still a "replica" set of mounts! When selling on, I am clear to the buyer what he is getting. I have two blades, one a Gunto and one a late Edo Wakizashi in original untouched antique mounts, I have no intention of "improving" them, ever.
    4 points
  4. I 100% agree with John here. It is better to preserve the history as it is, rather than try to whiteout and correct it to what you think it might be. Without the mounts it had prior to its gunto mounts in hand, it is all conjecture and disrespectful to the history of the blade. I have a 650+ year old uchigatana in gunto mounts and while I will be someday getting a shirasaya for it after its been polished, it will remain displayed with its gunto mounts and if ever sold, sold in the gunto mounts.
    4 points
  5. Why would you separate them? Something that has been together for over 70 years to make a quick buck? You may as well melt down the sword for the trace elements of precious metals as well.....
    3 points
  6. Brian You are going to be stiff and less flexible with two fused disks. Therapy will help with that. I'm surprised they are allowing you to get up/stand at all this soon. As for "Just need to get to the point where typing one post or email isn’t a major event." - then don't do that !! All is fine on NMB, just take care of yourself - all is well here. Sorry you are hurting - it won't last forever (just seems that way). Rich
    2 points
  7. Have Shirasaya made, keep em together, always good to see
    2 points
  8. Hi guys! If I'm missing something, let me know and I'll butt out, but I checked the original post and even back-tracked some of Adam's inquiries in the For Sale forum, and I don't see where the idea came from that he intends to put the blade in home-made, or Bubba-job fittings. If I understand correctly, his intent is to get period fittings from the era of the blade for a re-fit. As a WWII enthusiast and shingunto collector, MY preference is to keep the gunto in WWII period correct fittings, but even at that, I've re-fitted some of my gunto that were missing parts. I've "modified" the condition of the gunto from it's arriving condition into my hands. If you are determined to re-fit, Adam, I would keep the WWII fittings along with the re-fitted blade, just as everyone does when they put a blade in shirasaya. That way the "story" of the blade can travel with it down the line. But even after saying that, I realize that all the fittings this blade wore over 250 years aren't traveling with it today, are they? None of the original owners would have thought that way when the blade was re-fitted. We think that way now because we are historians as well as collectors and are trying to preserve the history. Also Adam, we have all seen the horrors that certain "dealers" (to use that term loosely) have done to wonderful blades and gunto. So, none of us want to see that happen. If you re-fit, and intend to sell, your owe it to future owners, as well as to the blade, to tell the whole story of it's fittings.
    2 points
  9. Actually, JP, a cheap borescope is ideal for checking inside saya & shirasaya: https://www.amazon.com/Inspection-Fantronics-Waterproof-Borescope-Adjustable/dp/B071HYRPND/ It's saved me time & money, several times.
    2 points
  10. For July. http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/c833621483 http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/p780233857 http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/d460257524 http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/v734230514 http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/u362079193 http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h490411447 http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/o410619830
    1 point
  11. We are dealing with collectible items thus if someone wants to buy an item he has to do his homework. Concerning signatures, as in all Art field, no certificate= no signature. It means that no added value can be brought to the item if not supported by a « valid » certificate. Newbies can PM any member to ask for advice. It has been done numerous time in the past and will surely be done in the future. It is the best way to check the value of an item. It is very easy to check the profile of the seller. I have not seen any serious complaint about NMB sales in 20 years. In fact, NMB is probably the safest and best place to strike bargain. And as you said it Adam : « I doubt many would buy an item with signature and not check it's authenticity. »
    1 point
  12. Thanks guys. Pain isn’t the problem. It is that they fused 2 discs with titanium screws. So I cannot really move. If I lie down, I need to plan carefully just to turn over. And getting out of bed involves disconnecting about 4 tubes and putting on a brace and then 16 movements just to stand up. Not used to so much planning when I just want to turn in bed to see what they brought for lunch. 😳 Yeah, I know each day will be better. Just need to get to the point where typing one post or email isn’t a major event.
    1 point
  13. Keep up posted with your health status that’s the most important. I hope they give you painkillers.
    1 point
  14. I can't even... For the love of god people, just buy from a real dealer or another collector on this board. Auctions for nihonto are almost universally terrible and rife with scammy crap like this.
    1 point
  15. Number 16 is actually Chinese made production sword, Cold Steel O-Tanto. The reason why the tang is "overpolished" is due to it being made c. within the last 10 years and Cold Steel using a stamping method as they put a serial number of the item on the tang. The stamp has been filed off on this...
    1 point
  16. All will be added when I am alive again A darker theme too. Don’t panic folks. All in time. Right now I am in a bad state.
    1 point
  17. What I saw in the pictures were a whole bunch of what appears to be Franken-swords, all mix-n-match Fuchi, Kashira, Tsuba, Seppa. Some blades look old and promising while others looked questionable, some with tired Koshirae with blade condition that does not match, or nicer Koshirae with very poor condition blades. Some of the Tsuba's look amateurish as well, plus weird shaped Nakago's on others with poorly chiseled Mie's. Just a lot that looked off to me...but probably just my lack of knowledge and poor pictures to gage from??? Mark
    1 point
  18. Dear Josh. First step would be to take off the habaki, blade collar, and get some shots of the whole nakago and of the whole blade. That will give us some more idea about it from the sugata. Wow! New Board. I see Raay has replied already. All the best.
    1 point
  19. sorry to disagree but, IMHO 100% fake you can see the burr marks on the Ana tang hole are still fresh looking , plus the Fuchi is signed upside down, the tsuka ito wrap all going in the same direction , the Habaki looks very suspect too ,, looks like a Chinese fake to me . just my two pennies worth
    1 point
  20. For safeties sake I would leave it a lot longer. What I would do, is try the blade in the saya for a minute or so, then remove, wipe and oil and repeat for a few days. .... Better safe than sorry.
    1 point
  21. Please, inquiry must be kept by PM. Apply the rule of thumb: quality first, mei second...
    1 point
  22. Bruce and Bazza are of course correct, at least keep the shingunto koshirae for the next owners. Together they are more valuable to collectors, both financially and historically.
    1 point
  23. It's not functioning as a link, Mark, but the site update is so new, I don't know why. Interestingly, I can't even right-click & copy it. The problem with these auctions is that they seldom have good-enough photos to make an educated decision on buying. THere's also a buyer's premium (20% in this case), plus shipping that usually isn't expert on swords. So, participate at your own risk.
    1 point
  24. You are in the military swords section so you’re going to mostly get folks telling you to keep it together. It’s viewed here like someone sporterizing a nice matching wwii k98. i personally like to keep them together and know other military collectors do as well. At the end of the day it’s your sword and you can do whatever you please with it.
    1 point
  25. Not at all, its because I want the blade that spent the 250 years before WWII back in its samurai mounts. Making a quick buck is not the reason at all.
    1 point
  26. I find this quite useful if you can recognise at least one kanji you can cross reference. Takes time but you will learn from it and start to associate the shapes to the sounds eventually. Many sword fittings artists crossed into Inro, lacquer work of all sorts, netsuke and Okimono etc. You will see Yokoya somin in the list etc.. Known for sword fittings primarily but also did nestuke. http://carvers.netsuke.org.ru/search.php?w=all
    1 point
  27. Believe me, many is the time I have written off signatures as "too weird to be true", only to find out they are authentic. In fact, I suspected this one was bogus, too. The fittings, well, at least the tsuba, are laughable (apologies to the op). The name is one that seems unusual at first - different from naming conventions normally seen on swords - and so the whole package had an air of fraudulence about it. However the year of Ansei 5 seemed specific and a strange thing to copy, so it hinted that the thing might be legitimate. I'm not familiar with this smith, so thanks to the OP for posting this sword, which led me to Markus's site. (nb: To the original poster: As always, there is no guarantee the signature is authentic. It could be a forgery. The sword itself is the thing, and should be compared with known authenticated pieces. See below for a link to a sword by this smith.) https://www.e-sword.jp/katana/1610-1075.htm
    1 point
  28. I found that pallet tape often for sale at the dollar store is a clear plastic like Saran wrap as it sticks to itself. You can wrap it quite tightly to hold a saya together. I use it when packing for a sword show. It does not leave a residue.
    1 point
  29. 荘柳齊 Sōryūsai The 柳 (ryū) used on the item is a variant, so it looks slightly different from the one used here on this post.
    1 point
  30. 藤技英義太郎 Fujieda Teruyoshi Tarō (name) 安政五午年 Ansei go uma nen (1858, year of the horse) From Markus Sesko's excellent site: https://markussesko.com/2013/05/13/from-the-life-of-fujieda-taro-teruyoshi/
    1 point
  31. I wrap the blade in newspaper, which is something I have seen done by a Japanese professional while they were working on a new habaki. I have also used cardboard tubes from the centre of a roll of cloth as a transport safety aid on a bare blade. As for rice glue, make it up as a paste rather than a liquid and apply with a stiff brush. It is an air drying glue, so will need a few days before you can be confident it is dry. I use it a fair bit, and I wait for a week or more, rather than take any risk of rust on a blade.
    1 point
  32. Kanou Natuo used his technique to simply show Bushido's heart, "Bamboo blown by the wind and flowing water." Its shape is tasteful and protective on your fingers when "keiko (practice)".
    1 point
  33. Hi Eckart, I'd look at the hamon termination as a bit suspect, too. If the blade has been shortened significantly, so that 'new' tang is formed over part of the blade that had previoulsy been polished, the hamon should run deeper into the tang, not stop short of the hamachi, as it seems to do here. Unless the sword as a whole had been retempered, creating a new hamon (without getting into too much detail, often this creates a stylistic contrast with the original/alleged smith's work). This would also help explain the very white, bright metal of the hamon boundary, although this isn't uncommon in perfectly authentic shin-shinto period work, either (I have an example myself); and possibly also contributes to the 'tiredness' of the surface metal. The concept of tiredness is a bit harder to define. You get a feel for it after you get a chance to examine a number of antique and/or well-used blades, but you might imagine that repeated or heavy repolishing, ie, grinding down the hard surface steel, especially at the ji and ha, produces a more coarse, almost uneven appearance to the grain, the hada, whatever it's pattern might be (itame, mokume, etc). At the extreme, the hamon becomes quite shallow, as some of it's metal at the edge is lost, and the blade might show 'ware,' or openings in the grain, potentially deep enough to expose the softer iron core of the sword. It can be hard to discern between a high quality, but worn, blade, and one that was wasn't forged to the same standards, or perhaps flawed in the hardening & tempering process. Now, none of all this means that a sword is completely worthless, or an outright fake. The question is, if you want it, how much should you pay? And also, do you want it for what it is, or for what the seller wants you to think that it is? The gaudy painting over of the signature is, of course, the main thing. Once that's settled, as pointed out by previous posters, you know beyond reasonable doubt that the intent is to deceive. And not to deceive an expert or connoisseur, but a rube. Nobody would do that to even a modestly valuable sword. In fact, nobody would do anything to the tang at all, except maybe to add fresh file marks ('yasurime') to the previously-polished surface, or drill a new mekugi hole if remounting the blade. If the signature says 'Masamune' or 'Yasutsuna' or some other museum-quality mei of legend, then it's just that much more stupid. So, is the blade of any value at all? I think, probably a little. It's dangerous to judge from a few pictures, but this seems to be an authentically forged Japanese sword, with a real hada and hamon, probably the work of second rate smith(s), maybe shin-shinto or newer, which still makes it an antique, mind. It might be 2-300 years old. It looks a bit worn down, and/or not forged all that tightly from the beginning, and we still have to entertain the possibility of it's being cut down and/or retempered. Which is all okay: Most of the time, one isn't obscuring the work of a famous smith's masterpiece by keeping an old sword in service that way; there's plenty of good company out there..and this is a good thing, because we average-income consumers can have a genuine Japanese sword and see & admire the details of all the metalwork that goes into it. Plus the mountings, if they're authentic and of value. But there's no need to overpay. That's why it's important to identify deception when you see it. If the seller of this sword was claiming to your face that it's a valuable, papered antique, and asking, say US$5000-10,000 or more, then that's silly. There're plenty of shin-shinto, even shinto and late koto blades to be had with decent old polish and no major ware or failures, for much less. Note also that I say 'blade.' Quality swords are generally kept and sold in shirasaya only. If the furniture is available and/or valuable in itself, one would expect it to be mounted on a wood or bamboo spacer. There're lots of exceptions and qualifications to all I've said, and plenty more besides, but I hoped to give you a little scope into the likely maximum value of your sword as pictured, at least as determined by your ability to sell it to someone else knowledgable. Cheers, ~Woz
    1 point
  34. Honestly, guys... just go to Grey Doffin? He offers excellent customer service, his prices are good (and often negotiable). He can be trusted to deliver.
    1 point
  35. I think I can say with confidence that such was not available in Edo period Japan.
    0 points
  36. Hi and Welcome. The tsuba is fake Chinese reproduction. That one came in a set of six different themed ones in a box. I think £19.99 the six The fittings ergo fuchi kashira are also fake I believe with the mei upside down as well. The Nakago seems to have been artificially patinated with no obvious yasureme. The mei looks Chinese to me but I'm no translator so ill leave that to those that are. At this stage I'm going on reproduction 99% sure.
    0 points
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