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I think it is fun idea. Here is a 9 item collection (excluding the possible koshirae from the count) I came up with. In perfect world all items would of course be ubu. I think excluding the ōdachi and ubu naginata, the rest can be achieved fairly easily, and I left out any makers in order to make the basic format easy to see. And I am not personally yet too drawn into any specific makers, as there are so many interesting smiths and schools throughout the history. I realized it easily shows my preference of item types over specific schools. However I must say in reality I would probably cut the Muromachi trio for another earlier item but I included them to this fantasy format as I thought 9 items like this would give a nice view into different item types as well. Kamakura 1. Naginata 2. Tachi 3. Tantō Nanbokuchō 1. Naginata 2. Ōdachi 3. Ko-wakizashi Muromachi 1. Yari 2. Uchigatana (daishō koshirae) 3. Wakizashi (daishō koshirae)

Gentlemen, This is a light-hearted topic and should be treated as such. There is nothing wrong with dreaming and aspiring. Whether these are top-name smiths, as in my case and Paul's, or more modest dreams. Everyone is entitled to their aspirations and casting aspersions on those is just petulant. Kiril - I am interested in reading these pamphlets you mention below: '30 pages pamphlets written on the subject. Buy a library, spend decades like me in "Studious Research, while cultivating the Inner Aesthetics of Samurai". Authored with no exception by owners of about a dozen of "very beginner Juyo" and other budget-friendly blades.' Please tell me the names and authors so that I could look them up. By the way, Kurokawa san measures up the visitors to his shop and decides what blades he will sell to whom. It is a complete fallacy that one with a stash of money can simply just walk into Sokkendo and buy whatever they want, let alone the topmost blades. Quite the opposite, in fact. One of the top collectors in the world really wants some of Kurokawa san's blades. His wealth is measured in 8 or 9 zeros. However, Kurokawa san does not sell them to him. I am afraid, as you yourself know, in Japan it is primarily about relationships, respect etc etc. Similarly, there are old collectors in rural Japan with great blades - Masamune, Sadamune, Takagi Sadamune, ko-Bizen, etc, who deliberately do not sell to Tokyo dealers and avoid them. Again, not only money, but relationships and regard for who the next custodian of a blade is. Another point, obliquely made by Kiril - there is no such term as a 'successful collector'. Success in collecting can only be defined by oneself, since only one can determine the criteria and methods to selecting and achieving one's collection. Now, such methods and criteria can evolve over time, and that is common and normal. But again - one needs to be happy with his/her approach to collecting and not become enslaved by an obsession to own a certain item, because such a pursuit could lead to a psychological and financial ruin.

Zaimei Tomonari tachi Zaimei Masatsune tachi Zaimei one of Yoshifusa, Sukezane, Norifusa, Nobufusa tachi Zaimei Saburo Kunimune tachi Zaimei Mitsutada tachi One of zaimei Nagamitsu, Kagemitsu, Kanemitsu tachi One of a good Sanjo, Gojo or Awataguchi One of Masamune, Sadamune, Go, top Norishige, top Yukimitsu Zaimei Shintogo tanto This is the dream. The reality is I shall probably end up with some mumei or fumei examples of some blades.....

Hi Sven, First of all welcome to the board ! Then, by NMB rules you have to sign your post (completing your profile) As far as the 4 tsuba are concerned I would guess as it quite obvious #1 Shoami #2 Heianjo #3 Heianjo #4Choshu as per the Kanji on the right - 長州 Best regards Bruno

I think, since this is fantasy anyways, I would love ideally to have a full samurai figure in a glass case. This would be an early to mid Edo full armor complete with very good 32 or 64 plate kabuto, mempo etc. Complete and mounted. This figure would be complete with a decent Kamakura period tachi in polish from any of the good schools, and a tanto from one of the Rai schools. Then also displayed with a very good mounted naginata also polished and papered. Not overly ambitious, I think some of our members would already have similar.

Is it too late to get a clear picture of the tsuba? Also, a clear picture of the hamon, close-up? The painted numbers - 843 - are assembly numbers put there by the shop that does the fittings.

I think the hamon is there to be seen. Wait until it is dark outside and just put on one incandescent light across the room. Point the sword at the light and slightly adjust it until the light bounces off the hamon. You should be able to see it I would think. You want to look for a nioiguchi (temper line) that is uninterrupted and goes the length of the sword.

I have seen online a number of games and competitions asking people to pick their world class fantasy football (Soccer for our U.S. Colleagues) teams. There has been a great deal of discussion recently about collecting, it is after all a major part of why we are here, but with too much time on my hands I thought I would take the fantasy concept onboard and try and pick my “Fantasy Nihon-To collection”. I know this has been done in various forms in the past but it might be worth re-visiting. If nothing else it might help you identify on what you really appreciate in a sword. Below is mine and is selected mainly based on smiths who’s work I have been lucky enough to see in hand (most but not all). There are what might be considered some glaring omissions but this is not based on reputation of a smith, just on workmanship that really appeals to my own aesthetic. 1. An Awataguchi daito preferably by Kunitomo, Hisakuni or Norikuni. 2. A ko-Bizen daito preferably Tomonari 3. A tanto by Shintogo Kunimitsu or Yukimitsu (early work style) 4. An Aoe blade from mid to late Kamakura by Sadatsugu or Tsunetsugu 5. A tanto by Rai Kunimitsu 6. A Yamato daito by either a Taima smith or by Shodai Kanenaga(Tegai) 7. A Bizen Osafune daito by Shodai Nagamitsu or Kagemitsu 8. A daito by Shodai Yamato Shizu. 9. An Osaka shinto daito by Inoue Shinkai 10. A daito by Nanki Shigekuni 11. A daito by Sa Yukihide While in many ways it is a trivial exercise it might be worth doing, keeping the list and then re-doing a few years later just to see if and how your views evolve as you progress in to the subject.

I took a chance on this Wakizashi from a UK auction recently as it looked quite interesting due to the Tokkotuki-Ken and a Fudo Myoo bonji engravings. Condition is worse than I expected with numerous chips out of the cutting edge and a blister on the edge of the Bo-Hi but it could be restored if it's worth going down that road. The Habaki will take some work to get it off so I haven't tried yet. What's do you guys think of it?

I think trying to compete with others is not a good way to go in collecting. If someone just starting collecting goes to top dealer and gets a top item, that is just fantastic. I think the achievement in owning something might be that you have just personally set a goal like that. Even though you can get amazing items by top tier makers in a day (if you have the finances and in some cases connections too) as you put it, can you get the exact item you will want? As an example I have personally a quest for a blade from Hōju school, I know there are some top ones of that school that will be forever unobtainable for me, and probably in the last 10 years there might have been around 5 Hōju tachi for sale that I would really have wanted to own in my collection. Unfortunately the timing was never right for me at that time when the items were sold. Now if I just would want to own a Hōju blade there are probably 10+ items for sale in Japan at this given moment by various dealers, the thing is just that I don't really like any of the ones for sale that much. Of course I am not even in buying position at the moment, hopefully I will be when I encounter an available Hōju tachi that I like, be it 5,10 or 20 years onwards.

Hi Jean Is this better?

I always liked the idea of Jean's Gokaden collection A juyo daito from each school, something like: Awataguchi Hosho Ichimonji Yukimitsu/Norishige/Go Yoshihiro Shizu Kaneuji

Hi Ken the budget is where the fantasy bit kicks in😁

Yes, this is a later war Type 98 in "combat mounts", the scabbard would likely have had a leather cover originally.

Those mei still dont look right and if they dont do some false rusting you can tell by a passing eyeballing. Wonder what the hada and hamon on those look like and if they actually use any of the correct materials/metal. I'm sure they didn't mimic the technique but you wouldn't be able to tell that without cutting it in half I suppose. The nakago filing as well looks shallow or something, cant tell if they got the file design fully correct. Either way....stop it China.

That's a gorgeous piece, Adam! To answer your question, there were private swords donated, some bought by an Army program, and some brought to the war by the owners. This could be any one of those. The fittings are officer fittings, but the leather tassel (missing the fob at the end) is for NCO's . Do you have any provenance about it? Dawson has pictures of NCO's carrying civil re-fitted gunto, but they all retain the civil tsuba and kabutogane. Most of the time, with these, we default to the assumption that the leather tassel was added post-war. But I'm not certain. This one is a good example - why would Bubba put a damaged NCO strap on this sword? Unless the fob was there originally, and has since fallen off. That's possible I suppose. NCOs attending Officer training were allowed to put officer tassels on their NCO swords while a candidate, but I haven't heard of it going the other way around. There are pictures of NCOs carrying private swords as far back as WWI, so who knows?!

I got hold of late war shin-gunto, often called a "45 pattern home defense sword". As can be seen from the photos, the fittings are quite utilitarian pressed and cast metal. Although the sword is well made and "tight", with a Mantetsu blade. From all accounts, they are not that common.