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Showing content with the highest reputation on 06/21/2021 in all areas

  1. Dear All, As restrictions on movement start to be lifted I am hoping to start to have the chance to study some more swords. In the meantime the pool is becoming somewhat limited so this may be the last kantei I can post for a little while. It is also possible that the blade here is familiar to some of you. Normally when doing kantei the blade should be ubu or at least have the mei intact and have been authenticated. It should also be a piece that exhibits the traits of a given school or smith. This is not always possible. In this case we are looking at a naginata-naoshi which has been substantially modified from it's original form and is mumei. Therefore to reach a conclusion one needs to focus on such dimensions as are original (nagasa and thickness) and more particularly on the hada and hamon. Description: The blade is a Naginata Naoshi wakizashi. Nagasa: The blade is 17.6 inches. The Kasane is 8mm. the blade is Mitsu-mune. There are classic Naginata hi which are well cut and in excellent condition. The shape is a classic Naginata sugata . Hada: The blade is a combination of itame and Nagare hada covered in thick and bright Ji-nie with chickei mixed in. As the hada approaches the hamon it tends more towards masame. Hamon: The Hamon is Suguha with deep Nioi and thick, bright nie. There is Nijuba and Sunagashi. There is clear mune-yaki. Boshi: Yakitsume with considerable hakikake. Nakago: O-suriage Mumei. Beautiful colour and well maintained.
    4 points
  2. Hi Stan, To have the sword polished and mounted with new shirasaya and habaki, if necessary, by properly trained artisans will cost at least $2,000. To have it polished by an amateur would be foolish. I recommend a light coat of machine oil to stabilize the rust and not much more at the present. Take some time to learn about Japanese swords and what your options are; with better understanding you can make an informed decision. Maybe, someday, you'll decide to have a polish done but, you may also decide you're not that serious about collecting Japanese swords and you'll be happy you don't have way more into this one than you can ever recover by selling. No need to hurry. I'm willing to take a call and answer questions, if you like. Grey 218-726-0395 central time.
    4 points
  3. Also, see this: https://varshavskycollection.com/collection/tsu-0394-2019/
    3 points
  4. There is a lot of appetite on the market for masterworks at the moment. Look at online dealers, they're running out of masterworks. It's becoming harder and harder to find them, due to whales in Japan accumulating and buyers in the west sniping what passes through their nets. The danger zone is right in the middle though, be careful there. As Michael so eloquently put it, macro-economics trends and new wealth means there is demand for art of all kind as both a diversification strategy and a hobby. Kirill please open a business for those 60K hozon Masamune! Let's not kid ourselves here and give beginners a false sense of hope. If its a beater Masamune that wouldn't pass Juyo, it wouldn't get Masamune attribution in the first place because the condition would preclude any such conclusions from being reached. Even a Masamune with no Boshi left is going to be an automatic Juyo - and any remaining Hozon exists solely to give the Japanese owner discretion. "Not that rare" - well, in its existence the NBHTK has allowed 33 Masamune Katanas counting Juyo and Tokuju together, with half of them having issues (To mei Ga Aru, Soshu Joko No Saku, etc) and attributed to Masamune out of respect for the great edo judges with big glowing red disclaimers in the Setsumei saying in a Japanese way that its unlikely to be Masamune. That leaves about 15-20 legit Katanas with supporting setsumei that can be bought and exported outside Japan. Out of these 15-20 Katanas, more than half are locked into museums and whales collections such as the Sano Museum or the Sawaguchi collection. Now you're left with maybe 5-8 legit katanas that could ever surface on the market and the pie is shrinking fast. Every few years, one might change hands discreetly in Japan and if you're lucky you might hear about it in hushed tones from Japanese dealers. So yeah, they are as rare as rare can be. And no, you won't find a Hozon Masamune for hozon bargain price. That game stops working at the topmost level. And to return to the original question, when stocks run dry it's the best time to sell on consignment, and now is such a time.
    3 points
  5. Obviously up to Steve or whoever to answer how they wish but i feel he’s given the general flavor of the content and context. I think most would agree that the spirit of a free translation section is to keep requests down to a fairly minimal amount of text. However, I am sympathetic to the desire to have large sections of text translated. Forgive me for not using the search function but has it been discussed where on might go to have a lets say a large detailed older origami or an arms length sayagaki? I believe I’ve heard there are fee-for-service outlets just cant remember if they’ve been discussed. Again, not wanting to make anyone feel bad but just want make sure that we are not abusing what is a very gracious and much appreciated service offered by a few of our valued members. Doug
    3 points
  6. Hi Stan, Welcome to NMB. As regards the rust, try wrapping the blade in cloth or newspaper soaked in oil. WD40 or 3 in 1 oil should do the trick (or whatever the US equivalent is). After a week or two this should turn the active rust inactive. Don't oil the tang (if there's no red rust there) and don't clean the tang or do anything else to try to clean up the blade - leave it to the polisher.
    2 points
  7. Cedar does outgas, although I don't know whether that would affect steel. You can also keep an eye out for a tansu, specifically a katanadansu, which are made to store swords long-term. As a moden alternative, you can buy https://www.amazon.com/Weapon-Protection-Zerust-Prevention-Closure/dp/B00PJ4QN12/ which will protect the swords, & you can just put them in your existing gun safes. Not pretty, but inexpensive & practical. I used to be a dealer for these bags, until Amazon went into competition.
    2 points
  8. BangBangSan never ceases to amaze. He can spot a kanji character a mile away. No details on the Mantetsu other than the name and rank of the owner as stated by BangBangSan in post #10. The information can be found in the fourth column from the right, the preceding columns being related to the table header. The kanji characters can be seen below.
    2 points
  9. Hey all! So I built a katana tansu, thought I’d share:
    1 point
  10. Eve, there are a number of reasons. Sometimes a sword had to be shortened for individual purposes, and as you cannot cut off the KISSAKI (= the tip) of a blade without losing the hardened end, blades are shortened from the tang side (NAKAGO, not nagako. I know, there is a lot of new vocabulary to learn!). This was usually done carefully and competently by a swordsmith. In your case, the NAKAGO is unusually short, which would have caused a lack of stability in the TSUKA (= handle). We do not know the reason for that - a broken longer blader could have been re-purposed to a new life as KO-WAKIZASHI (= short WAKIZASHI). Also, in the peaceful EDO period, wearing a KATANA and a WAKIZASHI was mandatory for SAMURAI, but there was no control of the efficiency and stability. So sometimes, smaller and lighter blades were worn in long mounts just for more comfort. As mentioned above, there are more reasons for shortening a blade, but you will find in most cases that the NAKAGO still has a reasonable size. An expert ought to examine your blade's tang and perhaps find traces of a defect, a damage or how it was shortened.
    1 point
  11. Okay, I guess I should have just checked Dr. Google first. Apparently Western Cedar and new Oak wood have a pH of about 3.5, and the acid fumes can affect nearby metals. Glad I didn't proceed with the project. In particular it mentions turning copper green. That could really screw up some mounts. Bob
    1 point
  12. Hey, Jacques, I see you are ready for some verbal dueling, and I am endorsing it warmly. As mentioned elsewhere, deeper debate and scholarship have abated somewhat on the NMB, so we should do our best to educate people who are now setting on the path we have trodden down some way further. Firstly, the nioiguchi is not the same as hamon. The nioiguchi is the border of the hamon (which is the outline and shape of the ha). Refer to the handy definitions crib sheet below (photo 79F…..) Secondly, when people speak of ‘activities’ (i.e. hataraki) and ‘active’ with regard to the hamon, they refer to the presence of hataraki. Of course, every hamon has some activities but that does not make every hamon ‘active’. A comparison I can draw is that every person has some fat in his/her body, but that does not make every person fat. Even though I am eventually getting there with all this Covid sitting on my posterior and imbibing alcohol! Thirdly, I do not engage in debates for the sake of debates and being argumentative. When I make statements here, which is not often, they are capable of corroboration. So, I attach excerpts from two Japanese books which talk about hamon being ‘active’: —>The Japanese Sword (written by numerous authors - refer to photos B6…, E9…., 58FB…., 322CA attached herein). The part I wish to draw the readers’ attention to is the amazing ubu zaimei kokuho Rai Kunitoshi (and I knew people would be interested in the blade, so I attached an image of it). In that paragraph the author talks about the ‘active suguha’ of the Rai master smiths and then goes into the ‘active koshiba‘ of the illustrated kokuho tachi. —>Tanto (by Suzuki) I enclose both the Japanese text and the English translation - again, please read for yourself. Now, this text imputes a slightly different meaning to the word ‘active’ and associates it more with flamboyance and variegation in the shape of the ha. But, wait a second, that is called hamon (per the first argument in this response)!! So, again the hamon is described as active. Personally, I subscribe to the former approach, which centres more around the number and type of hataraki to describe the ha as active, as opposed to the mere shape or outline not being a straight line (i.e. suguha) per the latter approach. Simply, I have seen numerous active suguha blades, be they Rai, Awataguchi or Shintogo. Sometimes the hataraki are tiny but they are there and impressive. Therefore, yes, a suguha blade can be active, as you yourself say, and The Japanese Sword posits, but that also does not make every suguha active (which is a fallacious argument you are making above).
    1 point
  13. Dear Peter. One here, https://collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-54908.html All the best.
    1 point
  14. 4 more 偕行社 sword on the 2nd page. 1.第六中隊 少尉 渡邊一 2.第二機關銃中隊 准尉 半田健二 3.第三大隊本部 准尉 真野正行 4.第九中隊 少尉 橫山宏
    1 point
  15. Yes but I can not be sure that I wouldn’t change my answer without it. I can explain exactly how I did it but want to let others have the fun I had. I learned some things that will definitely help me in the Future to distinguish.
    1 point
  16. The document that you inquired about can be found over at JACAR. Go to https://www.jacar.go.jp/english/ and cut and paste the following letter and eleven digits C15010630300 or the following kanji characters 歩兵第163連隊残留隊 私物移譲兵器連名簿綴 into the search box. If all went to plan, you should be looking at the document that BangBangSan posted above.
    1 point
  17. I think the MFA piece was done by this guy (lifted from the mei book Markus xlated, presented for educational purposes only): I have a piece signed umetada with the ume as the first character, but I kind of think its done by a different umetada guy, maybe the same as the pieces Dale posted?: I hope that helps... Best, rkg (Richard George) Edit: and looking of fleabay, there's a Japanese seller that appears to have another piece by the ichi'ou guy available as well: https://www.ebay.com/itm/265202417456?hash=item3dbf4bbf30:g:wYUAAOSw49Rgtj0m
    1 point
  18. A very nice find BTW and I hope you do restore it someday. -tch
    1 point
  19. Dale, these leaves would fit, I think! Piers, a very nice TSUBA in TÔSHÔ style, but in my opinion mid to late EDO JIDAI.
    1 point
  20. There are many gourds grown in Japan - each has slightly different leaf patterns. This example is of a 'Bottle gourd'
    1 point
  21. The fittings are at best imitation Japanese, and at worst intentional fakes. Yet the thing has age. I'm aware that the professional fakers can artificially age stuff, so that's no guarantee the item is legit. Please give a full photo of the nakago (tang). But unless someone can come up with an island/SE Asian language the kanji fit, then the mei alone shows the whole thing to be a fake. I checked the Java (Sumaran) mei and it's not even close to the same. I'll post a pic for comparison.
    1 point
  22. I remember attending the RB Caldwell masterpieces exhibition. I still have the book and invitation (see attached). As I remember it was held at a swanky London house and was filled with lovely ladies, there for the free champagne. As my wife was with me I was able to focus my attention on the collection, one of the few that did. I could not afford any of them, but got a group of three tsuba and the Sotheby's auction of other items from his collection.
    1 point
  23. That’s what I thought at first, Rich, but look at these: https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=ヘチマ葉っぱ&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiaw8KlzKjxAhVLAKYKHVR8A18Q2-cCegQIABAC&oq=hechima葉っぱ&gs_lcp=ChJtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1pbWcQARgAMggIABAEECUQIDIFCAAQzQIyCAgAEAQQJRAgOgIIADoGCAAQChAYOgQIABADOgYIABAHEB46BAgeEApQ6JcEWNu4BGD5ywRoAHAAeACAAdABiAGrDZIBBTIuOC4ymAEAoAEBwAEB&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img&ei=b3TQYNrPN8uAmAXU-I34BQ&bih=715&biw=414&client=safari&prmd=imsvn&hl=ja-jp#imgrc=u6eQfCeJFvMboM
    1 point
  24. Looks like a Maple leaf at the bottom.
    1 point
  25. Mmmm.... 瓢箪 Hyōtan, 糸瓜 Hechima, etc., yes, good idea, Pietro. Thanks. PS And that might just explain the leaf!
    1 point
  26. John, Gotcha. Will do that! Stan
    1 point
  27. Hello Dan, These tags usually have the name and the address of the person who owned the sword. In this particular case, the characters are faint and I can't quite pick them out. The characters on the right might be 杉本了 (a name: SUGIMOTO Ryo). On the left is probably the address. The only character I can pick out is 野 (means "field" in Japanese, and is one of the most common characters used in addresses) . After that is a katakana character "き", which, by itself, means nothing, but maybe its also part of an address. As I said in my other post, I can't really give you any meaningful input.
    1 point
  28. Smart! Also, I would not risk testing the cedar trunk theory as many a nihonto bringback has come out of a cedar trunk in less than optimal condition, so who knows?
    1 point
  29. Thanks Thomas for posting the regulations diagrams. The sonin level swords show a different scabbard fitting pattern i.e. Not a boars eye cutout. The sword pictured also has the correct sonin level colonial knot although it's damaged. In my humble opinion I believe the scabbard is correct. Tom
    1 point
  30. For a change of pace, lets look at the 1917 Tsingtao uniform regulations. 青島守備軍民政部職員服制ヲ定ム 青島 = Chintao = Tsingtao = Qingdao.
    1 point
  31. BTW The first sword is a Mantetsu, it belong to Major 少佐 稻垣毅治 from Regiment headquarter 联隊本部. @Bruce Pennington
    1 point
  32. Item No. 64 Large Iron Tsuba with Gold 8.47 cm x 7.86 cm x 0.50 cm Subject of Sukashi Dragons in a field of gold key pattern inlay , unsigned. The inlay continues around the mimi , dragons' eyes are gold . Unknown age or school , described by Auction House as dating to approx 1780 , ie 240 years old... Bought a few years ago at a European Auction.
    1 point
  33. There was indeed a gendaitō 現代刀 swordsmith with the name of 西山・勝進 [Nishiyama Katsuyuki] who signed his blades with 肥前國西光 [Hizen no kuni Saikō]. He lived in 長崎県北高来郡森山村 [Nagasaki-ken Kitatakaki-gun Moriyama-mura] as of 1937. Many thanks for sharing pictures of your sword.
    1 point
  34. http://www.nihonto-club.de/seiten/berichte.html BEST
    1 point
  35. Peter We all started digressing into 'is gendaito better than shinsakuto?', 'oh, why, my god, why is my mass produced WW2 blade priced where it is?' and our pet loves and interests, and ignored your question. I shall provide my humble views: 1) at the moment, from a macroeconomic perspective, globally there is a heck of a lot of loose monetary policy being practised by central banks and reserves; this means, in layman's terms, than they require banks to hold lower currency reserves (thus relieving retail banks of the requirement to have reserves centrally and encouraging them to lend the excess more) and the government institutions deploy central funds to purchase debt obligations thus increasing money supply in the economy. When there is a lot of something, its price comes down. In our case, the value of money goes down through the inflation mechanism - inflation rates are high, money buys less, etc. That is why you are seeing so many people fleeing to alternative assets to fiat (i.e. normal ) money - be it gold, bitcoin/ethereum, non-fiat-token digital assets, art. Normal money costs less (you can view the interest rate in the bank as its value increment and inflation as its decrement = the net change is negative as inflation is much higher that interest rates and real GDP growth) 2) so, investing in alternative assets when money is abundant makes diversification sense - be it real estate (you know it, its price is up too!), art collections, value depository assets (gold, diamonds, platinum, silver). Now, you need to be careful with the so called commodities and precious metals as their value is influenced by industrial usage as well as financial operations (the so called forward and futures prices, derivatives, etc) 3) zooming into art more precisely, as an alternative asset class in addition to a source of personal gratification and aesthetic enjoyment, it is booming (for the reasons above plus the additional wealth created in emerging real economies such as China or the Middle East or Russia or digital economies - think of the Bitcoin and Ethereum billionaires and multimillionaires who lucked it out). It could be digital art (https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2021/03/11/beeple-art-sells-for-693-million-becoming-most-expensive-nft-ever/) or antique art (https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/disarming-new-findings-on-leonardos-salvator-mundi). 4) are antique weapons merely a historic artefact or art? That is a tricky question. Are Japanese swords works of art? It merits its own treatise. A-ha! It exists! Please refer to my friend, Paul's, interesting article on the subject https://to-ken.uk/onewebmedia/why article.pdf 5) so, having established that there is demand for alternative assets and art in particular, then we need to analyse whether our Japanese swords are really art, and, if so, high or fine art. Are they mass/machine produced swords, of which there are many tens of thousands, all look similar, etc or are they unique, beautiful, old (so there is the historic/antique element). What is the state of preservation? Is there historic provenance (daimyo ownership)? Is there evidence they were cherished, appreciated, etc? I suppose one could read another friend of mine's blog posts here : https://blog.yuhindo.com/what-i-learned-from-you/#more-124. and https://blog.yuhindo.com/fungible/ They sort of conclude that people like differentiated, quality items, which store/reserve their value. There is more there too (about a specialist collection, about high vs low/wide) etc and Guido has also written on that topic separately. So, Peter, I would conclude (my wife is calling me for lunch!) by saying: - there is plenty of disposable wealth and money around - it is looking for art and Japanese swords too (I know several guys in their 30s with remarkable Juyo and TJ collections at the topmost level) - however, with the plethora of available (mostly digital) information, that wealth is 'better informed' and 'smarter'. It is no longer the golden era of the Japanese or Militaria arms fair or show in the airport hotel of the 1970s-1990s where people were buying unprepared and myths were being perpetuated about Juyo swords, about what certain words in sayagaki meant, etc - to attract those buyers, or even just knowledgeable buyers, if you are selling a top item, there should not be an issue. - if you are selling an average item, then you need to be able to swallow the loss of the dealer premium you paid when you bought your sword. That premium could range from 0 to 100%. I know US dealers who tend to put 30-40% premiums, European dealers who put 50-80% premiums, Japanese, who put around 25-30%, etc. Of course I could go much further into the topic (was an item bought at the exclusive/secretive Japanese dealer auction or not, was it bought directly from a Japanese collector, and how was it subsequently priced by the Occidental dealer?) but it is unwise to discuss trade secrets . Leon T above explains well why there is a dealer premium. - if, however, you bought from a dealer, and then upgraded a certificate, then you can make money. Unfortunately the ladder theory (https://blog.yuhindo.com/ladder-theory/) works in sword pricing. I have been fortunate to upgrade swords bought from dealers and made money, but do not count on it. It is not common. - one final thought: do not sell as a collection if you can avoid it. Anecdotally I have observed through the dispersal of several collections, that it is better to 'trickle' the swords into the market, finding the right buyer for the right sword rather than flooding the market with self-competing swords
    1 point
  36. Kiril, I would like to raise a few comments, if I may, on your thought/debate-provoking (thank you for that, as NMB has become a bit boring for me!) contributions: Let us not joke here with the beginners in the hobby please. A Masamune will not sell for $60k (where do I get a couple please?), even if it is 'merely Hozon'. We both know what that Hozon means..... On the point of old Honami papers - agree. And this is hopefully beneficial to John V 'Darkcon'. It all depends on who the Honami judge was - if it were Kochu or Kojo, that is fine (they are the most reliable), or even Koyu to some extent, but those Honami after them often issued origami under duress or the temptation of reward, and there are a lot of discredited Honami papers which indeed today will be rejected. Darcy himself thoroughly documented a case like that: a published 'Masamune', with a tonne of Honami papers and family heirloom letters, fancy koshirae etc etc , which today is believed to be a good Edo 'reproduction': https://yuhindo.com/masamune/ As to Scythian gold mounts, well, CF https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/appliques-protomes/bronze-age-scythian-gold-zoomorphic-mount/ and judge for yourselves.
    1 point
  37. Just chiming in here, as a long time nihonto person but new member. Regarding the "Million yen" swordsmith, that valuation is due to a mistranslation commonly used both by many dealers and collectors. The original Japanese is 1 Man (or mon), carelessly abreviated to 1M and erroneously taken to mean 1 Million. In fact the Man /Mon unit means 10.000. (This is also the same for the Chinese Unit) So your Million Yen swordsmith actually means 10,000 Yen - which makes a lot more sense, and was still a very significant amount of money , (say 10,000 silver yen pieces) back then whenever written. Secondly look at some of the better dealers websites. You pay (and they get) a significant premium price above what you can sell for , because of: 1) Their reputation (i,.e you know they won't cheat you and will accept returns if there is a problem 2) The nice presentation- which includes a printable article with researched information about the smith, historical context , discussion about the blade etc 3) They have usually taken the time and trouble (which can be substantial) to paper the blade, which takes it to another level of authenticity and desirability 4) Usually included with the deal are professional photographs of the blade, koshirae etc which you can use to display or advertise your blade to sell in the future. 5) The blade when sold will be archived; you can always refer back to it on the website when studying it, showing friends or a future customer ! 6) Guarantees about shipping, etc - I don't have to deal with the details, insurance etc. 7) Wider and established and richer customer base. You as a private individual will simply not have that exposure. Speaking for myself, I would gladly pay 25-50% above the price of the same blade that I would pay a private unknown individual, even if I was reasonably confident of your trustworthiness, authenticity etc. IF the above factors came into play. But of course, for most blades and equipment, the "For Sale & Trade" forum on NMBs does provide an invaluable avenue to sell and buy for members at a reasonable and fair price, without having to pay the $ premiums mentioned above. And I do realize that most members here are knowledgeable and experienced, and so will be more equipped to strike out on their own and less inclined to pay those premiums. So, if you think your sword is undervalued, if you can provide the above factors, then that will be one way to increase the market value and what you can get for it. If you can't or won't, the next best step may be to consign to a better dealer and agree on the price you are willing to sell at. You may be suprised - he may be able to get the price you could not. Big Auctions sites have pros and cons. Yes, they have a much bigger audience and occasionally can sell at inflated prices, but they simply do not or have have the time to take care of it and fully research and do a write up of your few blades and they charge very expensive commissions and fees that can add up t0 40% (!) of the actual sale price. As to price comparisons between say "shinsakuto vs gendaito" I completely agree, but it does depend on current interests and fads. As an amateur historian myself, there is definately a panache or thrill factor about gendaito that appeals to that group of collector , especially among the younger ones. Why else would mass produced WW1 and WW2 helmets with almost zero artistic value go for $thousands? Also , one thing I have noticed, is that there is an increasing trove of veriable information about gendaito, along with the possibility of new discoveries that makes that area fascinating. In comparison the amount of complicated knowledge that Nihonto requires to be reasonably competent does seem a bit daunting. I understand that John's price comparison is for items somewhat comparable (such as same Yasukuni smith, different years) . Well, it's even crazier for things not directly comparable. I am of the age where I think it silly for someone to pay $1000 for a pair of collectable sneakers ; however that person would think me nuts for paying the same amount for a fine & rare whisky. My wife would think both us were crazy! But its all good. The market is what it is. Those new gendaito collectors may move on to nihonto in the future, and provide new blood and a customer base to buy our old stuff! Cheers, Leon
    1 point
  38. Darkon, John, all good questions. An appraisal book just wouldn't work however. For example, I have 2 EMURA'S both signed the same, both in good outfits. Put the 2 together and you could get USD3500 for one, and USD2500 for the other. They are chalk and cheese in regard to workmanship, every sword is different, and appeals to collectors in different ways. In regard to "gendai-to nonsense" as you call it, the WW2 stuff even if "beat up" appeals to both nihonto and militaria collectors. There is a certain "aura" a WW2 gendai-to has, in so much it was made was a weapon, like the Samurai swords of old, and not a piece of art for arts sake. The price is what people are prepared to pay at a particular time.
    1 point
  39. When I first started collecting (mainly gendai), I would buy at dealer prices. For the past few years, my thought strategy is to pay only what I could recover if I sold it. And if I buy a sword out of polish, I factor in the cost to polish. I have sold quite a few swords on NMB in the past year, and all get snapped up within a day. The reason, realistic prices, I always leave "a bit in it for the next owner". Only an observation, but many shinsakuto swords that have been listed on the NMB, never resell for the price the owner paid, and you see reduction after another, or withdraw from sale. Unless you buy really well, swords are not a good investment, you buy what gives you pleasure, enjoy it, and sell it for the current market price.
    1 point
  40. Seriously, owned plenty of those. In a reasonably good case today it gets papers to something like Shizu Kaneuji... 12-17k. In a bad case - worth nothing. H, TH Masamune - starts with 60k Juyo Masamune - 400+. Sky's the limit but heavily depends on quality, who owned etc. They are just not that awfully rare, compared to say quality original Scythian gold mounts, which you see once or twice a lifetime.
    1 point
  41. I attach a photo and thank you very much for your help with the translation. Jiri
    1 point
  42. Nihonto should never be seen as an investment. Besides the very high end, enjoy being a caretaker and love learning.
    1 point
  43. My dai hard belief - once you don't actively collect, sell everything above what you really like to have. Zero evidence nihonto ever managed to beat stock market. At any level. All discussions about it being good investment long term are dealer speak.
    1 point
  44. Kanteisho are only written opinion, a sayagaki by Tanobe sensei (who is considered in Japan as the greatest living expert of Japanese swords) can be worth any kanteisho issued by any organization.
    1 point
  45. Hi all, Just another update, the website is now up and running. Being nearly illiterate at this kind of thing it was a bit of a struggle but being a fighter I didn't quit. There are still things to work out, but for the most part it is working. My first priority is to get the sword page up and all previously offered blades relisted. Additionally, I have 23 new swords, most high end Gendaito to list which is very time consuming. Thank you all for your support. Ed Yakiba.com
    1 point
  46. here are the registration papers
    1 point
  47. Item No. 58 - Kozuka in Shibuichi with gold inlays Item No. 59 - Kozuka in dark Shibuichi with gold and silver inlays Subject ( 58 ) Mons inlaid over turbulent water with plant detailing - unsigned Subject ( 59 ) Iris and dragonfly - unsigned Both pieces quite nicely made - a bit above the average , I think. Bought as part of a larger lot about 4 years ago. Comments , anyone ?
    1 point
  48. Thank you Uwe, Very nice. Regarding the last armor (E), fully understand that Munechika used different "option " , but for the mei and date, the do always match the kabuto . First time I see the kabuto with one patern, and the do with another. I was just wondering if there is any specific reason to this. Do you have record of other armor makers doing the same thing? I have all my Munechika files in my hometown, but If my memory is correct this set was on sale in 1998 at Kinokuniya. It was a poor black & white quality picture, and cannot remember clearly, but I think the Maedate was the same. Not sure. If it was on sold, do you know who sold it and to whom. I would be interested to get more pictures of it. If someone from this great community recognize this armor, I would love to get in touch..... Flags, and Maedate are nice bonuses.....Hope they will stay with this original armor. We see too many case, where people sell only the maedate or the flags. It is great Uwe that you keep record of those armors in their original condition. To your Munechika's database, I am adding few more pictures of munechika armors. I would like to attract your attention to the 3 tatami gusoku. They have an interesting story. From left to right, we will call them A,B and C. A is signed Myochin ki Munechika date 1848 ( iron), B is signed Myochin ki munechika date 1858 ( iron), C is not signed ( leather) Till now, easy to understand, but now sit tight..... A has the same Hanpo as C, B has an Hanpo similar to the armor on the other picture. A has the same do, haidate as B and C. A has the same kote and sode as C. Means that B has a different set. At the begining I was a bit suspicious about those sode being original to this armor, but B and C share the same silk fabric, means they were probably made at the same period..... B and C have the same kabuto. Some genius separate the kabuto from the rest of the armor, but judging from the kabuto of its brothers B&C, I have a pretty good idea what it may look like. B and C have the same shape of Maedate. Those Maedate are original to their armor ( I was lucky).This maedate is from their clan symbol. I have looked around, and cannot find which clan it is. If anyone knows about this clan, I am really interested to know. One more hint. The kuginuki is the base for the 2 family crest. Those 3 armors are like the rosette's stone. If something is missing on one, the 2 others have it and vice versa. Still there? A, B, C all share the same back plate system to hold the do straight, and when I say they are similar, it means that all the parts were made at the exact same scale. Obviously from the same workshop. Munechika had a workshop, and here the proof of his armor "mass production". Uwe, is there any record of leather armor signed . I have seen leather armors signed in red lacquer ( genuine or not? Hard to tell with writing) but I am thinking of 2 or 3 leather armors that you know were made and signed by an armorer?. If you are still there, thank you for your help on my questions. Kind regards PS : The flags on the back are not related to those armors. Except for the one with the Tsuyama clan, related to the armor on the right with the same maedate.
    1 point
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