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Showing content with the highest reputation on 10/15/2021 in all areas

  1. We seem to be conflating sword societies and paper. The original question asked about the survival of sword societies and provided a timeframe - in the near future (presumably). However, that is only an assumption, as we do not know whether paper will be phased out in the near term or medium term. Arguably, it is a moot point in the long term. Therefore, we need to go back to basics and focus on whether sword societies will survive. This is a difficult question. Theoretically, they should, as long as the hobby and collecting interests persist. However, an alternative theory is that they become much looser associations of individuals, on a much more federated (as opposed to centralised) and possibly purely, or largely, virtual basis. If people feel sword societies bring benefits (educational, emotional, etc), they should survive as the members will persevere to sustain these organisations. However, if sword societies become irrelevant (through obsolescence of ideas, education, unavailability of study materials etc), then the threat of oblivion is very real. Another stream of analysis, which posters often digress into, is how best to study - with swords in hand, electronically (photos on a website or other repository), by reading books (physical or electronic). Again, this is a different topic entirely and merits its own debate. In my view, study should be multifarious and variegated - physical, electronic, by virtue of passive information absorption (reading/listening) and active participation (kantei, debates). Once, we abstract the method of information provision and internalisation as described above, as long as sword societies provide the avenues for learning or enjoyment, I hope they will survive. As Paul has outlined regarding the U.K. and as far as I know the US NBTHK are also doing, combinations of physical meetings, electronic videoconferences, printed materials, electronic materials, debates etc energise and excite the membership and retain it. in my view, membership retention is one serious challenge. People often sign up but fall away as: personal conflicts arise, member aspirations are not met (these societies are not museums with vast collections and are not universities with dedicated teaching materials and courses; funds are not unlimited; volunteers donate their own free time for others’ benefit; societies cannot provide definitive answers members sometimes seek and definitely cannot shortcut hard work and learning) and sometimes members just join for the wrong reasons. Another challenges are the age and sex factors: middle-aged and ageing males predominate. So, we need to diversify our membership bases by being more inclusive, more pluralistic and democratic in our outreach to prospective members, more tolerant and broad in subjects we cover (tosogu, kodogu, blades, restoration etc). There is much more to say but this is such a vast topic that has often preoccupied my mind. We try to recruit and supplant membership decreases but my observations across several societies are that we are barely maintaining membership. We are not expanding or growing and we just about manage to stay at the same size. Other societies just fold and disappear.
    3 points
  2. John, do not note on many things, read a lot but this school it is a favorite 1. with Akasaka , first buy the Akasaka book then note the following, 2. shape of the seppa , look 1,2 then 3 then the rest 3. Seppa tagana ..the signature if not one 4. the angle of the Kogai Ana ..leaning to the right or not ??? 5. thickness of the mimi 6. the edges of the motif ...Akasaka did many fine edges, age adds corrosion 7. over all flow of the tsuba ... when you noted old , ones on the group understand this vague meaning of Tadamasa to Tadatoki with be nodding there head 8. look at as many Akasaka tsuba as you can even online you will start to see it 8. weight or maybe I should say density in hand being last good luck , great school to study ! Fred Geyer
    3 points
  3. I knew that I had seen that motif before. Here is an iron tsuba that I have that is very similar. There is a thi line outlinig the jingasa.
    2 points
  4. NBTHK's tatara makes three grades of tamahagane (Grades 1, 2, and 3). The site says Japanese swords are made from Grades 1 and 2. This also repeats the information about the carbon content of the steel, namely Grade 1 is between 1.0% - 1.5% carbon, while Grade 2 is between 0.5 - 1.2% carbon. It doesn't say what happens to Grade 3 tamahagane... maybe Grade 3 ends up in the souvenir shop of the sword museum. https://www.touken-world.jp/tips/19308/ 靖国たたらと日刀保たたらは、それぞれ異なる基準のもと分類されており、靖国たたらでは、「鶴」、「松」、「竹」、「梅」の4段階で品質を分けていました。日刀保たたらでは、「1級品」、「2級品」、「3級品」の3段階で品質が分けられており、作刀の際に用いられるのは1級品や2級品など、最高品質の玉鋼です。 As far as I know, there is no official translation of these grades, so when people like me translate into English, we'll use whatever English translation makes sense. So I have used "Grade 1" for 一級品, but another translator might decide to call this "1A". Note that the predecessor of the Nittōho Tatara was the Yasukuni Tatara, and Yasukuni had 4 grades of tamahagane: Crane, Pine, Bamboo, and Plum. Crane would be the highest grade of tamahagane, while Plum would be the lowest.
    2 points
  5. The Token Society of Gb publishes between 4 and 6 e-magazines a year for its' members. We started doing this a couple of years ago and it has proven very popular with the members. Covid and the related restrictions caused us to look at using technology and like so many other organisations we started running online meetings which have also proven to be very popular. As we move out of restrictions we have started to arrange physical meetings again. It is our intention to go forward with all these activities to offer the broadest opportunity we can for members to participate and to gain from membership. The cost and time of producing hard copy magazines is prohibitive and I don't see it as a truly viable option for the future. However the use of technology as an addition, not a substitute can only strengthen Societies rather than weaken them. This is a long way of saying the future of societies isn't dependent on paper publications, (or shouldn't be) It depends on participation from like minded people who want to learn more and to help others do the same.
    2 points
  6. It's a normal Type 98 saya but the Ishikuze has come off.
    2 points
  7. Ah, Ken, ... alas I have no daughters and if I did they would be approaching 50 years of age ( once a female is past 20 years of age, ... I consider them " over the hill " ). ... Anonymouse
    2 points
  8. Dear Old Friend, Stephen, ... UPS is VERY expensive in Canada. Hell EVERYTHING is expensive in Canada. Our Postal System is on the rocks, our Medical System is on the rocks, our Transportation System is on the rocks, our Governments ( Federal, Provincial, and Municipal ) are on the rocks ( and have been for years ), our IMMIGRATION System is on the rocks, our Education System is on the rocks ( although still better than American ), our Currency is on the rocks, our Climate is on the rocks, my Sex Life is ( almost on the rocks ... I am 74, so I have an excuse ). Our Judicial System is on the rocks. One can trace ALL this trouble back to one common denominator ( BUREAUCRATS .. paper pushers who produce nothing, and whose sole purpose in life is to make someone else's life DIFFICULT !
    2 points
  9. One of the Type 95 from my collection. for those that would like to see it
    1 point
  10. 7.62x7.30 cm - .51 cm rim, .55 cm seppa john twineham
    1 point
  11. https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/the-samurai-Japanese-arms-and-armour BEST
    1 point
  12. I too have just acquired a blade signed by Bizen Osafune Norimitsu dated to 1468. When I have had time to study it properly I will publish images and details. What is immediately evident is that it is a short, heavy blade with prominent bo utsuri and suguba hamon. Ian Bottomley
    1 point
  13. Stephen, that is a very nice TSUBA! Of course the value is affected by the holes. If it were mine, I would Ford Hallam have it restored.
    1 point
  14. Grey Doffin sells a set of kanji cards. One side shows the kanji and the back shows the translation. It is an easy way to pick up kanji used in signing a sword. You can take a part of the deck with you and study that part when you have time. After a while your mind remembers them. Sword terminology can take longer to learn.
    1 point
  15. It would still be fantastic tsuba if it was mounted on a sword so you wouldn't see those two added holes... Otherwise, as a stand alone tsuba for display purposes, it's a tragedy really. I think I saw another tsuba recently with two similar holes that had been plugged with something that looked like lead.
    1 point
  16. I would be interested in the tsuba if it did not have the holes. The holes are too high a hurdle for me. I once saw a table that was decorated with tsuba nailed around the outside of the table. It made me very sad. Each had two holes similar to the ones in the above tsuba.
    1 point
  17. Crane, pine and bamboo are famous combination meaning longevity.
    1 point
  18. Tsuka marking is 柄平卷 The company logo it's very similar to 山本軍刀店,but a little different. It look like 幸 rather than 山本, maybe another logo for 神户軍刀店?Since the owner‘s name 神户一幸。We know 合名會社 神戶商店 make Type 95 NCO sword using K or 一 inside the Cherry blossom mark, perhaps not many people know it also called 神戶軍刀店(hence they both use the same phone number)?
    1 point
  19. Hi, I've got several questions regarding tamahagane. I have read that tamahagane produced by NBTHK(Nittoho Tatara) has various grades. However, I am unable to find much information such as, what grades are there? And the information regarding these grades such as carbon content and usage. I've seen the some of the grades described as "First grade" and "Second grade" but also as "1A" and "1B". Are "1A" and "1B" subclassifications of "First grade"? Or is "1A" another term for "First grade" and "1B" for "Second grade"? Also are these grades restricted to just the tamahagane produced by NBTHK(Nittiho Tatara)? I was hoping we could all share what we know on this topic as it seems rather hard to get details on tamahagane by searching the web. I've managed to find these posts in another forum that have quite a bit of info "https://www.jerzeedevil.com/threads/a-short-history-of-tamahagane.115867/". Hope I'm posting this in the right section and thanks in advance!
    1 point
  20. This is from "The Art of the Japanese Sword" Grade 1 C 1.31; Si 0.02; Mn 0.01; P 0.017; S 0.003; Ti 0.002; Ni 0.001; Cu 0.01 Grade 2 C 0,77; Si 0.01; Mn 0.01; P 0.022; S 0.004; Ti 0.004; Ni 0 ; Cu <0.01 Grade 3 C 0.31; Si 0.02; Mn 0.004; P 0.021; S 0.007; Ti 0.003; Ni 0.001; Cu 0.01 And this is from Usagiya website. In the furnace, a big iron ingot is produced. It includes various qualities in parts. Then, it is broken into many small pieces. Then, the small pieces are classified into various grades by the terms of hardness and sizes. For example, hard and proper size is highest price, grade 1A (8,250.yen /kg). After it 1B. Some is the too hard (cast iron, 3,300.yen/kg). The steel pieces are classified more grades. And the last pieces are these lowest priced tamahagane. Some people say that this grade of tamahagane is close to the material in Koto period. So some smiths intentionally use this tamahagane. After tamahagane is not homogeneous i think this are all more tendencys then facts for all the sorted pieces. When i have read interviews with different mukansa smiths and they got asked about what the best tamahagane is they all gave different answers. I think every smith has his own experiences and methods and prefer different things.
    1 point
  21. Noshu___. That is another way of writing SHU.
    1 point
  22. Thanks for letting me know Please try: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1e7m7e225ds10j9/1_NMB listing October 2021.pdf?dl=0
    1 point
  23. Fred is one of the go-to guys on Akasaka, so if he comments, the points are well worth committing to memory. Thanks Fred.
    1 point
  24. That's a classic Takada signature I would think - bold, large, deep and centered and a classic Takada name. Not being a specialist: Their work just varies a lot and thus can be difficult to pointpoint to a specific generation. Nambokucho ones typically have strong Yamato feel, but in ko nie, with lots of variations of hamon which you can probably call gunome or midare, and masame is not particularly strong. In early Muromachi you would expect more of the same, but even a tad less nie(some are pure nioi based with relateively wide and white nioi-guchi) and with somewhat larger featured jigane. Those would not be pure suguha. The problem is that occasionally they would decide to do Bizen imitation or something else, but here we talk about suguha so it makes things easy. Then they started to churn out a lot of blades around 1550. To be honest, almost everything signed is actually good quality, unsigned things attributed by NBTHK are absolutely random. The issue is that besides Yamato-Soshu stuff which was their early tradition they started to do full blown Soshu pieces and later also Bizen works, so at this point the style is complicated. But then the story goes some of their own worked with shodai Tadayoshi and you clearly see the very best examples after that time are all pure suguha and very bright and consistent itame with ji nie, very close to Hizen but tends to have distinctive "scratched appearance". They also made effort to show some nie at habuchi - either as hotsure in which case jigane has nagare or as Rai-like round ko nie foam, in which case the jigane will be pure itame. Hope that helps.
    1 point
  25. Just like paper copy newspapers, even books, losing ground to the ebook and online subscriptions, I'd say the future is in digital format. My Stamps document started as solely a digital product. But one day a guy talked about how he liked to have a paper copy to grab on moment's notice, so I tried it out. Sure enough, I like having both. But our ability to print out documents or take something large to a business copy shop and make our own hard-copies, may be the way we will get them in the future, from digital-only sources.
    1 point
  26. Ron, You'll find an amazing variety of saya colors on Ohmura's Gunto Site. Here's a sample from his page. Is yours aluminum? That is a little more rare than the black color, if so.
    1 point
  27. Hello Tony, Firstly, sorry for the long answer and I know, it too detailed and also, many have there own proven methods....but I just found myself with more time on my hands today than I thought Nice historical example that has clearly 'been there, done that' and I love that about such WW2 pieces (if they could only talk). Apart from professional polishing of blade (and thats probably not worth it), please don't 'upgrade' the remainder as its very nice as is. On the seppa, yes it looks like it is missing one but, as you say, it could simply be the lack of mekugi. So fix that problem first and see how it all fits and if you still need to tighten things up a little then you could consider a small seppa (original please/no repro's)....or even a compressed leather seppa. PM me if you would like any tips on making a 'respectful of age' mekugi or leather seppa. On the matter of leather preservation...everyone has their own favourites. But for what its worth, I use ' Renapur ' Leather Balsam. I have used Dubbin and similar products and they are very good but Renapur is used by some large museums for their leather conservation and I just wanted something from 'the top shelf'. Some find it too sticky/gluggy and it is, BUT is absorbed over a period of 48 hours or so. Firstly, only use it on the treated side (outside) not the suede leather sides. Use disposable gloves and apply it generously using a piece (cube) of sponge. Slowly and gently. Use a cotton bud for any really small areas that you need to get to but again, slowly and softly. Leave the saya in a moderately warm area for at least 2-3 days and you will see that it has been absorbed. Then you can very lightly buff the outside of the cover to bring up the shine that was there before you started on the smooth/treated sections of leather. When I say 'lightly buff', I mean it. I roll a micro fibre towel (approx. 30cm x 30cm) into something the size of hotdog and then loosely wrap a piece of well worn flannel over that and then very lightly but quickly dust (i.e. like a fast light rub over the whole saya gradually increasing pressure (but only moderately) until you start to see the shine come out. If you feel any resistance when you start then STOP and lighten up. You will reach a stage where there is no resistance on the shined leather but the scuffed leather will always resist this buffing so just leave that alone. You wont shine the scuffed leather and this, and other similar products, will slightly darken the whole saya but that's just restoring to a rich more original tone. It then up to you if you want to apply shoe polish to certain areas but I don't see the need. Now one question for you Tony, the saya drag that is protruding from the leather combat cover looks like a worn drag from a Type 95 but yours is clearly a Type 98..bit confused about the look of that. No question about it being genuine, its just that, from the picture, I haven't seen a Type 98 drag like that before. Other may have an answer for this (probably just my inexperience) but if you don't get a response to this query, could you post a picture of the saya throat and a better one of the drag. All the best. Rob
    1 point
  28. Thank you John, Dale, Mark and Morita San. Is that a book worth having?
    1 point
  29. There are a few theories they belonged to various special groups, however nothing concrete has been established. This thread has alot of various examples of NCO & Officer swords:
    1 point
  30. Hi Tony, congrats on your new sword. My one issue is the blade itself, appears to have been set upon by an amateur with sandpaper. Other than that it has alot of character for display.
    1 point
  31. @Putu The arrow in your picture is pointing to the kanji character 伊. This is not unusual for this swordsmith. 伊奈波 = Inaba. Stamp Alert! @Bruce Pennington
    1 point
  32. Cheers Grey, it will have it's mekugi asap, am i right in saying one of the seppa is missing?
    1 point
  33. Hi Tony, As soon as possible or even sooner, replace the mekugi. Without a mekugi the blade can fall out of the tsuka and badly damage its kissaki or your foot. Whittle a bamboo chopstick. Grey
    1 point
  34. Hello Florida Japanese Sword enthusiasts, Every once and a while a core group of us meets informally to share our treasures, discuss Nihonto, and learn from each other. Saturday, October 23 at 1:00 -4:00 in Vero Beach we'll meet again. I know of a handful of nice swords (Morisuke, Katsumitsu, Kaneshige, Masamitsu..) will be on display as well as some high end iron tsuba and kinko. If you might be interested in attending, please PM me and I can share more details. Best Regards, Mark
    1 point
  35. The fuchi/kashira are traditional symbols of good luck and longevity: pine, bamboo, crane, and turtle. Together with the plum on the tsuba, they would all be considered auspicious symbols. The menuki I am not so sure about; something related to the 7 lucky gods? Or, some kind of Daruma theme? Hopefully someone will pitch in with a proper answer.
    1 point
  36. 1 point
  37. I like your pick up. Only one far photo of saya. Hard to tell problem. Id use saddle soap per can directions. Looking for a find like this as well...esp low cost part 😆
    1 point
  38. Hugh, Ah, Hugh .... a feeling of calmness will descend upon me, ... WHEN OTHERS TREAT THEIR OBLIGATIONS IN A TIMELY FASHION. What did I say to deter potential " buyers " ?? I give damn good service, my items are honestly described and carefully packed and expeditiously shipped. I, if asked will give a detailed description of how the item was made, acquired and an honest evaluation. I answer ALL emails quickly and politely. If more people were like me, ... then perhaps the world would not be in the mess we find today !
    1 point
  39. Hi. I have been following the evolution of the KNKBSK since its inception. It is a professionally organised group dedication to the preservation of Japanese Armour. They are conducting Shinsa, issuing papers and are approachable either directly or through liaison delegates in different locations around the world. Whilst relatively new they are making inroads internationally and their papers have been accepted by Bonhams and no doubt other organisations and auction houses. As an armour collector I support their business model as I also support the JAS. I would only ask that the moderators of this site oversee posted comments, as slandering or degrading a properly registered, legal entity in Japan does nothing positive for anyone. Time will show success or failure but at this early time in the organisation’s existence I think it fair to give them a chance. Mark
    1 point
  40. Dear Mark, Yes, I know all about IVORY. At one time, I owned and operated one of the first and largest HIGH QUALITY FINE ART & ANTIQUE BUSINESSES in the WORLD. My customers ranged from those on a fixed budget ( pay so much a month customers ) to the South Korean Secret Service, The Swiss Secret Service, The US Whitehouse, every major Movie Studio in the World, to virtually every MAJOR MUSEUM in the world. Movie Stars by the truck load. I sold WWII ENGIMA ( army, navy, luftwaffen ). I sold 15th Century Crossbows, Elephant Rifles, Dueling Pistols, Holland & Holland Shotguns, Purdy Shotguns, rare Colts, SOE / OSS / French WWII Resistance Items including Clandestine Radios, War of 1812 Peace Medals, Brownbess Muskets, Indian Trade Muskets. IVORY ESKIMO Artifacts such as dozens of ancient Harpoon Heads, Snow Goggles, HBC Capotes & Blankets, NWC Fur Trade Items from the 1790's, Several fine Ivory Netsuke ( although I rarely sold Japanese Art ( I collected this material for myself ). The ban on IVORY is BULLSHIT, as both China & Japan ignore the ban and buy all they can get. My business came to an abrupt end after 9/11, as it became impossible to ship a lot of what I dealt in INTERNATIONALLY. THERE WERE NO ARAB HIJACKERS by the way. No, ... Mark you can never irritate me so long as you keep your word. I am proud that I gave one Federal Government INSPECTOR a Heart Attack so bad that he never worked again. He had it coming. I am also proud that I never told a lie in my life and I have never cast a vote in my life. The Party System of Government is Corrupt, wastefull, and filled with liars. In my notation on the LISTINGS, .. I state that IVORY will not be sold outside of Canada. Kind regards, ... Ron Watson
    1 point
  41. NBTHK would probably say Akasaka. To me. the carving of the ume reminds me of Hayashi work. See attached detail photo and compare/contrast. So it comes down to a coin toss between the two won by study of the iron. But the NBTHK would probably go to Akasaka.
    1 point
  42. Buyee has a minimum fee of 500 JPY when you win an item. On top of that they grab a few percent more of the price by applying they own exchange rate. Add local shipping to their warehouse, international shipping (to France, in my case), VAT and custom fees and an item bought at the nominal price of 3400 JPY (i.e. about 26 EUR at mid-market rate) ended up costing 71 EUR.
    1 point
  43. It is well known that you CAN bring your sword on the plane...
    1 point
  44. @Kiipu - here’s two fine examples of the large and small anchors.
    1 point
  45. I was wondering if anyone would notice, but the two stamps on the face of the fuchi dai read "Tsuka Hei Maki". This is the mark of a highly respected tsukamakishi named Shukichi Yamaguchi. He died in 1966 iirc. The stamp may have remnant of red ink also. Unusual that it is stamped twice on your tsuka. Usually only one stamp on the few I've seen. You should try to protect and conserve it as best as possible because his work is rare and getting even more so with time. I think these mounts, while not top tier, are better than average quality gunto mountings. I'm not familiar with the corporate mark on the tsuba, which is similar to Suya Company, but definitely not the same one. The officer certainly had enough money and pride to have an old blade mounted in respectable mounts to carry into the fray. There's an article by Bob Benson out in the ethernet somewhere about Tsukahei. It used to be on his site, but looks like its been removed.
    1 point
  46. Alan, This was Basil Robinson's sequel to a good little book called a 'Primer of Japanese sword-blades'. The Arts book has much more on fittings, many or all of which were in the Victoria and Albert Museum where Basil was a curator. It was the first readily available book in the UK on swords, and I had a copy from the local library on loan for about 2 years. Ian bottomley
    1 point
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