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I have been advised of the passing of Brian Klingbile (Username Winchester) by his wife. She had this to say: "This is Brian's wife, Sarah.....Unfortunately, Brian has passed away. Thank you so much for providing such a wonderful forum. Brian was new to collecting, and was excited not only to connect with others with similar passions, but to have access to learning opportunities for his new passion. What you have here is amazing, and I wanted to let you know that you make a positive impact on people's lives even if you don't hear this on a regular basis. Thank you for being so welcoming to Brian. I have attached Brian's obituary in case you or anyone else was interested in it. I don't know who Brian all connected with (or to what level), so I will leave announcing or contacting others up to you. I am comfortable with this information being shared. https://www.zimmerfuneralhome.com/obituaries/brian-klingbile " Our condolences go out to those who knew him, may he RIP.

Hello fellow woodworkers: I wanted to share this shirasaya I made for a naked Monju Kanesada yari. Mostly because of the saya's unusual shape. The shape was inspired by an existing shirasaya I have on a Inoue Shinkai yari. The wood is aged (i.e., very low to no VOC's left from the tannic acid) hard maple with an ebony inset for the mekugi. What makes it particularly difficult to manufacture are the number of compound angles. There is a central peaked rib that runs the length of saya but only on the top, which makes it easier to index which way the top aligns to the bottom half. From the rib, the width is a flattened oval, widening out just after the mekugi ana to accomodate the extra width on the blade section and rounded on the back side. The rear end is also dome-shaped and the tip is sort of boat or airplane shaped. All of which brings me to the challenging part - this must all be done by hand. No power tools involved (with the exception of drilling the mekugiana to keep it straight). Just a kanna (Japanese block plane), some different sized oire nomi (chisels), a bench scraper, and some files. The finish is a standard woodworkers finish of boiled linseed oil followed by carnuba paste wax. Thanks to the various bench scrapers, the wood is extremely smooth and tactile. The Japanese do not usually use sandpaper so I didn't either. It's tough not to hold it! If you have any questions on the process, I will be happy to answer. John C.

Well, feel i have to add something positive here as folks seem keen on pulling Aoi apart. All i will say (in my experience), there are no special saint type dealers in this game. Every dealer will have sold something to someone that has ******them off. Its how they respond that makes the difference. My experience with Tsuruta San has been 95% positive, he accepted a sword back that i was not happy with, without making a big song and dance about it. Antiques in general is a minefield. Personally, i think there are far worse dealers to moan about. Lets face it, buying swords online is less than ideal.

I didn't know Brian personally, but I had warm regard and I felt a connection, with Winchester. He often popped into my posts with an emoji and he was always understanding and encouraging.....never changed. Maybe (selfishly), he fitted my narrative, I don't know, but for someone I have never met or messaged, I just felt a connection.....he was a real gentleman. Thankyou Sarah for sharing this....thinking of you and Brian's extended family. We will miss him. Rob

The Honno-ji Temple Museum DAIHOUDEN (The temple where Oda Nobunaga died), has been hosting an excellent exhibition for the last 8 months entitled "Valuing the Invaluable Symbols of the Warrior Class". This has been an excellent exhibition that saw a large attendance. Here they did something more than just show the sword. They also produced life size Oshigata of the whole sword and displayed this below the sword with explanations so the people visiting the exhibition could compare it directly with the sword so that they knew what they were looking at. Basically like looking through the eyes of a Hon'Ami appraiser. This was a great idea. They also provided the valuation according the Hon'Ami based in Gold Coins of how much each sword was said to be worth at the time in gold pieces and converted this to today's value. They gave only one value but the truth is that there are three values that could have been provided, the Gold Price, the Rice price and the Labour price. The most valuable is the labour price whilst the rice and gold price has not really kept up with inflation. Their price appears to settle somewhere in the middle. For example the Masamune Tanto had a price of 50 pieces in 1639: - In terms of rice this would be worth around 2-3,000,000 yen today. - In terms of gold this would be worth around 20,000,000 yen today. - In terms of labour where 1 ryu was equivalent to roughly one year's wages of a labourer. The this would be worth around 200-300,000,000 yen today. These are what the museum estimated today's value* equivalent would be from lowest to highest: - Hirotsugu Katana: 20 million yen (approx. $133,000) - Enju school Katana (attributed Juyo): 35 million yen (approx. $233,000) - Sekishu Dewa-ju Naotsuna saku Tachi (Juyo Bijutsu): 50 million yen (approx. $330,000) - Hasebe Kunishige Wakizashi (Hon'Ami Kōjō origami): 60 million yen (approx. $400,000) - Rai Kunimitsu Tanto: 80 million yen (approx. $530,000) - Norikuni Tanto (Juyo & Hon'Ami Mitsutada Origami): 100 million yen (approx. $665,000) - Masamune Tanto (Hon'Ami Koon Origami): 100 million yen (approx. $665,000) - Rai Kuniyuki Kodachi: 150 million yen (approx. $1,000,000) - Bizen Osafune Kanemitsu Tachi (Juyo Bijutsu & Hon'Ami Mitsutada Origami): 200 million yen (approx. $1,330,000) - Rai Kunitoshi Tachi (Tokubetsu Juyo & Hon'Ami Kōjō Origami: 300 million yen (approx. $2,000,000) This was very interesting and if correct it again confirms that we are living in the 安刀時代 (Era of the cheap sword). 日本刀の美 made a great video of this exhibition that you can view here and you can read more about it here on from Tamaki Joji Togishi's blog post. *I never attended the exhibition but did a quick google and found only one post but without any photographic evidence I could not corroborate these numbers and I could not find anything else so if you did attend or are going to attend before the exhibition closes this weekend, please confirm or deny these numbers. Thank you.

For those who have no idea of what we are talking about... here is an article from 2018 about the craze that started in 2015, such is the popularity of the game that it is still a thing today.

One thing i have noticed with them over the years, they always list a gimei. On the opposite side of that scale and why i personally think there are a worse dealers. There are some that make a living from selling non-papered swords with mei and pronouncing through their write-ups that everything is legit. No mention of caution to the unaware buyer, no guarantee to pass Hozen. I could go on about such a dealer but ive made just one point which will suffice for this discussion. Suppose that's where my perspective on such matters come from. As for Aoi, they sell lots of swords and no doubt there will be some from time to time that raise questions, that's up to the buyer to educate themself and ask. At the end of the day. If someone buys a wrong one, who is to blame?. All been said before.

As a wild guess, I would suggest “戸田彦左衛門” (Toda Hikozaemon)…

The mei reads 備州長舩盛家 - Bishu Osafune Mori'ie.

That's absolutely heartbreaking, prayers going out to his wife and family.

Hi folks! I just got a set of reproduction samurai armor from Japan, claimed as being somewhat old (maybe 70s or so). I was interested in folk’s thoughts on the quality and value of this armor? Best I can tell it is not hardened, happy to answer any other questions if helpful!

You can also put some padding into the sleeves (kote) so that they get a more “arm like” shape. Cut two cardboard tubes of about 8-10cm diameter, length normally 20-25cm, and wrap the shin guards (suneate) around. The shoulder guards (sode) are sitting a bit high. That’s probably because the bar of the stand is too long. It should be about 36-38cm… Guess that will enhance your display!

While we’re on the topic of ha-machi and mune-machi alignment. Here is a rare glimpse of the machi on a wood handle Variation#8 that displays misalignment. Looks like a seki stamp on the blade, and I think the serial number is 215465, although the eBay photos make it very hard to see.

As a decoration, why not? And you can learn a lot from the construction since it looks like it closely follows traditional work in many places. Personally I would put a wider pedestal underneath the yoroi-bitsu box just to give the whole thing added height and presence. You might want to add a sword at the side? And I would take the two long cords and tie them behind the neck as a first step in how to correctly tie a shinobi-no-o. A fun journey lies ahead! I feel sure that in due course as your budget allows you will be filled with a desire to collect old parts or even display a genuine old set too.

@wakiboy yup!

I met Brian at the 2025 Chicago Show. He had an inquisitive interest, a keen eye, and took a good amount of time to talk to me and examine my blades. He was going to buy a blade from me but was distracted by his wife needing him for something. He felt guilty about it and reached out to me after the show to arrange the purchase. We were about to finish the transaction when he found out about some things that changed his priorities. Its sad that I just found out now why those priorities changed. He and I shared an interest in Bungo Den and I think my collection of ken intrigued him. Gone from this world too soon. Rest in peace, friend.

It’s Japanese. Colours are wrong for Chinese. Porcelain body is a bit too “blue”.

I should also note that being one of the biggest English-speaking dealers with the highest throughput of merchandise, it's far more likely that you'll encounter "sketchy" seeming deals on their website, simply via the law of averages. I personally have at least a couple of Japanese-language dealer websites where any verbiage they add to a sales listing is to be taken with extreme amounts of salt.

Agree with Alex Probably one of 3 dealers I ll ever buy from. Definitely a dealer you have to know what you are looking at and buying but he ll never claim a blade to be something it isnt. Their photos are also one of if not the best. Seen way more sketchy listings from ppl on the forum honestly

My guess. Its a plant hanger. Pot sits in the bowl which catches runoff. The theme being plants and butterflies sorta supports that theory.

Dear Eric, blade is authentic, signed Bishu Osafune Suke...(Sada?), no comment on the validity of the mei but nagasa places the blade in the middle of the Muromachi period. Regards, Giordy

3rd times a charm. Other possibilities besides being a tameshigiri inscription is that it refers to a special occasion or a battle in which the blade participated. I'll let the experts in Japanese clarify the meaning.

You can use a magnet to see which components are steel/iron vs fibreglass, resin or other material. it will help you to know what exactly you have bought. Although new, a lot of work has gone into assembling it. Absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying this as a highly decorative display item (for a fraction of the cost of the Edo equivalent) These armours are usually available in the $1500-2000 range although some are horrendously priced on eBay and misdescribed as Edo or “genuine vintage” (whatever that means) I have recently started to collect armour……it can be rather addictive and is certainly very very challenging as there is so little reliable written information in English (compared to swords or stamps or coins etc🙂) if you get “hooked” and want to progress start with components….masks…Kabuto and exercise extreme caution seeking advice before diving in. Pieces in poor condition can be bought for very little yet can still be interesting. PS……I’m what Bowie would describe as an “absolute beginner”

Those are pretty egregious examples. The second one is comical. One also needs to be very careful with papers. A couple of years ago there were 2 'Juyo' blades by Go Yoshihiro and Awataguchi Kuniyasu with altered nakago and hamon to match the NBTHK oshigata from stolen papers. More recently this fake Sadamune. It's a minefield out there.

Yes, this would be an unmissable exhibition. A broad range of blades from top makers with a focus on middle Koto period. I'm a little surprised a signed Masamune was only valued at $665K though, but a Juyo mumei Enju is $233K Full size oshigata under the blade is a great idea to inform the casual observer and assist those with some knowledge.

Sam: What's interesting is that this could be the genesis of why the Chinese fakes have offset machi. I could imagine them taking apart a type 95 and thinking this is how it is supposed to be done. John C.

Steve: I think your method with the foam was fine, just switch out the foam for leather. There is an old weightlifting belt on shopgoodwill that would make a dozen very thick seppa. https://shopgoodwill.com/item/254983331 Just lightly trace a seppa onto the belt using an exacto knife. Then slowly cut through with the exacto knife, which make take several passes. You can then treat the seppa just like wood and sand the edges smooth and even burnish the edges (to smooth and round them) with water and the shaft of a screwdriver. John C.

oops I failed with uploading photos, here's the links. https://touken-ranbu.fandom.com/wiki/Aizen_Kunitoshi?file=Aizen.png https://touken-ranbu.fandom.com/wiki/Akashi_Kuniyuki - Kuniyuki looks stylish, wonder if he wore this in Kamakura times?

It is... by Tetsuya Noguchi. I will add, that this artist's work has also been exhibited at other serious Sword Museums including Mori Shusui Museum of Art in Toyama. You can find the instagram post of the sculpture's arrival at the British Museum, here.

John: The main task is war, so I have to keep things more or less mobile. What I like about swords and other blades is that I could have some projects and working on projects serves like a safety valve. It's like returning to my pre-war workshop. But, unlike motorcycle projects, sword projects are much more mobile. When it comes to printers I chose the Flsun SuperRacer. I bought the first one in 2023 and it is still working, even as these printers (like any machinery) have to be maintained. As for the filament, I use CoPET/PETG locally manufactured in Ukraine. It is most suitable for the main task of my printers. Kind regards, Nazar

If the date were authentic then around 624 years old, however my impression is that the mei is not an authentic example of Oei Bizen Yasumitsu. https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=51f7e736cc3ae313&rlz=1C1YTUH_enUS1164US1164&sxsrf=ANbL-n5ZA1YvSe7fFuacZEAz9Ky50sgU8w:1770829463352&udm=2&fbs=ADc_l-aN0CWEZBOHjofHoaMMDiKpaEWjvZ2Py1XXV8d8KvlI3ppPEReeCOS7s1VbbZz2TLt2sOibMbYx2XAHg-v8xM5VF21PBaI65iLKFQqYKyuNIrDnm7F1EBiwvvxej7VarpUVOsmaAouY6YfTb0P07uvJ1kSkBvJv3ZPqOgqj5jRBD5oez8Cr0DJEYrGkGqbLAnVBWawLvlnnreVGZ3Efk-KXWnq72g&q="備州長船康光"+"応永"&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizqvvo9dGSAxUvhIQIHXlgCJMQtKgLegQIExAB&biw=1085&bih=790&dpr=2.5

Not sure if there will be any swords as they haven't had the show for a few years. I will be setup there with iron tsuba. Trying to thin out the collection after 25 years of collecting. If you live in Southern New England stop by. Venue Hilton Mystic 20 Coogan Blvd Mystic, CT 06355 United States + Google Map Mystic Knife show March 7-8th 2026 – NCCA

One of NHK's more recent videos explores the use of Nihonto in Kabuki theatre. It explores the Japanese mindset around swords, how legends influence culture and this space through dramatisation. Nihonto have found a lot of interest through the recent Touken Rabu manga series which has now been brought to life in Kabuki. Animating the sword, makes the people associated with it come alive and makes the art form even more interesting. It was a fascinating watch to get an insight into the spirit of the Nihonto. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/3025180/

No, I don't think the holes were for the chopsticks after three individuals have finished their meal, eating from one bowl. When comparing this to a MOKKO GATA TSUBA with INOME in the "corners", I think the holes could well have been simply decorative and not functional.

This is extremely complicated signature and I am missing lot of key information, however I think I have a grasp of the general idea about the smiths. 越前国□広□□為三十七歳□内□□□守 / 行年七十有二 同子 高柳加賀守藤原貞広 / 国継相共□正□ other side I would believe starts with 正徳二壬辰□三月上日 and there is a lot lot more to translate. This would be made by Kaga no Kami Sadahiro (signed as Takayanagi Kaga no Kami Fujiwara Sadahiro) at the age of 72 with his son Aritsugu while he was signing with Kunitsugu (国継) and the year would be 1712 as that matches the zodiac. I was able to find a reference piece that can be seen on page 11 here (unfortunately the pic is very blurry): https://www.yamasaki-bunka.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/kyodokaiho_063.pdf Both the item in this thread and the one above link, seem to be signed as at age 72 with son Kunitsugu and year is 1712. Markus Seskos swordsmith index and Nihontō Meikan both mention that there is a item signed as at 71 with son Kunitsugu (who was signing 27 year old to that sword) and year is 1711. I think it is extremely interesting item and I hope that you can get correct and proper translation on it, as there is so much that I fail to understand. I would feel the signature would be legitimate as it is such a peculiar one and extremely long.

Regarding origins. Are we thinking Japanese or Chinese? I found this Chinese blue and white example with 4 holes. Definitely made pre firing

Looking at the Imari palette this Arita porcelain is 19thC, possibly even early Meiji……and quite possibly “export” Doesn’t have the look or artistry of earlier period pieces…..imo🙂 Also the unglazed strange style of the base suggests it may have had a stand or sat in something.

If it is for plants I would say inside use rather than outside where a hole for drainage might be preferable. Perhaps for holding fruit or keeping something off a flat surface. The piece has a feel of age so there may have been other uses we in the modern world may not be aware of.

By inclusivity I was not focusing on fringe components of society but primarily those sections, read female, that might otherwise be averse to attending such an event given the obvious preconceptions. There is clearly a place for such an exhibition, duck riding samurai and all.

Trans people are a very small segment of the population, whereas women are slightly more than half of it. I suspect the motivation here is less about inclusivity, and more about appealing to an audience that (at least in the West, where Token Ranbu isn't a thing) typically doesn't turn up to museum events involving swords and armour. And if controversy gets the museum and exhibition in the headlines, all the better for them, I imagine the thinking goes.

This is pretty depressing: https://www.aoijapan.com/katana-sun-pu-on-motsu-masamune-honawritten-seal-mark/

Sounds like a very well-done exhibition, glad to hear it had a good attendance. Hopefully other exhibitors will take some lessons from this.

Yes, it's become increasingly prevalent, and not just for historical smiths. I've seen a few gimei of Ningen Kokuho and Mukansa smiths as well. This sort of thing is a big factor behind the push to make the NBSK the shinsakuto equivalent of NBTHK certification, especially with some Chinese forges now at a point where they're able to produce stuff more or less on par with entry-level Japanese shinsakuto.

Thanks for the reply. It looks good, worth the extra effort. (I've seen other attempts around the world to make shirasaya that for various reasons just look wrong!)

Well for what its worth the blade is steel (its magnetic) and 6mm thick. Have now taken a calliper to it, its substantial in weight. Its also not chromed or polished etc. But yes mounted more appealingly would have been nice.... oh well so it goes.

Don't mind you budging in here at all. Great insight into culture. Yes, I have read the reports of strong interest from girls at sword exhibitions. If the boys were smart they would go hang out at the latest Rai and Awataguchi exhibition dressed like a Token Rabu character.

All good, I was not expecting a whole lot for my $100. Took me a sec to realise the thread was moved, but rightly so. If nothing else I can take it apart and see how its put together (and what to look for etc). Can certainly see how someone can easily pay a lot for it in the past. Given as someone above said it would probably have been produced in their 1000s I am a little surprised not to see more examples of this sword online (as fake). Searching showed nothing, lots of real ones, but no fakes like this. Anyway thanks all.

Hey Robert Equinox 800 is a really good machine, finding gold always fantastic, yes this find took me by suprise. I just added it to my collection to sort out later, at first thought it was some key eschuseon excuse the spelling. When I was sorting it all out I just had a light bulb moment when looking at it again and then started researching. I can't remember exactly where I found it unfortunately but was in Cape Town.

I would have some concern that modern adhesives could contribute to corrosion of the seppa and may be difficult to remove without affecting the existing patina or wear. A similar approach without adhesive would achieve the same result while reducing risk to the parts. Just a thought. Best regards, -Sam