Brian

I'm in love with that hada! PS - For anyone who missed it...look at the close-up of that habaki, and how it conforms to the hi. And even the tsuka! Class work! Wow. This is stunning. What a package.

Laws in Russia are pretty strict regarding certain edged weapons. I know they are crazy strict about bayonets and "cold weapons" but I'm assuming there are no problems with swords? It was funny a few years ago when I used a translator to ask on guns.ru if anyone could assist me with finding a rare mechanism for my NRS/NRS2 (HP2/HPC2) Spetsnaz knives....there was deathly silence followed by a swift ban They don't like to discuss such items. (Btw, still looking for any such items )

You don't need to go past the first pic. Absolutely horrendous. There are at least 4 indicators just from that habaki pic. Nothing is even close there. Check out some pics of real habaki areas and you'll pick it up soon enough. Well done for asking first.

May have been made for a sword cane/shikomizue mount.

Glen, Solid makings of a great article there.

He hasn't logged in since Sunday. Let's try tagging @Jamie

You guys are on different subjects. No, I am not aware of any current issues. Load times will always vary depending on global internet conditions. Since nothing changes on the server, it can only be temporary issues that are beyond control. As for email notifications, suggest going through the vast selections in your profile, and re-check them and activate again. I don't use them ever. But then I login every day so see any posts or pm's soon enough. I think the server currently sends out over 10,000 emails a day. If the internet lines are dodgy or the undersea cables have issues as happens so often, that can delay outgoing emails which are sent out by the server. As always, I'll check the log files. Currently, I am experiencing slow internet at home and work..so likely a SA issue with lines.

Wow..that's a lotta stuff. Some interesting things among them. Must have been quite a collection.

I think we can safely say that he intended it to be the Toyokawa Arsenal. That said, do we know for a fact that the swords weren't made towards the end of the war and thereafter? The blades are naval and obviously wartime made. So I think calling these late and post-war isn't far off.

The style they still make to this day? http://www.japansword.co.jp/military.html

Make no mistake, there can not be, and will never be..any "outing" of anyone. It is completely voluntary to donate, and there is no public stigma attached if you don't. Some contribute in other ways...assistance to members, or articles, or help given to the community, or shows or in other ways. One of my regrets is that I can't always send a personal thanks to donators, although I try. Sometimes PP makes it difficult to get emails. And in some cases, I don't have a member name so don't know who the person is. And lately PP has stopped sending notifications in many cases, I often don't even know someone donated until I log in. Are there a very small minority that take advantage? For sure. Multiple sales monthly without a word. So be it. I do think some form of limit is inevitable. It won't be one sale a month..I think we need to be fair and allow some freedom. Maybe 5 items a month without Gold membership. or maybe something based on sales and not listings. Not sure. No rush and all good for now. At some point I want to restart a fund raiser for a trip to Japan when the world opens up. But that's for another day.

Piers, Similar implements to those used by my fire-guy?

You don't have to look at the mei to know this will be gimei.

Does anyone remember @Ford Hallam's views on "Edo cast tsuba" ? Hmmm

Grev, Thank you for this (unsolicited) post. Just for the record, as a Gold member, you should be able to edit your post for 2 days after. Please check by clicking on the 3 dots top right of the post? I don't really want to get involved in this thread, but I will say that limiting sales to Gold members is tempting (most of the other collector forums I know do that) I don't want to go that route. I want to leave it open for a person stumbling upon a sword in an estate or at a sale, to be able to sell it here and offer it to the members without having to pay anything. So I won't charge a fee or a subscription to sell or buy here. That is one of the perks on the NMB. BUT...that said, there are people with over 30-50 sales who have never subscribed or contributed a cent. So be it...it's their choice. But I MAY consider a limit to have many items a non subscriber can list at a time. It's something I have been thinking about. The average person can still list a few items a month. But regular and frequent sales should come with some sort of give-back to be fair. Nothing set in stone yet. I'm still debating it in my head. Especially since it has come to my attention how many HUNDREDS of sales come from pm discussions and don't even make it onto the forum. How many..I have no idea. But feedback I'm getting is that some people make a tidy living from pm sales. Thanks again to all those who do support us with contributions, memberships, percentages of sales or even just helping with info.