Brian

Lev, I've been watching that one for over a month. Seriously considered buying it. Would need some work, but it's a nice looking blade. Needs a polish. But just can't find extra funds to spend on a sword right now. Doubt it's gimei, he's not highly rated and the mei seems ok. Let me know if you pick it up.

Welcome back Joe, glad you found your way back. Wish you all the best in your Nihonto endeavors. Also, thanks for your support to the forum.

That’s the standard method of cutting mei.

None.

Jean made an important point. Rust isn't a surface build up. It's part of the steel. For rust to form, metal is lost. That means that removing serious rust leaves a surface covered in micro pitting, which usually looks worse. Oil will stop rust. You don't need to remove all the rust, just stabilize it and stop it from forming. If you want to get rid of rust without anything abrasive, Evaporust will do it. The surface left will look pitted and worse in most cases. That's when people are tempted to use sandpaper to get rid of the pitting. And so it begins. Stabilize the rust. Oil and wipe. Over time, the rust will get less.

What the hell is the difference between buying a $100 sword on a police auction and buying a $100 sword on eBay? You seriously going to use that as a valid reason for anything?

You're entitled to your opinion, no matter how wrong it is. And this isn't some warm-and-fuzzy tree hugging everyone-is-a-winner forum. It's for serious collectors and enthusiasts. People we WANT to be the caretakers of Nihonto for the future. People who WANT to learn. Not people who take the attitude "I don't care what you guys think, this is what I am going to do" Lose new members? Tough. I'm not running a popularity contest. People with the balls to take criticism and learn from it will still be here a year later. Most won't because that's not what they are here for. They want people to say "What a wonderful rusty piece of metal, you are so cool" If you don't know about the National treasures that have been found, identified and saved by collectors, or the top grade swords out of polish found at sword shows that ended up going Juyo...that's for you to go research. We have nothing to prove, and we aren't here to promote amateurs buying project blades so that they can sand them down and etch out a hamon. Go to Facebook. But not the serious Nihonto groups there either. They will tell you the same thing. Not going to change, if you don't like it...you know the deal. And don't throw the "discouraging potential new collectors" at me. Plenty of the guys here saying the same thing as I am were novices here a few years ago. If they have the interest, they will read and listen, and not argue. Those are the guys that are now the ones giving good advice. Your opinion only counts when it makes sense. Otherwise it's just noise. Am I clear enough?

That's a standard tanto, I don't see anything shortened there. 2 Ana, maybe mounted twice.

I don't think katana or wakizashi were deliberately shortened to tanto. Especially if they were shinogi zukuri, which looks awkward in a tanto. May have been done if a long sword broke, but not as a matter of course.

Few problems. The logistics and time involved for the forum. Also the fact that Paypal doesn't allow raffles, and that is really the only easy way to do payments. The profit for the smith really wouldn't change their circumstances for very long either. Plus you'd need a go-between to work with the smith and the forum. Not an easy task. If we had someone connected to the Japanese smith world, would be better to do a deal for a run of kogatana with nice hamon, that can be done as a pre-order for the NMB and maybe be a special NMB project. Or something like that. But again, needs someone as a go-between.

I can guarantee you that most who buy these project blades and want to polish them themselves, don't really care about Nihonto, the tradition or the history. They just want a "Samurai sword" and age is more important than quality. They want a nice overdone painted on hamon that screams artificial, and to say to people "look, this is a gen-u-ine Samurai sword" They don't want to preserve it and use gentle uchiko over many years until you can make out the hamon and start to see some hataraki under the grey...and then hope oneday someone will complete the proper process. They want instant gratification or to flip it on eBay for a profit. They also forget how many of us "purists" DO have project blades in our own collections. But we resist the urge to polish them...gaining satisfaction from the fact that we can still enjoy the sugata, fittings (if any) and research what we have from the little we can see. Once you round off the shinogi and make the yokote disappear or skew (and they always so) and take away all the niku....the amount of metal removal to bring it back is extensive and likely takes off hundreds of years off its life. At the very least, have a polisher open a window and tell you if the sword is a kazu-uchimono with ware everywhere, or if there is something to have checked out. Either way, as a forum dedicated to the study and preservation, we will NEVER encourage this, and that fact should be obvious.

Maybe oneday when you learn that you aren't collecting random weapons, but a 1000 year tradition of art, you'll understand. Most of us don't think of us as "owning" these items, just preserving them for future generations. You're comparing them to cars and welding, when you should be comparing them to one off paintings and sculptures. When you own that rusty blade that you think isn't worth preserving...do you have the knowledge to know that it isn't something significant?

Amateur polish, looking very gaudy. But in this case, gentle uchiko over time should subdue it a bit. Westerners often think that a hamon should be so prominent that it looks like it was painted on. But the sword appears real. Ignore the tassel and decide if the price is worth it for the sword alone.

Bear in mind that some of the Nobuiye lines are thought to have been workshops, not individual smith.

@Stephen They are one of the big surplus and collectible sellers. https://www.legacy-collectibles.com/

You think that was directed at you? Can't I make a general statement without people thinking I have anyone specific in mind?

They stated very clearly they know very little. I don't find anything wrong with the video, and kudos to them for sharing the collection. Nothing wrong with people stating they know nothing, and asking for info or taking a stab at it. It's the people who know nothing but argue with advice from people who do know, that get flayed. Rightfully so. Or people who have an opinion on everything except what we actually focus on.

Amazed as always

Could easily be cast fittings with a plain steel blade. But considering Japanese smiths get a hamon on a kogatana, if they wanted to, it could easily be a real blade with hamon not visible. I still thing it's well done.

Looking at the skill in wrapping those multiple strands....humbles me. I can barely tie my own shoelaces.

Just found this. Looks interesting

Can't see any smith deliberately adding the mon so offset, and we can't even think of the nakago being altered, as the mekugi ana show center placement as Grey pointed out.

Everyone plays their part, and I welcome even those vague "hints" that are meant to make us research further. Enough of the personal attacks. I for one am very glad Reinhard is taking the time to post. Drop the subject now.

Wow that's gorgeous!

Heck of a lot of work to forge those "folds" I've seen them at the edges, folded upwards, but this is the first I've seen them forged in the inner part.