Brian

it looks, to me Brian, as though you're biased toward the informed buyer. No one is unbiased if they have an interest...it's oxymoronic Well duh Of course when I said I am a buyer not a seller, and not biased...I was meaning that I am not personally baised (in favour of sellers) Brian

Frank, I think there are a number of inaccuracies there that have to be addressed. A lot of this is just convenience to (mainly) Westerners (very much like the Gokkaden) that don't actually exist. It helps us to put things into nice and neat little boxes. A Katana is a Japanese sword, which we have started to use for a blade longer than 60.6cm. Tachi aren't identified by size. If I quote from Paul Martin here: Chisakatana is also not governed only by length, but by how it is mounted and intended to be used. Yoroi-doshi are tanto...only they are thicker and a bit shorter, and made for piercing armour. They are defined by looking at the shape, style and mounting to determine if that was the intended use. Basically what we use is: Tanto: Blade shorter than 30.3cm Wakizashi: between 30.3cm and 60.6cm Katana: Blade longer than 60.6cm The rest are sub-divisions of those classifications based on the way it was mounted, carried or used. This is a good article on the subject: http://www2.una.edu/takeuchi/DrT_Jpn_Cu ... of_wak.htm Many of the terms we use nowdays aren't strictly correct, but they help us to speak about the subject. Hence Gendaito for hand forged, Showato for machine made, and calling genuine hand-made items Nihonto. I guess we even call Naginata and yari Nihonto, even though strictly speaking they aren't. There is no real guide to placing tanto, wakizashi, katana, tachi, hamidashi, aikuchi, naginata, chisakatana, uchigatana, yari, odachi, chokuto, nagamaki etc etc into neat little boxes. I guess we just make the call based on what we see. Regards, Brian

Alan, I don't have any problem with you expressing your view, I'm just posing a few counterpoints. A lot of this is all theoretical and doesn't always happen. I have seen many sellers post on their auctions "I have been told that this might be a fake" and otherwise, so we can't generalise. Then there is the case of allowing buyers a fair shake at a good deal. What about allowing sellers a fair shake at a decent informed sale? I can't always translate the swords I am interested in, and will ask someone here what it says. I would rather the seller post it if he knows, even if it sparks interest in others. Also, there are many sellers that are exactly like that "little old lady with the garage sale" There are a surprising number of people who sell their inherited items or clear out their homes online. Who are we to say that their story isn't correct? You said it yourself...when an opinion is given on an auction, it is up to us (informed) people to assertain if the info is correct, if it is gimei and if it has flaws. So the info is only worth the source, and since we don't know the source, how can people have an advantage and influence the auction too much? And when it does turn out to be a nice item, and it goes higher, then I think the seller has gotten a fair deal. We don't lose anything when we don't win...we lose sometimes when we do. You say "I only seek an honest chance of bidding" and I say that sellers also have every right to an honest chance of getting a fair sale. Bear in mind I am not a Nihonto seller either..I am a buyer, so I am not biased here. Anyways..it's all just different opinions really. This is why the big guys rightfully tell us not to buy sword stuff on eBay Regards, Brian

Well here is Jacques' control mei vs the Aoi one for comparisson. Can anyone verify with Tsuruta san that if he suspects a mei he writes "unverified" and if that isn't there then he has a good idea it is shoshin? Would help us all. Brian Edit to add: The yakidashi, yasurime, boshi and hamon stlye seem to be a close match though. There seem to be natural variances in his mei too. Not sure what conclusion I would come to.

If you were still in Japan..then done deal. But China? Naaaah! Brian

Well, how about I take the opposing viewpoint? :D This is all about ethics. It is the same as grabbing that Shinkai from the little old lady who has her husband's sword that he brought back from the war and has it on a garage sale at $200. You either are the type that grabs it, or one that tells her it is a good sword and maybe pays her more than she asked. That is for everyone to decide for themselves. Expecting to see and grab that "sleeper" on eBay is a fantasy that persists. I don't believe that sellers are obligated to research every item they sell. The market decides the price, and those "snipe bids" are a fact of life. Every auction nowdays will have snipe bids, and they are seldom the result of someone finding out info they didn't know before. Trust me..if you see that "sleeper" then 100 other guys also saw it. So what if someone tells him what it is. That is life. I have lost out on many deals because someone posted more info that got everyone interested. I just say "Oh well" and write it off. I admire those who take the time to advise people who don't know what they have. That's what this forum is about too. I have seen messages posted on eBay from many of the NMB members here who took the time to help someone with an auction. So someone isn't familiar with Japanese swords and now has one from an estate that he needs to sell off...I don't expect him to do all the research on it first. If someone helps him either on eBay or off it, then good for him. Expecting to "steal" something for a bargain price is perhaps a pipe-dream that we all would love to have happen to us, but shouldn't expect. We all want someone to inform that eBay seller that what he has is a total Chinese fake or his reserve is too high or he is describing it wrong or there are faults that he didn't notice....but we don't want the opposite to happen? Just a differing viewpoint. However I'll stick to mine thanks, and am glad there are still people out there that take the time to help others who don't have the knowledge, either on ebay or here or anywhere. Brian

Moved here as we are now discussing items for sale from online sellers etc. This section is fine as far as I am concerned. Brian Btw, I agree with Jean, that wakizashi is a nice one at the price with lots to see. Looks like a reasonable deal to me.

As Jacques said, don't assume the mei is correct until you have papers. From what I hear about Aoi, if you ask him, you should get a decent opinion on whether it is right or not, but still there are no guarantees until you have origami. But as always, buy the blade and not the signature Brian

Ok..strictly speaking (as per Guido's and other's posts here, the one is a tanto (under 30.3cm) and the other is a wakizashi. The tanto would be a sunobi tanto (longer than standard length of 25.8cm) and I guess the wakizashi could be called sunzumari wakizashi? Brian

Ok, no more on this subject please. But yes, all my suppliers at work ask for T/T (and actually mean electronic bank transfer instead) so it is still a common term, but used to mean something else nowdays. Now back to our regular Nihonto transmissions... Brian

Well..the Sukesada was nagasa 31.4cm, and this one is at 30cm so both are ko-wakizashi And relatively they say that tanto fetch more than wakizashi all other things being equal. Brian

http://www.aoi-art.com/sword/wakizashi/07263.html Just giving out a few possibilities. This one works out to around $2350 and I would ask them if they think it would get papers, and ask if they would submit it for you. I still don't think this one is a bad deal at all, but you should look at all options before deciding. Regards, Brian

Hi Mr Block (Please remember to sign posts with a real name) I hate to comment on pending sales since our opinions can influence a sale, but since we don't know the seller I guess it is fair and not biased. Just remember that they are opinions and what counts most is whether you like it or not. It looks like a nice little blade in good polish. Remember that a shinshinto due to its age has to be in good unmessed with condition. The fact that it is ubu helps, and this is a requirement for a shinshinto. However ware are a small negative in a recent sword and I wonder how much it has been polished in its life? The chips are visible, but don't look too bad. Some live with them, and others it bugs constantly so you would have to decide how you feel about them. It will affect the resale value as will the short length and ware. These wouldn't be looked at as "battle scars" I think. I think the papers are a big plus in that they allow you to know immediately what you have without speculating. I am unsure on the sword's purpose, but expect it was just a small sword as it doesn't look like a boy's sword to me, but it may be? I have a Sukesada with simillar shape and nagasa and am still unsure of what it was made for. Maybe just merchant's sword. If you factor in the papers and polish, then you don't have a bad price there. A papered wakizashi would be at least $2K, but the name and sugata don't make it the most saleable, so I think you have to decide if it "does it for you" or not. As with most things, you save up to buy the best you can afford. If you have the patience, then there are always nice swords out there, but you would need to add some funds. It all depends if you are going to start collecting, or just want your first piece that can satisfy the urge for a while. I suspect that if you are asking now, then you have your doubts and if so, then you will always have second thoughts about it. If not, and you like it, then buy it and maybe sell oneday to upgrade. I know there might be totally different opinions, and you will have to make up your mind on whether to go for it or not. Imho, it isn't a bad deal, but koshirae would have sweetened the deal and it is in a pricerange where there will be other choices possibly, but you don't want to spend more than then still have to paper and polish. Let's see what others have to say. Brian

It's more on koshirae, with a good section on urushi. http://www2.una.edu/takeuchi/DrT_Jpn_Cu ... 5B3%5D.htm Brian NB: There is a good Word doc. to download in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2251 It's about everything you could ever want to know about urushi except no pics.

I like the look of this place, although I have no knowledge of them besides a little bit I saw on knife forums: http://www.watanabeblade.com/english/index.htm Love the webpage, and the bar chart telling you how busy they are :D Brian

Telegraphic transfer, ie. bank wire transfer. They are an auction site, although I am not sure if they are run by a particular shop with one seller, or take items from many sellers. Brian

Ouch, those are quite some prices Nice knives though. Have you contacted Darcy and asked about his supplier in Japan for these? : http://nihonto.ca/hocho/ Maybe Moriyama san can search for some info on the forge of Tsunahiro in Kamakura? Of course anyone in Japan has seen the shops dedicated just to knives, with wall to wall kitchen knives of all types. I was stunned at the variety and pricerange. Take a look at these too: http://japanesecutleries.com/ind.html and http://hocho.o-1.jp/ Brian

I don't think anyone was calling you stupid at all Henry, you have every right to an opinion just like anyone, and I am glad you made those points. Nothing wrong with ppl having different opinions too...that's what discussion is for. What it means is that we need better photos of the surface and in different light conditions so that we can explore the theories more. It is a good point that photos can be misleading, they can make a good item look bad, and a bad item look good. Regards, Brian

Yes, I know, but I was writing it for the benefit of people with the mentality like myself. Brian

Mr Ushio, This would just be a guess at this stage, but I see that there was a Heianjo Nagayoshi (NAG525) that is listed as: masame-mokume, itame, notare, suguha, fine horimono, TK469, K225, K228. Known for high-quality (long?) yari with well-carved hi. He was from Yamashiro. He worked around 1469-1486. There is another working around 1394-1428 (NAG502) that has the description: Gassan style; ayasuji which fits in with your description, but he is from Echigo. I would be leaning towards the first one, but as I said it is just a wild guess unless we can find some oshigata to compare to. There were quite a few Nagayoshi. Brian

This is what forums are for...good research leading to a nice clean result. Nice one! Brian

I believe urushi needs a moist environment to harden. Drying it will only keep it wet for forever. Search the forum, I have posted an urushi article somewhere that has all the info. They use a cabinet with artificial humidity to harden urushi. Brian

Before you get strung up, you had better clarify that it was tired, not restorable, had fukure, hamon incomplete, retempered, ugly and a write off..... I hope. Brian

Steve, Not a lot to go on, without pics of the hada and any real defining characteristics that stand out. However I would guess it is a generic shinto. Doesn't look to have enough age to it to say a Koto, and nothing that screams shinshinto either. I doubt you'll get much closer without a shinsa. The blade does look ubu (not shortened) but am I seeing traces of a hamon going through the nakago? The ana (hole in the tang) also looks drilled, so it may have been a much longer blade that was shortened, but I am not sure of that. Clues to the school might be that long turnback. Soten was a school of fittings makers, with varying quality. Search the forum for soten for more info. A lot of fake signatures too. Your fuchi looks reasonable quality. The fushi, kashira and tsuba don't match, so I would think the fittings were changed over time, as most were. Unfortunately sometimes we come to a dead end where nothing can tell you more about the blade without a costly shinsa process. Not saying this is the case here, but there isn't a lot to tell the whole story. Regards, Brian

Marcel, Chill. Your question is very specific, and relies on someone who has experience actually ordering a shinsakuto, and then also ordering it directly from the smith. Not many, as most go through an agent or dealer. I personally see no problem. You will get an invoice when it is finished, and swordsmiths don't mass produce, so they wouldn't necessarily have a need for lots of paperwork. If it makes you feel better, ask the smith if you could possibly get a receipt as you pay your partial payments. Is the smith one of the members of the All Japan Swordsmith Association? (Link on the links page) I assume you are in contact with the smith and can follow the progress? Either way, it si just a waiting game now until it is ready. I don't think there is any need for any concern. Post pics of the sword when you get it. Brian