Brian

Thanks Guido, some interesting facts there. So Stephen Spielberg bought a katana from Yoshindo Yoshihara? One of about 500 swords he has made so far. That is quite an achievement. Brian

Agreed, and I have been addressing much of that through private messages, and I must say that the reactions from most have been very positive. We must remember that the internet medium is notorious for not conveying tone very well, and it is easy to be taken the wrong way. I would aslo remind everyone that there is a "report post" function if you deem a post to be arrogant or rude, and each case is addressed fast. Let's all put in an effort to get along, understand the intentions of the other person, and above all, remember that the aim is to have fun, while dealing with a very ancient and serious subject. If anyone has an issues to address, rather contact me or a moderator and let's try and sort it out. Bottling it in until you reach breaking point is not constructive or beneficial to anyone Brian

Simon, I wish you well, and the forum is always here for you if you come across that sleeper Sadakatsu or Shinkai or whaever and feel like a discussion on it. No-one needs to "close" any forum accounts. If you choose not to read or post that is well within anyone's rights, but everyone is welcome here at any time. You know what they say "Times change, people change, currencies fluctuate" so check in from time to time, and you are welcome here anytime. Hope to catch you in Tokyo if I make it back there sometime. Regards, Brian

I think Guido is correct. You don't study inferior swords to learn about top quality blades. That doesn't mean there aren't people out there that collect militaria and Showa-to etc, and we do try and assist with identification and translations since there aren't many places to go for this info. But we don't study those swords in depth. Guido assists like many of the members here, in trying to identify what is the good stuff from the bad blades, and we try and help people to get to a point where they can identify what is worth keeping and restoring, and what might just be a representative piece. The idea is to use the forum as a basis for expanding your knowledge. Get out there and look at the best you have access to. Use books and the internet to guide you, but make sure you see as much as you can in hand. As Guido pointed out, there is always somewhere you can go to see some good swords..or keep studying until the opportunity presents itself. I don't believe it is elitist to say that you should strive to collect the best you can..or at least see it sometime and gain an understanding of what it is all about. The keyword is "study" This forum will continue to assist those who are starting out, or only have lower end stuff. We can assist in deciding if it is a fake, or what the mei says, or whether or not it has fatal flaws, or if it is a possible sleeper. We just draw the line at studing them in depth. We won't discuss the beauty of a machine made Gunto. You might get info on what it is, and what it says, and who made it (all in the appropriate sections of course) but I think that to explain why it isn't a good Nihonto collectors item is vital to furthering the study of Nihonto. I don't think we should mistake elitism for bluntness. Sometimes stating the facts is the easiest way to bring the point home. This doesn't mean genuine elitism will be tolerated, but I dont think we have a problem with that, and when it does occur, then it is dealt with. To get back to this particular thread, the OP was wondering if it had any merit as a possible restoration project. In the end, good advice was given and he decided against it. Perhaps the next person to come across something similar will remember this thread and have learned something. Asking before buying is an important part of what we are preaching here. The rest is up to people to take that advice and learn from it. Brian

Thanks Pete. Edited the Bushido links to correct them. Can't find the menuki article that used to be there, perhaps someone has an updated link or has backed up the article? Here is a short previous discussion: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=844 Brian

Was just going to post what Jacques wrote. Many people do practice Iai with live blades, or own them for sport. Sometimes if a blade just doesn't make it artistically enough, then it can be a good candidate for Iai. This can be due to a few flaws, chips or maybe the overall polish, and it isn't economical to restore fully. Iai swords don't mean non-traditional, but they need to be examined to see why they weren't sold as collector grade. Brian

Great site Martin, well done! Very attractive and easy to navigate. I will add it to the links page, and keep a watch on it. Brian

Thanks for that Curran. For the benefit of those just starting out with tsuba, would you care to offer just a few basic kantei points to look out for on this one, that lead to the attribution? Thanks, Brian

Thanks Guido and Keith, I think that is the definitive article on yokote. I don't enjoy discussing swords like this..as there is little to be learned about good swords, but as long as there is still debate whether they are fakes or not, I think we need to come to a conclusion for the benefit of those that come across them. Once identified, we can move on, no need to further discuss the merits..just the identification. Brian

Can only echo what Dino said. The more members..the more funds there are for worthwhile projects like this. Well done to Grey and the JSSUS. I will be eagerly awaiting the mail order sales, and will likely take a few copies for the collectors here. Also just received Grey's Index of Japanese Sword Literature, and it is also a stunning work that is a must have in any sword library. Brian

That looked like the remnants of a hadori finish to me, over the acid etched line. Brian

No yokote due to amateur polish (we see this often?) and hamon could look less regular if it had a proper polish, plus not impossible to have this hamon? Kaeri due to bad acid work or yakizume? Either way, this is the not really worth debating too much as that acid etch is terrible anyways :D Brian

Not a fake imho. Agree with most. Badly acid treated, and bad chips. Genuine mounts and went to war in them. I have my doubts about it being restorable, and I wouldn't spend that money on it. I would think that acid treatment follows the real temper line maybe, but either way it is too much of a gamble, nothing there really worth taking a chance at. Would be interested in knowing what makes it look like a fake? Condition aside, it has hada and all the rest is consistent with a low quality piece. Brian

Someone needs to tell him that isn't a socket yari. No signs of hamon or hada at all..I hope they are there after polish. Brian

John L, With excellent posts like that, I think we had better offend you more often. :D Thanks for that. I really do need to focus more on tosogu and get my own knowledge up, and hit the books I do own, and get the ones I don't. Regards, Brian

Yep, she was beautiful and unusual. Sakakura Gonnoshin Terukane. http://www.nihonto.ca/terukane/ There is a very lucky owner out there somewhere. Brian

Reinhard, I really don't mind people calling something crap as long as they elaborate on it and explain why, as you have done above. What you said is exactly what I was trying diplomatically to say too. Seems to me the artist has knowledge of the Japanese history and what he is trying to portray, but not the knowledge to do it in the Japanese way of a master tosogu artist. He clearly knows the subject matter, and this hints to me that he might be a more modern (non classical) tsuba apprentice or hobbyist? I agree with you on the waves, they are stylish but not Japanese to my eyes. I hope we can get more input from others here, as this is a good topic for debate, and something we can all learn from hopefully. Brian

I like it, but I'm worried about possible retempering or hidden hagire: I really really want this blade, but I'm going to do my best to get the price down. That's a bit more than I wanted to pay: Until you start crying, I know you can drop the price a bit more. I haven't had the mei checked out yet, so I am selling it as gimei: I have had the mei checked out by everyone, and it is gimei. I am not really interested in the mounts, it is the blade I am interested in: I want the entire package for the price of the blade, even though I love the mounts. This one look like it might be a sleeper: It's a dog. It is a mumei Gendaito with muji hada, just needs a good polish: It is a bar stock gunto made from a railroad track. It would make a nice Iaido piece when cleaned up: It has no traces of collectibility and is only good for swinging. Am I too cynical? :lol: Brian

Well..it is a fact that the entire Star Wars and even Darth Vader were loosely based on the Samurai. Just a useless bit of info. Brian

I won't claim to have followed my own advice initially. On first impression, I also saw an impressive looking tsuba with lots of fancy details and looking quite well done. I have a long chat with Ford about it, and am pleased he posted it, as I think it will provide an excellent discussion if the tsuba guys care to share their opinions. As I started looking at the details closer after my chat with Ford, some glaring irregularities became apparent. The foam on the water is really overdone, and looks like the artist got carried away with the technique. The expression on the horse contains satire which I wasn't expecting on this work. The way the tachi encroaches on the seppa dai, while not impossible, seems a-typical and the shape isn't well done. The details overlapping onto the mimi seem excessive and overdone. The sekigane as pointed out seem to have been done unconventionally and look odd. The artist obviously has Japanese knowledge and skill, but the way it all comes together seems to me to be contrary to the conventional aesthetic. It seems possible and even logical to me that this might be an experiment in technique by someone working much later than I originally thought. I don't claim to be sure of my observations, but I am eager to hear opinions and more about this one. I really need to borrow a pair of artist's eyes for a while Brian

Kevin, Without hitting the books (cold and time for bed) I find this quite a good intro to the school. Maybe it will assist with the attribution: http://tsuba.jyuluck-do.com/NaraSchool.html Regards, Brian Also found this:

I think it says: "The owner of this sword owes me $500 for this attribution" :D :lol: So sorry for the OT Jean..I couldn't resist I will slap myself on the wrist now. Brian

Alan, Depends on what you are looking for? Both of these are likely to go higher than they should. The waki doesn't do much for me. Open grain, no wow factor. Average. The shinshinto does look quite nice, but was probably an iai piece, and the fittings might be modern I think. Nice, but it will likely go over $2000-2500 probably. Rather decide what you are looking for, what you want to spend, and then see if anyone here can suggest something. Better than fishing on eBay. Brian

That kanemitsu must be mind-blowing. This one is papered Juyo Bunkazai (taken from http://www.jp-sword.com/files/masamune/masamune.html ) Must be a trick of the light or photo cropping..as the nakago-jiri seems to differ a bit. Brian

Swords for sale in department stores. *Sigh* I really do live in the wrong country. Sounds like a good chance if you are anywhere near there. Thanks for the heads-up Koichi and Guido. Brian