Brian

Henry, The site was (is) at http://www.jp-sword.com/ I am sure there is still a lot of updating in the works, as most of it is still as it was when Jinsoo left. Hopefully this wasn't just a passing greeting, and he will be back soon to keep us updated. Regards, Brian

KM, Sewing machine oil is usually a light machine oil that is fairly pure, and is supposed to be ok for swords. There are way too many gun oils out there..some with additives and some without. I think each gun oil would have to be judged on its own merits, and some could possibly harm a blade. Brian

Rich, We all know I know little about tsuba, but I am trying to learn I really like this tsuba. To me the lower right seems typically kyo-sukashi, but that parasol with the more 3 dimensional carving is very striking and non-typical to me. That single goose (upper right?) also seems typically kyo-sukashi (and akasaka?) and not shoami. It certainly doesn't appear totally kyo-sukashi, so there has to be some other influence in there. I don't know much about kyo-shoami, so won't take a guess at the influence. It's a pity it is mumei. Very nice though. Ah well..may all be nonsense that I typed, but I find if you don't stick your neck out, you don't learn as much :D Regards, Brian

Tom, With respect mate...not only is it a fake..but it is a really bad fake. Just about everything on it is bad. If you compare it with the swords on the "Fake Swords" link above, it screams copy. I would point out the bad aspects of it, but since there are no good ones...let's just say it isn't even close. Brian

I got all excited when I saw a few minutes ago that someone in Korea had signed up with that long lost website address! :D Really good to have you here Jinsoo...if you do a search you will see that you have been frequently asked about. I'm also very glad to hear the website will be back up again. I think it's safe to say we all mourned your absence, and hope you don't go and run away again :D Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee and hopefully some of the old names you recognise will be along shortly. Hmm..with all your business qualifications nowdays...I think we might need an appointment just to email you! :lol: Brian

Man'yōgana Wikipedia link (can still write difficult links in the standard html format if they don't abbreviate properly) your descriptive text Brian

I think you probably do have a civilian saya under the leather combat cover. I have seen many older swords that were taken to war, and the original saya used with a leather cover. I have 3 of them at home. Personally, if the fittings are WW2 era, I prefer to leave the saya as is, and maybe put the blade into shirasaya. Of course there is always the chance that the saya is very nice under the cover, but there is just as much chance that it is cracked, broken and ruined, and once you remove the leather there is no going back. One way to tell if the saya is civilian and older..is to feel around the top for a kozuka or kogai slot. Sometimes these are filled, but on 2 I have, you can clearly see the slot is still there. On the last 4 combat covers I saw removed, none of the saya were restorable to any great degree, and I feel it was a step backwards. But it is a chance you take. There are usually 2 methods of securing the combat covers. One is sewn down the side, and the top has snap fasteners that can be unclipped and sometimes the saya can then be removed fairly easily. On the other method, the leather is much tighter with no snaps at the top, and the leather looks shrunk tightly on the saya. This is a more permanaent method of fitting, and on the one I have, it would have to be destroyed to be removed. Looks like yours is of the latter type, (looks nicely done too) and it would probably not be able to be removed non-destructively. At the end of the day, it will have to be your choice whether or not to remove it. I know WW2 militaria collectors will cringe if you do. Small chance of a nice saya underneath...but I think far more chance it is just a dull black laquered and plain saya. Brian

Yes..I think that qualifies as odd. No idea what the intent was. Maybe something meant for throwing or as a polearm? Or some experiment on a slow day. I guess even smiths played a bit on their slow days. Brian

Here's an excellent article on the subject: http://www2.una.edu/Takeuchi/DrT_Jpn_Cu ... ntique.htm Brian

P... (Mr Joseph?)... Basically translates to Noro Masanori from Seki made this. With that stamped Seki arsenal stamp..it means it is most likely a wartime non-traditionally made oil quenched blade. Not traditionally forged and folded, but a genuine piece of WW2 militaria. I expect the value would be anywhere around $800-1500 depending on where you sell it. Worth anything I guess depends on your idea of what a good value is Regards, Brian

There will always be differing opinions on the use of antiques for modern day use, but I think that when you suggest using an antique blade for tameshigri on a Nihonto forum dedicated to the preservation of Japanese swords, then I suspect you are going to get a common view against it. I know there are plenty that do it, but I would be very surprised if it was encouraged here. I personally feel that there are way too many things that can go wrong, and damage the blade. This is aside from the inevitable scratches and damage to the finish that will result. There are better modern swords for this purpose. Not condemning the original poster, just explaining that this is a question that will inevitably lead to counter arguments. It may only be 100-200 years old now...but in another 200 years? If it has been preserved, it will be there for later generations to appreciate. used for cutting...I expect it will oneday either take too many polishes..or gain significant damage. Generally, it looks like a nice sword that might be on the high side price wise. There are many choices in that price bracket...but you didn't get ripped off. It needs a polish, but is 100% real and authentic. Kept for many more years in good condition, it will be a better deal. Used daily..I expect the value will drop. I do understand what Guido was getting at. Dropping $6K like that for a cutting sword, and then asking afterwards about it, and not knowing much about the condition or suitability sounds a bit..umm..err...strange Not a criticism..just that $6K is a LOT of money for some of us...and I guess we just run through everything in detail before making that decision. Good luck with your choice. Regards, Brian

That swordsmith database link at the top right of the forum is pretty much similar to Hawleys. Compliments of Darcy and the JSSUS. Give it a try. There are quite a few Kanemasu listed. Hmm..haven't noticed any over inking in my Hawleys. If it's a new edition, I would speak to the publishers. Brian

Brilliant find Nicolas, thanks for pointing it out. I had never seen that one before. It is an in-depth examination of scanning Nihonto. Best to save it in case it ever disappears. Brian

He's hoooome..... I think we are mostly adult enough to handle these subjects (right Milt?) but I must add that if there is anyone who finds this offensive, then pm me and I'll take it down. It is Japanese art, and (was) on topic..but let's not go purposefully looking for vintage porn if we can help it? Brian

Hi John, I don't think it is too necessary to sign if your login name is already your name and initial It's more directed at those who use an anonymous username. Btw..you can always edit any post by clicking on the edit link, and add in any further info at the bottom..and can add your signature in your profile so it will automatically sign any posts. Just for the info Brian

I think the material is sharkskin (sometimes called shagreen?) and is often used on swords worldwide. Similar to same, but from a shark instead of a ray. I have a deluxe Gunto mount where the saya is covered with this. I find that sharkskin can often have tiny diamond-shapes to the nodes. Brian

Hi Stephen, Although unlikely..I think we should give the potential "buyer" the benefit of the doubt for now, and not post his user id. I have heard of a very few genuine buyers in China who do collect Nihonto, although they seem to run a big risk getting them in there. I doubt they would be using them to perfect fakes. It would be easier to source those elsewhere, and there is enough info online. I'm sure the members will appreciate the warning, and any potential bidder or seller from China should raise red flags. If he is serious..he will provide full details and a guarantee that if the sword doesn't make it into China, then the costs are all his. If not..then sayonara. Payment method is best something that cannot be retracted, such as bank transfer that is verified. Brian

John, I think Scott was probably thinking in terms of tsuka and saya here. For display boxes there might be other options as long as they are lined, but for saya you would have to go with something that has no doubts. Keith Larman or Ted Tenold would be the guys to answer this. They are on the forum, but I guess we'll have to wait for them to appear Fable or not..I did once hear of someone who used poplar or magnolia that was from a coastal humid climate in the USA. The wood seemed perfect, but a while later, the effects of the climate appeared in the form of rust. The wood had been growing in a salty coastal climate, and salt was throughout the wood. Can't verify that tale..but it does show that caution is in order. Namikawa (links page) sells Ho wood at fair prices, and even if they show sold out on their page, and email will usually turn up some for sale. Regards, Brian

He does have the following 2 comments: Then he says: This leads me to believe his first comment was related to shortening from the front backwards. That is how I would take it anyways. It really doesn't look like the kissaki has been altered, but I am thinking of a very nice Shinto katana that I once traded for that had a perfect kissaki with hi, and looked perfect..but the hamon ran straight off the end. It was a real pity, and I spent quite a while trying to convince myself that I was seeing things, but it was true. Eventually traded it back to the seller. maybe not the case here, but it should definitely be clarified before putting money into it though. Brian

Hmm....off to battle. Squid on my head today..or just a crayfish? :lol: :D Excellent pics Carlo, some amazing workmanship in those. I also found some interesting pics if you search for Japan horse armor. Some of them look more for show than actual use, due to balance and/or weight. Would they all have been battle armor, or were many of them purely for ceremonial use? Brian

Grey, Indeed...which is why they won't show on the first few searches, but as soon as they reach that lower limit (and considering that most of us search daily) then your auctions will show up on the searches, while the lower stuff never shows up. Trust me, they don't get missed Of course those days I am looking for fittings etc, then the limits get lowered, and I add exclusions such as blade to only find the fittings. Brian

Ok..so the url truncating feature doesn't like those long links Basically, in the search box, you type the words you are looking for, and then use -(chen,hanwei,cold,beijing,etc,etc) An example: Japanese sword -(chen,hanwei,cold,dvd,warrior) etc etc My exclusions are: chen,chanwei,cold,paul,beijing,dvd,PSP,warrior,cowskin,sushi,scissors,suzuki There are many more you can add, but if you add things like habaki, kashira,tsuba etc..then you will lose all the genuine listings that have those in them. Once the search page loads..then use the left hand value filter between say $150 and your max. When that page has loaded..just bookmark the url, and load that page every time you want to search. You can refine from there by country or other words. Remember that ebay seems very search specific, so swords will not find sword and nihonto will not find Nihon-to (am I correct here?) I haven't checked if wildcards (*) will work in a search. I am sure i still have a lot to learn about searching..but without more specific searches, you are just wasting time. Btw..once the page loads..i usually don't even bother opening any auction that is low priced and has no bids. it means others have already written it off for you (exceptions do exist of course..but this is 90% true) Brian

I use this url: (Edited out) Still gives you lots of junk, but much less. I don't feel you can filter out fuchi, kashira, tsuba etc..as everyone uses these in their descriptions. Unless you search only titles..which then pulls up only auctions that everyone else sees, and the bids go high. Very important to filter out everything under $100 or $200 or so...as this gets rid of a heck of a lot of junk. Regards, Brian

Is it John? Good to have you here..I have caught your posts on the Yahoo group. (If I am not mistaking people) and have caught some of your eBay auctions. Regards, Brian