Guido

Jason, Hisaki agaru means the Hi reaches - or extends above - the Yokote, Hisaki sagaru means it ends below the Yokote. Usually Hi are cut on both sides of the blade (Ryô-bi), a Hi on only one side isn't often encountered (at least on Shinogi-zukuri blades). I could be wrong, but it appears from your pictures that you have a Bô-hi on one side, and a Futsuji-hi on the other; not very common, but also not really rare.

Hi Pierre, the exact address is 東京都品川区北品川 １－１６－８; I don't know how to manipulate Google maps, but maybe you can add it to the map you already created. Or just follow the noise ...

Hi - if they are original to the blade - are an important Kantei point. I recommend reading page 75 ff. of Nakayama's "Connoiseurs Book".

This has nothing to do with (real or imagined) personal issues. The only side I choose is that of reason and correct information.

What Franco is saying is that Fumbari and Ububa don't exclude each other, and the the fit of the Habaki doesn't have anything to do with either - contrary to what Keith said. Geez, what's so hard to understand about that??? Btw, I'm with Franco on this one, fwiw.

I'm a little confused: are you posting on behalf of Mr. Tanobe?

Jim, you really have to work on your terminology ... - Of course it's a Sayagaki, no matter how it's executed or what it says. Heck, it even would be a Sayagaki if I'd scribble something on the Shirasaya. - The NBTHK doesn't do Sayagaki. Mr. Tanobe (among others) does, he just happened to be employed by the NBTHK for many years.

Jean, simpy look for "Keichodo", that's Bob's stall. But you'll recognize us easily enough: Bob looks like John Goodman, Henry looks like Brad Pitt, and everybody confuses me for Arnold Schwarzenegger ... :lol: Henry, dude, I sincerely hope that's a typo ...

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only cross-dresser on NMB ... we'll make a lovely couple at the DTI ... :D

I would be very surprised to learn that the Sayagaki in the first picture (Tadakuni-web1.jpg) was written by a Japanese. The handwriting is very awkward, and looks to me more like done by a Westerner.

@ Henry: “Mr. Schiller“ is my father … @ Jacques: a beautiful Koshirae indeed. Suffering from Altzheimers lite I’m not really sure, but isn't that the mounting of a Dōtanuki sword I saw at the DTI a couple of years ago? Although many Handachi-Koshirae have a Mokko-gata Tsuba, Jacques’ example and that of Eric show that there are quite a few exceptions. I admit that I have a liking for this style of mounting, but have yet to find a nice set (preferably a Daishō) that doesn’t require me selling a kidney to come up with the funds …

Homma and Satō write in vol. 6 of the Nihotō Zenshū (本間順治 & 佐藤貫一: 日本刀全集) that Handachi-Koshirae became popular during the mid-Edo period, and that they were made until the Bakumatsu period; earlier examples are very few. This is more or less in line with what Kokubo writes in his Tōsō no Subete (小窪健一: 刀装のすべて) and Ogasawara in Nihontō no Koshirae (小笠原信夫: 日本刀の拵). The earliest example of a Handachi I could find dates from the Momoyama period and is in the collection of the National Museum in Tōkyō.

I like Nô (much better than Kabuki), but I don't like Nô theaters. Nô plays should be watched on open air stages, preferably at night as Takigi-Nô ("bonfire Nô"). I attended my first Takigi-Nô at Hibiya park in 1988; one short visit to the National Nô Theater a few weeks later closed the chapter of watching it indoors for me. My favorite play is Dôjôji.

Only Tokubetsu Hozon? Nah, I'll pass on it ...

Just out of curiosity: do you feel you somehow attract them ... ?

This discussion reminds me of an old continental European joke: How do you call someone who speaks three languages? Trilingual. How do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual. How do you call someone who speaks only one language? American. :lol:

Tom's photos show a traditional rack (which most of the times doesn't come with antique Katanadansu), so I used a non-traditional rack made of foam rubber that holds almost any kind of sword, being it a Shirasaya or full Koshirae. Tokugawa Art (Sanmei) used to sell it for Yen 2,000 or so, but they don't have it on their website anymore:

I don't know where you got that information, but Kiyomaro basically drunk himself to death. The blades he produced while under the influence (quite a few years before his liver gave up) are often not worth the cost of the metal, and can be bought for a comparitatively low price. The swords he forged during his better days are among the best any Nihontô collector can wish for - and are priced accordingly. The high-end sword shop Ginza Chôshûya published a statistic of sword prices a couple of years ago, and on average Kiyomaro fetched an even higher price than Masamune. To sum it up: if it's a good Kiyomaro you can't afford it, if it's a bad one you just pay for the name and get a crappy sword.

Looks like a jazzed up version of the "crafts" book - I love the Yoshihara cation figure, though ("collect all 12"?) ...

Ford, I'm looking forward to meeting you again this year in Tôkyô, but when we go out together I'll make damn sure to order all the food myself ...

Once again, Bob leaves out the most crucial part of information: non-alcoholic beverages will only be available to girls under 16 and transsexuals. Everybody else will be either keelhauled (if male) or made walking down the plank (if female) by yours truly (that’s where he probably got confused with me dressing up as a pirate) if he/she stays under a blood alcohol level of 5 ‰. Sorry, no exceptions. P.S.: Clive will be the subject of an even more terrible treatment: Davy Jones' Locker ....

At the DTI is just fine, but please try to register with Bob via e-mail in advance (see his post above). Yes, but only you. Everybody else can wear muscle-shirts and flip-flops. Just kidding, "smart casual" will be fine.

For those who didn’t already figure it out: yes, this is a follow-up on this thread - Bob certainly deserves his own thread after going through all the trouble of signing up … When I expressed my hope to dump most of the work on Bob in above quoted thread, I didn’t think it would be that easy – thank you Bob, you’re to me like the sister I never had! :lol: Attendees of the 2008 DTI parties know already what great fun this Yakatabune cruise is, for everybody else see this link. The only mistake Bob made: I’ll not dress up as a pirate, but as a Geisha. But as everybody familiar with Japanese culture knows, Geisha do not provide sexual services – so please refrain from flooding me with PM’s and e-mails! On a more serious note: Bob and I covered more than once for no-shows out of our own pockets in the past. So you either pay in advance or you’re not on the list – period! I’m sorry if this sounds brutal, but we’re not going to pay anymore for those who are not able or willing to honor their commitment. But enough of “the serious stuff”: let the games begin!

For a follow-up on the DTI party plans see this new thread.

I'll arrive in Tôkyô on the 21'st and will keep you guys informed about the party - of course there will be one, it's a time-honored tradition, after all! I'll probably team up with Bob Hughes again (meaning I'll dump most of the work on him ) to give you the bread and games you're craving for. Just one condition: keep the Edamame out of Clive's reach this time ...