PKDA

Based on the items in the auction, it seems to be either a compilation of a few high end collections, or the collection of someone with substantial investment in Japanese art . Either way the assessment of it being small change for Bonhams rings true. That attitude might also be evident in that they have posted a single image of each lot. They provide detailed verbal descriptions of the individual pieces, yet just one image. It shows that they are very confident in the listings. Also not a lot of "low level" pieces in any of these groups. At least from my beginners viewpoint.

Thanks Mike. Some really nice pieces here. The imgur link works and the images are well worth reviewing. Kevin P.

Thank you Ford. I followed the link and briefly looked at the BFA collection. Really amazing stuff and a great resource. I appreciate the lead. I also thought this was made of copper. I almost didn't post this because I thought something was fishy about it. This obviously reinforces the fact that a gathering of the e-bay masses has NO reflection of the value of an item. Oh well, a little more knowledge for my journey. Thanks to all for the comments and information. Kevin

Thanks Gents. I went back and looked at it a few times and definitely noticed the uneven finish that you mention. It also seems that the "gold shim" at the base of the nakago ana seems to be more of an applied finish as opposed to a separate material. Okay, so it seems that it is probably a modern piece that may or may not have some actual value. At least I'm learning something. Time to start spending more time reading and less time surfing. Always the case I guess. Thanks again, Kevin

I saw this tsuba up for auction on e-bay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/280827283927?ss ... 1423.l2648 It jumped off the screen at me as being better than the average e-bay listing. Am I right? I am a relative (complete) rookie with tosogu and no nothing about this peice or style. Would anyone here care to provide commentary on this item. Thanks, Kevin Perry

Peter, Coming from my limited knowledge, here is some food for thought on the Koa Isshin. First, go to R. Stein's site and read his article on the Koa Isshin blades. For that matter, read the whole site. The article indicates that a good example form this group of blades would have some definite value. I know of a few instances of martial artisits using these blades for Iaido and Battodo and being very happy with them. I own one and it is a beautiful, well made sword and one of my favorite gendaito. That being said, the issue of whether or not it is worth restoring has alot to do with it's current condition and what you want to achieve. I believe these blades are going for $1,500 on the mid-low end to maybe $2,500 if it is in excellent condition with the original koshirae. You could spend at least $1,250 for a decent polish if the blade is not too badly rusted. Then you have mounting costs if you wish to use it for practical use. So is it worth purchasing? Possibly, but you'll need to provide images of the full blade before that can be even guessed at. Thanks, Kevin P.

Originally posted the response below in the Military Swords of Japan section. I messed up with the first post and didn't realize it showed up there. I will keep my responses here for the rest of this discussion. "Thanks for the information gentlemen. I had never thought to consider the idea these had been caused by rust. This theory would tend to be backed up by the fact that this blade is in a new (relatively?) shirasaya. The shirasaya is very well made and has almost a vacuum seal on it when closed. It struck me that someone obviously still considered the sword valuable when they made it. Possible scenario... the blade was polished down to the furthest extent deemed reasonable by the polisher and the new shirasaya was made for it?" Following up on a couple of the comments in here I have included two more images. The first is a detail of the kitaeware-2 flaw. You can see additional dimples heading away from the kissaki, would this be indicative of the "rust removal" concept? Second image is of the nakago at the machi. I believe this shows the "signature" marks from the polisher. I'm not sure if this helps at all in detirmining the "who and when" questions regarding the last polish. Overall the polish is very clean with crisp lines and none of the waves I've seen in some wartime polished blades. Final picture is of the sword and shirasaya. Again, thanks for the help. Kevin P.

Thanks for the information gentlemen. I had never thought to consider the idea these had been caused by rust. This theory would tend to be backed up by the fact that this blade is in a new (relatively?) shira saya. The shira saya is very well made and has an almost vacuum seal on it when closed. It struck me that someone obviously still considered the sword valuable when they made it. Possible scenario... the blade was polished down to the furthest extent deemed reasonable by the polisher and the new shirasaya was made for it? BTW, please excuse my mistake in double posting this question. New to the boards, I didn't realize that this posting actually made it on. I thought I had messed something up when it didn't show in the Nihonto section. Is this section more appropriate for this blade even though it is a gendaito?

Good Evening Folks, I've been bouncing around these pages for about a year now. I've learned alot, and have started to figure out how much there is I don't know. I guess its a step in the right direction. Hopefully you all can help me on this question. I've attached a few pictures of a toshihide gendaito I purchased a few years ago. The mei states that it was made with cannon steel from the battleship Mikasa. The person listing it flagged it as having some kitae ware. His photos showed them, but not at the magnification I'm using. My question is this... Just how severe of a set of flaws are these? Total deal breakers? Bad but tolerable? Or somewhere in between? Like many people the crappy economy is finally catching up to me. In going through my collection, this is one of the swords I'd like to sell. I'm hoping to get an idea of the severity of these flaws so I can accurately describe them in any listings. Any help you can provide will be most appreciated. Thanks, Kevin Perry

Good Evening Everyone, I've been stopping by the NMB over the past year or so, finally joined last August. I've learned alot (which means I have much more to to go) and have been fairly amused at the wit and banter around here. Hopefully my questions will interest you without getting me too roasted for my Newbie status. So here goes. Attached are some pictures of a katana made by Tohihide in 1930. The omote mei marks it as being made with some of canon steel from the battleship Mikasa. It is a graceful blade with a bit more elegance (IMHO) then you see in some of the typical WW II katans. Now the bad news. The person who listed the sword flagged it as having kitae ware. His photos did not highlight it as much as mine. My question is this... How bad are these flaws? Fatal? Not fatal but a definite deal breaker? Unfortunate but not the end of the world? You get the idea. I am considering trying to sell this blade and I want to be sure to represent it accurately. I have read Brain's "caution statement" on not quoting any answers received here as facts and I will follow his guidlines. Any assistance you can provide will be apprecited. Thanks, Kevin P.