Drago

Thanks Ford. Too bad...

Hi, I only found this item today. So it's only two days until the end. http://www.ebay.com/itm/221096983915 The item description says the menuki shows Shuten Douji, a rather famous Japanese youkai/demon. I'd like to know if this is true. Oni usually look a bit different. I'm asking because I'm very interested in youkai/mythology and might be interested in bidding. I know that the seller (zen-gallery) sometimes offers good stuff and sometimes bad stuff. So if you could give a few word about the quality/age, I'd be happy too. Thanks.

Beautiful. It sure looks European inspired. But I can only say it "looks like it", I am not sure. The hooks, first thing I thought was they serve the same purpose as the hook on a Jutte, to catch the blade that is sliding off the armor plates. But they do look a bit too flimsy for that.

By umegane you mean that circly thing in the bo-hi? And by that suspicious thing in the next picture you mean that line at the edge in the bottom right corner? It's on picture 19 as well. I thought that this is a rubbing by the habaki...

I see. Thank you very much. The main reason I was so unsure was because the detail of the mei carving was still so weill visible. Well, I think the owners must have taken really good care of it then.

Hi, this is currently for sale. But since this is less about the offer itself but more of an "id exercise" I psted this here: http://daimyou.sitemix.jp/blog/B3-59/ I have trouble figuring out the age of the blade. It is ubu and the mune machi doesn't look like it's been messed with. The seller says "Edo period", BUT: the detail on the mei is too good/clear to be too old. So from the detail of the carving I'd say Gendai or perhaps even Shinsaku. However the patina on the nakago is much too solid compared to the examples of Gendaito and of course Shinsakuto I have seen so far. But of course, the patina could have been artificially created... Or is it gimei with the mei added a lot later? And the mei seems rather large... So what is this? (Since I'm still a beginner, please don't judge my opinion too harshly.)

But the thing is: The yari sold for 550 or something and now it's relisted... So you won't know if you really get it if you bid.

Thanks. What I did grudgingly now: Since the Internet Explorer wourldn't even give me any info on the images (just navi_blank.gif) I tried Firefox. Although it still told me that, a click on "view image info" revealed the location of the real files. There are 6 zoom stages named d1 thru d6 (d6 being the largest). Then I downloaded all d6 pictures (231 or 462 in my case) with a download manager. Then came the hard work, piecing everything together in paint - ah that took a while! But the image is now like 8400x2100 pixels. That's good enough to even get a 1:1 print.

Hi, there has been a lot of talk about where heads and roots and stuff should be facing (towards the fuchi or kashira). I am well aware of all that, but what I'd like to know: What about up and down? For example: You have some menuki depicting a dog or a boat. Do you place the menuki so that it is upright (dog standing on his feet, boat swimming on the water)when the blade is in the saya and worn blade up or so that it is upright when the blade is drawn and held? And what about blade down tachi mounting? (the same question goes for kashira as well, e.g. if they display a landscape or people) Thanks.

I usually try to avoid modern replica fittings. But sometimes it's inpossible to find the right originals and I'm not so patient to have an incomplete swords lying around for years... If you don't mind replicas, check Fred Lohman's site. Either he has something or he can make you an offer for making one - e.g. he offers to add specific mon to some kashira for a reasonable price.

Certainly an interesting idea. But I don't know if it'll stick.

Hi, http://www.emuseum.jp offers many great pictures of swords. So I was thinking of getting one of those pictures and have it printed as a poster to hang on my wall. Now the thing is, when you zoom in, the large image is created from many composite pictures. Does anyone know how to get the whole image? Oh, and let me say that this is only for myself. I have no intention of selling this. Thanks.

Thanks Geraint, Adam and Hoanh. I'll check out that link.

Hi, Even after a year I'm still new to nihonto collecting. I think I know enough to tell originals (in bad polish) and good fakes apart now - though sometimes I'm not sure with recognizing machined blades. But then I read this thread: viewtopic.php?f=50&t=13177 And I realized I don't really know how to tell swords from diferent periods apart (koto, shinto, shinshinto, gendaito), though with koto I am often correct in figuring it out. This is, of course, a matter of experience... When I read that thread, Hoanh said the blade was perhaps shinto and that really surprised me - when I looked at the pictures I thought it doesn't look that much different from my Ichihara Nagamitsu gendaito, except for the tip of the nakago. So I would appreciate if you could either tell me in your answer tips for telling sword periods apart (perhaps using the above mentioned blade as an example), or if you could point me to good online articles that are suited for the novice. Thank you very much.

Here is another one that is signed. http://www.artswords.com/a_navy_mounted ... 071110.htm Ah, I had my sword taken apart for cleaning a day before finding this thread. If I had know, I'd have had a closer look.

Hm... Not a perfect match, but doesn't that look an awful lot like the Minatogawa Kikusui mon?

Hi, I was watching a film on youtube about horimono a while ago, and ever since then I've been wondering. Back in the day, people often didn't care how old the sword or how famous its maker was, they shortened the blade, added horimono, made new mekugi ana, etc as they saw fit. Nowadays, this is of course different, since artistic/historical value is more important than practical/representative purposes. But are there still times when adding horimono etc are acceptable? Or is even the newest shinsakuto, once it's finished, completely off limits? Shortening the blade seems acceptable if the blade broke. But everything else? Of course, I would never consider modifying old swords, but what about gendaito and shinsakuto? (Just to be sure, I'm talking about modifying the blade after it has been finished, I'm not about adding horimono or multiple mekugi ana while it is still being made.)

Ah, I see. Thank you very much.

True, BUT: Why would policemen on patrol or officers in the field do something like that when they might have to drwa their sword at any given moment? And why not hang the sword on the regain hook so that it points in a "usable" direction?

Hi, Does anyone know examples of fittings depicting "wind"? (most interested in menuki, but everything elso is ok too) If you do, could you post some pictures please? Thanks.

Hi, I've seen this in photos, movies, anime etc. Police and Military of Meiji and later periods often wore their sword/saber with the saya-tip pointing foward and the tsuka towards the back. Why was that? Doesn't that make drawing the blade awfully difficult? Thanks.

Thank you for all your suggestions. @Chris: Can you give me more details on the book? (author, isbn)

Ah, I wanted to bid on that too. But I was so damn tired (it ended in the middle of the night here in Germany). From the pictures, I alwas thought it was made from iron/steel... Did you check with a magnet?

Hi, those two things are unrelated, just fyi. First off, the mei. I haven't seen something like this before. So I don't even know if this is anything genuine. But if it is, what does it say? Second: http://www.ebay.com/itm/261042581913 The sanskrit on the tsuba, both sides, what does it mean? Just asking out of curitosity... Thanks.

Thank you, Morita-dono. Roy: That was my thought first too. But in my eye, this term applies more to the sword as a whole...