Jimmy R

Better pictures please. Jim

When you enlarge the photo of the "kanji" you can see where an earlier attempt at a signature was inscribed. Jim

Why would you ask the question here on this forum? Any Togishi will teel you more about this blade in hand than we could with mere pictures. Hmmmmm And wow gang, this is a day to mark on your calendar. Keith actually admitted he has a big mouth. No offense intended, I meant no offense, Jim

I have been several times to Juwelier Strebel and they have a very nice exhibit hall down in the basement. The Father was the big collector but the two brothers who took over the business are very friendly. I highly reccomend seeing them. If you are anywhere near Trier you can PM me here and I will show you my modest collection. Also Trier is the oldest city in Germany and one of the most interesting and beautiful places in Europe. Jim

It is shown with just a Koshirae. No blade. Jim

I just wanted to share some pictures of the first Tachi-Kake I made. I used some Black Walnut I had. It turned out to be marbled with some very nice blond streaks of grain. It comes from a species here in Germany that thrives in wetter climate hence the incredible color variation. I shaped it to bring this out and inlaid it with a shakudo and solid gold Mon set into a piece of antler. The final touch was 8 coats of Tung oil (which dries"harder than the hubs of hell" as my dad always said). I also just finished my second third and fouth rack out of the same wood. I Join the various pieces using only maple dowels and wood glue. It was a lot of fun and I am looking for more wood now. Thanks for lookin! Jim

You can get mst stuff shipped to you. I just wanted to let everyone know that Jauce just contacted me two days in a row saying that my delivery would be suspended "indefinitely" for the near future. I then emailed them back to asked for a refund. We will see what they say. I would gladly donate the $$ to the relief effort. Jim

The seller made a claim that attached historical significance to a broken sword. Very very interesting historical significance. Prior to purchasing the sword I simply asked for a copy of the provenance stated in the auction. To make a long story short he refused to put anything in writing after I purchased the sword. Without the provenance I am just telling a story that someone told me. When I asked again politely to send some provenance he became very hostile. This comes up all the time in sword collecting. I would argue that if a seller is not willing to stand by what he says then he is being dishonest at some point from beginning to end. Case in point. Jim

I Completely see your point Brian. I am just not sure what else I would call someone who knowingly makes false claims in order to sell an item. Having been scammed in the past I am just very intolerant when it comes to not getting what I was promised. Also I am not the first one who has had this experience with this guy and I just wanted to save anyone else an otherwise avoidable headache down the road. Jim

Mark runs Sword sales Eu. as well. I would steer clear. It took over a month for the item he sold me to get here. Look at the first nihonto he lists and it is clear to see he is not an honest seller. Jim

I just had a very bad experience with Mark from V-Bid. He made a claim on a sword and when I asked for provenance he never sent it with the sword. I am pretty sure he just made up an interesting story to sell a piece of junk. It was only fifty bucks but that is not the point. When I left negative feedback he got upset and said he would leave the "Webmaster" a complaint. Well evryone knows he is the webmatser so that is really funny. He got very insulting and accused me of "chisseling" him (his spelling not mine). I found out through other sources that this guy is a failed e-bay seller due to volatile interactions he had with his unsatisfied buyers. He therefore has set up his own E-Bay style auction. Beware, this guy has scammed other people and is a nightmare to communicate with. Jim

That is good to know. Thanks! Jim

His has the infamous first name of "Pavel" but he seems to have legitamate feedback. Has anyone recieved anythung from him. He claims to be in Kyushu. Jim

Kotohira shrine and the surrounding prefecture has the most museums and points of interest. It was an area of special interest under the burgeoning Tokugawa empire. Ii is more interesting for the role of religious revival it has plaed throughout Japans history. In one of the Cho around the shrine is the remnants of an old forge. I will try and figure out where it is at. I have been there (Shikoku) twice and love my scrolls from my visits. It is not the idyylic place you read about. Rather it is a place where one gets the most with only the idea of no destination in mind. But then again I have been lucky enough to have lived in rural Japan so I hope you get the most out of your trip. If you have any questions just shoot me a P.M. Jim

Oh I apologize. I see the Boy's name is Keith G.

I purchased this as it is shown. Like I said I do not collect WWII memorabilia. If I was trying to misrepresent an item I would not put it up on a forum asking questions about it. It is quite obvious some people who answer have absolutely no social skills whatsoever but we have all gotten used to that on this site and we take the good with the bad and misguided. And Yes I am talking about SANJURO who will not even sign his name. Jim

I am not a collector of Shin Gunto so I have no idea about the different covers for the saya. I purchased this a long long time ago (it was actually my first sword) and it came as is shown. It never looked right to me so I removed the cover and was going to sell it with another leather covered sheath. I just had a buyer back out and now I am going to sell it again. My question is, Is this right? It fits perfectly but does not go all the way to the throat. I will wait for some info before I post it for sale and as always thank you to those who help me out. Jim

I have this tsuba that I picked up in Kyushu Japan as part of a Koshirae that came with a papered Masahiro Katana. I am wondering if anyone can narrow down the school/maker for me. I have some ideas but want to hear what other people think. Jim

Just a few thoughts on the Dragon Tsuba. First of all why is the Dote Mimi so irregular? That raises some alarms as to whether it is a quality original piece or not. But then when we look at it in the context of it being a cast one could surmise that it the Dote is actually an impression of a well worn Fukurin. Then looking at the rest of the tsuba more observations can be made to back up the conclusion that this is a cast. Such as the poor definition of the Carving in general and the hitsu having the appearance of being solid to the piece and not actual plugs added later. Also the coloration of the dragon carving is neither Sentoku or Hira-Zogan and actually looks like same sort of acid applique used on cheap repro's. Just something to think about. Just my opinion. Jim

I have bought several items from YUMIGO over the years. I can honestly say that they have some good medium to low end stuff with a few treasures here and there. They seem to state correctly what they are selling and will even send more pictures. I bought a Tsuka last year that somehow slipped through the cracks and it was amazing and I think I paid $90.00 for it. It even arrived within 10 days. Like all E-bay sales you are taking a risk when you buy something you have not held and I would reccomend never buying a blade you have not closely inspected unless you have the money to take a risk. It looks like Yaoyoi is peddling junk and edo antiques looks like they have some good stuff but I have never bought from them. Good Luck! Jim

So sad. Another Gimei blade gets bought by some poor sap and meanwhile Jock's beautiful Yukinaga goes for a mere $700.00. That nihonto of Jock's is incredible by the way and in all liklihood a 60 point smith according to Hawley. J

In my humble opinion, 100% sure it is gimei. That is very well documented smith. The similarities among known works are missing in this blade. But who am I? Just a novice who spent the last year and a half in Japan going to every exhibit and museum I could find. Like a lot of people on here Nihon-To collecting is not the sum of my life. Just an expensive hobby. Peace, Jim

While livving in Kyushu the last last 16 months I saw several examples of this sort in collections kept at castles and 1 in a cultural hall in Hirado. The artists who carve such intricate designs on Okimono and netsuke aften try their hand at saya carving. To say this is a fake is absolutely preposterous. I see this all the time on this site where people just insert their opinions without being educated on the subject they are commenting on. The wood is even Japanese boxwood. The blade is almost certainly an heirloom that was fitted into this beautiful Koshirae by the artist. Whoever fit the blade obviously did some experimenting but it is certainly Nihon-To and if so definitely Nagamaki. The owner deserves this all to be recognized. Jim

100% positively gimei. I am sure someone will drop $4000.00 or so hoping against hope it is real. Only to sell it again at some later date to someone else who is hoping against hope it is real etcetera ad eterna.......................... Jim

the million dollar question is... Is it real? 150 points in Hawleys. Jim