paulb

My original understanding was that the deifinition of an O-suriage blade is one where the whole of the original nakago was removed. Suriage refers to partial removal. Probably wrong or at least outdated but that was what I was taught.

Hi Ian, as discussed via pm I think you have bought a good sword. In good condition enabling you to enjoy as is. The mounts look to be in exceptional condition which is an added bonus. As I have said often before this is well out of my comfort zone (by approximately 600 years+) but the lines look good and the hamon complex. Cant see much in the hada from your images but from your previous description I am guessing there is plenty to see. Well done Best Regards Paul

not wanting to answer for Chris or Jean but Ko-Uda work I have seen has much finer hada, it looks better and has a prolific amount of jinie which I dont see in this. Having said that I have only seen a few in hand and there was considerable variation even within that small sample.

Hi Mariusz with the strong sunagashi my first reaction was Shikkake. However I cant see the boshi clearly and what I can see lacks the "old mans beard" lines of nie running from it which is a give away for that school. The strong nie and flowing hamon might make Shizu worth comparison. in the absense of a better idea I would go Yamato, Tegai (simply because they were the most prolific) or as you mention a Kanebo school work. But it could equally be one of the other Yamato influenced schools. not much help but amongst this lot the answer may lurk

Dear All I have been asked to help publicise an event which is being planned for later this year in the south of England. The idea is to bring together as many like minded people as possible from within Europe to spend a day and a half studying and discussing all aspects of the Japanese sword. The attached flyer outlines a provisional agenda for the meeting which is planned to run for a day and a half in an absolutely beautiful location in southern England. In addition to the planned presentations and demonstrations, we are hoping to be able to include a display of some of the most important swords within UK collections. To further enhance the content for attendees we are keen to hear from anyone wishing to participate by way of a presentation relating to a particular area of interest or one of the demonstration forums. I hope members of the board will be able to participate. Many of those attending have many years experience in this field and it will offer an excellent opportunity to share expeirence and to learn from each other. As always the events success will depend on the support of volunteers to help ensure it runs smoothly and everyone gains full benefit from it. So if you want to contribute, help, or simply attend I believe it will offer you an interesting and rewarding experience. Contact details are listed in the attached document but please feel free to pm me if you have any questions Best Regards Paul Token Taikai 2nd draft - Copy.pdf

congratulations Roland looks to be a good work. I have been lucky enough to see a number of Enju blades and to date have never seen a poorly made one. Early Enju pieces compare very favorably to Rai work. Their lineage begins with a Yamato trained smith who then trained further with the Rai school before establishing the Enju school. You can see the influences of both Rai and Tegai styles in their early work. Well done I think you will have a great deal of enjoyment from this one Best Regards Paul

no visibilty of jihada or the shinogi ji makes it extremely difficult to judge/ guess. Guessing based on what can be seen: Period Shinto Possible school Hizen Masahiro based on the thunder cloud look choji and amount of nie Could also fall in to a mid edo satsuma work with the long lines of nie running through the hamon Probably way off but it is another possibilty regards Paul

Hi Grev the one between Kamakura and Muromachi would be Nambockucho and yes it is really big. Cant give sizes as I am on the road but during this time you see some really massive blades being produced. Regards Paul

Hi Stephen I dont want to hijack Adams thread but as I was instrumental in the transaction I spent some time with the sword. the Munemachi and hamachi are there just not deep or clear in the images. I thought long and hard looking at this and as Adam suggests the current polish doesnt show much detail in the hada. I see where you are coming from regarding possibly being older and if it is then I would be very pleased for Adam. My own view for waht it is worth is that this is an Ishido work, the shape and feel just suggest thsat little bit later and someone attempting to emulate earlier work Like you say it is a good sword. I wish my first blade was of this standard when I started ( just worked it out thats now 31 years ago )

Hi Darcy thanks for posting this. I am also a Koto lover. having said that one sword I sold some years ago I still remember with great fondness .It was a mumei wakazashi (23.5" ) and was a really beautiful thing. I was recently in touch with the current custodian and I am glad to say he continues to enjoy it. I have just, within the last two days, sold an Echizen blade for a friend and again I was smitten by it. The shape, the horimono and the beautiful interaction between hada and nie make it a really beautiful sword. I think it just confirms that there are really good swords throughout manufacturing history. regardless of when where and who made it every sword has to be judged on it's merits and not viewed with the prejudice of the stated intelligence.

I haven't read through the final legislation for some time but have a copy on my desktop. When it returns from repair I will happily forward it. However from memory the ban was on the importation and sale of swords with a curved blade over 50cm long Exemptions included 1. Antiques over 100 years old 2. Modern blades made using traditional materials and methods and made by a registered artisan 3. non traditionally made swords made prior to 1953 (need to check actual date) Also weapons used in sport, martial arts or re-enactment. Based on the above it is legal to import Gunto, gendaito and shinsakuto. It was always legal to import antique blades. As said above I need to double check again so I am not relying on my diminishing grey cells. However I think a full copy of the legislationis on the Home Office site and may even be archived on the board. Regards Paul

Wah, well done you I am glad you have had a positive experience. I am sure they can and do get it right but most times one hears of hold ups and problems it comes from there. Of course they also handle a lot more than anyone else so one would expect a greater number of problems. Speaking personally the only imports I have had issues with are parcelforce and Coventry. Perhaps you are right maybe they are discriminating and hate my bad taste in antiques, or maybe I am just paranoid

Hi Dennis I have experienced similar problems in the past. I was hoping that some years after the last governments ill judged legislation concerning "Samurai Swords" the much promised Home Office advisory document would have circulated the various customs officials but it would appear to have reached or at least had no impact on customs clearance in Coventry. Having said that all of my current limited collection has come from overseas more specifically the USA or Japan. In the case of the USA FedEx have offered by far the best service. Their clearance hub is at Stansted and at least there they seem able to read documents which clearly state "Antique" and "do not touch the blade". The people responsible for Parcelforce clearance at Coventry appear to have yet to master these skills. My two most recent purchases from the USA were sent over International economy. They were shipped processed and arrived within 4 days. Are FedEx more expensive? Yes a bit. Is it worth it? to date most certainly. There is a link somewhere on the board offering advice on documentation for shipping swords around the world. I think originally written by Darcy. If you cant find it pm me with your email address and I will send you a copy. It would be a great shame to handicap your progress by only feeling happy buying locally There are just too many good swords around overseas to not buy internationally Best Regards Paul

Congratulations If this is your first sword you have done everything right. A good blade in excellent polish from a reputable dealer. I would love to think your choice was influenced by the continual beating of the drum here regarding how first time buyers should proceed. Regardless of what influenced your decision I think you did it absolutely right and have been rewarded with a sword that will teach you a great deal. If this is the beginning I would love to see your collection in 10-15 years time

I agree with Brian, I think the "crudeness" of the horimono may be the result of ware since it was done and pitting. I think the original was competently done from what can be seen there now. On the other hand the nakago looks to have had an extremely hard life, which is a pity. also agree with Brian that it is well worth spending some time on to understand it better.

Hi Alex Provided there is sufficient detail visible to indicate what it is and it is in good enough condition it can receive a paper. If it were shinto the highest level of paper would be tokubetsu hozon, as a koto blade it could go higher depending on condition. Regards Paul

I think I am with Jean on this. Personally I collect swords because of the way they are made and the quality of the end product. However there is some confusion as to why provenance is or may be important Can I suggest the following: 1. For art work be it painting sculpture or swords in a world that is full of forgeries fakes and copies provenance can add reassurance regarding the authentcity of the work. If a Van Dyck has been in the same family since it as commissioned and has lots of supporting paperwork to prove the fact it must have greater credibility than an unknown work believed to be by the same painter turning up in a car boot sale. 2. A utlitiarian object gaining greater value because of its association with an important person or act in history. Someone mentioned John Waynes belt buckle or as another example Jane Austen's pen. In themselves they have little value but by association gain greater worth. People who collect such objects or are fascinated by the fact they were used by an iconic figure in history can and do add great value to basically worthless items. Another example would be some of the utensils used by a famous tea master commanding huge sums in the past for what is essentially a bamboo stick. In our chosen field the sword, it's quality and condition should dictate its prime value (at least to me) provenance can add interest and comfort regarding authenticity but should not be the driving factor in choosing one work over another.

Hi Chris, I am very biased. I love books and take almost (well not quite) as much delight in adding to my library as I do my swords. The discipline of researching in a solid form, book, journal etc adds to the discipline in some way and for me increases the enjoyment of the research. There is something more intimate about looking at a book. I use the internet continuously as part of my job, so my choice has nothing to do with fear of technology. In the same way I have never considered a kindle as an alternative to buying a novel. Strangely enough the volumes I use least are Fujishiro, possibly because the majority of swords I am interested in are mumei. Were it not for the fact they were a gift from a very dear friend I would probably have sold set of Fujishiro's. My Taikans are regularly hammered as are all of my NBTHK journals and other publications. I think, or at least hope, that the use of such works will continue to be valued for very many years to come. Interesting topic thank you for starting it Regards Paul

George To add to Jacques brief response. The Aoe school were signing katana mei from their beginnings in the early kamakura period. There are always exceptions in every era, Hizen Tadayoshi school signing tachi mei in the shinto period. But as a generalisation I think the timing mentioned is as accurate as any. I have always assumed that as the method of carrying the blade changed so did the way it was signed.

Hi Adrian, I am not trying to answer for Kevin but from my experience you are right. I have never had any problem shipping swords within the EU. There were no duty or VAT issues between member states nor did I have any legal questions from customs. Once within the EU movement is relatively trouble free (or it was 2 years ago!) regards Paul

Picking up on Geraints point the blade is suriage, if not O-suriage. I cant see where the mei is in relation to the whole nakago but if the blade is shortened as indicated by the remains on the mekugi ana at the giri, then the mei must be a later addition. Also look at the shape of the nakago and the line of the hi. From the image they look a little strange and distorted. I cannot judge from what I can see in the image but suggest you look closely at the junction of the nakago and the blade. It may indicate what if anything has been done to the sword when it was modified.

Hi Donny It is Kuniyuki. I have not seen these papers before. As far as I can see they are not registration documents or from any of the major attribution bodies so I would guess they are either a dealers or polishers papers. Regards Paul

Not really sure where this thread is going. There seems to be a great deal of agreement as to how those who have been contributing to this board should react to new members, but in reality all that is really being described is common courtesy. I would hope that the points suggested could not be disputed by any reasonable person. Fred, I have never been a teacher but have spent many years developing teams in industry. I agree whole-heartedly that positive criticism is of much greater value than harsh negative. giving positive feedback also makes it easier when one has to give negative. George, you and I are about as far away as we can get in terms of core interest. Mine tapers off after about 1350 and yours begins in 1938. However we have enjoyed many, and I think constructive discussions. I do not know your reference to the "Inai Brothers" so cant comment. However you are in the habit of describing people as "elitist". I admit that this triggers a negative response from me. Not here but in the past at another group I was labelled as elitist. My only sin (I think) was to try and raise the level of study beyond looking at someone's latest eBay purchase. I failed and eventually left that group. It wasn't worth the hassle. Also rudeness and bad behaviour is not one way traffic. I have contributed to this board from when Rich Turner took it over. I do not believe I have ever written anything rude, insulting or degrading to anyone. In the not too distant past a new member posted a mail recommending eBay as a place for beginners to buy. I made the mistake of disagreeing (politely). The result was a private mail, the content of which was too unpleasant to repeat but which concluded in inviting me to "slit my great fat belly and spill my stinking guts over the floor" Thankfully that individual has been removed from the board. The point ion mentioning it is that respect and courtesy is a two way street. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and to be encouraged. This includes those with experience who give their time to share it and help.

I just contacted Fred at Nihonto.com before Jean posted an answer. He confirmed the dates and Jean's comment regarding holidays on Monday. So 1-3 November it is regards Paul

hope so thats when My flights are booked for