paulb

thats the description I use but then again for international shipping I always use FeDex

please beware of vague descritions. Peter is right and on some occassions pieces will go through unhindered. But I have also experienced things being held up for days, examined mishandled etc when an over zealous offical didnt understand the description and decided to look further. Surely it must be better to use someone who is willing/able to ship these things and call them what they are. regards Paul edit as I said in the earlier post these rules come in to effect in July (I am told) and they affect all parts od Royal mail parcelforce airsure etc.

I had a conversation with my local post office regarding changes to what can and cant be shipped. they informed me that as of July this year rules were changing to comply with international laws. Therefore for international shipments a number of items are banned. These include all weapons and ammunition (except airgun pellets) and numerous other things. I have a copy of their document so if anyone wants to see it pm me and I will send a scan. I think these changes are for international shipments only and do not effect internal shipping but this should be confirmed. regards Paul

Hi David, I have only used them in Europe and not for some time. Looks like FeDex is the best bet. I have used them twice in the past month once to Germany and one to the USA neither presented any issues Good luck Paul

DHL have refused to ship swords for quite some time (at least they refused to ship one for me at least two years ago) Apart from speciality shippers like HMC who both Peter and I have used successfully in the past I still think the best and safest service comes from FeDex in the UK. I have shipped all over the world using them and they have never been anything other than efficient and helpful. Parcelforce are also ok and a little cheaper. Choice would depend on the value of what was being shipped.

Hi John, Thanks for posting the nakago images. let me say that Military swords arent my thing so there are many others here who know a lot more about them than I do so I would be interested in their view. From what I can see the shape and lines of the nakago do not look to be what I would expect in a Gunto. Nor does it look like an earlier work. If you follow the line of the shinogi it is distorted as it runs through the nakago. Equally the finish on the nakago mune looks wrong as does the ocerall shape.This suggests it is either heavily modified or it may have been made by someone outside of the normal supply chain. I think you need to put this in to the hands of someone locally who can look a lot more closely and see what is there under the not very good polish before deciding firstly what it is and then what to use iit for. Good luck Paul Hi Jamie, I am not sure either of us are right on this one there are some anomolies that need to be looked at more closely as described above. Re: masame I was once told that if you stretch bar steel you can create what looks like masame. Also hada alone doesnt make it traditionally made. With no evidence of nie or a clear hamon it could be folded steel (not necessarily tamahagane) and oil quenched. Not a clear cut example so needs more investigation I think.

John, Just to offer balance to Jamie's post I dont believe this is a traditionally made blade, at least I cant see anything in the photo's that would suggest it is. This may well be the condition of the polish and or the images but I cant see any hada or any actvitiy in the hamon, infact I cant see a clear hamon. Images of the nakago will certainly help but I am not sure one can reach a definitive , positive conclusion in the current polish. Having said all that for what you paid for it you did extremely well whether traditionally made or not.

I think Ted Tenold at legacyswords.com may sell some he prepares himself. I would try him regards paul

From limited experience I have not had a problem with leather in contact with iron or shakudo. I guess as in all things it is important to get the material from a reputable source to ensure such problems dont occur. Best Regards Paul

The kinks in the hi as they run through the nakago suggest it has been heavily ( and badly) modifed and re-shaped during shortening.

Ford, 1. I have no axe to grind one way or the other on this. to be clear let me confirm that I think this work is well written contains some interesting ideas and is worth being in anybodies library. 2. When it first came out, whether you remember it or not, it created a lot of excitement and some were recommending it as the first choice book for the beginner. I think some such comments were made on this board and a search may help you find them. while accepting the book had value, was well presented and clear I felt at the time that it was not the best book for beginners. Personally I found some of its ideas a little unsettling (that is not a bad thing). You mentioned the pages on shortening which certainly was one of the issues. There were other points which I confess I dont remember in detail which I also thought strange, but I it is some time since I read it . What I do remember is feeling concerned that this was not the best beginners book. Is it worth buying and reading? absolutley. I just dont think it should be the first pages turned. 3. The OP asked for opinions I gave one, it was that an opinion it may be accepted or not as I said before. The potentasl to cause confusion may just relate to me. 4 I may well lack both the intelligence and certainly the elloquence you portray in attacking the comments I made. I lied when I said I lacked the time and energy the truth is I cant be bothered to get in a school debating club type discussion with you where you attack some percieved injustice. There was no slight intended just a concern raised. I am annoyed with myself that I have allowed you to drag me in to his lengthy debate over something which I dont believe warrants it. However in the many years I have attempted to contribute here I cannot remember it ever being suggested that something I said was unfair. Being even handed, open minded and fair is something I strive to achieve, but I am sure there are times when I fail If in this case the moderators think my comments are unfair, unjust or unreasonable they are free to delete them. I think I have done this to death. I have no wish to continue in what I think for any other reader will become an increasingly boring correspondence which has little to do with the original post.

Ford I have neither the time nor energy to get in to a long debate with you on this. Nor do I think I am being unfair. I was simply saying that I did not believe it was the best book to start a study with. Clearly we will disagree on that point. But I do not think we should hijack the OP's thread. He asked for advice I offered some, he doesnt have to take it. edited to add a whinge! Also I do not remember specifically targetting "one touchy area" therefore to suggest my concerns were based on that is both inaccurate and dare I say unfair

just to be clear I have no issue with Paul Martin nor his involvement in this. in fact when I contacted him about it when it was published he confirmed the opinions expressed were the authors and did not reflect any opinion of his own (which as the translator it shouldnt) I am also keen to support any effort to produce material in English which is why I bought this and most of the otheras that have been published this year in English.

If we had a spool chucker on this site idiot typists like me would be less open to redicule :D I dont disagree Ford and I am not suggesting avoiding the book entirely. what has always worried me was the euphoric comments when it first came out such as "if you only buy one book on the subject this is the one to buy" It isnt. while having alternative opinions is perfectly valid they only become alternative if one knows what the majority view is. At that point you can choose what you believe. So I am not suggesting dont read it just read with caution and alongside other work. It also wouldnt be the first book I read on the subject. re the young christian lady- I brought both of my two up in a non faith environment now one wants to be an anglican priest and the other also took a masters in theology just so she could argue with him Makes Christmas dinner interesting not least because their mother is what I loosely describe as an aging hippy pagan weather witch (of the nicest type of course) Final comment Ford, Just because something is a traditionally held view doesnt make it wrong. Because a new radical theory appears we shouldnt allow it to replace known wisdom without considering the detail. (not saying that is what you are suggesting so please dont get excited )

Marc-Andre, Let me agree with Ken and congratulate you on focussing on books as a starting point. All those recomended are excellent works. However let me throw in a wors of caution. I am not sure I would class Facts and fundenmentals as a beginners book. While an excellent and thought provoking work I think it does raise some controversial ideas which contradict some more traditonal concepts. without a basic grounding in the majority view this can confuse. Also look at the publications by Markus Sesko all offer a wealth of information at good value for money prices (and in English) Good luck Paul

Thank you Guido, I had forgotten about this sword. it is good to be reminded of it. It looks to be a beautiful piece of work Best Regards Paul

I think in consdering new versus old there will be as many answers as there are collectors. We all have our own ideas and a lot of choice is based on subjective assessment. I have listed some thoughts below which outline how I approach the topic: As has often been demonstrated here collecting swords has many pit falls. fake works attributed to famous smiths often out number originals and there can often be disagreement amongst authenticating bodies as to whether a piece is genuine, a copy or an outright fake. It is a minefield (like many others) and one that has to be walked carefully. You can spend a lifetime studing but still get it wrong. An advantage of buying a new sword from a high ranking working smith is that there are no doubts about its origins and authenticity. This can be very reassuring when paying larger sums. However it does carry the risk of the unknown as to whether the work will hold its value or increase, or go totally out of favour and decrease. Another advantage is that you are seeing something as the smith intended, not a work that has been modified and changed by use and numerous polishes. I have not seen many modern blades, those that have studied them regard the best as being as good as much that has gone before and better than most. There are great works from all sword periods and we can all name smiths from the shinto and shin-shinto periods who produced outstanding work. However when studying later work those that produced or are producing the best were all attempting to recreate the quality achieved during the Kamakura period. Allowing my own biase to show through I believe very sincerely that the art of sword making reached its peak in the Kamakura period. To quote George Cameron Stone these swords were "The nearest thing to perfection made by human hand". Everyone thereafter has attempted to recreate the quality of steel, forging and hardening that those smiths achieved. If their work wasn't the best why would others try so hard to emulate it? Based on the above and given choice and freedom of budget I would always aim for a good Kamakura blade. The key word there being good because the majority of work from this period is not necessarily good many examples are tired or just plain worn out. However when you see a good example it shines out above all else around it. If you cant find a good Koto blade then a good quality shinto or shinshinto is better value in terms of study and enjoyment than a worn out koto. Equally having a Shinsakuto to compare to the earlier work would be a worthwhile thing to do. Unfortunately to achieve this you are likely to need very deep pockets. Not sure if this answers anything but sometimes it is useful to outline your thinking when trying to decide to buy or not buy something Regards Paul

Dear Hoanh, I am not sure if it will help much or confuse, but there does seem to be some inconsistency when trying to label Masamitsu's work. I think this may be because as mentioned in the NBTHK journal it changed through the course of his career. The NBTHK describe his work as being similar to kozori although the kozori term seems to be used to group together those smiths working in the Nambokochu period but who dont quite fit in to established other schools of the time. others tend to link him more closely with Yasumitsu. I have only seen one sword attributed to Masamitsu in hand. It was O-suriage with a shumei and high level NTHK papers. It was a truly beautiful piece and it is one Bizen blade one I would gladly have in my collection. The workmanship was outstanding, the activity and ko-nie beautiful. All in all a very fine work.

Hi Mike, Having worked in both colour and light measurement for more years than I care to remember you hit a nerve when talking about assessing colour on monitors. I dont think it is a case of some monitors not being calibrated I think it is virtually all monitors (unless they are purchased for several thousand dollars) are not calibrated, and certainly not regularly checked for calibration. So I get very nervous when people start making assessment about colour in steel or of a nakago when looking at in image on a screen Having said all that the main problem in the images you have posted (I suggest) is not to do with screen calibration it is the background. A basic rule in comparing colour is always have the same background, preferably a neutral grey. In your example you have the absolute extreme of black against white. As a result the tsuba looks pale against the black and dark against the white. I have used similar examples when teaching colour courses to show how dramatic the background effect can be. sorry to go off at a tangent but as I said this is a recurring issue in colour assessment and appraisal and one to be aware of Best Regards Paul

absolutely no doubt 100% fake Sorry!

Rueben, I may be remembering wrongly but someone recently was the victim of a con where a crook hijacked images from "Craigs List" and posted a fraudulent sale. I am not saying this is the case here but please double check credentials of whoever is posting this for sale. I would hate your first buying experience to be a bad one. Regards Paul

As said previously, I think the various posts here open up an interenting avenue to be explored. Disposal of a collection whether when the collector has decided to call it a day or as part of an estate, is a major topic. Historically the simple route was to sell via a reputable auction house. I am no longer sure that this offers the best alternative, certainly recent experience does not increase confidence in that route. I was disturbed by Chris' comment I have this childlike belief that those people involved in this subject would act honorably and with integrity. However human nature and the greed gene can sometimes take over. I have great faith in my firends and believe that should the need arise my family could rely on them for help. Another point made is the need to document a collection. I think this is absolutely essential. personally I have items ( including books) listed on a excel spreadsheet which says when and where bought and for how much. I also have individual files for each piece with any description, research material or other paers relating to it. This is not only useful for disposal but also for insurnace purposes should the need arise to make a claim. Hopefully by keeping this up to date it should make eventual disposal easier. I would be interested in others ideas relating to simplifying the eventual sale of a collection.

I agree with Brian's brief comment. Although papers have always been important to western buyers, I believe their significance has increased in recent years. This is partly because the majority of purhcases are made at distance without the chance to hold the piece you are buying, but more importantly (and possibly more controversially) people no longer seem prepared to put the time in to study and understand what they are seeing. Buying a papered blade as an alternative to having to understand what they are looking at. I also think the ego element (i.e I have 5 juyo blades how many have you got?) certainly plays a part. I have found in communication with Japanese collectors and dealers their approach is a little different. A basic paper is often regarded as enough as all they want to do is confirm authenticity. TH is only a step to Juyo and that only really becomes significant if and when they want to sell a sword. As always the individual has to decide what to do with their swords or fittings. What I regard s the most important sword I currently hold has a shumei, sayagaki and hozon paper all attributing it to the same smith. As in Peter's example it is also obvious what it is. As a result it will not be submitted for anything higher until I decide to move it on. That has nothing to do with it's quality or respect for the blade it is a simple commercial decision reflecting the nature of the current market.

The basic rule applies. treat everything you are dealing with as valuable and do nothing which might damage it unless you know exactly what it is and what you are doing. The point I was trying to make is your choice of polisher should not be based on what you can afford. It is better to do nothing than to send it to a polisher who is not qualified to assess or work on it, but happens to be cheap. A good polisher will tell you whether what you have warrants the expense or not. Once you have accurate information you can decide what to do.

Gentlemen, Not wanting to interfere with a discussion if it has value or adds infomation but dont you think we have gone round the block several times on this subject? I have no experience of this person or his work however a quick search on the board will leave no one in doubt as to what the majority think and their experience of buying services from him. Repeating and discussing how bad his work is does little to add to peoples knowledge. As with swords you dont learn about swords by studying bad ones you learn by studying the best, likewise to understand the quality of a polish you need to look at the best quality and understand what makes it the best then you can determine how good or otherwise others work is.