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Ian B3HR2UH

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Everything posted by Ian B3HR2UH

  1. Hi Neil, the only oshigata of this smith that I have come across are in Marcus Sesko's excellent book Shinto Meikan ..Have a look at those or I can send you a copy .. It is of concern that the mei is Katana mei on a Hizen sword, unless the blade is a wakizashi .When are you visiting Victoria ? Ian Brooks
  2. Hi Jim , there is a nakago in Shinto Benji Oshigata by this smith which shows the same unusual way of writing nori . Ian Brooks
  3. The UK ebay seller old-Japanese-swords-uk has lots of natty little silver "mon" for sale including an anchor one . If you put one of these on an NCO metal hilter , knock it about a little and let it oxidise , then you will have something unique and very saleable . He even sells menuki type fittings with a swastika on them . Put these on a sword and it would be really worth having !! Ian brooks
  4. it looks to me like the same UK " improver " has been to work on both of these pieces . Ian Brooks
  5. This has always looked suspicious to me. On all of the Japanese " mon " that I have seen the background surface has an ishime effect wheras this one appears to be a smooth surface .There are not too many of these late pattern pieces in Australia but I have never seen one with a mon on it Ian Brooks.
  6. Thanks John , the blade is an old one , suriage and with a groove that goes all the way through the nakago .It has a pretty distinctive hamon in gunome chogi midare ( also called Kanefusa midare ) so I think it might be by Kanefusa or Ujifusa . Ian
  7. I thought that I would try a post with a picture attached so here goes. Has anyone seen a tassel like that on the lower Kyu gunto . Unwrapped it must be about two or three feet long! Ian Brooks
  8. Does anyone have a list of Juyo Bunkazai rated swords ? There is a book, Juyo Bunkazai 27 Kogeihin IV , that was published in 1977 . Does anyone have a copy of this who would be able to look up a couple of pieces for me ? Ian Brooks
  9. Jason , forget about websites and buy a couple of books .With John Yumoto' s book you could read this easily. Ian Brooks
  10. Good on you for telling it like it is Grant . Most remounts that I have seen, where amateurs are involved , look like s**t as Grant says and do absolutely nothing to enhance the sword . If you want to get someone good to do it the cost will make it uneconomical as Grey said. Ian Brooks
  11. He has a few more treasures for sale on ebay . Anyone who buys any of these yasukuni pieces , those with gold attributions or those purportedly by big name smiths is in my opinion a fool who is just asking to do their money. Ian Brooks
  12. Thank you all for your comments . I particularly appreciate you providing the page out of the Kinko Meikan Bob. Ian
  13. Hi Bob , I wound up with that one so it will be travelling down under ( To Australia ) . The mei is Katsura Eiju , or Nagatoshi , and it matches up well with one I found in Tsuba Kodogu Kantei Nyumon by Wakayama . Ian Brooks
  14. Chris , I should have added that you are only up for GST where the item is valued at more than $1000. Ian
  15. Chris, Australia post should send you a letter enclosing customs documentation which you complete and lodge on line . You will have to fill out an import declaration form (N 10 ) and provide evidence of what you paid . They will charge GST on this and once they notify Aust post that this has been paid the article is delivered . The tariff classification that you will need is 9706000007. There should be no customs duty on an antique sword but there will be GST Ian brooks
  16. Hi Jussi , you make a lot of sense in what you have written . A collector out here submitted a mumei katana to an NTHK shinsa held in Australia It was attributed to a shin Shinto smith ( I cant recall who ) . The owner protested that his sword was Juyo token and made by a koto Bizen smith ( again I cant recall who ) . The NTHK response was that the NBTHK got it wrong . I have no idea who was right and who was wrong but it does make you wonder . Either way they certainly have more knowledge than any of us. Ian brooks
  17. I looked at quite a few kunihiro oshigata in my references last night . Marcus Sesko's excellent shinto oshigata book has quite a few . In all of the Niji mei examples that I looked at the kuni is placed really close to the mekugi ana wheras on this piece it is placed some distance away which worried me .I couldnt find any examples signed Kunihio tsukuru although one reference indicates that he did sign this way . Is that a polishers signiature on it ? Ian Brooks
  18. At least one of these swords made it into B W Robinson's book The Arts of the Japanese Sword which I used to drool over as a kid . That is the ' Muramasa ' which is catalogue number 13 and which is shown at plate 16 a in Robinson's book. Robinson in his Reminiscence published in the Token society of Great Britain programme 81 recalls the collector Captain David Craig whom he describes as " a magnificent man " . He said that Craig had bought several swords from Yamanaka and Murakami's exhibitions when he was a young man ie around 1912.. In his further Reminiscences published in the JSSUS newsletter in Jan 1985 B W Robinson again wrote about David Craig and his collection adding that the Muramasa, which a Japanese sensei had ascribed to Tsunahiro XII , had been left to him by David Craig on his death in 1960 .. I wonder where it and the other Yamanaka swords are now Ian Brooks
  19. No need to waste your time posting further photos this is a fake . Ian brooks
  20. Wow , look at how well that groove has been put in. Enjoy your new treasure. Ian brooks
  21. Barry were you on the red wine last night ? To my mind this piece looks to be of low quality .In answer to your question Greg I think that the factors influencing price aside from the signature are, quality of workmanship primarily, also the materials used ,age , condition and rarity. Ian Brooks
  22. Don't tread carefully here , run away quickly . Ian Brooks
  23. It looks like a variation of san bon sugi to me John . Ian Brooks
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