CurtisR

Greetings all, I'm the original poster of this one...it is a genuine, legal auction by the U.S. Marshal's Service. I'm not sure why or when the sword was seized, but I do know that once a U.S. Fed. Court orders the sale of assets, the original owner cannot get it back. Also, I believe it's illegal for them to use a "proxy-bidder" to try to regain it. I have some experience in this area, and know that the friend who told me of it has purchased other items (including property/land) via this auction. Anyone can certainly call the U.S. Marshal's Svc. to verify it, and I believe the "company name" will be the house/company hired by the Marshals to perform the auction (remember Bernie Madoff?). To clarify, I am in NO WAY associated with the company or with the case. Just wanted everyone to know... :D Cheers, Curtis R.

My apologies if I should have posted this in the "For Sale" section, but am here so many might get an opportunity to view it. This Nihonto (a beauty IMHO) is being auctioned by the U.S. Marshal's Service beginning June 20th. I think it should go to a good home but sadly, I have no doubt it will go for far more than my budget allows. http://www.cwsauctions.com/lots/18315/detail Just trying to be helpful to an offering a friend told me about. Cheers, Curtis R.

I just built the Tansu because they were "neat-o" :lol: . And to challenge myself to build something again (last time was in High School). Only problem with the gun safe (at first glance anyway) is that they have to be placed in w/ kissaki down. I guess it wouldn't be as bad as having them taken though, eh? Curtis R.

Reuben, I went through this struggle as well - ended up making my own katana Tansu of Kiri wood (which actually grows in some places in the southern U.S. - which amazed me). The pulls and corners were the difficult part ( but there are folks out there making them from iron ) - well, unless you count my very limited skill in woodworking - but they turned out very pretty IMHO, and very functional. I made a 2-drawer chest, and a single sword chest...copied the designs from antique images found on the internet. I also found 4 Edo-period pulls on ebay at a decent price . I did cheat a little on the double drawer tansu by using heavy press-board for the drawer bottoms and nice pine for the sword "cradle" pieces (padded with leather). PM me if you'd like to see some photos...Kiri is really soft and easy to work with - numerous rubbings with lemon wax (especially for wood working) for the finish. Curtis R.

Just for grins (and any opinions of course), she provided this photo of her as a little girl wearing an arrow point that was stolen during a break-in long ago...she's not sure if her mother had it turned into a pendant, or whether it was always worn this way. I did a bit of "photoshopping" to bring out the detail better but it looks like it was a very nice piece. Thanks again to all who provided such great information - knowing these details about her family history (and about things she thought were just mundane such as the first point) has really re-connected her to HER past, which she can now pass on to her teen-aged son. Cheers, Curtis R.

Thank you all for the great info! I've been in the Pacific N.W. and agree this point does look similar to their old works, but her family (what remains of it) insists it came from Japan and had been passed down. The "side-notch" is a detail which I missed, but it does make it a fascinating puzzle, eh? :D I'm going to recommend that she take it to our Natural History Museum for a further look - she said he brother (in N.E. USA) also has a second point that she's going to try to have him send to her. And based on the weight, I'd agree - flint or obsidian but not jade. She's very excited, as it gives her a look into much of her family history that has been forgotten or destroyed over time. Again, many thanks....I KNEW someone here would either "call b.s." or give it a "maybe" ha-ha. Curtis R.

Greetings, A good friend of mine who can trace her family's histories wayyy back in Japan showed me an arrowhead that she'd been given as a child. In holding it, it has the feel of a heavy stone or jade of some type, appears to be hand-lapped, and old (from handling). I'm familiar with Kyudo and the different points from iron, etc., but her mother swears to her that this has been in their family for generations. Has anyone seen this type of point from Japan in their travels? It seems Native American in form, but she swears her mother brought it back from Japan with them. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Perhaps it was for hunting, or to be worn as a charm, or.....? Cheers, Curtis R.

Thanks Mr. Stiles - I very much appreciate the compliment . Such a complex subject, but very enjoyable - and made much more so by all the fine folks here on NMB who've been patient with my "learning curve" LOL. Cheers to all, Curtis R.

The tilted Mon was a biggie for me, but it makes sense that it could have been a subtle joke, as well as the purse..."I got money, honey", basically :D . Thanks also Ludolph for the example...even though it's not a superb piece, I think I'll try to negotiate for it, as long as I can get it for a reasonable price. Thanks to all --- I learn something new here every day!! Curtis R.

Very informative, Junici-san - thank you! I hadn't considered the "rank" possibility! As for the Katabami crest, it is directly linked to Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaijutsu, which I've studies for about 5 years now and so though it appropriate for my avatar . I'm actually German/Irish, and my German family crest is (and I have no idea WHY)...a log. A simple log cut from a tree . Europeans obviously did not give as much thought to the process in many cases! Curtis R.

Hmmm - thanks John! Perhaps my sense of wear in metal vs. metal is off...the iron patina is very pretty, but I couldn't even break the mei down by radicals (although admittedly not my "strong point") - looks like I may have to do some horse-trading.dealing for this one. I do like the design, but that Mon bothered me. I suppose sometimes it was more about form that "exactness" when it came to them. The iron itself looked very similar to one I have that is late Edo, but...... OR I've missed a family in my database. Thanks again Sir, Curtis R.

I've been offered this Sukashi Tsuba by a local acquaintance -I examined it under a loupe and it's not cast, but I can't find any reference in the Kanji pages to the mei, which doesn't look "clean" but the patina on the iron does. The Mimi shows decent "bones". Two other things bother me about it: 1) the wear on the brass seems inconsistent with the wear on the iron and seems a little garish. 2) the Mon is 'similar' to 3 Mon in my database, but seems to be rough, and is missing a couple of "grapes" when compared to the actual database mon. I'm thinking that any family would be picky about this? I'm thinking it's gimei, and probably late Showa for export. Am I getting better at this, or am I way off-base? Many thanks for opinions! Sincerely, Curtis R.

Thank you Malcom That actually explains exactly what I was worried about ; I've seen blades from the late 1500's on up, but never stopped to wonder why mine was looking as such when caring for it until now. I'm just going to leave "as is" and let future generations appreciate what comes from it :D . Between tosogu and Nihonto specifics, I'm learning a wide range. Just thought.."hmmm - wonder if this is normal?". Makes me feel much better than in a century or two, it will look as it should! Metalurgy still eludes me when it comes to something older than a 1940's firearm LOL. Thanks to all for relieving my worries ~~ Curtis R.

Definitely not dirt...and I'm going to stick with Grey and Stephen on this one - I suspected it was the start of normal aging, but being Showa it was hard to be sure there wasn't a problem. Ahhhhh - relief! Thanks Gents! Curtis R.

Having seen some beautiful patina on nakago (nice, evenly dulled surfaces, reddish in color from age), I am wondering what would cause mine to have the "black" corrosion? The blade is by Kiyokane, and is a Showa-era nihonto. I do know to "never" clean the nakago, but do those here who've seen blades age (and who are better at metals properties than I) think this will develop to a nice patina, or does it indicate a problem? I've seen rust develop on metal, of course, but haven't seen the black color before. Any thoughts are appreciated! Cheers on a Friday (here in the U.S.), Curtis R.

And to Bernard-san, Thank you for the great links...and very pretty tsuba find, IMHO! Curtis R.

Ludolf, Thanks very much for posting the examples - I can clearly see the mei differences now. and will save them to my database. I held the tsuba in-hand today and it is pretty work - though maybe a little gaudy which would explain it being made for export. AND to confirm Mr. Hallam's point, the bronze clearly shows through the patina/plating under a loupe, even where it is not scratched. Great to learn the subtle clues (probably not so subtle to others, but to my "eye in-training" they were). Also looked at 4 other iron tsuba (1 signed sukashi that I'm going to try to research further showing a Mon that is not matching up to my Mon database...hmmm - suspicious). Many thanks again for your opinions & expertise...saved me some $ . And of course the knowledge is priceless. Curtis R.

Thank you Mr. Hallam! You know, (as I said, haven't held them in-hand yet) I was looking at the hairline scratches and wear pattern near the mimi and was wondering why it was golden underneath...plating makes perfect sense. And thanks for the info. on nio --- I suspect I'll see more in my life and will be able to ID in the future. I do like the work (have NOT purchased it, BTW) but will pass on this one. He has a couple of iron Tsuba as well that I'll look at tomorrow - I'm taking the advice of the pro's here and saving the money for 1 good one vs. 10 mediocre..... I also noted that there were no sekigane or Ato on this piece...made me suspicious, and very glad I asked - I guess though that having suspicions now is a good thing, and am learning a thing or two. :D Curtis R.

Stephen, I think you nailed it..Raijin! Wind/Thunder god...holding the exact object as on the tsuba - thank you! And thanks Mark - working on it a bit at a time...I think it's possibly the Kinai school? Mei are so stylized sometimes that it's difficult for me to nail it down .

Greetings all, I'm seeking confirmation (or to get shot down in a hail of gunfire :D ) that the Tenbu depicted on this Tsuba is Tamonten (Bishamonten)? I haven't yet deciphered the mei but Mr. Stiles kindly ID'd a very similar Tenbu on another Tsuba, & I'm thinking this is different way of depicting him. I'm posting both sides of the Tsuba just for thoroughness...also, from the color of the metal I'm guessing shakudo? Many thanks, and although I'm slow with Kanji, I'll post the mei translation as well ~~ Cheers, Curtis R.

Lurking and learning...an excellent thread, and has answered several questions I've had - just showing my appreciation Curtis R.

Thanks Brian, and I'm finally getting a more tuned eye for these things - and just look at me spell, eh?? I appreciate it everyone & glad I could provide a chuckle or two. Life's too short not to, eh? Curtis R.

C.

I THOUGH those were poop!! LOL...ywa, a bit of humor for sure :lol: . Thanks Lance !~~ Curtis R.

O.K. , I get it (good -naturedly) that I screwed the pooch on spelling....but does anyone enjoy the tsuba oe (or) have a guess on age orther (other) than mine? I'll be more careful...no promises though Curtis R