Kam

Hi Piers You do make a valid point and in saying that I have a papered sukesada tanto that has been sort after by a couple of collectors for some time now.....just waiting till my wife says she's had enough of being broke....then I'll sell it

Thanks for your input Brian Yes I agree they are by all accounts shoshin as far as most of us are concerned. However the reason I had been asked to post them up is a well known dealer here in Qld Australia had tried to offer him a bundle of sticks for them saying they were gimae.....typical behavior for this particular dealer. As a side note there is not much reference material for osafune sukemune and even though sukesada is quite common I have seen a couple of gimae sukesada.....one could go nuts trying to speculate as to why would they bother. Thanks Jim for for turning the pics.....I am stuck using an iPhone at the mo and it's limitations are more than obvious. Funny enough I did crop and rotate them but they still loaded up horizontal.

Thanks for a super fast response... This is what I had too but what I should have clarified (really dislike typing on iPhones...makes me a bit slack) is wether or not people feel they are soshin and if so why. I have my own opinion but I'm just a koshirae guy.

Second nakago

Hi all As I have mentioned previously one of my clients has fallen on hard times and has been forced to sell some of his swords. His interest lies in militaria (not my thing) but he has some interesting stuff to part with. He asked if I would post some pics of the Mei/nakago of 2 wakizashi to get the opinion of the knowledgable folk here on NMB. In regards to the rest of the blades they are clean and sound but in "out of polish" condition (typical in those circles) but I can make out some details, hamon is all there, some sunageashi etc....but hard to get on camera. Thank you for your time and any assistance. First nakago

Hi grey I think in an attempt at a quick reply (using an iPhone....pain in A to type on) I may have been a bit vague in my point, which is indicators of original (ie made for) or non original koshirae. While I tend to agree in general with the timber shrinkage rule(hence the 1%) I have seen countless verifiable koshirae that over time have lost overall size including (while minimal) length. If speaking strictly timber, then compression is also a factor that cannot be ignored. While the mekugi Ana might still reasonably line up the obvious noticeable effect is a slightly loose tsuba ie the need for an extra seppa. There are many methods a craftsman might take that negates the need for such but the average collector is still inclined to just use seppa (or one of the many other "interesting" methods I have encountered. There are many other causes naturally for original koshirae to need extra seppa such as changing tsuba or damage to habaki. As for fitting non original koshira if done properly by a knowledgable craftsman should be hard if not almost impossible to discern. As for the average collector and maybe some less than enthusiastic craftsman some obvious indicators while way too many to list.... might be more than 1 mekugi Ana or damaged/altered mekugi Ana, fuchi and saya not being flush with saya. Movement in tsuka or saya etc. .......anyway just a long winded response to Jean's comment regarding the seppa.

Hey Ford...This sounds like a great project and being the proverbial poor craftsman I am I will still be happy to donate. I really enjoy your work and have even caught a few of your YouTube vids which in themselves are full of info. Looking forward to them.... Thanks for deciding to go ahead with it. Kam

Nice tanto and koshirae, really like the hamon In regards to originality of koshirae I would be inclined to say the saya looks to be a shortened possible wak saya. As for seppa I personally don't think it is a good indication either way as this is definitely an option in regards to the previously mentioned "wood shrinkage". When the tsuka timber shrinks the nakago has less distance to travel as well and even if it only lost 1% it doesn't gain so adjustment for an original tsuka over time is generally done with seppa. As for fitting a non original tsuka a number of factors need to be taken into account but often additional seppa are not needed. Kam

Hi, just a suggestion: http://www.nihonto.eu/de/restauration/t ... on/katana/ Regards, Hi I did not view the whole website but I did click the link and trying not to be too critical the Tsukamaki on the home page has the first basic mistake of not alternating the twists

Hi The diagram supplied by gunto is the best approach. A couple of rules to work with in regards to tsuka. Firstly fuchi determines the size of the tsuka including naturally the thickness of the walls on all sides. Secondly view the idea that the timber is to act more like a wrap than a solid "handle" in the western sense. This traditionally was reinforced via same and Ito. Thirdly mekugi are there to stop the blade from sliding out not to "pin it in place" this seems to be a common mistake esp with the international tameshigiri crowd thinking that double pinning is stronger where as it actually creates a weak point as the timber will split along the grain between the 2 points. Hope this helps..,.goodluck Kam

Hi Adrian, historically kakenawa were not used en mass but more as a specialty tool for small scale infiltration. I think the other thing to consider is the way they were used as grappling hooks ie not great when a flurry of arrow are raining down on you but perfect as a small unit stealthily infiltrating a compound esp when needing to travel light. The other thing to consider is not to just view the grappling hook application as just vertical but horizontal as well such as traversing from building to building or ship to ship etc. Peter, way before the kumogakure ryu were using kakenawa the kukishin ryu had them within their arsenal and before this they were also used by Japanese pirates and Chinese bandits. The Fuma ryu whom were experts at guerrilla warfare also used them successfully.

There is a fair bit of literature that makes mention of the use of kakenawa in castle sieges etc. I believe the historian Stephen Turnbull makes mention of them in his publications with historical references. A few pics I could quickly locate, the first 2 are prints showing the "kake" portion attached to poles as opposed to rope, emphasizing the multipurpose ability.

Hi all Well here is a subject I know a bit about :D Kagenawa were used for a variety of uses within a number of bujutsu ryuha...mostly combat oriented but also such mundane uses as fishing nets and Anchors. Combat at sea was assisted in the application of using them as a grapple to "arrest" the other vessel. Castle sieges were also assisted by "sneaky" infiltrators as the kakenawa was a easy to manage implement. Direct combat application of the kakenawa was used often in a grappling manner, sometimes in assistance to another weapon. From what I understand there is very few "true" schools that continue to practice classical techniques due to the difficulty in mastering them. I can say having had the privilege of experiencing some of the techniques that they can be quite cruel and painful......pic is of a three pronged variety.

Kissaki 36mm

Additional info Motohaba 25mm Sakihaba 17mm More pics added... Sorry iPhone pics

Hi all Due to PC failure I am typing on an iPhone so I appologies in advance for any grammar errors. A client/friend who has hit financial difficulties has asked me if I could help move some of his blades on. Naturally I am happy to help where I can but gunto are not my area of knowledge and some of his items are quite unique, starting with an unusual piece that appears to be a custom made gunto koshirae with a saber style blade. The blade is quite slim and appears to have a hada but no yakiba...hamon appears cosmetic. The koshirae is all original and made to fit including a full wrap same tsuka and better quality fittings. I remember Bob Benson had a kogarasu style blade that seemed to be of the same style construction. If any one knows anything or can point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance Kam

Hi Mas This is a hard subject to find information about in english especially as there is nothing comprehensive. I have been studying lacquer styles and techniques for close to 20 years and I am forever discovering new info to add to the confusion. I will scrape up some info today and post it up for you. But as a quick reply styles and tastes constantly changed often depending on class and occasion. In regards to roiro and ishime, Roiro is highly polished and any scuffing or marks tend to stand out where as ishime tends to wear better. This also would depend on the Artist and his method on creating the texture. . . . not all ishime is equal. Interesting note when I was at the2009 Sydney Shinsa Roger Robertshaw was speaking to me about the styles of Lacquer I had on display and I pointed to a Handachi Adrian was selling on the adjacent table and pointed out that it was one that I had Lacquered (in Ishime), he then surprised me by saying that his guy was not able to do that type of Ishime and did not know of any others that could do this "old style". I highly doubt it isnt done by other craftsman but due to its time consumption and difficulty it is not favorable. It seems a common practice now, and I have seen many examples since of creating it via spray gun although in saying this there seems to have been a revival in Kanshitsu Ishime which is created using crushed dry urushi. There is a wide range of styles (while not complete) on my website. Regards Kam

Hi all, Well what a big start to the week.Firstly congratulations to Andrew and Ford, Ford your work is truly stunning, it was a well deserved win with an outstanding Tsuba! Andrew actually snipered me with the news of him getting gold by making a mention at the very bottom of an email when he casually informed me of my Habaki getting Nyusen. . . . he must of been struggling not to burst with excitement. Actually in typical Andrew fashion Andrew has played down how much assistance he provided me while I was in Japan going beyond what I would have expected from anybody including helping with translation to introducing me to some amazing craftsman. So Andrew I have to say a big Thankyou for not only your assistance while I was there but also for pushing me to enter the comp especially with a Habaki, also to the Habakishi that offered not only his time, materials and equipment but also showed me his personal approach to the craft (these things are usually kept secret). I would like to also make a big mention and thankyou to Adrian Schlemmer who has supported and encouraged me in my pursuits over the last 7 or so years that I have known him and also for introducing and recommending me to Andrew. In regards to the Habaki I entered I have put up a couple of pics and some info on my Blog. . . . sorry but they are only iphone pics, I will hopefully post up some better ones here in the next few days. I have much more to say but I am so pressed for time my head is not keeping up. . . might have to follow up when I can think clearly. Regards Kam PS love the new additional smileys

Yes Chris you are right someone does have to win the lottery. . . why cant it be me , I have seen a number of "gems" that had been sitting in some widows closet for the last 50 years. As for elitism once again yes you are right any circle of enthusiasts will have it's elite (justified or not) unfortunately our hobby has many, yet it has very few humble scholars. Kam

I dont think Japanese swords will lose appeal to the next generations and I do think their is a lot of merit in the idea that media esp through pop culture will help that. The big hurdle that a lot have pointed out to me and has been mentioned here is the culture of Nihonto enthusiast (esp actually mostly western enthusiasts). I will probably not make many friends with what I am about to say but the truth is newbies ignorance is often assaulted by old time enthusiasts arrogance making it somewhat oft putting. There is a large group of people outside of this world who enjoy owning and or collecting Nihonto but as they dont prescribe to the "rules" they often feel belittled by the self anointed elite. I am by no means saying that the rules are not there for a good reason I am just saying that the culture with a lot (not all) of serious enthusiasts is one of elitism and therefore the value of the rules is lost in transmission. Many like myself became interested in swords through Martial arts and many of the new young collectors I meet have followed the same path. So when I show them how to look for hataraki or explain that just like CSI we can find out who made it 500 years ago via the clues then it sparks an appreciation for the artistic elements and it is no longer just a "cool weapon". So maybe it is up to the current generation to make sure the next generation isnt scared off from over zealous collectors and if interest is born via Anime, movies or martial arts then at least the interest is still alive. Kam

These type of emails have been bouncing around for some time from both paypal and ebay. . . . I guess in these circumstances if unsure just dont use the link attachment. I would suspect that many would not think to far into it and would be more inclined to see if there really is money waiting (not necessaryly owed to them). . Kam

If you can post some pics of it's current condition I can point you in the right direction. I regularly repair these and have pics somewhere of the basic process, I will hunt them down and post them for you. Getting the Same to conform back to the shape of the saya is not to complicated just a bit of patience is needed. Kam

This is great to hear , there is very little available on the market concerning Koshirae. There is a lot of interest in koshirae but most books are blade oriented I hope this generates a bit more. I remember when the only info available was through Japanese sales catalogs and unless you knew Japanese they offered nothing more than pretty pictures. Looking forward to having a read. Regards Kam

I sent you a pm in regards to Nihonto study groups/meetings etc in Australia. Regards Kam