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What is the best way to ship a sword from the US to Canada. I am looking at Global Express Guaranteed from the US Post Office. Is there anything specific I should declare it as? Thanks,

Thanks Peter. That is not a concern to have with me. If I were to bring anything in, it would just be one with the main intention of just discussing it with other enthusiasts. Thanks for the clarification though.

Hi all. I actually just purchased a shinto katana from Takaya san. The experience was terrific. Quick email communication and extremely fast shipping. He shipped it 10 days after I paid, and it made it to me in the US in 3 days after shipping. I would not hesitate to buy again. Takaya san, Thank you!

how lucky am I that I live 30 minutes away form the tampa airport. I cannot wait. It will be my first show. I have been reading up on show etiquette and so on so I hopefully don't look like to much of a fish out of water. I do have a question though. Is it ok for attendees to bring in their own swords, for possible trades, sales, etc.? Thanks,

Hello all. I would like to piece together a koshirae for a katana I have that is currently in shirasya. I understand that this wont really increase the overall value of the sword, regardless it is something I personally feel I will find enjoyment out of. I will look for edo period fitting (tsuba, fuchi, kashira, menuki) and have the saya and tsuka custom made for my sword. This will be a long process for me as I only intend to purchase one piece at a time over a total span of maybe two years. My question is, what is the best way to go about it? I have a pretty good idea of the theme I am aiming for, but should I look for the pieces in a certain order? Maybe fuchi/kashira first, then tsuba, then menuki? Or is it just more a luck of the draw and finding the right piece at the right time? Thanks all

Hello all. I have made several posts here over the last month but have not officially introduced myself. My name is Paul Rothlisberger and I live in Lakeland, Fl. I just turned 30 and am getting seriously consumed with the study of Nihonto. I have read alot of the "beginner" books that I have seen posted here on this forum. I am happy to announce that I am eagerly awaiting my first sword to be delivered from Japan. I placed the order 2 weeks ago so maybe another 2 to go to arrive at my doorstep. It was very hard in deciding what to purchase with my low budget for my first sword. I had the typical newbie wants, such as long katana, great polish, really old, and mounted in traditional samurai mounts. It took me some time to realize that my budget just wouldn't allow for all of this to be achieved. I realized the best sword for me to look for will be something in good polish, papered if possible, and accept that shirasaya will be the way to go if I wanted to stick with a katana. I was able to purchase a Shinto era katana in shirasaya in good polish that has NBTHk papers. It is a mei of Kanemoto, so it is a later generation Kanemoto and 65.3cm in length. No flaws with the blade except for a kirikomi near the end, which it is my understanding that this is not really considered a true flaw. I also like the aspect of having this type of "flaw". I will happily post pictures once it arrives. Thanks for the input so far with the great members of this board. "paulb" helped me tremendously with lengthy email conversations about what I should be looking for in a good first study piece. Good to meet you all.

now i have been working on the date judged line, Line 5. I also have most of it but cannot find the 4th character. Here is what I have so far: 1,2 = showa era 3 = go or 5 4 = ?????? 5 = Nen or year 6 = ju or 10 7 = Gatsu or month 8, 9, 10 = 21 11 = day what is character 4?

spoke to soon, i just found it. The parenthesis translate to shinto.

Well I got most of it, except I cannot find the first character in the parenthesis. I know the second character is katana, but cannot translate the first.

Hello all. I recently purchased a sword attributed to Kanemoto from the early Edo/Shinto period. I have no doubts of it's authenticity, I would just like full translation of the Kicho Token, mainly just sections 2,3,5,9. Thanks in advance.

Yes, i also noticed that. Looks like I will keep looking. Thanks all.

Hello All, I am searching for a "entry" level nihonto and came across this on ebay which I am considering purchasing. I would just like to know if you all agree with the sellers description. I cannot find alot of info on the maker during that time period. I assume this is traditionally made right? http://www.ebay.com/itm/230845529651?ss ... 500wt_1220 Thanks.

Yeah, I also found that information with my initial research. I think the main question I have is if this is a real traditionally made blade, not machined or oil quenched.

Yeah, I have realized that my budget will not really allow me much room to find something. I am in no hurry so I will just have to keep looking. Thanks again for the responses.

out of curiosity, what is a ballpark figure on what an experienced polisher will charge for a new polish? -Paul

I thank you all for the responses. Not something I was hoping to hear but good to know. So the general consensus is that this sword in it's current condition is only worth a few hundred dollars? The price I am negotiating is substantially higher, but alot lower than most fully mounted gendaito I have seen out there for sale. Unfortunately my budget for my first nihonto is not very high, roughly a max a $1,600. Because of this, it has been hard for me to find a katana to purchase. I was hoping this one might fit the bill.

Hello all. My name is Paul Rothlisberger and I live in Florida, USA. I am fairly new to the Nihonto world and am currently working on making my first purchase. I have researched what seems to be endless online reading and read numerous threads on this great forum. I would like some opinions on this sword that I am currently working out a deal on. According to the seller, he believes it to be Gendaito but he is not 100% sure. He has been using it for martia arts studies for the last 5 years and was purchased from one of his instructors. The mei is just two characters and appears to read Kanemichi. From all the research I have been doing on the sword, it does appear to be made by Kojima Kanemichi in the eary 1900's, possibly one of his early works. There are no other markings on the nakago. The seller describes the hamon as straight and very subtle. The tsuba also seems pretty old with a signature, but I do not know the translations. Here are the pictures taken by the seller. The ones of the blade are not great as you cannot really see the hamon. So what are some overall opinions and observations on this sword? A good candidate for a first nihonto? Thank you, Paul Rothlisberger