Alex A

Hello John All i will say is that there is a dealer on that list who i would certainly not recommend to newbies, for many reasons. Pm me (if need be)and i will give you those reasons. Its up to folk to know what they are buying and what they should be paying, sadly newbies are lacking in this department and tend to rush in, reminds me of the Elvis song:) Most ive dealt with on that list have been a pleasure to deal with, maybe not a pleasure for them to deal with me, i ask too many questions, but rightly so.

Hello Joel. If the seller is offering a no quibble return then i would take him up on his kind offer. Then i would leave the money in the bank, stop trawling Ebay and wouldnt buy another sword until i was 100% sure about what i was buying.

Resurrecting this thread for another piece of advice. Dont forget to say THANK YOU to anyone who took the time to help you.

Do they not make acrylic stands for tanto, sure i seen some somewhere..

Looks ok to me, looks varnished though, so i would strip it all back to bare wood beforehand. Otherwise you may get a poor finish.

Buy in haste, repent at leasure.........its true Also remember that whatever you buy, one day you will want to sell.

Hello Joel, your description reminds me of Ebay for some reason. Avoid Ebay until you gain a little more knowledge, too much junk about. The book "The Samurai sword" by John M Yumoto is a great starter book and is cheap. A few days reading will make you a whole lot wiser

Mariusz, no new adverts allowed during working please...not fair...lol

Hi Jean, yes, sorry i mean Tsugu, last kanji. (missed off the T )

Hi Rodriguez., its signed Sagami no Kami Fujiwara Kunitsugu..............not Sagamino Grabbing at straws here, but... just had a very speedy look through the Japanese sword index, there is a Sagami no Kami listed for Genroku period 1688 He was ranked Wazamono, but he signed (and someone correct me if im wrong) Sugu次

Im sure it will clean up real nice, now i want a project lol

Looks good Stephen

Hello Peter. Like it or not, some of the folk asking naive questions are the future collectors/enthusiasts, i dont think they are lazy or cheap, just clueless. I get the impression most folk like to give out their knowledge/expertise, sometimes cant get over how fast that expertise arrives (whether good or honest), by the time ive reached for a book there is usually an answer already I know some of you guys have been studying/collecting for many years and been through the golden age of collecting, when good swords could be picked up for next to nothing. All those conversations over the years that you Gents have been having online about this and that are all here for us to view and read, is it not possible there is nothing left to talk about? Seriously, like others, this is a great place to learn should you wish to learn, the true aficionados will stick around, even if they dont always log in to see whats going on in the the izakaya!. (ahoy there Chris )

Nice package as mentioned, the sword is interesting and for me personally, the simple antique koshirae of that type is such a nice bonus, were not likely to see another for sale for quite some time. i do wish someone would buy it so i would stop Another time maybe.

No, but i think Kevin at Ryujin swords sells them.

Hey Ken, i bet nothing ruined a Suguha hamon like a Mig

"i often think of hamon when i look at clouds..." I often think of clouds when i look at hamon Killed many an hour looking at hamon whilst flying hehe

Hi Jason, im sure a lot of folk will tell you that it adds value, especially someone who owns one or is selling one . Im pretty sure it added value back in Shinto/Shinshinto times when swords were tested. A good book on the subject is Tameshigiri by Markus.

Thanks James, i can rest my brain now

Not in my book, buy the sword, not the ranking lol ps, whats KK KKB, im behind the times

Hi Peter, why cant this sword be insured with parcelforce?, thought you could add insurance upto a maximum of £2500 at extra cost. A big jump though, from £56 Global priority to around £160 Global priority (with insurance)

Not the end of the world Bob, just a thread that didnt live up to its title

Thanks James, taking along a printout would be a good way to combat those blank stares, luck favours the prepared mind, as they say

Hello all, i was wondering if anyone had any uptodate info on whether or not the Royal mail/Pacelforce are still ok for sending an antique Katana overseas?. Ive been into the post office on several occasions lately and they ALWAYS ask what it is that you are sending. I had a bit of a minor hassle posting a deactivated gun last week, the woman behind the desk automatically assumed it was a banned item, which was a bit annoying. Anyway, ive pulled this off the post office website....... "Weapons Including Section 5 firearms (e.g. handguns, machine guns), CS gas and pepper sprays, flick knives,and other knives that are banned knives under UK laws, tasers and stun guns. Items that appear to be prohibited weapons may be subject to additional checks and delays." It only mentions "banned" under UK laws, so i would take it that an antique katana would be ok to post? If anyone knows better, OR knows of another courier they have used recently, id appreciate the info.

Blade in the pic looks pretty straight, like kanbun shape, Saya looks curved. Do they fit together ok, or is there some kind of optical illusion in this photo.