Alex A

Lol, Trent, you must have too much money, you remind me of this guy :D

The seller didnt need any help, i certainly dont think there naive on the subject, or Ebay, by the look of things.

US bidders only . I cant help thinking that the seller should have gone global, judging by the interest level. :lol:

It is is interesting to view blades under different light sources, Steve, i got me one of those LED,s too. Dan, it is surprising what a difference a coloured tint makes to a photo. Bottom left reminds me of an old "black and white" photo, top right blue adds depth. Ken, now theres a light source, wouldnt have thought of that one, maybe one of the reasons smiths started talking art

I was wondering if viewing swords in natural sunlight was common amongst collectors?, i find that it adds a certain clarity that you do not get with imitation lighting, kind of brings the sword to life. Ive spent an hour or two this afternoon trying to improve my photography skills (to no avail), the first picture is in imitation light, the rest are in sunlight. I was hoping to capture the clarity that sunlight brings, but it is difficult to capture in a picture what the good old eye sees.

£6.92 Amazon, acceptable price, although i often get a little concerned when it mentions "corrosion inhibitors". Maybe i worry too much. http://www.amazon.co.uk/BreakFree-CLP-4 ... B0002IKDQ6

Looks like really good stuff, but £89!. Ive used Singer light machine oil sparingly for the last two years (4.50 Ebay), no probs, although it is thinner than the last gun oil i used.

Me too, i also wouldnt mind owning the two Ko-katchushi tsuba earlier on in the thread, all have a certain appeal.

Cheers Chris.

Craft of the Japanese sword. p91 Briefly in simple terms. Utsuri occurs under very specific conditions within temperature range and metal compostition... Yoshindo (the smith) spent 3 years trying to recreate it. He heats the blade longitudinally in three bands, the edge 800c, the back 700-720c, and where Utsuri is created 750-760c. He maintains the technique is heating the blade to within these strict tolerances. Any deviation will result in no Utsuri, or an uneven or irregular Utsuri. My novice thoughts are that other schools may have considered it an unnecessary addition, especially throughout the Sengoku period. Or as mentioned above, may have affected performance.

Well Stephen, having had a while to think about it, i would go with a Shinsakuto, by a top Mukansa smith. Long nagasa, deep sori, O-kissaki, wide motahaba/sakihaba, Kataochi gunome hamon, exceptional horimono, and with more hataraki than you can shake a stick at. Kept it brief (would hope the smith could cope with the Utsuri requirements ). Just to add, if anyone knows a non-Mukansa smith who can do it for $3000, i might go with it. :D Forgot the koshirae, a modern tensho style with dark solid shakudo fittings to replicate the black lacquer of the past, maybe a touch of solid gold in there somewhere for a bit of contrast, a job for Ford.

Great sword, I like the koshirae too, koshigatana koshirae (no tsuba), assemblers take note, cost cutter

Does anyone know if Lulu does one of those Christmas discounts every year?. A third off when you spend a certain amount. Thats the time to buy.

Agreed, good read, now im speculating. Early Edo period for instance, after Sekigahara, 500,000 unemployed samurai without income or support, two Ronin rebellions, stories infact of unemployed Samurai selling their swords. Now then, a knock on effect, certain smiths hitting difficult times. To make a living, these particular smiths may have had to sell a number of swords off at give away prices. If that where the case, would they have been likely to sign?, Would that explain a number of mumei Edo swords?, or have i drank too much coffee?

"And the other one my girlfriend convinced me to buy" Your a lucky man Andi

Hi Gary, Hira-zukuri first appeared on early tachi. After the Heian period (after 806), Tanto and Ko-wakizashi carried on in that style. (From Connoisseurs). Later Hira-zukuri wakizashi are simply throwback to the past.

Great link, new to me, thanks!

Looks great Paul, wish i was able to attend.

Hi Nick, my nihonto budget limits me to the title of "enthusiast", rather than that of "collector", so now i will only buy a sword if it jumps out and says "buy me". My favourite sword is my mumei/suriage Nobukuni wakizashi. The papers place it to late Nanbokucho period. If the NBTHK cant decide which smith made it, than i sure as hell cant either (Read similar quotes that amused me on the net). I think thats part of the reason i find it interesting, im looking into it at the moment. The sword, i just find interesting, its age, the horimono, and the fact the blade is packed with activities. The sword is a little worn maybe, but i think its great , il forgive due to old age.

Hi Ed, it did catch me out too, one day hopefully, i will come across something in this hobby thats straightforward. :?

Hi Ed, i had a quick look through Fujishiros this afternoon. The zen in the 3rd picture is from page 120, plate 3, Hizen Kuni Junin Fujiwara Tadayoshi.

Hi Isidro, agree with Ed. Infact, nothing seems to look right when compared to other examples in Fujishiros, have a look on the net for comparison.

Thanks for the heads up John, £7.12, now thats affordable... http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/joseph-b ... 57328.html

Thank you Gabriel, you have been extremely helpful indeed

Cheers Gabriel, your write up as been very helpful, id been planning on learning something about Horimono. I have a wakizashi from the late Nanbokucho period, the horimono as diminished with polishing over the years and did have me curious. I had the horimono down as Suken previously, but i believe Hoken or Sankoken is the correct term.