Alex A

If your talking about the real straight kind of Kanbun sugata blades with 0.5cm sori then i kind of understand the statement about not buying Kanbun. Saying that though, i remember Darcy saying one of his first blades was of that type and he liked the straighter blades at that time. Ive had one and did like it, some people really like them. Not all blades made during that time were of that sugata, many just have typical sori. On a side note and kind of back tracking. There are obviously many people with deep pockets. In the UK you would only have to to look at one certain dealer to realise there are folks with more money than sense. Earlier, i was talking about what i have seen with the sales on the forum and opinion formed by talking with folks here. I find for most folks there are financial boundaries. Lets face it, great examples are too expensive for many so become unobtainable. Hence why i think it seems Shinshinto and Gendai seem to have become more popular in recent years.

And the landlord said "sorry, identical twins only"

Buy keepers, in this day and age with issues with shipping, don't want to be buying stuff and having to ship a year later. The pain of knowing that, no beginner will understand

The style, the way the trees are done, reminds me of Bushu Though folks will know more than me.,

This i expect will be more of where can i find it rather than someone having what i want. Looking for Sageo, matching for katana and wak. The tsuka are brown so will need something decent to match. Looking for two thick seppa. If anyone knows where these can be found?, antique or modern copper. I remember a place years ago that sold them without the ana cut, DIY job which may work out better for fit anyways. Checked UK and nothing jumping out at me, so to speak. There was a good dealer many years ago but now he has gone Cheers

Im not making it about you, you already mentioned your purchases so i was replying with some reality. As said before, its a world of instant gratification. Not saying all people are that way, there are the sensible ones that appear to want to study a bit first, though from what i have seen, most just dive in. The first buy is usually a curiosity/impulse buy, saving up more money is the last thing on their minds. To be in the frame of mind to want to save up for something better, one most first have experience, that includes good and bad experiences, learning what one likes etc. You can tell folks all this advice until your blue in the face and it is good of you to care. though some will and some wont listen, the latter seeming the more common occurrence. Personally, i think there is something special in many a cheap sword, something of real interest that makes them stand out. I think its too easy to become overly obsessed about staying on track with ones preferences, in a way it would take the fun out of it for me. Mistakes, whatever, all part of the journey should they jump on board. Mistakes are opportunities to learn and grow (Marcus Aurelius) We are all different though and all have our own ways, horses for courses.

Rayhan, reading about your 15 Kongo swords etc etc, you obviously have the the finance to throw loads of money at the hobby. The reality here, would say most would be lucky to throw $5000 at a first sword, if that. Thats a lot of money for an average dude, Rolex watch money for something that might just be a one off. To me, this all getting over complicated for folks wanting to buy their first sword, maybe the last.

Saw a real thick tsuba in a plain style, like Tosho. It was on a sword at an arms fair. Convex shape, remember thinking it seemed odd and a bit overkill. One of those things where if you don't usually look for them, you don't seem to come across many.

Is there a reason there are these real stocky tsuba?

Aye Jean, i was curious enough to go through Aoi tsuba a few weeks back and from memory never saw one much thicker than 6mm. There is a reason, im not going mental lol Have a koshirae where it would be easier just to find a real thick tsuba rather than start messing around with finding real thick seppa One of those things where eventually it gets worked out. Cheers

Thickness at the seppa dai, Dont know much about tsuba but know 6mm is not uncommon for tsuba, does anyone know if tsuba thickness goes further beyond this? Cheers

So far so good. As i said i didn't know anything about OCS. The good news for the folks in London is that i found out this morning that is where my sword has landed, based in London. Got an email from the dealer in Japan to contact OCS, as they told the dealer in Japan that they have been unable to get a hold of me via phone. Anyways, 2 days, its in the country. Called the office in London this morn and must say very impressed, spoke to two really helpful gents, they even give you a mobile number to get a hold of them. A far cry from Parcelforce where first you deal with A I then get put on hold for half hour until finally they cant help you. The dealer in Japan filled one form in which is not what they normally do, great. Had to sign one copy of an import paper. Believe it or not this is what i hate most about importing items, i dont have word or office on my pc as never use it. My solution is to print it out, fill it in, take a picture and send it back. They accepted it. Got a further email regarding why i was importing a sword, then another email about proof of age. Then import fee which was correctly worked out. Its now awaiting shipment to me, though might not be in so they said i can if i wish change the delivery address to my works. So all good so far. Ps, some might remember me moaning about a koshirae which has been stuck at Parcelforce Coventry customs for over a month. On the tracking it states "awaiting customs fee", anyways, the Misses text me today and said a long box from Japan had arrived, no fees, that turned out well. The bad news is the Misses knows

Mistakes must happen, Adam............that's humans. When you think about it, the only real way to be sure a smith signed a sword is to have been there and watched it happen, other than that its all probability, some a lot more probable than others.

Aye, seeing what comes up on various sales sites etc over the years and compiling and studying, one could learn a lot and every so often raise an eye brow, so to speak. Also, to be fair, at times it must give a Shinsa team an headache

Just to add and finally my own personal conclusion to all this, once and for all. With regards Papers and mei, there are always going to be OUTLIERS. Though it has to be said. If your buying a sword by a big name smith, even if its papered, most will scrutinize the mei for accuracy and want it near as dam to the books/norm.

I get why Jacques has noticed the 3rd example. It does appear oddball and a bit clumsy and most folks would be suspicious. Though if papered, i guess it is what it is. From memory, think someone pointed out years ago that if a sword is bang on but the mei a bit off in one way or another, it may still paper. I could see how this could be the case. Its not an exact science, so to speak. Busy Shinsa etc etc etc. Actually, this can be the case as have owned such a sword, do forget sometimes.

I didnt know David, always assumed all was good over there.

15% is an hefty increase, jeez. Money seems to go nowhere these days,

As i said, don't know this smith but have noticed subtle differences in mei of other smiths, with blades made at the same time and papered. Maybe this smith has an outstanding reputation for highly accurate mei?, i don't know I guess we have been around this issue many times here. Im always open minded to the odd variation for one reason or another so don't assume a mei will always be as if machine stamped accuracy. Just to add, im not talking about mei that are miles off, just the odd stroke that is a bit oddball.

Curious Jacques. Are you saying you wont find papered swords by that smith at roughly the same time (which i haven't studied in particular) with lets say what appears to be an oddball stroke?. As in say machine stamped style?

Understandable David. Narrows the margin but Australia seems a vibrant place as far as Nihonto collecting goes so you will probably move them on there when the time comes. Pleased to find out through Michael at the Token society earlier that the UK membership numbers are far better than i would have thought, which does make me more optimistic about the future and selling swords within the UK. I don't want to ship Katana in particular abroad anymore. The last two katana i sold were actually to UK gents, i forget that. I guess i just get wound up from the negative stuff about shipping overseas and hassles with imports. The worst part of the hobby. Michael, pretty sure there are good swords out there in the UK. The trouble is limited choice. You know how it is, collect for a certain amount of time, know what you like and what you have missed out on in the past, then you have your sights on something in particular which would be difficult to get a hold of here.

Obviously not ideal but if its a sword you desire, then well, guess i would be ok with it. They do seem rare, some would have that down as an extra interesting factor about a particular sword. We all look at swords in different ways.

Cheers Michael Rayhan, On one point about Suriage. I do tend to agree but eventually came to my own conclusion. For folks wanting top name smith swords such as Tadayoshi, signed swords that have slight suriage can open doors for those that dont want to or dont have the funds for Ubu swords. In other words, there are bargains to be had for higher quality works. I am in the signed camp, even if part of the mei is gone. Best

Thats great to hear, i take it the vast majority are UK based?

Hypothetically speaking, Just wondering how folks from differing countries would get on without being able to import, especially from Japan?. Not just talking swords, fittings etc too. This isn't about UK, though what's happening in the UK has made me aware, aware that what is available here will kill the hobby for me. Looking at the well known dealer here, prices are sky high. Looking at obscure military sites, people want high prices for junk and i mean junk. Anyways, lets assume you cant personally import swords from Japan, how would you get on with what's available? The US has always been a good place to look, perhaps the huge amount of WW2 bring backs played a part?.