Reinier

that is indeed a nice blade by i have plans to visit Japan/tokyo and i want to look there in the shops for a nice starter blade.

thnx guys you have given me new things to consider.

hello i'm new to nihonto and i have this idea on how i would like to collect fittings but i wonder if it's feasable. i read in a book that samurai sometimes had different mountings for one blade. i plan on buying my first katana blade in the near future and would like to have different koshirae mountings made for it in different styles/themes/colors. for each mounting i would buy antique fittings that match nicely to eachother and to the theme i have in mind. i think it would be great fun to search around for matching fittings and would make it less random than just buying seperate pieces for display. there are three questions i have going through my mind. 1. am i overlooking something? for all i know i'm braking some sacred rule or maybe it's just impossible for some reason i don't know yet... 2. is there a way to avoid sending the blade to Japan everytime i want a mounting made? can i maybe send a tsunagi instead? or maybe i could have several "raw" tsuka and saya made that could be finished on a later date? maybe there is another alternative? 3. are there other things i should be aware of. for example differences in sizes making certain fittings incompatible. i will greatly appreciate any feedback you can give me. regards, reinier korth the netherlands

i'm thinking about having a shinsakuto made and at the moment i'm looking around where to order it. unfortunately it's quite expensive and i wonder if it is possible and cheaper to deal with a swordsmith directly without an shop or agent in between. the yen is pretty weak against the euro so that's good but there still is the issue of customs taxes which drive up the price considerably. where would you order a shinsakuto and how would you handle it?

hey i'm a beginning collector and i'm wondering how you guys go about your nihonto hobby/passion. how do avoid going bankrupt? what activities do you undertake? do you have personal rules you abide by? what will you never do again? what do you still want to do? thnx (:

hello i'm new to the scene and this board so i will start with a short introduction. my name is reinier, i'm 25 years old and live in the netherlands. i've been facinated with Japanese history and culture for years and up until now i got my fill by reading books, watching movies, listening to music and just sucking up all information i came accross. around a year ago i started my own small business (webdesign and online advertising) and i've done well. i'm about to buy my first house and decided that that would be the perfect time to take my hobby/passion to the next level. i've decided to start collecting Japanese antiques that are directly connected to the warrior class. being a starter i'm not yet sure on what field(s) i want to focus but i do know what my first two pieces will be; a suit of samurai armour and a katana blade. i'm reading several books an both subjects and reading as much information on websites as i can. i want to do this right from the start and try avoid disappointment further along the way. actual purchase is still months away with me first needing to buy and decorate a house so enough time to do research. i dont have specific demands yet but i'm thinking about something along these lines: katana blade dating pre 1850 excellent condition with no or minor flaws nbthk papered budget €5000 ($6500) complete armour set dating pre 1850 good condition and complete budget €5000 ($6500) would that make a good start or am i going about this the wrong way? i really appreciate any beginner tips that you can give me. regards, reinier