Ken-Hawaii

Would have loved to have a chance to buy that blade. Quality koshirae, too.

It looks almost thick enough to be a yoroi-doshi.

80.7 X 66.5 mm is very large for a seppa.

Very impressive tanto.

Possibly sunnobi tanto?

OKay, Quinn, I found your post. Not all of your Google photos would open, but I can see enough to comment. There is actually a method to kantei (evaluating) a blade. Let me refer you to https://markussesko.com/kantei/, which is a university-level post by our most-prolific NMB member, Markus Sesko. The first feature to look at is sugata, or shape, which will tell you the jidai (age) of the blade. Yours looks to be late Muromachi to early Shinto, but you'll have to dig in, & start learning both the individual terms, & the history of how & why blades changed. Yes, I think WOU is near Salem, but I havn't been out there since my grandson started college, so I don't know much about the area.

How does one value such a find?

Welcome, Quinn. My grandson attends WOU, but I haven't gotten him started on Nihonto, yet. Please post photos of the entire bare blade, which will tell us a lot, including whether you should spend money on restoration. As far as where to post, I suggest Nihonto, under Nihonto Discussion.

Good show, Bob!

Very enjoyable, Peter.

I'd like to know how many uneducated bidders there were! Amazing!

Did you buy it, Adam? It's showing as sold.

James, that was a good learning experience. Depending the number of blades you have for the museum, you might consider grouping the blades by age/school/etc. in one case, rather than one case per blade. Guido would be a good source of ideas, as would Markus. Speaking from my own experience, if you can create a series of videos for each blade, or grouping, they will be far more likely to be exhibited when you're retired & no longer available. Please be aware that university-based museums aren't very likely to display weapons, these days. After a number of discussions (read that as heated arguments) with my former Dean, & the university president, I changed my will so that my collection will go elsewhere! Before I forget, a room dehumidifier is an essential & inexpensive way to keep blades from rusting. Dri-rods will also work, but AC power is needed for each. Great job!

Interesting, Peter. Thanks!

Looks incredible, JT!

Just to confirm, nothing like that on my kusarigama that I train with, JoJo.

Good job, Ciro. I like the combination of antler & wood, & thought they were attached, at first. Sunny, when you have something negative to say, please explain why. Calling Christian a troll, with no explanation, can get you banned by Brian & the mods.

Over four years ago, Brian posted this warning https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/23462-do-not-respond-to-private-offers-of-swords-unless-you-know-the-person/ This of course applies to kabuto, & any high-value item.

Kirill & Jussi, I can't recall seeing kanteisho that verifies jidai, even when it's on the nakago.

The drum shipment was several years ago, Mark, so no COVID to deal with. My consulting company had an account with DHL, so I just got a quote from them, something we did several times a week. I think the drum took about nine days to arrive from New York to Hawaii. It wasn't until my office manager handed me the $3500 bill that I knew there was any problem. I started with my account manager, who blew me off, saying that the invoice didn't come from him. So I went up the line, until I was dealing with some faceless idiot, who totally ignored anything & everything that I sent. I asked our lawyer if I should pay the $225, & he recommended against it until DHL made the correction. That never happened, & I never paid the $225. Of course I terminated our company's account, too.

Marc is correct that the tsuba balances the blade. As a long-time sword swinger, I was astonished at how different a sword feels, in hand, with two different tsuba, & just a few ounces weight difference. If a blade was going to be used in combat, I'll bet that several tsuba were tried out.

And to see just how much information can be transmitted by a kinzogan, please check out https://www.nihonto.com/about-the-characteristics-and-rules-of-kinzogan-setsudan-mei-with-a-focus-on-the-yamano-family/ Don't be too quick to buy a blade just because it has a gold orm silver inlay.

Pietro is right, on both points, Dave. showing a photo of the entire bare blade will allow us to determine the blade's jidai (age). Then, looking at the hada (steel details) can determine the gokaden (school). Then, the hamon (pattern of the edge) may add the smith (tosho). If everything else matches, then the mei (signature) can confirm the tosho.

Don't be quite so quick to use DHL. I had a custom o-daiko (large taiko drum) made on the east coast, & shipped via DHL. Their quoted $225 seemed a bit high, but I agreed, anyway, only to get a bill for more than $3500! I sent them back a copy of their quote, & an offer to pay the $225, which they ignored, so I ignored them, & they finally quite harassing me, two years later.

Woody used to polish all of Bob Benson's Juyo blades, & he's been doing mine for a long time. He's just not quite as convenient since he moved from Hawaii to Las Vegas. Edward, send some photos to Woody, & take his advice on how, or whether, your blade should be polished.