Ken-Hawaii

Makes me feel ancient, Stephen. I could actually hear that voice-over.

Good to stay away from eBay until you've done a lot of studying. If he's inJapan, why is there no NBTHK kanteisho?

That's a lot of sori for a wakizashi, Jason, & check where the center of curvature is located.

Welcome, Michael. Tell us about yourself in the New Members thread.

You'd better take him to Commander's Palace, JT! On this sword, to summarize, the origami isn't specific enough on which generation, & there aren't specifics on the cutting test. Those two factors, alone, ould keep me from buying this blade, even if it was priced considerably lower.

Looks great, Yurie, very classy. Where can we order the book?

Another good guy is gone. RIP, Fred.

PM sent.

John, you did well for your first blade, but it was luck, not knowledge, that got you a quality sword. Before you start looking for your next sword (& none of us buy just one), may I suggest that you spend a few dollars, & buy some books to study? Do a quick search, & you'll find lots of recommendations. This isn't a field of study that you can whiz through, but it's worth the effort to know as much as you can. Suriage means that the blade has been shortened from its original length, but that's very normal, & doesn't detract. The koshirae & tosogu (everything but the blade itself) have some effect on value, but the blade probably represents 90% of what's paid. The fact that it's papered (Hozon) adds a lot to its value. A lot of this doesn't mean much to you, yet. But, I consider your blade as a great candidate for you to perform your own kantei (evaluation), John, as it has lots of interesting features & qualities, & is in excellent shape (no rust or other crud to obscure things). I put together a kantei sheet (http://www.militaria.co.za/articles/Kantei_Sheet.pdf) that you may find useful to evaluate your sword. Have fun!

Simon, please don't get sidetracked by "local experts." If you want/need authentication, submit your blade to NBTHK/NTHK. At exactly 2.00 shaku, your blade is a katana, by definition. Not an either/or thing.

Very nice koshirae.

Herman, John has asked if the blade has been authenticated by NBTHK or NTHK. If not, then you're guessing on the details.

I hope you've invested in a few books to study. Fellow NMB member Markus Sesko has written quite a few. Welcome aboard.

John, I see nothing there of any note. Prep for suriage seems a good guess.

Cedar does outgas, although I don't know whether that would affect steel. You can also keep an eye out for a tansu, specifically a katanadansu, which are made to store swords long-term. As a moden alternative, you can buy https://www.amazon.com/Weapon-Protection-Zerust-Prevention-Closure/dp/B00PJ4QN12/ which will protect the swords, & you can just put them in your existing gun safes. Not pretty, but inexpensive & practical. I used to be a dealer for these bags, until Amazon went into competition.

Welcome aboard, Charles. I like your Sunnobi tanto, & hope you will post your other blades when they return from shinsa. Sounds like you're also having an interesting career.

PM sent, Kyle.

I don't name my swords, but I do name my taiko drums.

As a sword swinger, it doesn't appeal to me. A little too much of a good thing.

Don't know which Web-site you were looking at, but no Nihonto can enter or leave Japan without a registered agent. Check out Bob Benson's https://bushidojapaneseswords.com/nbthk-shinsa-submission.html for more detailed info.

John, they could all be gimei, or none of them. When doing kantei, the nakago is one of the last places to look, & needs to be cross-referenced with the rest of the blade. On shipping tp Japam, I hope you know that you MUST have an egent, right?

Welcome aboard, Bob. I think that you're the first Veterinarian on NMB, so be sure to check out Smaller Wildlife in the Izakaya. Looking forward to seeing photos/information on your Nihonto.

I can confirm that EMS will start 6/1/21. Two dealers messaged me to let me know my shipments will finally be en route. Neither of them said anything about a price increase, but maybe they were just being nice.

Hawaii just went to Tier 4, so no real strictures, other than what the airlines are requiring.

It would be interesting to ask a high-level togishi what he "feels" when he starts repolishing a heavily-used blade.