Ken-Hawaii

Welcome, Brandon.

If it makes you feel better, talc is much softer than steel, & can do no damage. I vote against using uchiko! Uchiko is rock dust, & is hard enough to polish steel, which is exactly what you don't want. The original sheen was probably from choji oil, so just remove the talc with a tissue, & put a fine film back on the blade (except the nakago), to keep it from rusting. Read https://to-ken.uk/resources/sword%20etiquette.htmlfor mor detailed info. Welcome to NMB.

If it's a Chinese knock-off, it's time to be worried. I think it's real, Bizen, & without seeing the bare blade, probably late Edo.

Yup, that's what retirement is all about! Oh, forgot to mention that I first used the metal deector in my own back yard, & found two huge lead ingots, about 20 pounds each. I have no idea why they were buried back there.

Nice find. Short, & to the point.

Cool image, but no one is looking up! Did they have iPhones back then?

I had a Choshu tsuba with animals in multiple metals. No photo, sorry.

Oh, sure, of course it's a rip-off. Should have made that clearer. But it's not fraud, as long as he can deliver.

Big hats, & gallons of sunscreen!

Wow! That was a huge display! What was its theme?

This isn't unusual, Chris. I've seen dozens of similar sales, where the exact same item is posted multiple places. If you buy the item from the more-expensive seller, he'll either rush off & buy it from the cheaper seller, or he'll say that he stopped the auction. Not exactly fraud, but close.

Early mornings after a long weekend are almost guaranteed to find a good stash. Well, except during lockdown, but our beaches were reopened last weekend.

I guess while people are on vacation out here, they don't pay much attention to their belongings. I've also never seen an ad that something has been lost, on CL or the local papers.

I missed ths, but glad to find the link. Some very impressive swords! Just wish they didn't paste their logo over the good parts.

I have a metal detector, & you wouldn't believe the things that people lose! Diamond rings = 3 Gold necklaces & bracelets = 5 Gold & silver earrings & jewelry = dozens Krugerrand = 1 Coins = Lost count years ago Watches = 8, including a nice Rolex Tsuba = 0 (Oh,well)

Love that tanto!

Pleaser ead this, Paul: https://to-ken.uk/resources/sword%20etiquette.html

Welcome!

Jean is right that a sword club can get you connected with other collectors, JT. But Ed Marshall is in the north part of Louisiana, & is a real asset when it comes to Nihonto. If you haven't browsed yakiba.com, I suggest that you do so. Hmm, I've been to Japan dozens of times, trained in several martial arts for over 60 years, & am part of a Japanese clan, & I still feel like an interloper, so not real sure how to address that part. Understanding what was happening historically when a blade was made has been a big help, for me. A tachi made during Kamakura has a totally-different background story than a katana made during Muromachi, or a wakizashi made during Shinshinto! That takes a lot of reading, because the history of Japan isn't exactly a straight line! Do you study any martial arts? That can be a good entry-point for digging into the cultural aspects - sword arts, in particular. Iaido is what got my wife & me interested in Nihonto, about 35 years ago.

Please add your first name to your Profile, so we know how to address you. Please stop looking for blades, & start looking in a few good reference books.

JT, I used to live up north of Hammond in Tickfaw, & miss N'Awlins food & music. I'd kill for a Central Grocery muffaleta! On your swords, let me first give you my opinion that if you buy what you like, & aren't worried about reselling them, then you have nothing to worry about. You can learn something from any blade, as long as it's real. If they're papered, the "real" part is satisfied. Now, my question is: What are you expecting to learn about your blades, with or without a mentor? Construction? Culture? Details?

He's refusing to even discuss the possibility it "might have been his fault," Steve, & since I'm keeping the tsuba, it's not worth my time to argue it with him.

That dragon is very well done.

Probably chrome-moly, then, as molybdenum is seldom used by itself in steel.

I have a tessen, & will try to dig it out tomorow.