Chibi

I prefer being practical, rather than being sensible... I would rather invest the 2000-3000 bucks into my child's self defense training, instead of a piece of useless artwork (which only has sentimental value to the one who commissioned it), so that he or she knows how to use an edged weapon efficiently (why punch, kick or dis-balance somebody, if you can stab or slash them and watch them bleed to death instead...), e.g. a kitchen knife or a broken piece of glass.

Damm, where the hell is the "like" button here??? Ahhhh, not Facebook, sorry everybody ! ! !

Mike, you can do whatever you like for your unborn child. An engraved tanto, a lightsaber with your favorite brand logo, etc... The question is: What is the purpose??? You think it is cool? Is it part of your culture (American, British, etc...)???. It certainly is not a part of Japanese culture, boys get Kabuto and girls receive Hina Dolls. I do believe everybody has the right to set their own traditions and values for their family, however I think common sense should prevail, as in saving that money for unpredicted problems or as a foundation for a future college fund. You asked for a reality check, just being honest.

Japanese copyright / publishing rights extends 50 years after the author's death. If any of the authors of the Nihonto Koza lived until 1964, any unauthorized publishing of their works (including translated versions in other languages) would be illegal.

Thanks Chris, I was just going to mention that too. The adjustable spanner, avoids putting groupings of holes into the wall when you change scrolls depending on season or occasion.

PS: It will hang better with a "pair of balls"...

@Tobias, don't forget you also need "balls" to properly display the Kakejiku.

You mean battle tested??? I recently had a 400 year old sword in my hands, where the shop owner was telling me that it was certified to have cut through four bodies clean. He seemed kind of shocked at my remark, that they were most likely prisoners and not volunteers...

Thinking about this whole thing, I can only come up with 6 kind of sellers: 1. People that inherit, find or some how get an item into their possession, which has no sentimental value for them, neither do they have an idea of the real value of the object. They will sell for any price, as it will all be 100% profit. 2. People that sell fake stuff or make false claims to make maximum profits. 3. People that collect, buy and trade. They might buy an item, enjoy it for a while and than try to sell it at cutting even cost to get something else. 4. People that buy an item at low lost cost trying to make a profit on it. 5. People that need fast cash and are willing to sell an item under value. 6. Professional dealers, that make a living buying and selling and running a shop. As for buyers, it is pretty much always people that getting something they assume it is worth the price or most likely think it is worth more.

Dear Justin, the headline of this thread is "Taken for a ride?". The last sentence of the original post says:" Within two months I have been relieved of precious cash for things that are not what they were stated to be.". I stick with my post...

Hmm, it always seems everybody wants or rather demands the cheapest possible price for a high quality item, but everyone expects it with guarantees, papers, seals and a pedigree ??? I am not saying, that there are not bad and deceiving dealers out there, but dealers are dealing with merchandise (that does not make them experts on each and every item), THEY buy items to resell, at their risk and with their money, that is their business. As a buyer, it is in the end always up to you to take responsibility for what you buy. Of course the dealer will make profit and he should for his services, nobody put a gun to your head to buy anything. Also we are not talking about life necessities here, we are talking about luxury items. People buy things, because they think they get something out of it, it might be financial or of sentimental value, the point is the same, they get SOMETHING out of it. Is there is a risk, of course, it is business... That is called a free market, everything else is communism... Food for thought.

It is Omura.

I don't think "strange" is a good translation for kawari. It would be better described as irregular, substitute, variation, alteration, changed or modified.