JDinMT

I just did a search on Lulu, but all I see is the e version. Is the print (real book) version available? how do I find it? Price? John D

There is a 9th generation smith, go to hokkesaburo.com and check it out. Information on family timeline, swords etc. John D.

I got the Fujishiro kit (uchiko & oil) from Tatsuhiko Konno a few years back when he had a website. The site doesn't come up anymore but the address was in Kirkland WA, maybe that might be a lead? John D.

Slough's Modern Japanese Swordsmiths has a chapter on Engraving, Stamps and Mei (the differences) and the Niho to Koza, ShinShinto vol, in the chapter on Gimei talks about the tagane makure and such in detail too. Those are two sources I can think of offhand. John D.

I talked with Ben Kaiser a few years back, when I bought some same-gawa from him, as to supply etc. First I would suggest forget about Manta at all, same comes from a common specie of sting-ray from the waters around Indonesia and such (even the Japanese supply) where it's common and on no lists (no longer from the waters off Japan where it's now endangered). I agree yours is most likely antique, but to try to prove that to power hungry beaurocrats with no common sense (USFWS) may be difficult at best. Again, common stingray, not Manta. John D.

Agreed, not Japanese, but a typical junk copy. Also there is plenty there for you to be able to tell. Start by training your eyes, there is plenty of info on the web. At the top of the home page here, there is listings under info, dealers (with good pics), etc, Just go to them and look at swords, fittings and such. Look at how the nakago is on a Japanese sword. The workmanship, etc. Look at tsuba, see how the work is done on the basic level, the way the nakago ana (hole the tang goes through) is done (nice cut vs sloppy soft cast look). Even the low end Japanese work shows more care than the typical fake. It really just comes down to know what and how to look, by comparing some basic things, and you'll be able to train your eye in a very short time, to where you won't be depending on what someone tells you, who's trying to sell junk and a BS story. John D.

http://www.tsukamaki.net/modern_stand.htm http://tsukamaki.net/traditional_stand.htm See if these two links work for you. I'd suggest use them as a starting place of ideas for a stand that you could make that would work for you. John D.

Did you check tsukamaki.net ? There's plans for traditional type or a more modern style that can give you some good starting ideas to make one up that'll work for you. I made mine using 1" pipe and a union (so it can be turned easy) that clamps in my bench vise (rather work standing). John D.

For what it's worth, I could go for that. I think that $ 140. for a set of this quality books would still be quite a bargain and not to be passed up. John D.

Mino-To By Cox and the Teiryo Yogi by Honami Koson, trans. by A.Yamanaka and the Sue-Koto volumes put out by the JSS/US have been very helpful too, besides those books already mentioned. Being limited to English, I'm very thankful there is as much information as there is, but always seeing more books for sale I wish I could read (Japanese text). John D.

The photographs on Ted Tenold's site are at http://legacyswords.com/nihontoCS/crosssections.htm Very interesting I think seeing actual examples in comparison to drawn diagrams. John D.

Thank you from here, for all the work also. Another vote for the silk place marker, very handy and a couple dollars (per set) is well worth it. John D.

I would recommend checking with David McDonald, either through here or montanairon.com. Top notch work. John D.

Thank you Markus, I'll have to order one tomorrow. As someone who is limited to books written in or translated to English, I really do appreciate the work and effort you and others go through to do this. Thanks again. John D.

James, If I may offer a suggestion, I've found it best to do any experimentation with some scrap pieces of like material, and then work on the part that matters. In this case joining buffalo horn together. Get some pieces of horn, it's readily available, and find which glue (lots of suggestions above) gives you the best results and then do the kurikata. I've found it the best approach and saves a lot of gut ache as well as what your working on (even more important). John D.