Hello,
My name is Ricky, and I am extremely happy to have been turned on to this forum. I have always felt an admiration towards Samurai swords since childhood. It was not until military service brought me to Japan that I began to realize the dedication and craftsmanship that go into what that country's skilled masters produce and produced.
I am 29 years old now and I have acquired my first sword, WWII era Shin Gunto Koshirae, with a blade signed Fujiwara Kunishige (pending authentication). I sought to purchase a Gunto due to their affordability and iconic look, as I feel owning a real Nihonto at this stage in my life is a bit of a stretch.
After receiving this Gunto, my wife noticed that it has the Mon of the Naito family on the Kashira, leading me to believe that I could actually track down the family of the fallen officer in order to return what I believe to be a family heirloom. Not as easy as I thought AT ALL! Plus I don't even know if they would want it back. but It I found it extremely difficult to find the right statistics concerning fallen servicemen of the Imperial military.
So, since giving up on that, it has been my mission as of late to show respect to the Japanese edged weapon by learning what I can about them, but I don't feel right using proper terminology, as I feel I should not do so until I actually understand what I am talking about.
I reside in California, but I am originally from Philadelphia Pa. My wife is from Kawasaki Japan, and my daughter was made in Yokohama!
My wife feels it is my duty to preserve the dignity of this sword, and I agree with her.
I am hoping to make some friends here and share some thoughts and facts with one and other.
Thats a little about myself, I am interested in learning about all of you seasoned experts and enthusiasts.
thanks for reading
Ricky