TheGermanBastard

Maybe people lie, Images don't. If you get an image of Pamela Anderson straight after she wakes up everybody may tell you she looks better than in this image ... but still that's the naked truth. I do not wish to imply that the seller lied to you in anyway. If I put my glasses aside and get the lighting down everything will look nicer, including my fat hair buttdocks. Take a high resolution image with flash of it and I will tell you that's not me but it actually is. This is a pretty unfortunate ware that most likely popped up during polishing. Ware are not fatal. Pamela Anderson would probably still be hot if she had to wear an eyepatch - but she would hardly make it anymore on a frontcover. There are never good surprised when polishing a blade but only bad ones. Here you see one of them. You can buy a blade with a hagire and I will tell you you hardly can see the hagire in person. This may well be true. I had once bought a polished blade. One day I looked more carefully at it and guess what ... just because you don't see a Hagire doesn't mean it isn't there ... I re-sold the blade showing a close up of the Hagire and made no loss. I was lucky. But foremost I believe honesty pays off. Iw ould never ever buy again from the seller who did not disclose the Hagire. if you go to any of the well knwon dealer websites I can tell you one thing: Those are good and honest people. Otherwise they would not have been around for such a long time. Buy on eBay and you can make some great deals or some less great ones. There is nothing wrong about buying ANY blade if the price is right and if you get what you expected. If not then you have atleast made a seller happy which is an altruistic act and sure appreciated by him. I habe some things up for sale by the way if your care But always take a sellers words with a grain of salt. * I am not into Pamela Anderson but assume she will server as an example to most men who used watch the excellent, hihly acclaimed drama series Baywatch

The blade and seller are legit for sure. The blade has a very bad Ware and is priced accordingly. If it had no Ware it would be more than twice the asking price. A bit short and not the typical Hamon you may expect for that smith but still sound but for the Ware. So everybody has to be his own judge. If a still driving, cheaply priced Lexus with a bumped into side is your cup of tea then this could be your happy sword.The seller is basically letting it go at what he has invested in it or maybe even less than that.

The Sukekuni features an excellent Ware.

Thanks a lot Chris! Much appreciated. I have been wondering on the teheme and school for this Tsuba a lot. It is a real pitty that there is rust on the Tsuba. I think nothing can be done about it but to apply some oil to prevent further damage.

Thank you very much for your kind help in determining this Tsuba. It is greatly appreciated. As you can tell from the images the Tsuba needs some good cleaning fr removing some rust. So do you think it is worth the time / effort? Thank you

Hello, I'd appreciate any oppinions on these Koi Shakudo Menuki as to whetere you feel they are good quality and maybe a possible school. I am unfortunately way too stupid about Menuki ... Thank you, Luis

Hello NMB Member, here is another piece of old iron that has been sitting with me for a while It belongs to a simple Handachi Koshireae that housed a good sword. Bearing such a simple design and being very thin I wonder if it is an old piece? (Koto) Thank you, Luis

Hello, I have had this Tsuba for many year and wonder what school / age it is? I do not think that it is a Soten piece. Thank you, Luis

Ciao Mauro! Thank you very much for your kind oppinion. Unfortuantely I do not know for sure if two is signed but think rather not. Thanks again and best regards, Luis

if anybody has any reference to the 1st image top one and the bow / arrow theme one it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much!

Hello Ian, thank you very much. Much appreciated.

@ Steven, I don't think so

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Was also on auction today ... was signed Sôshû Odawara-jû - Masakatsu + kaô (相州小田原住・正勝「花押」) ... sold for about 1k each including premium.

Those are not my pictures but the ones from the auction house where I bought them. They obviously came from an old colllection of a Japanese gentleman and he had gathered some quite nice pieces.I think there were some nice Goto Kinko works as well.

Hello Richard, thank you very much for your kind help. Espeically on the bottom two on the 2nd image set. For the top one in the 1st image set I thought it to be a Muromachi Owari Piece. In the 2nd image set I thought the top tsuba to be Sukashi and also an older piece. However I am very ignorant on Tsuba hence I appreciate all thoughts and oppinions. Thanks a lot again, Luis

Hello, may I please aks for some oppinion on the attached Tsubas as to Age / School? Thank you very much, Luis

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Well, while fukure are not considered a fatal flaw those fukure in your sword come next to fatal. They are prettay bad. I can not comment on the Boshi. I can not see it in your images but that may be just due to the image. You would however want to check on wheter it is still there. If you can not see it you should run a copper coin gently along the cutting edge and kissaki and thus see of there is still temper left. Aside from the fukure the blade shows signs of tieredness and I think I can see Shintetsu in the blade. The blade has little sori. Overall my first impression was that it could be a Kanbun Shinto piece. However it could be also a mass produced late Muromachi periode piece. This would corelate with the poor forging quality and tieredness due to repated polishing. Your question regarding school is legitimate of course. However it does not really matter as no matter what school it is or even if it was made by a famous maker (which it 99.9% possibiliy not) as it unfortunately just remains a bottom sword. Please don't get me wrong. I do not wish to put down your sword. In the end it is all a matter of price and no matter what condition a sword is, there is almost always some sort of value to it which grealy lies in the buyers / owners eyes. Would I recommend to buy this sword? That's a tough question as it is again a personal decision. Would I buy it? No because there are just better things out there and this sword is a bottom piece. If I were you I would study it for what it is and either keep it or better pass it on. I once had bought a Bizen Koto sword. 33'' Nagasa, Ubu, Signed. That's the good part ... the bad one was it had a fukure similar like on your sword. After I cleaned away the rust I found 3 Hagire. It was just a mass produced Osafune piece of inferior quality. I made it go away for what it was. Sometimes we need to let things go.

Sugata suggests that it could also be Kanbun Shinto. Unfortunately condition is is troublesome.

@ Chris: A very simple rule of mine is to always buy from an even bigger idiot and less knowledgeable dude than myself ... while this is a pretty tough task I still alwass try to remember that I am for sure not the smartest guy in the room. Therefore you may get the best bet on an unpapered blade from an estate ... in this case also the price will most likely be way too low or way too high while any expirienced collector will try to put a reasonable price tag on. One persons loss is another ones gain ...

This sword was a great opportuniyt at the price it sold for. You could buy it, send it for Shinsa and if dumped put it on eBay and still sell it for probabkly twice what you paid. With the fancy gold mei a no brainer ...

According to the signature this one wants to be the Kyoto branch. Hence you would expect sudare-ba hamon However I don't see that so I tend towards it being Gimei.

Both sides actually which is not that common. I am sorry that I can't help but my blant guess is a cutting test. No Kao though. Someone here sure should be able to help you. Mei does not look but at first sight. Can you please show thze blade, too. Thank you

That is very cheap should be more like 20k in polish and papered.