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ggil

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Everything posted by ggil

  1. Wow, this thing looks way too nice! Thinking about contacting some museums and see if there is interest in displaying this. It's such a flashy eye catcher, with glaringly obvious charm and depth of emotion. While subtle symbology and natural uses of space may be lost on people (been reading Ford's forum obviously), this thing seems made to impress anybody. I am going to get this to a photographer friend of mine and see what he can do with it for the NMB pictures. Holy s*&t! Ford, a-freaking-mazing! You are getting a tip from this Yank. - Grant
  2. maybe go to paypal and look up history, or call them on the phone. Their records should be better, maybe. -Grant
  3. not a trained eye here by any means, but using the scientific method and conducting experiments with different angles, light sources, and relative camera angles may provide unexpected/positive results. You probably are already doing this, I imagine, by the quality of what you have so far. To me your pictures are very nice. They look semi-professional. clear hada and nie, with no crazy glare. Have you any experience with photography? I have none, but would love to take a class someday. What is the light source, camera type, setting, and other particulars of the current photos? -Grant
  4. Good Luck then Roman! Definitely an exiting prospect, I THINK!
  5. I hope what I said didn't influence any decision to purchase, because I would hate to do that, as there is way more to consider than traditional vs non, when buying Showa era blades. For instance: is the polish good enough to observe hada (metal grain pattern), and hamon? Are there chips to the edge? THE BIG ONE: are there FATAL flaws? These are things that undermine the blade's primary function: to cut well. A crack in the edge is the one that everyone looks out for, but there are others too. Than there is rarity and the smith's reputation. Price has to be considered, as known good Showa era gendaito arent too hard to find, so you don't want to pay too much if there are any doubts. Hopefully you were already buying, or my post was another poor attempt on my part, to contribute to this forum. - Grant
  6. Roman, the tang is nice and elegant: nakago sugata ( tang shape) and nice Showa yasurime (tang filing), and good deep mei chiseling. if you reaearch the smith and see what quality of blades that he was known to make, then you have a better idea of what you have. If your pictures of the blade were more detailed, maybe we could speculate whether it is traditionally made or typical showato. As there were so many RELATIVELY low quality blades made during this era, collectors call these sword "showato." Often simple drawn steel, not multi-part construction involving forge welding various parts then assembling and drawing. In differential hardening, where only the edge is made brittle/hard while the balance is kept soft, showato were oil quenched, as water quenching would tend to cause cracks and make a blade scrap. Generally, it is considered normal to lose 1/3 of swords at this (towards the final stages) stage in manufacturing, but the oil quench sacrificed edge hardness to some degree, in order to save the 1/3 of blades that would break in a water quench. Also the saya is nice lacquered skin of some sort. It would be rare to spend all the time on this kind of saya if the blade is junk. Just guessing by the nakago, this is a good candidate for gendaito ( traditional made), but just GUESSING, you know. -Grant
  7. Since I have no experience, and I was dealing with such a well respected artist, full artist's discretion was due. Once again, luck prevails, and come to find out the good reputation is fully deserved. While Ford is quite busy, he was patient, kind, and quite professional. Although I have no basis for saying so, I feel like Ford gave me a great deal too, and you can see that sometimes my feelings serve me well. If I ever get a chance to own one of his pieces, I could see myself sleeping in the doghouse after purchasing one. -Grant
  8. To Jason, Sorry bout that Sir. I had you by only $40, so pretty lucky for me (your max:968, mine:1009). If it's any consolation, I will cherish it and so will my eldest daughter (she is becoming quite a lady and loves Tsuba, so it may go to her someday). Honestly, the fact that you are bummed actually makes it just a bit better for me, as you know your stuff. Anyway, may you be blessed with good luck this year in your hunt for horidaishimono... - Grant
  9. from an email from Ford (save him re-typing here): So here's what I can now say about the work. The plate is very finely forged iron. A pic of the edge reveals a very fine layering. This is to be expected in work that is so elaborately carved. You wouldn't want any nasty surprises half way though carving. All the gold detail is not, as we assumed at first, nunome-zogan but is actually all true inlay. This explains how so much remains despite the rust, which would have been disastrous for fine nunome-zogan such as we see on Soten style work. This then suggests a Soten label is not appropriate. In one or two place where the gold inlay has fallen out there's clear evidence of it having been true 'hon'zogan'. Again, pics I took show this nicely. One of the gold spots on the deer's bum is missing and a neat recess remains. All the flames on the dragon are actually solid gold (probably around 20ct), not foil covered or gilded, but one solid piece of gold. This suggests, along with the complexity of the carving and composition, that someone wanted all the 'bells and whistles' and speared no expense. We might speculate as to school or artists but to be honest any number of artists working in the latter half of the Edo period could have made the piece. The quality is very good and it was probably ordered to impress. Unlikely to have been worn by a samurai given the subject matter but many wealthy merchants were granted the privilege of wearing a short sword. (Ebisu and Hotei are 'Gods of wealth and prosperity' revered by the merchant class, and Samurai ought to despise money) So there it is, not quite like it was the day it was finished but about as close as I think anyone could achieve. I'm particularly satisfied with the way the iron patina has recovered and the copper inserts in the nakago ana have coloured up. The silver has been very lightly treated to help to mellow in a short while. I don't like to be too heavy handed because that tends to cause it all to go too dark too quickly. In a few months and it'll be perfect. Grant
  10. What do you all think? I am very pleased. Ford states that his treatment of the silver will mature after a few months, which I'll post pictures of. - Grant
  11. ggil

    Kozuka Question...

    I think what Ford may be saying is that traditional Japanese hold the sword as sacred, and spiritual artist of all accessories felt similarly. All parts of the sword ideally should be flawless. The methods of achieving all this, were painstakingly derived secrets that were not given away lightly. besides would the receiver have even an ounce of what it would take to actually DO it well? How could they possibly? But we are some do it your self types. This behavior has likely caused us grief in the past with nihonto, but we shall persist, we all know it's true. How about we try and keep it as traditional and painful as possible though, out of respect shown to a very dignified way of being. I propose: make honoki pieces/slivers to press an interference fit against only the thin edge of the kogatana tang. Since one piece of the kozuka is a "c" shape, force exerted there won't split it as easily. If you were careful, patient, had eyes/light to determine the sliver sizes, and willing/ able to use your hands, this may work. You could lacquer the pieces (use the stuff that will mess you up) to minimize corrosion from the wood. Being mindful of galvanic corrosion, it would be wise to lacquer the tang also. This Assumes the Kozuka is brand new on the inside. If the slivers were too wide than the kozuka would be damaged. (Sorry, this post is mostly an example of how smartphones are making people dumber) Now my delimna is that if I propose this method, I am sort of going counter to the traditional attitude, as telling untrained to fiddle with what is so meaningful and special is insulting. Especially coming from me as I have no training, only a wild ass guess. - Grant
  12. I gave a negative opinion of a likely true nihonto, and I feel pretty bad about it. I don't think I'll post for a while. Sorry everyone. I would hate to be part of any devaluation of nihonto. - Grant
  13. Kunitaro San is a polisher who belongs to nihonto message board. Although it seems a bit of an imposition, you could PM him and humbly request his opinion, after taking better photos (as requested below) Bear in mind, English isn't his first language so you should try and make sure your English grammar is OK, so it isn't hard for him to read. If it was me, I would be more inclined to ask his fee for such services, not and outright answer. He would probably want you to send him the sword first, who knows? Any true polishers near you, that way you could get them the blade in hand? It seems expensive to send blades to Japan. Anyhow, more folks are chiming in that your blade is old. You may not want or need such concrete determination, as more people give agreeing opinions. Best of luck with your collection and enjoyment thereof. A very interesting and lovely piece you have, - Grant
  14. will you please rephrase your question? I think we don't know what you are asking. You can try typing (in your native language) to google translate and then cut and paste the English translation. -grant
  15. Same here: only 2 years for me too, so I don't know much at all. Please don't be discouraged by my OPINION. Hopefully others will engage in healthy debate and we will learn more.-grant
  16. just a straight up opinion of a self declared novice. A rebuke of any points I made would be appreciated, although not necessary, as I am happy to own my ignorance, if it is such. Maybe more will comment and I will learn my errors. -grant
  17. Definitely not tourist souvenir, as these are thin (yours is about a cm thick- see eBay photo 3). However, something screams deception. Here: the tang patina looks ancient but ha-machi says few polishes. The nakago shape is awful. The question is why would the tang age so horribly, when the blade held up impeccably well? Looks like falsely aged nakago, to me. Please take my opinion with a grain of salt, as I am not too knowledgeable. I'm betting that more knowledge persons will chime in and verify my guess though. Also, why would a 500 year old tanto be left in such a dilapidated shirisaya, unless to add to the illusion of age. The shirisaya doesn't look to be made for this blade( see the slop under Habaki). Hamon needs close inspection, but I bet showato, oil tempered, maru construction, non-traditional metal. Does the steel have hada? If so, I'm probably wrong. Does hamon have nioi? If so Im probably wrong. I would get a professional opinion(s) before assuming old. -grant It didn't cost "an arm and a leg" though in any event!
  18. For sure! I would put some oil on it. If it was polished you will want to be liberal with the oil so you don't attract dust, deposit on the inner surface of the saya, and scratch the blade's finish; but for now, it won't hurt to add oil to the blade to limit further corrosion. The blade you have looks to be very nicely made. The geometry/lines/foundation polish look to be high quality especially for the war era, but the signature (made to order status)confirms that the piece was well made (if it isn't fake). The years of neglect have been rough to it, as the tang makes it look like it's 150 years old in the picture. It also appears to have some damage to the blade's edge toward the tip, as if somebody was chopping something or someone, and struck something hard enough to chip it a couple places(maybe it is the pictures though). The corrosion on the blade is also centered around the area toward the tip (last 12 inches maybe). seems like before the last time it was used was the last time it was oiled. There are streaks of corrosion that appear to be left by whatever the blade was cutting. I wonder if it is a good candidate for polish, if I am correct and there are some decent sized chips out of the end of the blade edge? I have a similar blade (with chips out of the edge) and have assumed that it wasn't fit for polish because of all the metal to be removed, but maybe there is a method of filling a chip (but I doubt it would be a completely acceptable weapon at that point, with some filler material for a part of the edge - that ought to be carbon steel). If you want to clean it up a little, maybe you can find a trained polisher to visit (or find one at a sword show) and discuss them training you a little. Maybe you will find one that will walk you through some techniques. Who knows? It may be a terrific blade (likely it is) and you wouldn't want to hurt it, even if the edge is chipped up. Anyway, just wanted to encourage the oil use (I am an over-oiler myself), point out the chips on the cutting edge incase that changes anyone's opinion of polishing, and congratulate you on finding something valuable, sentimental, and incredibly cool looking! -Grant
  19. To Tesugendo, Agreed about restoration. Piece is going to Ford, to be attended to properly. He will make sure it is preserved properly, and will be able to tell me pretty accurately, about when the work was made, when he has it in hand (i'm sure). I feel fortunate that he has an interest in it, and wants to attend to it. Thanks for the input (reminder to avoid damaging/changing antique art), and giving me your input as to when the piece was made. -Grant
  20. I understand about oiling. I know that I am among those that over oil.
  21. Wow Ford! I will be in touch so we can "talk turkey." Sad that so much art was lost and mistreated during the war, but then again, Japan had it coming. Thanks for the reply! - Grant G
  22. Ford, You out there? What do you think about the sealed "coffin" idea (airtight deep plastic display box mirror-backing)? Would you like to see the tsuba in hand and give me suggested best course of action or possible courses? How much is your charge for such appraisal/restoration planning services? - Grant
  23. Touché Seriously though "we don't oil our blades". Who is the anti-traditionalist now? I guess that would be the el natural way to go. Most do oil blades, however. It's only a minority that do what you do. I wonder if the museums in Japan oil blades? I bet so. Pretty witty about the tsuba though! Got me a good laugh! To Stephen (sorry about that Stephen), sound advice! I will follow it. - Grant
  24. To Rokujuro, Airtight = dramatically slow down the aging process. A piece that could last a thousand years can be made to last hundreds of thousands of years (i'd imagine). This is why we oil our blades! I guess the idea of impermanence is one I have not quite come to terms with, but who has really. I will think about your suggestions, but doubt that i will be cleaning the piece any time soon. Like I said, the dust doesn't look too bad (better than the corrosion underneath), so I will leave it. Who knows, the dirt may actually be helping prevent corrosion, rather than acting as a catylist and facilitating corrosion. Just think, where specs of dust are taken away, oxygen can replace the spot they occupied, and break down the metal. We have to be realistic, over traditional, when tradition stops making sense, but I am a staunch anti-conformist, and so biased against tradition. -Grant
  25. Peter, maybe it is old, but the patina on the ?seppa dia? seems to be not dark enough to be from 1700's. I will show it to the sword club the next time I go, they will have ideas of how old it is. I am guessing mid 1800's utsushi. Maybe the artist doing utsushi didn't sign it because it was done to represent soten, therefor not 100% theirs, or maybe im all wrong and it was actual soten school and the artist thought the work was good enough to not need signature (besides the market was flooded with gimei soten garbage anyway, so A soten mei may have lowered value, by the later end of the school) - Grant G
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