Jump to content

Loco Al

Members
  • Posts

    116
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Loco Al

  1. Jean, This does look like a very nice sword (whether it is deemed to have masame hada or not). What makes it so special that we should "try to grab it"? I'm not trying to be difficult, but I have questions and observations: 1. It's a bit short at 66.9 cm 2. Would it stand a chance of going Juto? 3. Why is Aoi Art offering it as an auction item? Remember that thread regarding Kazushige Tsuruta's letter? One member said, "You can't run the nice shop with lots of staff and white glove service and maintain a huge inventory catering to everyone's tastes and at the same time compete on price with Tsuruta san's scratch n dent specials which are available to you every morning while you are in your pajamas at home". I thought it was a bit unfair of him to refer to Mr. Tsuruta's wares as "scratch 'n dent" specials, but there you have it. So which is this item: A scratch 'n dent special, or an item that they are hoping to push out the door on behalf of a desperate consignor? 4. No bids so far. It might be a good deal. Alan
  2. Once when I took one of my dear departed father's old busted up gold watches into a shop for appraisal, the expert said: The problem with the "Antiques Road Show" program, is that everyone thinks that they have a treasure hidden in their attic. Shitty swords pop up all the time on this forum, presented by hopeful newbies, wishing to learn that they might have something special in their possession. If the guy who is selling this sword really thought that it was worthy of restoration (and might be something special), he would not be selling it on ebay. He would likely be getting it restored himself. You would trust the seller's attribution? The cost of the sword might be chump change, but the cost of restoration would be prohibitive. Alan
  3. Loco Al

    Juyo Turtle

    Here is a picture of one of his early works (a tsuba) from another website. Quite expensive. Alan
  4. Thanks to Darcy for correcting me on the utsuri. Cabowen was correct. The sword was attributed to Kamakura Ichimonji Suketsuna. In The Connoisseur's book, both Suketsuna and Sukezane are listed in the tables as belonging to Sagami province. Sagami province was the centre of the Kamakura Shogunate, based in Kamakura. Kamakura is a city, I think, not a province. These smiths moved to Kamakura and this was the beginning of Soshu, to my understanding. After I bought this sword, it was kept in Japan to be submitted for Juyo shinsa in 2013. It did not pass then. After much encouraging, I resubmitted it in Sept. 2014 and it passed to Juto. I used Bob Benson's services to get it back to Japan. It was submitted using Darcy's NBTHK number, rather than my own membership number. All I know, is that it passed. I would assume that the attribution to Suketsuna still stands. The sayagaki was supposedly written by Honami Koson in 1943. Alan
  5. Okay. One more clue, before posting better pictures of the sayagaki (which would make it too easy for cabowen). His adoptive father was a very important smith in the Fukuoka Ichimonji school, who later moved from Bizen to Kamakura. Alan
  6. I acquired this sword over a year ago. A salute to the dealer who procured it for me. Perhaps I will be coy, and not say who this sword is attributed to just yet. Consider this a kantei of sorts. It's a Kamakura blade by a sai-jo saku smith from the Sagami provence with a relatively narrow hamon, based on suguha with choji midare. One of the interesting features of this blade is that there are small balls of temper rising above the choji in the ji, which might be referred to as tamayaki. Kawazuko choji possibly? This sword was Tokubetsu Hozon when I bought it. It came with a nice koshirae which I have posted pictures of in some earlier posts. I also posted a pic of this sword once in response to a post about utsuri. This sword has a prominent bo-utsuri, when viewed in the right light. It is relatively rare I am led to believe, and signed examples are few. It also has a mark of pride (a kirikomi). Some of the pictures are not so great (taken while I was still experimenting). All of the pictures are my own. When I get it back from Japan, I will attempt to take some better photos. There is more to this story. Alan
  7. New look, but not necessarily an improvement, Stark white background less inviting and less intimate than the old black background. Like an old office building flooded with flickering fluorescent lights and cheap partition walls. Plus, almost a weeks worth of new posts (threads) have simply disappeared. For all the gusto, the old cheesy masthead atop this new-look forum seems out of place somehow. Alan
  8. Why is it not "educational"? As if there is so much better educational material available on this forum. :D Alan
  9. It is reassuring to know that the "dipshit" category of sword collectors has growth potential. I am quite relieved. You are trying to draw a defining line between those who practice the rather elitist version of "Japanese sword collecting" and those who are simply "collecting Japanese swords", or associated paraphenalia. I would think that the defining boundary is not so clear, and that there are many who fall between the two extremes. Even those guys who are interested in Japan and wish to study swords a bit, but can't afford better swords (limited to "ordinary" swords), are still considered to be "dipshits" by Tokyo standards? Referring back to Barry's thread (What can we do to increase the number of Nihonto collectors?), how can this be helpful? Alan, Ds
  10. I hope that I wasn't misunderstood. Please read more carefully. I was suggesting that if the nihonto collecting culture were to be intimately associated with the "gun nut" culture (as far as most people who are unfamiliar with nihonto collecting are concerned), then this would not necessarily be a good way to promote this hobby as an appreciation of the Japanese sword as an art form. Not a bad thing if a "gun nut" wants to buy a sword, but bad if the general public were to immediately associate nihonto collecting with "gun nuts". I was going to delete those photos of Matilda and the picture of William Burroughs which was painted by Sebastian Kruger. But they do help to make an immediate visual point. Or, I could have just written a full webpage and a half as a rebuttal to a post that I did not fully agree with, such that other members would have felt they were being sucked into a black hole attempting to speed read through all of it. DanC, I couldn't agree with you more. But where art is concerned, there will always be investors. What would you call a nihonto dealer (or a dealer in paintings)? An altruist? They are "investors" primarily! There will always be a profit motive, except by most of those who are just collectors. I do not think that there are very many collectors who believe that nihonto are a good investment. It can not be simplified like that. Collectors do have the option of avoiding buying pieces that have been pushed up to ridiculous prices by speculators. B.T.W. , Dan, I finally figured out what "FNG" stands for in your sig. If I am not mistaken, it is short for "f'ing new guy". A military term referring to someone just out of basic training or recently transferred to a new unit. Alan
  11. Yes, Denis, it would tend to take the wind out of your sails when you receive a "compliment" like that! Darcy certainly picked holes in my weak argument. Poor choice of words when I said "ignoble". Not quite what I intended. Yes, I will confess that I tend to be a bit of a defeatist. Hence the recently chosen avatar featuring the German Shepherd Matilda. I found a photo of her online, up for adoption. Her posture and woeful beaten down expression quite express how I presently feel. I shall delete her in due course. This was perhaps chosen as an attempt at humour, in response to Jean's recent post (in response to George) regarding the use of avatars and "not fancy names". What really takes the cake, regarding my recent mention of gun nuts: I just saw a new post in the Translation Assistance section where the new poster goes by the board name (user name) of "gun addict"! Honestly! I am laughing myself silly. I hope most of you have a sense of humour too. Alan
  12. What can we do? The real barrier, as I see it, is that this is still basically (and probably always will be) a niche hobby. Many North Americans might consider it a somewhat distasteful or ignoble obsession to be collecting swords, whether they be Japanese swords or otherwise. If they are educated and well to do (with disposable income to invest in art), then perhaps they might rather prefer to buy something of cultural significance more relevant to their own geographic location and cultural heritage. Paintings perhaps, by renowned artists of their own nationality. Why would you want to buy a Japanese sword of all things, they might ask? Hard to impress your friends when they have no reference point as to how special or unique your acquisition is as an "art form". The concept of the Japanese sword as an art form might never occur to them. Some older people, and their immediate descendants, might still have bad memories about the Second World War and the ill treatment of American prisoners (not to mention the horrible battles they endured) by the Japanese. Why should they wish to secure an item that reminds them of this traumatic history? The blades that were brought home by most American G.I.'s were considered to be trophies or souvenirs, nothing more. So why should one wish to ensure that we can increase the numbers of nihonto collectors? Is it perhaps selfish motivation because we wish ensure that there will be a continued demand for items that we have already purchased (and might wish to sell later on before we die), or because we really believe that these are truly works of fine art that should be preserved for generations to come. If the later is true, then I believe that the best swords should eventually be returned to Japan where they might be best appreciated as culturally significant. I wonder if there might not come a day when the Japanese might wish to reacquire these symbols of heritage that represent a more noble time in Japanese history. As Jean said, first you have to have a vague interest in Japanese culture before you even consider nihonto. So far, this thread has strayed a bit off topic. Let's deal with Barry's points in order: 1. Take personal responsibility. What if there are no sword clubs in your immediate vicinity? Say the only closest thing is a kenjutsu club, and you have no interest in martial arts (nor do you have any friends who are interested in such). Do you go out of your way to introduce yourself, and say that you have some fancy swords that you would like to show off? Regarding gun clubs: Sure these might be the type of people who more likely to be interested in militaria, but is this really the best that we can hope to achieve? Don't get me wrong, I belong to a gun club. I do not think that there is a great future in this. Furthermore: If this nihonto fascination were to be firmly associated with the "gun nut" culture, then that could only be deleterious. 2. Use Social Media. If for those who are already interested in nihonto, then by all means. Otherwise, for those young (and not so young people) people who are continually preoccupied with social media such as Twitter and Facebook, forget it. One day they may make wake up to the realisation that there is more to life than continually updating their internet profle (much like updating one's profile on this board with vacuous comments), if they have any money left over after paying their exhorbitant cellphone bills, and decide to pursue a hobby which might actually be of some genuine cultural significance. 3. If you are a member of a sword club, ask others to join. I'm not a member of a local sword club, but I did take out a membership for the NBTHK. What if you reside in a professional and social circle where the notion of buying Japanese swords is totaly foreign and perhaps considered to be unacceptable. I am a 54 year old professional. I have mentioned to a few colleagues that I recently started collecting Japanese swords. This news was met with a few raised eyebrows. "Everyone has their peculiarities", said one. They were not even remotely interested in seeing what I had acquired. Their loss, perhaps. When I mentioned a painting that I had acquired by a nationally famous historical artist, then they were interested. Elitist perhaps, but with good reason. That painting was a good investment. So again, why should I try to encourage new nihonto collectors? I certainly could care less whether more Russians or Chinese become interested. In fact, I would prefer the opposite. I think that this hobby will smolder along, until such time as a future generation of Japanese people decide that they want to have their best swords back for the sake of their culture. Alan
  13. I would like to second that. You also forgot to mention Chris Bowen. I am always anxious to hear what he has to say as well. I suspect that this topic was prompted by some of the last discussions and long ramblings in the later part of the Kazushige Tsuruta thread in the "Sword Shows, Events, ..." forum. I would like to take credit for that. If I hadn't proposed my follow-up, even if somewhat off topic, then we wouldn't have been treated the somewhat long-winded (but entertaining) discourse that followed. That thread might still otherwise be dead. Richard Stein's reply to this topic was priceless! Cynical perhaps, but there is a certain truth to it. The last reply from reeder was touching, and strikes a chord with me. So far, I have not really dealt with the actual topic. It requires further thought. Must rest the old brain now. Alan
  14. In your first clue, you said that he was the ancestor of the Monju Shiro. Who was the Monju Shiro? Was that Kanekiyo? I found more than one reference to "monju shiro". Alan
  15. Targeted thefts? But if you didn't stand out in the street shouting "I have swords", then how would they know what you have? Renshi, that's a cheap safe! Exactly what I was talking about. By the way, those are some serious heavy wrecking bars that they are using in that video. Even with those big pry-bars, it takes some concerted effort from those two guys to get it open. Note also that they first throw the safe on it's back and have to have a lot of "elbow" room to work freely. This is contrived. Most home thieves don't generally carry those things along with them. They don't easily fit in the pocket and they are very very heavy. Trust me, I have one. Don't ask me what I use it for! Where did you say you live? Alan
  16. Yeh, but unless you live in a remote area, they are not likely to spend too much time in your home attempting to break into the safe with the alarm blaring. Even a cheap gun safe is better than nothing. If they are out on display, then they just grab and run. A cordless saw is not gonna get through a good safe in a couple of minutes, Dan. Most smash and grab thieves are not that dedicated. It takes a concerted effort to break into a good safe. Alan
  17. Hi Kronos, What approximate value are we talking about and what is your current address? :D I agree with the others. Nothing beats a good safe and a monitored home alarm system. Unless your home's security is absolutely assured, I would not leave swords on display (in display cases or on sword stands) when I was not home. Unless of course they were just cheap swords or you have so much money that their loss would not be an inconvenience. Insuring art is not cheap. Don't just buy a cheap gun safe. Get something solid and heavy. My safe cost me nearly $5000 and I would consider it to be the bare minimum. Alan
  18. Yes James, you are right. My post was perhaps only a lot of nonsense, and it was straying off topic. I fully recognize that a Japanese dealer would not want to significantly discount a $100,000 blade. That would be ridiculous, for something that was exceptional (as I said before). I also recognize that Aoi Art does not represent such expensive items. Nor would those wishing to sell such expensive blades seek his services first. However, I was also trying to make a point that there are some blades being offered in North America that are perhaps priced significantly above what they are actually worth. Tens of thousands of dollars over what they would be reasonably expected to net in Japan. Alan
  19. I wanted to post a follow-up to this thread which seems to have died. As I said in my first reply, I thought that this was a very interesting and provocative thread which might prompt other discussions. Potentially important topics such as this one seem to die all too quickly as members become easily distracted by newer and less consequential topics. I mentioned that jlawson had made some good points. In his first post, he said: In addition, this hobby at its purest form is a very expensive proposition that exclude so many young people from become true students. Which causes them to buy without knowledge, get stung on a purchase, then swiftly exit front he hobby because they were "taken advantage of". That statement alone could spin off an entirely new topic that I would rather not get entangled in at the moment, but it is food for thought. Later on in the thread, jlawson said (in response to Steven M): Steven M, unfortunately your thoughts about the 15k sword are what I am talking about in regards to one of the barriers of entry in this hobby. Also just an FYI for you a 15k Juyo is probably one that you don't want to own. There are varying levels of quality even in Juyo swords and that is the bottom of the barrel so to speak. Not so fast. One also has to consider whether a particular dealers items are reasonably priced (reflecting the present market's condition), or unreasonably overpriced. That 15K Juyo might not be so bad after all. Take into consideration what Mr. Tsuruta said in his letter. Presently, I believe that there are many Juyo swords being offered for sale in North America who's asking prices are well above what the market value would be in Japan. I understand that it is not difficult to get a Juyo Ichimonji in Japan presently for under $50K. I have had some very interesting discussions recently with a well respected nihonto expert. This gentleman told me that Mr. Tsuruta's prices are actually quite reasonable (for the most part) for a couple of reasons. One is that most of his swords are sold on consignment and he is not unrealistic when he tells his consignors what they can reasonably expect to get for the sale of their sword. He won't offer them false hope. Many of his consignors may also be in need of money, so that also helps to reduce their expectations of receiving top dollar, or perhaps what they paid for it when the market was more robust. He might say, "I will (and can) sell it for you, but you have to be reasonable". Otherwise, they can consign it with someone else for a ridiculous asking price and it might never sell. The corollary of that is that one might assume that his swords are less desirable examples because they are going cheap. It has been said that the best swords are always in demand. If one expects that they should still fetch top dollar, then one must be prepared to wait a long time to sell them. How do you know that a $20K sword listed on Mr. Tsuruta's website wouldn't be listed for half as much again, or even twice that, if it were for sale Stateside? I have good reason to suspect that it would be. Every dealer can find flaws (or find such-and-such wrong) with another dealer's swords, but does that always justify the double price that they are asking for their sword? Sure there are special swords (flawless, signed, etc.) which command a premium, but as jlawson said: you may "get stung". Alan P.S. That doesn't mean to say that I believe that all swords presently offered for sale on North American websites are overpriced. There are a couple of exceptional swords presently for sale that are possibly quite reasonably priced at the moment. Problem is, they are still very expensive Juyo swords. So it would be arbitrary to describe them as bargains.
  20. :lol: Sorry, but I just have to laugh out loud. This recent turn of events regarding shipping of swords out of Japan only helps to confirm what a strange proclivity this passion is for acquiring Japanese swords. I have often thought so myself, and one of my fine art (paintings) collecting friends told me that he thought it was a "peculiarity". Perhaps soon you will all be branded as a deviants for wanting to acquire a Japanese blade, and this will be considered to be a definable perversion by mainstream art collectors. Now, before all you deviant nihontophiles get your knickers in a knot: I have a sword in Japan that was recently submitted for shinsa. It is an expensive sword. A dealer in the States arranged the submission for me. I am not too worried that he will not be able get it back to the U.S. safely later next year. After that, it should not be impossible to get it back to Canada. I'd be prepared to go collect it myself, if I had to. If this is going to be the coming trend, shipping companies considering antique swords to be prohibited and peculiar items, then I will have to think twice before I ever consider the purchase of another sword. This is a reality check for me. Alan
  21. No, I'm just jealous because my only vehicle is a Ford truck! Renshi, you were going off on a tangent about classic Corvettes. It might have been a reasonable analogy, but it was at least 12 sentences too long. This thread started with a discussion of Mr. Tsuruta's letter. Perhaps he is just a senile old git, but he wasn't talking about Corvettes. There are other forums for that. Alan
  22. Madre de dios! Now if we have to use the classic car (matching numbers 1960's piece of junk American icon car) as an analogy, then we really must be dealing with a profoundly stupid lot. All hope is perhaps lost for educating the uneducable. That analogy is so trite and (perhaps unintentionally) condescending, as to be totally ridiculous and insulting to the intelligence of even the most slack jawed drooling member of this forum. Alan
  23. That is a good question. As I tried to point out in my last post, that is the wrong way to approach this. It has been said many times here on the NMB: Buy the sword, not the papers. If you are determined to obtain a Juyo sword but your budget is limited to buying one of the lowest priced Juyo swords available, then you risk buying a tired sword (perhaps a less desirable example made by a renowned smith) that has seen many polishings or has more minor flaws than you would expect in a higher priced sword. The other problem is that the more expensive a sword is, the more difficult it is to sell. There are so many of them. It has to be something really special to catch the eye of the cognoscenti. A $20,000 Juyo sword is rarely going to do that. You will likely be stuck with it forever. Either that, or you will have to sell or trade it at a loss in the future. That is not something you want to bargain for, unless you really love it. Here is another example for you: Recently there were four Juyo swords listed for sale at the recent Bonham's auction in New York. I recognised these swords since they had been previously listed (for quite some time) on a dealer's website. They were all estimated at $35,000 to $45,000. I followed this auction and the results with interest. Only one of the four swords sold at this auction. The other three were passed over. Does that tell you something? Don't overlook a good Tokubetsu Hozon sword. Especially if is has been made by a well renowned smith. Rarity makes it even more desirable. If you are lucky, and with the good advice of someone knowledgeable, you might even find a T. Hozon sword that is a Juyo candidate. Buy a sword you like. Juyo is sort of like a seal of approval, but it doesn't necessarily make it any more saleable in the future. Alan
  24. That was quite profound, Pete. Avocation: 1. A hobby; a pursuit chosen chosen for enjoyment rather than profit. 2. A distraction; disturbing element. Based on that: One should acquire not just for the sake of acquiring, but for the understanding of what one wishes to acquire. Be it a lowly sword on Ebay, or a five figure Juyo sword displayed on one of the more enticing websites. So far, I have perhaps been guilty of acquiring without doing my homework. Don't buy just because you like the look of a particular sword and it looks perhaps to be a good deal, or you wish to impress other members on this forum. No one is going to be impressed by most fleabay items. Buy it if it is what you really like and you understand what it is, and where it stands in relation to other works in it's period and by that particular smith. Don't be swayed by dealers extravagant descriptions and exaggerations about importance and provenance. Don't buy it on "emotion" (a perplexing term that keeps cropping up), and don't buy it if you are not buying it with "extra money". Otherwise you are just dreaming. Alan
×
×
  • Create New...