JonnyO

First thing I thought, too, when seeing the signature. ( my opinion is just that

A "Mini-me". Nice. If that'd been a 50BMG you would have giant hands.

I'd be in for one. What's that? 19,972 to go?

You truly are now SwordGuyJoe. ( And if you say it fast it even sounds Japanese Sorgaijo. :-)

No Central Market mention for a Muffaletta?

Look forward to being there. I'm mere minutes away!

Seriously? I'm a "newbie" too, but that looks like Chinese junk. No offense. I'm sure the gentlemen here who are disciples will elucidate. Best of luck!

Which is why ebay hides bidder profiles so you CANNOT see the unscrupulous practices unfold before you. Bunch of damned crooks. Did I mention I detest ebay?

I could see a little bend in the kogatana and simply increased it a bit and VOILA! Thanks for the tips!

So what is an acceptable method to 'glue' the kogatana into the kozuka? Moving a couple of them around ended up with neither being very secure anymore. Can I just use a drop of gorilla glue? ( which is kind of a pliable rather than brittle adhesive when dried, I've found.) Thanks!

and the cold sword does not have a soul (some may want to disagree). I would disagree by saying that it is my observation that a lot of the men who made some of these works of art definitely put their soul into their work. That is probably the thing that drew me most to Nihonto- exactly WHAT went into some of these works ( now art ) by the hands and hearts of these craftsmen. To me, some are spiritual creations and a part of the life of the smith still resides in what his hands created. But hey, what do I know? Darcy's # 19 comments are like some of Markus's and Jean's-I must re-read and re-read them to burnish them into my brain- as a newbie. :-) The knowledge shared is invaluable.You could go your whole life and not have the privilege of learning such nuances and History. Thank you! Your words of wisdom are greatly appreciated!

Sad. There ALWAYS seem to be one major thief who plays himself off on unsuspecting people in a WIDE VARIETY of collectibles. Two others I've known afflicted with the same type of cretin are in billiards ( cues ) and firearms, both parts and weapons. Absolutely disgusting people that do these crimes. They are well known to LE but usually seem to slip enforcement and incarceration by reimbursement WHEN CAUGHT. That's the key, however-WHEN CAUGHT! They get away with their crimes most of the time because a lot of us are embarrassed we let ourselves be swindled and keep silent. Best of luck on recovery of your items. At some point he'll pay. I just hope it's long before death!

Actually, if you re-read my post I answered those questions. It took less than three weeks from the date of of payment ( 19 days to be precise-- 11/23-12/11 ) to the day it was in my hand! " The price listed was exactly what it cost me." I paid what he had the sword advertised for-no other charges. VERY happy to have inked the deal. :-D

http://www.Japanese-sword-katana.jp/wakisashi/1610-2004.htm Like I said, everything is as stated. My FIRST purchase, for instance, ( this being my SECOND...lol. ) showed a koshirae with the sword that OBVIOUSLY was just used to try to sell the sword. Kind of sad, IN THIS CASE... it fits really nicely! Definitely made for this sword. I feel fortunate, indeed, to have had the opportunity to acquire this item from an honest seller and wouldn't think twice about buying from him again. ( I did, initially. Very little about him "out there" on the web ) It was this board's members that reassured me he was "legit". THANKS! :-D JonnyO HA! I remembered to sign! :-)

I am pleased to say the wakizashi I ordered arrived today. I payed on November 23rd! The communication I received from Masayuki san was first rate. I was even given tracking information which was kind of fun to watch as it went through the various hoops to get to commiefornia and eventually to me. I definitely hope to do business with him again and don't hesitate to recommend him to a prospective buyer. In my opinion you'd be fortunate to make a deal with him. Everything was as pictured. Beautiful piece of work. I couldn't be more satisfied. ( oh, wait-if it cost less I would be It was nicely priced though, all kidding aside. I was also very happy to see I wasn't made to pay any additional credit card or paypal fees! The price listed was exactly what it cost me. Happy customer of e-Sword! I'm entirely new to this Nihonto World. I beg your indulgence when I err in this board's etiquette, PLEASE. I will try to not be hot-headed, too. JonnyO

Or if Larry wishes any to have interest in his items why not post the pics here? Is it verbotten? I find it very odd to have to go through a bunch of hoops to see an item someone WANTS TO SELL. If you wish to sell something you POST PICS-to at least spark SOME interest. But hey, what do I know?

Well I'm not certain how many of us buy sight unseen BUT the FIRST chance I have of POSSIBLY wanting ANY item is a glimpse of it's physical appeal. If you've not the time or inclination to post pics, RIGHT OFF THE BAT, then I'm sure your items will languish. But hey, what do I know?

Were it not for the excellent knowledge and skill of a particular member of this community I would have made a very poor purchase. I wish to publicly thank him. Without publicly thanking him. Thank you, Jean. :-) I'm in your debt, Sir.

He sent me HERE... to verify he was a decent seller. :-) Though I'd already, quite recently actually, become a 'member' here. Happy Thanksgiving to all! JonnyO

I have completed the purchase based on the many and rapid responses to my query. Thank you all for allaying my fears and I shall certainly post the end result of my interaction in the next month or two after recieving the item. Thanks again, for all your help ...(unless you're all " in on it"... ....just kidding :-)

Thanks for your time, Gentlemen. I had a good experience with Mr. Tsuruta of AOI Art in Japan a month ago. I was, however, able to find many reviews, a facebook page and info on aoi-art by a simple Google search. Turned out to be all good. :-) Here's my dilema. I can find virtually no such things about Masayuki Hirako and e-sword. There is a website, yes, but I can't find anything to verify it's legit. I asked the question a week ago at- http://nihontoclub.com/discussions/2015/11/17/Any-members-have-experience-with-E-swordjp I let Mr. Hirako know of my trepidation and he asked that I pose the same question here. As I'm now doing. I'm not asking if his item is a good purchase or wise buy, merely is the guy LEGIT? I've been told to VERY WARY about overseas purchases and I'm old ( over 20 :-) -so I listen to advice. Thank you for your time!