FletchSan

#2 koto tachi on hold

#3 Shinto Katana sold

#1 Koto Katana is still available.

#4. Both Tsuba sold

#1 Koto Katana is now on hold

6. Japanese Ken

5. Gunto Tsuba & Seppa

4. Iron Tsuba

3. Muneshige Shinto Katana

2. Koto Tachi

1. Koto Katana

Hi All, Moving on a few of my "not quite right" swords and tsuba. Some of these will either bring a tear to your eye at the abuse they've had or a sparkle in a potential and challenging restoration project All prices are in USD + Paypal Fees & Shipping costs. 1. Koto Katana, probably late muromachi mino den. This was a ww2 bring back that I had a window done on. The window showed very nice workmanship, though the hamon dips / fades near the kissaki, so I decided not to proceed to a full polish. It would still look marvellous fully polished, though probably wouldn't result in a return on the investment for me. $1500 Nagasa : 68cm Sori: 1.8cm Now to the horror stories. These two Katana were found in an attic, abused and left to rot. The two iron tsubas were all that were left along with the blades. 2. Koto Tachi. This looks very early, o-suriage with a wonderful sugata. It has been abused with several chips along the edge and also has a fairly decent opening / blister that can be seen mid way along the blade that would need to be filled if restored. To be honest, not sure there's a polish left in this. $600 Nagasa: 67.3cm Sori: 3.3cm 3. Shinto Katana. This is quite a beefy and straight blade with similar abuse to the tachi in respect to the chips along the edge. It does seem more healthy though would be an expensive polish. ​It is signed Muneshige and the signature looks good. I'll include a picture of a polished Muneshige for comparison of the signature as well. $750 (SOLD) Nagasa: 63.5cm Sori: 1cm 4. 2 * Iron Tsuba. These came with the swords above $50ea (SOLD) ​​5. Shingunto Tsuba and 3 * Seppa $100 6. Japanese Ken / Tanto. Interesting piece, probably a domestic Meiji period Ken for the home shrine. The horimono carving is excellent and might be an interesting one to restore. $1200 Photos coming. cheers, Ben

Hi Paul. Looking at yours, they are quite similar aren't they. I think mine has slightly more sori, though they are quite close. I'll focus my research on Suketaka and other Shinshinto smiths who made copies of older swords. thanks, Ben

Interesting! One can hope So you're leaning more towards a Shinshinto copy of an older sword vs a Koto sword? What are some of the telltale signs of a later copy when doing Kantei? Cheers, Ben

I know. Not sure there's much I can do about them other than a new polish at some stage. The sword definitely seems to be Koto to me based on the sugata and nakago patina. Perhaps muromachi? Is it ubu or has it been shortened?

I dont think so - though not exactly sure what I'm looking for. Here's a brighter / overexposed picture of the nakago.

Hi All, I picked up this sword recently which came with no papers or any information whatsoever. Maybe a good candidate for the Kantei competition It has obviously had a decent polish at some stage though has been neglected as there are areas of rust probably from fingerprints etc I guess. Still good enough to see the workmanship. Interested in thoughts. I cannot see any flaws at all other than the minor areas of rust that can be seen in the photos. The sword looks very healthy to me - too healthy? I wonder if it could be a copy of a Koto period blade. Nagasa: 68.2cm Sori: 2.3cm cheers, Ben

Thanks for the advice all !

Thanks. I know you can use Jauce or similar 3rd party sites to buy from Yahoo Japan for a service fee though does that exclude Japanese Swords?

Hi All, I haven't used Yahoo Japan before, though registered on Jauce.com to look at some armour. I noticed that all of the swords come up as Blocked and cannot be shipped internationally. Is that right or can they be if the auction is unblocked? cheers, Ben

Thanks. I've sent you a PM Dave. Cheers, Ben

I've been admiring both of these Ebay listings as they are local to me - though I know nothing about Japanese Armour. Given the discussions about fakes as well - I thought I'd seek opinions. Are they genuine - and are they fairly priced or overpriced for what they are? cheers, Ben http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ANTIQUE-Japanese-EDO-PERIOD-SAMURAI-ARMOR-BOX-KABUTO-/122467981001?hash=item1c83a916c9:g:pXoAAOSwzgBY4Ywk http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ANTIQUE-Japanese-EDO-PERIOD-SAMURAI-ARMOR-ARMOUR-KABUTO-/122467981002?hash=item1c83a916ca:g:tWoAAOSw3utY4YrL

Facinating - appreciate the detailed response Ian. My wife is a curator so certainly understand the challenges around public funding and of conservation. I loved my time at the Royal Armouries and have always wanted to visit. I could have spent days there if allowed If I get a chance to visit again Paul I'll certainly take you up on a sword catch-up !

Hi Paul. Yes the close up from the Leeds Armouries is the Kanemoto. I spent a great deal of time admiring it as I recently picked up a Kanemoto The Gassan gendaito is the Deryk Ingrams one. Interestingly none of the Naginata were polished, including the one owned by the Queen. I asked about that and apparently the head curator thought they should be though it was contentious preserving them as is vs. restoring which was interesting given they were Japanese swords and restoring = preserving. I looked through my photos and I think this may be the tanto you are referring to? (not a great pic) cheers, Ben

Hi All, Here are some pics from my recent visit to the UK from the Tower of London, Victoria and Albert Museum and the Royal Armouries in Leeds. Now you can all guess what each of these items are cheers, Ben