doug e lewis

Umm, so kids are not interested in sword collection. you propably have some other "Japanese stuff", as the Philistines in my area might say, in your collection. [no offense meant to any Philistines or their desendants, its just an expression from Old Testament propaganda, and really not justified from what has been learned in the achealogical record] so ya feeling a little under the weather? slowing down? forgeting where the key to sword room is? getting OLD? you mightwant to let some nihonto go at fire sale prices so you can take that trip to Japan you always wanted. if not, i will get in the estate sale line with all the rest. hopefully, many years from now. doug e

very sorry to hear of his passing. we are lucky that he will live on in the work he has left us. doug e

thank you Mr. Watson, for the fine pix and story. you always delight. anything more you want to share from your collection, please, anytime! unfortunately, your posts, and several others, have now got me interested in more than a passing fashion in Japanese firearms [pre-1876 for now]. i must now increase my hobby budget by 20% just to cover the cost of the books i must get to really enjoy this aspect of nihonto. they are still considered nihonto, yes? thank you again. doug e

personally, i enjoy your stories. they add character and color to a sometimes dull iron nihonto discussion limited to patina on tsuba and sori of katanna. tho i like that, also, as that is where the real learning begins. i agree with John about maybe too much your life history, but everyone has there own style and way of getting to the point. since this General forum is the least restrictive on NMB, i can't see the harm. if it annoys me i can jump somewhere else, i am not forced to read every post. i don't know who you are .... but i don't know the names of all of the Beach Boys, Who, or Eagles ... or Three Dog Night. hope you get back at it, even if only at the local pub. rockn' roll will keep you young. more of your father's WWII experiences, please. doug e

did these tanto pistols vary much in caliber. .30 would be a good size. but since theamerican derringer varied [John Booth used a .44, if i remember correctly] and they went up to .50, maybe more. and we have .22 and .25 now. did the Japanese try larger calibers? the saya must have looked chunky for a .50 tanto/pistol. great article. thank you. doug e

Hi Piers, tried to quote what you said in your last paragraph - above-- anyway, to get to it: di you acually do this yourself? thaNK you. doug e

Hello Jack, i hope you have great trip. if you need a body guard, i have trained in Shotokan since 1972 and know basics in a few weapons .... and i am cheap, air fare and per diem so i can eat. to be serious, i natually concur with what Brian said. take heed of all the senior members. and it takes time to distinguish between good copies of old sword by 18th century smith and old sword by a Koto master. plus recognize good China fakes from the real McCoy. their wall hangers are getting better all the time. fakes should not, judging by what our members who live in Japan and those who have traveled there have said, be an issue in most sword shops. Price, well ,,, it is Japan, and they do pretty much set the standard for value apprasal of nihonto for the rest of world. i will carry your bags and shine your shoes! lots of luck, doug e

HI Peirs, those are fantastic photos --- man, i wish i was there! been outside working so missed he start of the post. MORE thank you, doug e

Thank you for pointing that out, Jean-san. or is that Jean no Kami? doug e

i think you earned it. these are the pages which led me astray. doug e

yep... that's me. can't afford quality Koto nihontoright now, or good tosugu, so i buy books you let me know next auction if ya got an eye on a book/print etc. and i will back off. got to let others have fun, also doug

great article, Carlo-san, and very nice to see Dr. T as a co-author. i have read many of his articles; he really knows his stuff. here are the pages which mislead me. hope they show how i was confused. doug e

Hello Mr. Sinclaire, thank you for taking the time to discuss this thought/image feeling that i got the other day looking at this old nihonto estate auction cataloge i was lucky enough to get on ebay a few weeks ago. novice in everything -- nihonto, ebay ===. To digress, i must thank you for your wonderful book "Samurai Swords", which i just read. i am soon to be forced to devote an entire wall to your writings. i was aware of the structure of the blade which those terms described, but for that reason, and the simple ink drawing in the 1964 auction catalogue showing 3 distinctly different short swords --- with diff. names, the longest appearing to be a tanto i was familar with. i thought " 3 diff. blades" ah, not so. same tanto in different styles! thank you all for the good time and education. doug e

thank you Moriyam-san & Carlo-san, i must go though my files and find out where i got the notion of tosu being both weapons and primarily for womaen [in Edo period]. amazing the amount of mis-information you get as you 1st start learning more than just traditions of Shoto-kan. i should have asked my sayashi buddy, Mike Virgadamo, as he would have wasted no time setting me straight. and i thought shirken were just "star ninja throwing weapons" thank you again. doug e

call the NY sword club. they might help. and sometimes fittings worth more than sword or other way. really is worth the time to get it right, but you got to work, also, i guess. ya love to see stoneware -- one you don't want and others --- and anything you know about it. just enough for me to do some research would be OK. may save you the trouble and commision with Ebay. thanks doug e

Todd, are not you aware that you are not alloed to collect! :lol: really, i would love to see that one stoneware you do not want. auction houses? thought Ted had mentioned some -- can't locate right now, but Sotherby's has a weapons section. there are others, and Sotherby's would point you to them. also contact the NY tOKEN kAI in NMB organization links, by NMB masthead, i am sure web link is there. paperpacks just have to be bundled [like ich-kizu katana in the segoku era] with like topic and sold for cheap. fiction -- no. none fiction -sure. [Ted/Brian/Jean, i am sorry if i am exceeding limits of topic or thread, just exciting stuff to be at the beginning] thanks again for the books --- and fast shipping. doug e

Hey Todd, first, thanks for the 4 books. won ebay auction and they are just fine. you mentioned stoneware??? is any going up soon? and for the swords, go with above -- auction house in NY that specialize in weapons. they will give fair appraisal as they want to maximize sale for their commision. you know this, anyway. great stuff. the best to your grandma. doug e

thank you, Carlo, for your attention to my question. what is the source of the drawings below the sword/knives? do you know of any examples of multple tosu saya i could look at on line? would they -- tosu -- be used as a back up to a samurai's wak or tanto? doug e

hi mariusz, the names can be confusing, but enjoyable in the learning. off topic -- i have shown the tsuba you use on NMB to give an examble of good tsuba to friends [mine are --- not so good, to be polite] thank you again doug e

helps a bunch, never occured to me that they were just different mounting styles. the catalogue made it seem as size mattered [which we all know -- in some things it does] tosu - as just knife, not sword. ok. but more than utility knife like kogatanna. maybe throwing knife? that would be why one carried several, as our samurai in HIdden Fortress, yes? thank you doug e

rats, missed it will have check when they re-run it now. got any review of show to give us, stephen? doug e

Hello all, i have run into terms for different tanto which i cannot localte further info on. while i do more research i thought i would ask NMB most of these came from a 1964 auction catalogue i got from the estate groinlower is selling. tosu - Moroha-zukuri, thin -- like stilletto -- no sori hamidachi - hira-zukri, sight sori, ito or string on tsuka, hamidachi-menuki, kozuka/kogatanna aikuchi - moroha-zukuri, very slight sori, kogai tanto - katainiha-zukuri, hamidashi-menuki, slight sori, kogai/kogatanna they seem to be in assending order of length -- tosu being shortest. i find no mention of these tanto divisions, outside a reference to tosu being mainly a woman's blade. any body able to tell me more or send me to web site that can educate me. thank you. doug e

Hello Weidas, thank you for your posting, in any language something new in any facet of our bueatiful hobby is welcome to me. lots of pics on NMB method of posting [so they download automatically] is most welcome. again (and thanks Brian & John for the info) doug e

well John, your way is clear. as Lee Bray notes above: "I must advise also that the climate and humidity here do not bode well for nihonto, without extra care. I had 2 swords rust badly during a period of time when it was raining almost daily, and I forgot to check and re-oil. (I don't live in an air-conditioned flat, plus it's near the sea." after that testimony my dry High Mojave Desert free storage offer, with prescribed periodic care of swords , must look pretty good. :D think it over. doug e

thanks Mark, yeah, they are pretty rough. still, they are yet a part of an amazing tradition. if only gunto furniture, they have a story to tell. doug e