drbvac

Hi Brother: The kanji were blotted out before the application of the cutting test as you stated since it actually goes over some of the original writing. As you also said it was not removed completely so whatever it said was not wanted there by whomever ordered the cutting test be done BUT not completely eliminated and of course Nagahisa wanted to be sure his Kanji were clear and as much as possible avoided any areas where the original was to allow proper placement and clarity for his characters. So - not being able to actually know the why you may want to use some sort of analysis to try and get some hint of any of the kanji to figure what was written - thoughts that it may have been a dedication to the original owner are possible. It would have been something that the person who ordered the cutting test did not want to remove BUT didn't want it left on his new blade. Maybe Nagahisa wondered where am I supposed to write my test results and was told to blur our this area and fit it wherever possible. Interesting mystery as it obviously did not want to removed completely or there wasn't enough time to do that - who knows - but as if you have some idea what it actually says it would help. I assume this is on your site - nice blade

ALl things considered according to the papers it has mounts and a koshirae - if to goes for less than $2000.00 and the papers are genuine then the sword is for all intents and purposes - free

Wow - discussion with Chris Bowen and George Trotter taking active and as always participation that is measured, polite and includes reasoning for some of their opinions and preference based on many years of study and expertise - thanks for this. - Personally - Sashikomi all the way !

Geraint: Thanks so much for the great article - price is great considering what I paid for the sword !! This is the Koshira that came with this and the fuchi is exactly as the one you shared

Arigatou gozaimasu Moriyama San.

Have no idea what this may say so any assistance would be greatly appreciated !!!!!

I have had this old unpapered Katana for over 30 years and never did bother to take or send it to shinsa but maybe I will some day. It is not a particularly flashy blade but the mounts are really nice - Attributed by reputable source to late Murimachi Akaska Senguin - tsuba is signed as are the fuchi and koshira, tsuba - Kinai of Echizen - open carved dragon . The Wak from David is late 1500's signed and papered to Masanori and the fittings are close enough other than the tsuba which is plain - anyone out there have a wak sized tsuba by Kinai drop me a note with your price and dimensions ! !

Scanning E-bay for papered Nihonto from many sellers and with no real way to trust postings or seller authenticity it seems that in general the sales offered are a lot lower than one would expext - even from sellers with very good ratings and with free shipping. Less than 2000 dollars for a papered wakizashi seems ridiculous considering the work and time and cost involved in getting any blade papered in the first place. There was a time even with a very trusted seller the only deals were for mumei blades and / or unpapered offerings. What seems to be the general thoughts on the market in general?

I have been collecting edged weapons for over 60 years beginning with some bayonets taken back from WW2 by relatives. Searched for more bayonts from all over the world, for 25 years then Military Officers Swords, German Daggers, Edged weapons from many countries and then picked up my first Nihonto in the mid 80's. Not many dealers around and E-bay didn't even exist so it was hard work getting any assortment and I became pretty well read and took what came up. I managed to acquire some nice pieces and some real dogs which I moved on and in the mid nineties sold all my non-Japanese blades to a large arms dealer, over 250 bayonets, 150 large swords, all classes of German Dress daggers etc etc. By then their were some Nihonto dealers and E-bay was not too bad intitially so added and subtracted till I now only have about 25 blades. Back in the day as I said you took what you could get and PAPERED blades were very rarely available, and when they were the prices were nuts. So - many of my first purchases were mumei and/or unpapered. Now in my mid-seventies with no relatives with any interest in Nihonto I am going to sell some of my little collection and hopefully someone will be thankful to get an antique katana of any type to appreciate and care for for the rest of this century and pass it on to another collector starting out. I am offering them for roughly the same price I paid for them as I never really thought of them as an investment but remember these were dollars from 40 years ago so their may have been a little inflation since then - or I paid too much for them back then!! Both Katana's are in shirasaya, in good polish with no defects or kizae and attractive blades in their own right. Katana # 1 Nakago: Ubu Mei : Mumei Papered; Nope Era/Age : Mid Edo period Mounts ; Shirasaya Nagasa: 26" Sori : Torii-Zori Hamon Type : Gunome Midare - and uguha Jihada : Masame Other Hataraki Visible : Flaws : None Sword Location : Canada Will ship to : Anywhere you want to pay for. Payment Methods Accepted : Pay Pal , Electronic Funds Transfer Price and Currency : 2600 USD Wakizashi # 2 Nakago: Ubu, Mei : Tadayoshi - probably Gimei but in his style and well executed. Papered; Nope Era/Age : 18th century Mounts: Shirasaya Nagasa: 21.5 " Sori : Torii-Zori Hamon Type : Jihada : O-mokume Other Hataraki Visible : Flaws : None Sword Location : Canada Will ship to : Anywhere you want to pay for. Payment Methods Accepted : Pay Pal , Electronic Funds Transfer Price and Currency : 2000 USD Thanks for taking the time to read and take a look at the photos -=

I would if I had one Bruce but it is not my sword ! Will see if I can get some of the entire sword .THese are all I have ! !

As stated above Darcy Broadbank suggested ligh oiling of the Nakago - others say don't touch it as the darkening is a sign of age - I wouldn't bother having it removed and a light oil would prevent any further forming of the red rust and it should be fine

Thank you very much John - much appreciated

Well I figured it would be Ray or Marcus if anyone could = what type of nihonto blade has a threaded nakago? Police or Officers sword - smaller ones

Funny how most of these topics come up over and over again but I don't mind showing my case I had made with locking sliding glass doors and LED lights !

Trust is something earned not developed and it has to be maintained through actions and words or it will fade away and even one bad case can be enough to lose it all. It is also based on truth and although everyone can make a mistake the biggest problem in keeping it intact is never lying and willing to face up to problems openly. We all have others who are disappointed in us but hopefully only through an error and with no malice so just be the best you can be and carry on. Its a NEW YEAR brothers.

I agree for certain question anything you are not happy with but I assumed his main goal was to have a koto blade and was wondering if that was accurate. For smiths with very little information available, the blade itself probably indicates the period as best as you will be able to and Aoi is certainly pretty good with that. He has his koto blade and the rest is for more accuracy on the smith etc. I was just saying the descriptions from AOI are usually pretty accurate to the extent that they go.

Do you have a problem with AOI's description and information ? Usually they are pretty accurate and reliable in terms of what they report on their items and I know I couldn't question what is said on any level

Ray has good quality and prices for fittings and seems to have quite a few at any time in a changing inventory.

Tough to create a daisho - the least of which is getting matching fittings - the blades speak for themselves but again - thats the first part.

I have known and purchased swords from Nick for over 15 years and he is the best. His blades are all unique and while maybe not the big names are certainly of a quality not seen very often and all are papered. It is a pleasure to deal with him and his access to Nihonto during his annual trips to Japan is amazing and you can be assured of something of top quality, rare and beautiful pieces. Highly recommend him and if you ARE looking for something special let him know - for example - see the amazing Muramasa on his website Nihontoart.com !

Depends on what measures you are using as reaching perfection - as art pieces then the shinskuto competitions may be of some measure but as a weapon - another set of measures that may have nothing to do with the actual shape or appearance - Having collected all sorts of edged weapons for over 50 years and confining them to Nihonto the perfect sword may in fact be ugly but very sharp, extreme edge strength, exact length for the samauri using it, and effective in all situations for which it may be used ! My old Ieteda may not be the prettiest but a 3 body cutting test means it may be sufficient for which it was made

Truth for certain when you think of all the "stuff" made now that has a built in obsolesence. Most appliances, washers, dryers, refrigerators with all the hi-tech and costing thousands of dollars will work and be around for about 5-10 years. Cars are gone in a heartbeat - yet a forged pile of iron ore has a finish like glass and will cut like nothing else is still as made 800 years ago. It is a testament to the care that generations of people have put into keeping it so and I am proud to be one of them !

Thanks very much - how do you track down these documents !!!!