drbvac

Have to vote Ken in spite of translation = look at length, shape and even the perfectly symetrical habachi - that plus the fact it is stated to be in a shrine -= Did Anyone contact Tsuruta san for clarification >?

Maybe its the shortening days or people feeling a little down at summers passing but some of the comments are IMHO way to depressing in relation to this Forum which is world renowned and respected as the Nihonto board to go to. I will admit that some members have come on a seemed a little above us poor folks in the wilds and then eventually left but if you did a search of dates joined the board and last time on the forum they would spread over many years of many peoples lives. Consideirng the work involved in maintenance and mentoring all those involved have been very free with their time to Newbies and oldmen - I have had lenghty private conversations with many and learned specifics that I could never have found in any written source as not much is in print for lesser appreciated smiths. I am sure if someone wanted to start a very intense study of some particular topic a well placed group e-mail would set off all kinds of responses that in many ways would be so far above the average members following that it really would not be that popular on the forum. There is something here for everyone. ""Carry on Gang" - Hattie and Sid would be proud of you all

Barry has the term for sure - Sanmaiawasa -it is similar patterns on both sides - however - the one Stephen posted has Identical images - one side may have been carved the other copied and then they were bonded together ? NO way to carve both the same.

I haven't pushed it with family yet but do not believe any of my family want any of my small group of blades. If they do or want some or one or two I shall of course leave them the nihonto after making sure they will maintain them for their lifetime as well. Alternatively , I have approached a friend and dealer who is younger than I and hope to come up with a "fair" return/repurchase/buy and sell agreement for the entire collection so my wife or whomever is around to take care of my estate can simply ship them off and get a cheque. It is much safer and easier than trying to sell them one at a time or locally as they would be nowhere near market value and a pain in the ass to do so. I of course expect to get something from the dealer but not what I paid so much as the discount will take into the formula, all are gone, no hassles, "fair" price to estate, AND - the collection will be re-sold and dispersed to the next generation of Nihonto addicts. The price I paid for the blades is the rental fee I have paid to keep them in my house until I die = never as an investment. Hopefully it will be fair and work out well for all involved - I won't be around to see so it probably doesn't matter other than they are maintained - Museums will never get them at least not here in Canada

Noticed this pic while trolling some sites. I was just looking at it generally and saw I could see almost the entire rim of the tsuba as if it were whole reflected inn the polish on the blade and the habaki. It must be done on purpose or else it is a great coincidence - Nick's pictures are always impressive but this is pretty artistic as well

It is always smart and very respectful to maintain and preserve these works of art as they are when they arrive in our hands = even better to bring them back to what they were like when made. That said = does anyone think that a daimyo or samauri kept his blades and koshirae in separate storage with set humidity and temperature. Unlike porcelain and most paintings that were protected and displayed - these were pretty utilitarian weapons = don't suppose there is are lot of dishes from a tavern in the 1600' s left in one piece. I am just remarking on the fact it is great we are probably much more concerned about restoring and keeping these nihonto as we received them OR better to a much higher standard than they were originally. I hope the ghosts appreciate our efforts

I am sure they are stored somewhere to keep them from drying out and cracking - I do make sure the humidity doesnt go much below 30% and I wax the koshirae with Rennaissence Wax. Hasn't seemed to do much damage in 20 years so = ?

MIne are are stored edge up on home made stands behind locked glass with a dehumidifier bar in the bottom to lower the humidity to 30% and I can look at them all day

Thanks Nick and not to hi-jack the thread but - here's a pic for all new paint and back together again

No sarcasm there Joe - just a transposition situation =

This Nihonto porn has got to stop unless I sell a car or two - summer is for outside and cars and fishing - winter - all 11 months of it is for Nihonto appreciation. Thanks for the post though Nick - very nice indeed.

Seems like it goes too far into the steel to ever polish out and the blade probably isnt worth polishing anyway. Not supposed to comment on items that are still listed but Daimyou has been around a while and always tends to have lesser quality blades for sale. You can certainly get it plus shipping at a low enough price that it could be just sitting around but it will never be worth much

Makes sense that whomever had the blade and a tsuka sitting around and wanted to use both -= you do what you do to make it work. Seems pretty primitive to us but these are not national treasures so it would be like us putting a new axe handle on a head - may look the shits but if it functions as the owner wants it to - thats all he cares about. Funny that they look very similar so no doubt they were altered in the same way to fit similar hilts be they army or whatever but it could be some little aberation inside military hilts that mean the nakago has to be thinner in those areas. I attempted to make a tsunagi to use on a display where the blade was naked and the fittings in the koshirae on the wooden copy - it looks like I carved it from a 2 x 4 with a hatchet - I started tracing the blade and an hour later I was using a box cutter just to get it to fit and hold the fittings - anyway - will be interested to hear the "real" reasons that this may have been done.

Well done Barry - tough to get them all straight reading through the posts - considering the cost of the blades this stuff is protecting the cost may not be an issue but it would be neat to see the cost per ml or oz. The $60.00 bottle of Fujishiro oil which is 3.3 Oz is almost 100ml is less expensive than the choji oil at $1 a ml. True :??

East Coast - Prince Edward Island - may as well be in Antarctica in terms of weather and access to nihinto

$ 4800.00 - The Chrysanthemum is an imperial mon on the nakago

The Midare is not quite the same - this blade has been on the board several times as it is 23rd Kanefusa and / lengthy discussion as it sure as hell looks like a traditionally made - water quenched blade The throw off was the showa stamp and there ensued an even longer discussion on when and where these were used So - FYI here you go

Pure Mineral oil can be gotten and it is used as a laxative and other so you can drink it so it can't be too harmful to anything. If you really like the smell of cloves you can add it to the oil but it really doesnt do anything other than scent the oil. I remove it with isopropyl alcohol and put it back on once in a while and live 5 miles from salt water - never had any problems so - if it aint broke dont fix it. Very interesting tests however but these are all oils - what about Rennaissance Wax - anyone ever apply that to Nihonto = I have put it on my Colts and Remingtons and they dont change.

Aint they all -

Blade is forged but thats about the best of it as far as I can see. Not my choice as everything else is not good at all.

It is beautiful and must be from an excellent smith - the "experts" should know and if not perhaps you have found a new master - the dragon is exquisite

Ted and Darcy are both class acts - never actually purchased anything from either (yet) but they have been more than helpful and happy to share their knowledge (which is vast) and help those of us that do not get access to the many blades in hand that others do. It is the generosity of folks in the hobby and the business who are so willing to lend a hand that lets us all grow and continue to enjoy the blades.

"" Depending on the actual appearance in hand one of you is correct but there is probably no doubt that either theory is just as possible and credible - thanks for the explanations, diagrams and photos = interesting and enlightening - especially for those of us that NEVER get to see many blades in hand other than the ones we buy !! :freak:"" I will retract this statement above having re-read and looked at the available photos - I was misunderstanding that there was a question that the sword was NOT shortened and - c'mon - it is almost a classic example at least from photos so what was the discussion about again? Wthho would forge a blade with a nakago shaped like that and cut a 1/2 menukiana in it >. I can be pretty stunned at times but do hope I am learning some things - I still can't get my head around an argument that it is not shortened.

http://nihontoart.com

Well done Nick - the quality of your blades continues to amaze and I am sure this Daisho will not be available on your site for very long - someone will be the owner of a very unique pair of blades.