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So I am asking that these are the small tightly woven kleenex size cloths - not the "micro fibre" towels that are available ? Same name - different sizes and surface texture but both a long way from rough or abrasive ?? The micro fibre cloths for cleaning LCD screens are supposed to be pretty non-abrasive as well ?

Found this while surfing I can't believe I have never seen this site - anyone ever buy from these folks : http://new.uniquejapan.com http://new.uniquejapan.com/wp-content/u ... alogue.pdf B

I could not get the original link from Paul to work - has it changed?

I agree Darcy - put it in perspective but it really is a crap shoot at some point especially for rarer smiths - if none anywhere else the price could be scary - but in the end I would thing Tsuruta san being where he is and how long he has been in business would have a pretty good hand on the market and price accordingly - even that is a good thing.

I sort of miss them - another is Guiseppe tach something from Italy and DOCLISS From the isles off Britain - good Tsuba source

You weren't here when Rheinhard was on the board = thats nothin. :D :D

Single Malt = Cardhu - Highland Park - Oban Wife - 1 German cars - many - too many - Motorcycles - Japanese sports cars etc etc Here is 3 older ones: - AND the current one - BMW M Coupe - 1 of 38 Red in 2006 - ESS Supercharger - 435 HP - scary // So who has 5 cents to spend on blades :D

I have no idea how they work in any event :lol: However - has anyone got any ideas how the selling price of nihonto is calculated relative to each other / other collectibles. Usually it is rarety and condition but the original prices are usually decided by auction - worth what they can get - so it is odd to see blades from 2G to 65 G on teh same site and I have no idea what level of comparison to base any of it on. Actually I may have hijacked this thread for which I apologise and it can be stuck somewhere else as I would like to know"

Alan: I will have no problem selling any of my blades for what I paid for them - at least unlike Nortel they are not through the floor :lol: My most costly acquisition was about 5G , many in the 2G range and I know seeing papered blades that if I wanted to go through the process they would paper as attributed - and I would make some money but again - not my focus - appreciate - collect - buy&sell - have fun. My comments regarding investments of which I will assuredly agree they are not, it was related to a demand for perfect, papered blades without any questions and paying what they are now charging 0 it seems the act of a smart neophyte or someone not wanting to take a risk and lose money. My tachi will certainly get me my investment back BUT - if one wants to explain to those interested how a muromachi tachi gets shortened and looks like a shinto Katana - cut 8" off mine -- blade that is. And about museums - I have seriously never seen another outside a museum - mnd you I am in the middle of nowhere in terms of Nihonto No my observation was as much a question as a bit of gospel but I do know people are looking for alternative investments and it got me to thinking - In any event my Picasso and Matisse prints are doing fine :D

Of course you are all right when getting into the disease state of Nihinto collecting or appreciation and you folks on the board are a good example of what any novice should do - 30 years ago many many blades were not papered and now it seems to gave gone to the point where it is a make money project for many. Again - nothing wrong with that any more than being assured what you bought is what you have, The folks I am speaking of are not on this board and may never be - they like the idea of samauri and the look of their swords - they are buying papered blades cause they have no other choice for what they want them for. Anyone can buy a very fast car -- not many can actually build one. The people that are buying these as an "investment" and require perfection and papers are either going to be surprised or upset in a couple of decades. At the same time they pull up the prices for joe average who collects for the sake of collecting and not for an investment. Collecting - hard to find what you want and the dealers will mark it up 50% and when you want to sell they will give you 50% of what you bought it for. It will take years if ever for the market to go to the point where there are any sizeable returns especially in high end papered blades. Back to cars - Muscle Cars from the 70's that I bought and drove for $5000.00 are now selling for over a million. Damn few ever get to drive them any more. Too bad when the prices are through the roof and a new collector has trouble affording a blade not worth the cost of a polish.

I keep drinking this and there will be blood on the snow when my wife gets home

Well you are not far off - Savignon Blanc in the snow = nice natural chill - that is some Nakago - you know what I mean nagasa

As I was writing another topic where I learned from a dealer of the expectations of most newer buyers that the blades be both flawless and papered. I have one with papers although I know there are others that would but I can buy 3 unpapered for 2 papered of the same era, quality etc It got me to thinking that perhaps many of the new folks on the market are certainly appreciative of Nihonto but have more money than knowledge. To at least cover themselves they buy only papered and then feel they can sell their acquisitions at some point and maybe turn a profit. Well papered or not I wish them well because other than a find - a real find - most blades less than 20 grand are not all of a sudden going to be worth 40. If you think the market is tough the only thing that could be a worse investment as far as I can tell is a car. The other thing is many of these buyers may like to look and hold but probably have no appreciation of what they are looking at - like modern art - no clue on my part. So I guess I may be a little discouraged as what has happened with many collectables , something becomes popular and thousands of examples are bought up by wealthy folks with a sudden urge to own several examples and call it a collection. These may never be seen again and depending on the circumstances could end up in a relatives attic in 100 years. I will admit I started collecting nihonto as the weapons they are or at least were intended to be - like the Kanemitsu - flawed - yeah it is but it is also still here on earth and 700 years old and - weapon - you sure as hell would not want to get hit anywhere with it. Art - it is in that an artisan made it - on my level with the suguha hamon - not fancy - it is folk art The hamon is utilitarian in that it is to harden that edge - as a weapon. Anyway - 2 feet of snow came down and is blowing around and can't go anywhere so just musing on "one" of my hobbies - as long as it makes me happy till I die who cares.

YOU ARE CORRECT MARIUS -- Not purchased from Tsuruta san or AOI ART - purchased from a weapons dealer - not specifically Nihonto

Many may remember a tachi I have talked about on the board some time ago - little pic here. It is a Kanemitsu of Mino, very long, nakago of 86cm, In any event it is one of the first blades I acquired and had a chance to buy from a dealer I had used for years for other types of blades. Think I paid between 4 and 5 thousand for it almost 20 years ago and was told by Tsuruta san at AOI if no fatal flaws or kizu may have been valued at 10-15 thousand 10 years ago - so long story short:: Sent it to NICK RICUPERO at http://nihontoart.com/ to see about possible sales and when he looked he said "historically a very interesting piece being Ubu-Nakago and signed, I like the Koshi-Zori Sori, helps us understand what most of the converted katana's would have looked like."It's a tough sell Brian, when I did my estimate I was basing it on a healthy blade with the expected kitae-ware found on most koto pieces. The problem is I saw much more than some kitae-ware which you are most likely aware of. A few types of Kizu in order of less concerning to high concern were, Ha-Kabore, Fukure (concerning ones were within the Hamon), Mukade-Shinae near Kissaki (still has a crooked wave, blade was not properly straightened. Please keep in mind this is my honest opinion and I have no ulterior motive, I'm basing it on the current market trends which I feel I am up to date with ( since I return so frequent). I think on a good day you might be able to get up to $4k. I know this doesn't cover your investment which is why I suggest maybe to hold onto it, still doesn't solve the physical problems the blade has which limits the market to a small segment. SO - Not anything I would have thought of - its been in my display for 20 years - big point is if he is willing to tell a seller that and not be willing to list it to his buyers you probably can be sure he is a fairly honest dealer trying to make a living dealing in Nihinto - unlike some who would list it - not mention any flaws and let the buyer - who in many case would have no idea - beware. Pissed me off mind you but not his fault and the original dealer is dead I know where I can get some pretty good blades in North America and let him do all the going and coming from Japan.

NO -nope - you just want to soften the vanish and wipe rather than scrape it off - this stuff will take paint off down to bare metal and may very well etch the metal if there is any acid or alkali in it. There are links on here not long ago about taking off varnish - follow along - you really do not want to do anything that will alter the blade itself in any way.

IMHO the blade is gimei although once cleaned up it may look pretty good

Here is one

Jean and Jacques: Dealing with les Francophonie en Canada I have seen similar discussions here in writing and in person, is it a cultural thing to love the debate and the disagreement :D

Agreed - still some good info - thanks to all !!

Picture may not do it justice and in this pic you can see the shinogi on the blade itself and although it wavers it is generally fairly straight and the wavers seem to be due to pitting - its just as wavy on the other side and from the mune it doesn't seem that much narrower than the rest. The Ura is just as pitted and the shindig is all over the place as well I don't think the mei was removed but - it aint there so I will say it is mumei until someone can hold it and say it was removed

Beautiful blade Jean - I may have seen other pictures several years ago - there is also a Naoe SHizu in The Boston Museums book - the hada in my blade is quite odd as well as no real pattern is evident anywhere - it swirls then straightens out and - hard to describe as any one type - and there are further grain ;ones between the larger ones you can see on the picture and on the lower right side the little black dots are all through it as well. I truly appreciate your assistance, knowledge and good eye - now if you could help me touch up the paint chips on my alloy wheels I would be really appreciative

Looked edge on from above and below and with straight edge across nakago at various places and no depression in any area between the two mekuginia is more than .25mm deep. Must be as John states and stare at it long enough I can see the face of Jesus in certain places. With one with the deep rusting pits like this I guess it could be what it would look like if the mei were removed a couple hundred years ago -- or it is simply mumei blade for a Daimyo :lol: :lol:

Anyone think the mei could have been removed from the nakago of this Katana.? Looks little strange in a couple of spots below the upper mekugiana. IF so looks like it is very well done but it is odd to see the darker areas as noted earlier

I always felt the overall shape was closer to late Muromachi 1560's as the length is 73cm and the sori being 1.2cm is not really curved. The nakago is certainly of a koto appearance. The grain along the hamon is fairly straight in most places and although many Naoe shizu were a little earlier the school traditions were carried on. Here is a NAoe Shizu blade and I also attach the fittings that were on this blade. The Fuchi Kashira are signed Tsurahide and the Tsuba - KInai - both early 1800's I tried this stitching deal but all of the pictures were not the same side ratio so they did come together but go from larger to smaller