drbvac

Further to kissaki's shape and placement of yokote - I had a touch up polish done to replace the yokote and "tidy" this blade. The polisher did as directed or rather far from me to direct - did as he felt he should based on the current state of the blade and placed the yokote line where it was before but at least it is now clear. It was not there AT ALL prior to and it is amazing how easily one can take off the line itself as I was told a bit of silver polish on a cloth is what obliterated it in the first place. In any event the shape of the kissaki may not be geometrically correct within a degree or two and the fukura and ko-shinogi may be off slight parallel - BUT - to make it "perfect" would require such an alteration and removal of enough extra steel to really bugger up the Kissaki on the ura side as it was already done - tough call. It would also thin down the blade so much in this area to be into core steel! Other point is the angle of the photo makes it look longer and further off as the kissaki and the side of the blade are not on the same plane. The kissaki is "going away" and as the blade is signed and dated to 1444 - I guess - do as little as possible. On a "first" polish I am sure even though it all has to be done correctly, the ability to correct slight errors at that time is a little easier than during the 2nd or 3rd "repolish" over several hundred years > I am VERY pleased with what was done and no doubt that the polisher did exactly what had to be done to fix missing yokote! Thoughts?

May just be shadows and/or angles because it looks not bad in the middle two but in this pic I would expect or at least be more used to seeing it around where its marked - but I may be wrong

No way I can get an attribution but from shape and size I am trying to get an era, The Nagasa is 21.4 cm and the total length 29cm although it has been shortened based on the mumei nakago and the hi. If it was shortened 3cm it is a little long for really early but ? thoughts please. Possibly Mino with this hamon? Would it be early edo? Thanks

There are very few collectibles in which age and condition do not really affect price, porcelain and fragile object maybe more so than others. It is probably true that for some objects there are NO really great condition items available. In the case of Nihonto depending on the ability of the smith most of his work could be free of faults but considering the conditions under which blades were forged maybe not as likely as newer. So for collectors Eric may have it correct and there is a price/age/freedom from flaws formula that we are all involved in and I wonder related to another discussion related to aquiring vs collecting everything becomes sort of muddy when one has no shortage of money. Buy the best available and enjoy - most of us are not in that boat and try to get better than we can pay for after we have it home. :lol:

Looks like a great start - that said are there going to be screening of sellers or in a month will it be full of Chinese fakes like one of the other - on-line auctions places

Louis: It is also on the other side and looks almost like someone filled in a nick in the edge and it didnt fill it all in

Great topic - especially since I have this wakizashi with a 1mm blister right on the edge - well I am not sure if it is a blister or delamination there due to it hitting something - anyway - opinions "fatal flaw" and/or would it polish out.

Nice job Louis - did u apply the lacquer ?

Now that EMS can't use some airlines to some specific countries the only options are Fed-ex and/or surface mail to places like Canada. Fed-ex is fine as stated but it can cost over 2 hundred to have a blade shipped. It is the airlines that buggered it up as far as I can tell but I am pretty sure that one can be sent Japan-US for those of us in Canada and there are board members who will foward them on,

I wouldn't bother .

Hopefully NO acid at all was used

Congrats to Ford et al. All entries in ALL categories are unbelievable and the judging must be extremely difficult. It is amazing the quality of the craftsmanship and bodes well for the future of nihonto. IN 200 years all will look great in new collections and when compared to those from 400 years ago will more than hold their own

I only have 9 million Zimbawein dollars would they take that ?

I read through most of the posts again and it is interesting the thoughts one has and expresses depending on how they view these objects we collect - art or artifact - As I stated earlier I collected all edged weapons and the Nihonto were "extra special" as they are the ultimate sword. No comparison with most others in terms of the function and use as an edged weapon. I am sure that the art side came later as smiths and polishers noticed by following certain techniques they were really beautiful as well as still functional. That said at what point are they "really" not blades anymore than an engraved set of silver plated pistols or engraved shot guns are "guns" The ultimate artifacts as edged weapons and the art of nihonto are probably not the exact same blades at any given time. I know if I had spent a great deal of money hundreds of years ago for an artistic blade, and had one just as effective in terms of its real function - I wouldn't take it to battle . Nor would one take an engraved 30,000 dollar shotgun duck hunting in a swamp - I may be off in terms of my thinking but those who only realized the art side of nihonto after they were in awe of them as swords may. Do you think the owners many generations ago knew the difference or did they just grab the sword and run out the door to defend the castle >

No expert - but with the little inlay work - don't think Echizen - maybe shoami

I agree with Brian - casting of a mould of the original - the ana are off and it almost looks like they made and impression of the sekigane on the top. These little fillers are added after and made usually of a soft metal like copper and are not normally made as "part" of the tsuba. Also looks a little too smooth - but then again maybe Doc Lis or Ford can really tell us !

Well said - a guy told me that if we are working together and agree on everything one of us is unnecessary. Everyone has a perspective and a point - different from facts - they are usually not for debate, but likes and dislikes are what makes us all unique and to shut oneself off from other perspectives tends to make you flat.

I agree: Throughout history, many high end articles of all types were preserved because of their inherent value at the time they were made as well as their artistic merit and craftsmanship. Although now very expensive these are still here and often in museums or kept within wealthy families. In most cases it is the day to day items, the less costly available to many that are lost forever in waste dumps all over the earth. When there is an exciting archeological find these days it is not the gold ring and crown worn by the king a thousand years ago it is the shard of pottery found in the ruins of a kitchen, So of course there is a place for both and considering the cost of the "high end" stuff , damn few of us can afford to collect it or if we do - we have one example instead of 2~. If one is really lucky you could have examples of both to see the difference money and standing gave several hundred years ago, yet in the end both often had the same function.

Former Accumulator of edged weapons and in that case - ANY edged weapons - so you have 30 different German Dress daggers, 139 different bayonets - any country - any age - 140 military swords - mostly British and German - all forces - tulwars, even a dozen african knives . Then I got my Mino Kanemitsu tachi - mid muromachi period - All the rest - well I kept some favourites but they are gone. Now I have a half dozen nihonto and am still learning - after having spent 20 years learning the differnce between a George 4th army sword and a german firemans dagger. Nihonto is by far the most complex subject when it comes to one countries edged weapons but there are lots of things one has to be aware of in any collecting be it swords or handguns. At the same time being a nut with sports cars and harley davidsons there is just so much room in ones head, life and pocketbook to either collect or accumulate - its all fun but really hard to be an expert at any one. If you want to know the horsepower of a BMW M Coupe or a 1965 HArley I can probably tell ya, know what I like as well but would be hard pressed to kantei anything- well maybe school -

I agree Paul and maybe the problem is that not for 99.999 % but 85% we are on the wrong Board. I am sure that there are other Nihonto boards where some of the less talkative members here would be a fount of knowledge. As a dental consultant I meet all kinds of experts in various fields and as with anything else everyone has and is entitled to an opinion. Doesn't mean that the opinion need be expressed in a manner that denegrates all others, and in fact really does more good if expressed clearly with evidence to back and everyone learns something. If I were attending a meeting where all had opinions different from mine and after I explained " why" properly, they still did not want to listen I would not go again. Same here - if an opinion is not explained to the benefit and edification of all it may as well not be stated and if it is and not appreciated after then why bother making any comments at all. it would be too frustrating for me = like explaining quantum mechanics to a duck. I have to say that many of the real experts on this board, published and recognized in their fields, do all us rank amateurs a real honor by even commenting and for that I acknowledge them and thank them for their time. Others - just as soon skip the thread.

True enough Chris but the same can be said for classified ads in papers, Kijiji, even some auctions on-line or not. As with any collectable be it Nihonto or coins or stamps - whatever - buyer beware -

Doesn't look quite right to me too many rounded edges and defects - cast>?

Ron: Have something against dentists?

Kokura arsenal stamp and on the bottom is a factory stamp of some type. I found this some time ago on this great site with gunto blades and many,many nihonto mounted for military and naval use - Engish and Japanese http://www.h4.dion.ne.jp/~t-ohmura/gunto_002.htm Maybe it should be linked?

I believe this is the TOYOKAWA NAVAL ARSENAL MARK - not very clear but >? and a bit clearer showa -- And I have no idea where I came across these either !