Mark S.

In my opinion (for the 1 penny it’s worth) the seller’s prices are at the top end of the range of what the blades are worth in many cases. Not saying it’s a bad thing, it is what it is. They are experienced and know what they have and what the blades are worth… so not a lot of room to recoup any polishing or Shinsa expenses should you someday sell and probably not an opportunity for treasure hunting. But I also understand that this isn’t always important if you really like it and will be happy no matter what. There was a tanto that sold a while back I wish I would have bought but waited too long because I wasn’t sure. There was a yari that just sold I thought was interesting but did not know enough about and thought was priced on the high side for that type of yari. There is a wakizashi there now that I find the unique shape interesting, but once again do not know enough about and think is priced on the high side for the package as presented.

Thank you… as I don’t want to muddy up Jon’s thread with NBTHK questions, I’ll leave it that your response has educated me that I need to reframe my understanding of the hozon and tok hozon grading criteria.

I am in no position to cast aspersions (and I mean absolutely no disrespect to the organization) and I am thinking like a novice looking for the easy way out to learn, but I do find it interesting that NBTHK can think highly enough of a blade to grade it Tokubetsu Hozon, but not be comfortable enough to give a date/period attribution?

I know I am going to demonstrate my complete ignorance and I don’t mean to take the thread sideways… I really do want to learn the terms being used. When the Enju (Higo province) bid was given tori yoku (wrong province but correct kaido - main road and period), I started looking at Sanindo examples and attributes. Other than completely wrong school/smith, where did I go wrong on the main road assumption? I’ll assume I misunderstood tori yoku? Thank you.

Chikuzen Sa

One suggestion with FedEx. NEVER have it delivered to your home or place of business. ALWAYS have it redirected and delivered to one of the affiliated businesses that will hold your package until you pick it up. No “we delivered it but no one was home” or ‘somebody’ signed for it “we think” type situations. I used a local 24 hour pharmacy so no excuses that it was closed and couldn’t be delivered, etc. Just my opinion.

Incense inside helmet?… just in case!

If you have an experienced dry cleaner you trust and have a good relationship with, you might want to talk to them. I had a sports jersey that was signed, but needed cleaning and was worried the signature would get ruined, but after a discussion with the owner, he assured me he could handle it. Same for an expensive silk fukusa that was stained with matcha. An experienced cleaner should be able to evaluate material and give you a pretty good idea if they are comfortable cleaning it.

Recent experience with FedEx (on the receiving end) was no better. 3 expected delivery dates broken. Long periods of time where the on-line tracking made no sense or went dark. It finally arrived, but not without me worrying it was lost… filing missing item report that never got answered except after I got item and a “your item was delivered” response. Not a good feeling waiting for a Tokubetsu Hozon item and sweating the whole time. From what I understand all delivery services are short handed and items sit in main collection hubs for excessive amounts of time until someone finally gets to them. Expecting them to honor paid for delivery dates is a fools errand. Only hope is to keep on them and as soon as tracking looks weird, start filing reports so they know someone is serious about their item. Sorry for the cynical outlook…

Having a hard time getting through the rust. I can only get the last two… YOSHI SAKU

Been 4 months now… I’ve been told ‘soon’ but I have convinced myself to sit back and wait. He will get to them when he gets there.

AS OF NOW… there will be NTHK-NPO Shinsa in Chicago in 2022.

I have 2 wakizashi with Mr Hall in line for polish… my first 2 I’ve ever sent for polish. Extremely excited to see how they turn out.

Another product…

I suggest start with isopropyl alcohol (as close to 100% as possible). If that doesn’t work, let us know as there are some other options available.

I’ll make another suggestion to everyone who wants to learn more about stroke counts and the differences between formal/semi-formal/informal forms of writing and Japanese calligraphy. The book is: Shodo - The Quiet Art of Japanese Zen Calligraphy written by Shozo Sato. It is a VERY REASONABLY priced book for what you get. Hardcover and beautifully put together. While not directly related to Nihonto, it really is enlightening to see step by step how different kanji are written, the transition of the same kanji through the different forms, and how the strokes work and are counted. The Zen aspect of the book is extremely interesting as well. I have no monetary connection to the book. However, the author was my chanoyu (tea ceremony) instructor for several years. Such a wonderful person. Sato Sensei excelled in chanoyu, kabuki dance, calligraphy, painting, ikebana, etc. I highly recommend any other books he has written… I have them all.

I also suggest you download Markus Sesko’s Nihonto Compendium located in the Research section at top of this site next to NMB logo. Lots of good info and kanji listed by stroke count.

Thanks… will try it next time.

Ohhhhh… that jumonji yard!!!!!! Want want want….

Another option you can add to the arsenal is 100% pure (or as close as possible) isopropyl alcohol and tissue to clean a dirty blade or even to remove old oil. I use my microdear microfiber cloth to wipe off dust and use to rest blade on when viewing. I try to keep it as clean as possible all the time. I’m not saying I’m right… just saying it is what I do.

Two piece copper… rain on boards? I don’t know why it rotated pics like this?

And if anyone is concerned… I bought a blade from Steven. Blade was exactly as described and Steven was easy to work with. A good person to deal with.

Yes… please add photos of chawan!

One of the comments that was made on IMGUR mentioned CLR & steel wool to get rid of rust or clean blades. Hopefully I am stating the obvious, but PLEASE DO NOT FOLLOW THIS ADVICE!!! If you need help with maintaining these blades please ask here before you do anything.

Shitahara?