Mark S.

But I live just down the street and this only happens once a year! I DEMAND A RECOUNT!!! OK... foot stomping temper tantrum over. Everyone stay safe and healthy. Feel bad for Mark and all his hard work. Thank you sir!

Plan to be there all day Saturday.

Guess not...

Bought one from Grey a while back. https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/swords/k33-wakizashi-papered-tamba-no-kami-yoshimichi

Kaneie? 兼 戸

Dale, Depending on where you live in the US, there are a few sword shows each year. If you get a chance to go to a show, it is a good opportunity to have your blade inspected in-person by qualified individuals. Mark

Been a while since we shared some tea... bowl is Shigaraki-ware made by Rakusai Takahashi. Enjoy! Mark S.

Don't you think we are being a little hasty? I mean: 1) NO BLIZZTERS! - You guys want swords with BLIZZTERS? 2) Strong presence in his hands - you don't like presence? 3) He'll never see another one in his lifetime - and hopefully neither will we. And to think... I only have $950,000 saved up... missed it by "this much" (fingers held an inch apart). DARN!!!

Thank you for the quick responses!

Here is the 'identification tag' that is on the back side of the scroll which can be seen when the scroll is rolled up.

Found this scroll in a resale shop and took a chance for $4. In a way, I felt sorry for it sitting there and who knows what it's fate could have been It is very plainly mounted, and I would assume it is simply a decorative piece, but I liked the theme. From info I found from Joly's "Legend in Japanese Art", I would assume the theme is Shochikubai (Ume-Plum, Take-Bamboo, Matsu-Pine which are "Emblems of Longevity"). I was just wondering if anyone would be able to give me an idea of the meaning of some of the writing or the artist name? I don't expect a word for word translation, but any help that can shed some light on this one would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Mark S.

Suburbs of Chicago

Evan, I like to try different types of tea. A few that I have tried are: Kanbayashi brand from Japan Incense Co: http://www.japanincense.com/index.html They have several varieties of koicha and usucha. All are pretty good and reasonable prices. Yuuki-cha: www.yuuki-cha.com They have organic matcha in several grades. My favorite is from the Kirishima region. Reasonable prices A couple different teas from Matcha and More: http://www.matchaandmore.com/ They have quite a few selections. A little more on the expensive side. And most recently (brand new purchase and the matcha in the Ido bowl) is from Maikotea: www.maikotea.jp Initial reaction is favorable. If I may ask a favor, the one bit of information maikotea does not give is the name of the company that produced the tea. I know you mentioned your wife is Japanese... would you mind asking her to translate the company name on the canister (in red) of the attached pic? I would be most grateful. Also attached... my modified "table style" corner of my sun room (with my Mishima bowl displayed)

This thread made me stop and take some time to make tea yesterday in a Korean-style Ido chawan. EDIT: I apologize for glare on left side of teabowl... from sun shining into room...

I was struggling with 16... darn...

I’m also wondering if there wasn’t a greater cultural component to this issue? Most Americans at that time had a Euro-centric background and it may simply have been a certain level of comfort with the items being taken. European ‘booty’ and culture was ‘familiar’... Japanese items and culture were... well... for lack of a better term... ‘foreign’. Japanese styles of art, painting, ceramics, militaria, in fact, pretty much everything would simply not have interested a common GI. Just my theory. My next statement might be a little more controversial and VERY generalized, but while there was a certain level ‘hatred of the enemy’ in both theaters of war, I think it was more difficult to carry the grudge in the European theater (where your enemy pretty much looked like you) vs a totally foreign adversary as in the Pacific theater. It may have been seen as socially inappropriate or unacceptable to bring home Japanese items vs German items?

I find a very bright white LED brings out a lot of detail missed by other lights. HOWEVER... it can also wash out certain things due to glare and be very hard on the eyes due to reflection. I try many varieties of light sources around the house because each offers a different view. My LED set up consists of the attached pictures. Basically just a bright LED bulb in a desk lamp. It is a very flexible system as far as positioning. Also, LED bulbs draw very little wattage, so you can put a brighter bulb in a fixture that is rated lower. The lamp is only rated for 40 watts... but I can use a 75 watt bulb in it because it only draws 10 watts.

Unbelievable... was at the show and looked at blades at tables both attended and unattended. NEVER thought of just walking with one. So sorry this happened...

As always... another great show. Even managed to have a little bit of money to spend and bought a wakizashi this year. The NBTHK display of Yamato blades was quite an experience (if you EVER get the chance to attend one of these, do NOT pass it up). Another thread discussed the "future of sword shows" and as I was looking at the blades I was thinking to myself "Where else is this going to happen?". Even more enjoyable was the experienced members of the NBTHK narrating and answering questions at the same time we were inspecting the swords. So much to see and experience. Well done by all!

Sorry about the sideways photos! Will fix tomorrow when I am back at computer.

A couple more.

Anderson Japanese Garden Rockford, Illinois

Mark, Thank you for taking the time to reply. I really appreciate it. Mark S.

Might I also suggest that after step 5, you run the mashed rice through a fine strainer just to be sure there are no rice particles that got missed in the mashing process. Also, due to the fact that you are introducing water (even a small amount) into an enclosed area where you will be housing the blade and some water will soak into the shirasaya wood, an extra long dry time probably should be considered to insure complete evaporation of water before before placing the blade inside the shirasaya.