Katsujinken

ZCorr is now BluGuard, I believe. Search for that instead.

It’s probably overkill in my climate, but I also like the ZCorr (now BluGuard) product.

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

And that’s exactly what it should be. Tameshigiri as bunkai! Kata without bunkai, motivation, and real storytelling vis a vis tekki, is, like you said, dancing. Sigh...

Hear, hear Ken. You can’t truly learn tenouchi or hasuji without cutting something. And nukitsuke? Pure fantasy unless you’ve learned to make it cut. Here in New York City logistics make tameshigiri more of a diagnostic tool than finely honed skill, but I can’t imagine practicing kenjutsu without it.

To be clear though, not everyone in Japan follows regulations :-P

Fair point! Still impressed me though. My excuse is that I’m primarily a blade person.

So in summary, the tsuba at the top of the thread (remember that?) is journeyman work from Edo signed by either 1 of 1000 Nobuies or perhaps signed by a more “aspirational” creator. (The plate does exhibit this very nice gradual and uniform thinning from the rim in towards the center, which I imagine was not easy to do.) Oh, and people disagree about, well, A LOT with regard to the original Nobuie. :-)

The next New York Token Kai meeting will be October 27. If Ray pointed you towards the major museums that’s a great start.

Yes. See the website for details.

The nakago looks younger than 15th century to me. But I have been wrong many times before!

Hear, hear! We are extremely lucky in New York.

It’s definitely not cast.

Picked this up today. Obviously not capital-N Nobuie, but I’d be curious to know what some of our resident tosogu experts make of it. The iron is nice. Not very thick. But I always enjoy Satsuma-ana and it has a little wabi-sabi going on with the asymmetric sukashi...

Generally if Aoi won’t guarantee a pass it means quite simply that they don’t think it will pass. But ultimately you have to decide. I don’t know why someone would fake this signature on a yari, but you can see (as they note) a different texture on the nakago over the signature. Maybe someone tried to get the signature to stand out? Who knows...

Regardless of the budget, quality over quantity is the way to go. Ray is also 100% correct, but there’s also something to be said for collectors who recognize that they lack the time or talent to master kantei but choose to invest in a quality piece out of love and appreciation for the art and a desire to preserve it for future generations. We need both of these theoretical people – the one who sees diamonds in the rough and the collector who protects already identified important work – and more!

I agree re: training with antique nihonto, but would like to share that many kenjutsu styles that practice tameshigiri (and even some that do not) use live blades for all aspects of practice. Toyama Ryu Battodo is a prime example. Once students are competent enough to use a shinken, that’s all they use, with one exception for the practice of kumitachi. But even for kumitachi, after a few more years of training, folks are expected to use shinken. It absolutely changes the nature of the training, mentally and physically. For example, when it comes to nukitsuke (drawing cuts), a shinken will teach you very quickly (and profoundly) if your technique or patience is lacking. This is not to say one way is better than another or to denigrate any approach. Rather it’s just some styles focus on this or that.

Totally fair, of course, but you’re also here. In fact I bought an inexpensive tsuba from you via eBay as a gift for someone... but it was your presence and conduct here that led me to happily do so without hesitation.

No need to read past the words “eBay seller” in order for me to share my opinion, which is I suppose self evident and admittedly mildly self important. This forum and the small group of honest dealers who serve North America offer a fantastic selection of swords and fittings at all price points on a regular basis.

Also note that the kissaki has been reworked, and badly. Notice how the bohi extends well beyond the “yokote”. This sword has seen a lot of abuse. Tough to say where/when its life began. I agree with Ray and Grey.

Nice sugata. Good nakago. One could do a LOT worse for 5k.

baika-sukashi tsuba (梅花透鐔) mumei: Shôami (正阿弥) marugata (丸形), tetsu migaki-ji (鉄磨地), kage-sukashi (陰透), shakudô Odawara-fukurin(赤銅小田原覆輪) Migi wa tô-kyôkai ni oite shinsa no kekka, hozon-tôsôgu to kantei-shi kore o shô-suru. (右は當協會に於て審査の結果保存刀装具と鑑定しこれを証する) Heisei nijûnananen shigatsu nijûsannichi (平成二十七年四月二十三日) kôeki-zaidan-hôjin (公益財團法人): Nihon Bijutsu Tôken Hozon Kyôkai (日本美術刀劍保存協會) By the way, this is for sale. Contact me with any interest! :-)

https://yuhindo.com/yoshioka-inabanosuke-tsuba/

Welcome, Skhye!

Outside of Japan, you can work with a place like Nihonzashi, in Florida. It’s a Battodo dojo + traditional martial arts store. They sharpen modern production blades. Within Japan, there are no Chinese made shinken, so it’s just a matter of getting a lower grade polish on a shinsakuto, which is no problem. There’s no shortage of tameshigiri practice over there, so it’s a common need.