Katsujinken

Why is that particular tsuba so expensive?

Not yet. Even though it’s not a “major” sword purchase I’m being pretty hard on myself about making sure this is a blade I can commit to given my intended use and the economics of this price range. So I’m still hunting around a bit. :-)

Wow.

Here’s a quick overview: http://www.ncjsc.org/gloss_hi-1.html

Indeed, forgive my shorthand. :-) FWIW, the the horimono on the blade in this thread look more like soe-hi to me due to how narrow they are, but I can’t speak to whether or not seeing them without another hi changes the label. And thus we reacheth the extent of my expertise here. :-)

I agree with Grey. Here’s a similar example: http://swordsofjapan.com/project/norimitsu-wakizashi-in-koshirae/

For us, the daito goes between the second and third layer of the obi, and the shoto goes beneath all three (closest to the body).

This would be for formal events, so think of a fancy hakama + kimono. This sword would be paired with a daito.

Hi everyone, I'm here to ask for your help and opinions. :-) I'm currently shopping around for a healthy low-end wakizashi to wear during formal martial arts events (no, I would never cut anything with a nihonto, this is more like buying a very fancy neck tie). That said, in addition to blade health, the overall quality of the koshirae matters to the extent allowed by this price range. Right now, these are my finalists: This one is Hozon, jo-saku/wazamono: https://www.aoijapan.com/wakizashi-mutsu-kami-kaneyasu-migi-mutsu Blade photos: https://www.dropbox.com/s/k2wfimhmr6b7nlx/Photo%20May%2017%2C%2011%2020%2025%20AM.jpg?dl=0 Kissaki photos: https://www.dropbox.com/s/t5rjgzlxoipl0i9/15853kissaki.jpg?dl=0 Nakago photos: https://www.dropbox.com/s/re07alu1pi67agy/15853nakago.JPG?dl=0 Actually Shigetsune: https://www.aoijapan.com/wakizashi-tango-daijo-fujiwara-tsuneshige Blade photos: https://www.dropbox.com/s/a1iz89znmmgpio5/16722blade.jpg?dl=0 Chujo-saku, green papers: https://www.aoijapan.com/wakizashi-yamato-kami-minamoto-yasumichi-2 Hozon, jo-saku/wazamono: http://www.toukenkomachi.com/index_en_tachi&katana_A181217.html I've already gotten some opinions on each of these in private, so I'll hold off on saying anything else at this time so as not to sway anyone. I'd love to hear what you think, which you prefer and why, etc. Any and all observations are welcome and appreciated. Note that the auction for the first one ends in 5 hours or so... so comment quickly. Thanks!

Great points Jussi and Arnold. At this budget, this is a much better choice than a random chusaku Shinto piece in flashy furniture.

It’s got no hamachi left. Not surprisingly, this blade is dead center in the $10k-20k danger zone. I also appreciate the miracle that the blade still exists at all, but one could make a better choice in my opinion.

Thanks both!

Has anyone here bought from Touken Komachi before? I’ve got my eye on a blade there but would love to hear about others’ experiences if possible. Thanks!

Can't wait to see what you have to offer, Curran!

This sword does not have a real hamon (temper line), the geometry is all wrong, especially at the kissaki (tip), and the jihada (body steel) looks more like poorly imitated Damascus steel than forged tamahagane. I'm afraid Chris and the others are quite right.

Not mine, I’m afraid. Just evaluating from afar.

What's the timeline like for a blade going to Hozon/TH shinsa these days (assume the blade is already in Japan)? The next shinsa is July, right? Or is it June?

Folks will definitely chime in with regard to the blade, but in the meantime do give this a read: http://www.nbthk-ab.org/Etiquette.htm Please don’t touch the sword with your bare skin as this can lead to additional rust and permanent “etched” finger prints.

Can anyone tell me if this Hozon paper gives any help narrowing down which Sukesada this might be? Thanks as always...

Right on, thank you Ed!

Only in his early fifties. Such a loss. My condolences to his friends and family.

The omote looks pretty straightforward to me: Tango no Daijo Fujiwara Shigetsune The ura, just seems to stop though: Echizen ju- ? Markus documents two generations of Shigetsune in shinto, and the omote leads me to believe this might be the nidai, but one would expect the ura to read Echizen Toyohara or one of the variations to that effect. But this has me stumped. Thoughts?

Come on Luis, that's not what I said at all. I did not say only buy juyo, and in no way did I denigrate blades with "lower" papers. That was not the point I was making. And I think we both know there's a difference between a $300 blade on eBay and one that's dishonestly trying to be something it's not. The fact is with a little patience and guidance one can spend the same for a piece of junk on eBay as a decent blade with recent Hozon papers through a reputable source. So why go swimming with sharks? While it's true some dealers will only deal in blades that are expensive or of a certain level, most are happy to work with your budget if they make a reasonable return for their time and you're not in a huge rush as a customer. So please don't make this about something it's not. It's great that Ray sells on eBay, but that's neither here nor there because he's built a verifiable reputation. When I got started I spoke with multiple dealers looking for guidance at a variety of price points, and all of them were happy to help in some way. I still keep in touch with most of them regularly to ask questions or check in. This is not about Wal Mart vs. haute cuisine. It's not about cost. It's about common sense. Common sense doesn't have to be expensive. In fact, my point is that it will save time, money, and pain, especially for the inexperienced. It's fine for us to disagree, but please don't mischaracterize my statements. I completely disagree that telling new folks to avoid eBay auctions drives them away. That's just not a provable statement, and if anything I'm a data point of one that proves the opposite. Clearly my comments touched some kind of nerve (maybe you sell a lot on eBay?), but there's no reason to take them personally. This will be my last comment on the matter.

Great choice. Keep an eye out for the English translation of Nihonto Koza. You’ll want it eventually, but Markus’ stuff + Connoisseurs (and Fujishiro) will serve you well!

Well said. And this is exactly what I expressed, though I was scolded for it (not by Ray, of course, who is probably one of the nicest people on the internet). Ironically, I am the “newer” collector, relatively speaking. I’m in my 30s, and my young collection at this point is a single Juyo katana and a few fittings that speak to me (on top of the appropriate library and regular in person study of high end blades). And yet I was met with derision when I expressed the same sentiments as Ray (though less eloquently). I’m no Darcy, not even in the same universe, but he was run off this forum for essentially the same reason: speaking uncomfortable truths. My presence wouldn’t be missed but I know his is. Given the dearth of new collectors coming into this hobby, I think this would be worth a bit of introspection on the part of our forum, in general. These swords didnt fool me. They didn’t fool Ray. They wouldn’t fool any of the dealers who have a good reputation on this board. Avoiding eBay in favor of one of those fine gentlemen eliminates virtually all risk. Not sure why that’s controversial. We’re not curing cancer here, so I’ll leave it at that.