b.hennick

I still have my first sword, bought in 1976. I thought at the time that every blackbelt needed a sword. Who knew that it would start me on this long journey.

Add to that a display of Yamato swords.

The Boston Museum of Fine Art usually has a great display.

You are correct. "My bad" as they say. Mutsudomoe = mitsu tomoe

There is an old saying amount collectors "mumei is better than gimei" Of course, many gimei blades are great swords, but without the fake signature the blade would be even better.

I'm surprised that no one mentioned the mitsu tomoe motif in #84.

Well put Grey!

If you want it done properly, a professional like Brian Tschernaga is who you should contact.

You make an appointment as to when to send the blade for shirasaya and or tsunagi. They do not want to store your blade for months. It takes time as they both have a lot of work lined up.

That looks like a fatal flaw called hagiri - a crack through the hamon.

Brian Tschernaga

Your best bet is to take the sword to a sword show. The next one is in San Francisco in Aug. Try the habaki on and hope for the best.

I have 2 questions for you. 1. Does the blade have papers? Blades with hagire typically do not have papers. Yes this may have happened after the blade was papered. 2. If the blade is not papered, did the vendor tell you that it would receive papers? If the answer is yes, you can submit the blade. If it does get papers - no hagire. If it doesn't get papers and the reason is the hagire, then you can ask for a refund. Depending on the vendor's policy, it might be too long a time has passed since you purchased the blade.

In a daisho set, usually, one tsuba is larger and the other is smaller. Your two appears about the same size.

Markus has a good sale once or twice a year