Jwrussell

Sorry Jean, I'm not following. I'm sure it's me. What do you mean? "The GASSAN"?

Thank you, Jean! It does seem quite serendipitous! I did notice the tsuba being less than great, but as you say, parts of the kosherae, especially the tsuba, can be changed out. In fact, it seems like a great little side project.

Francois, you nailed it, sir. That is the one that got me thinking about this. With that being said, does anyone see anything glaringly off or suspect about this blade? Considering the price I may have to jump on this.

Not sure if this was the best place for this, if not please feel free to move. I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on my first acquisition(s). My main focus has always been history-based. I love the artistic aspect of Nihonto, of course, but what really captures my interest is the age from which the blades come. For this reason, not much after early Edo has ever really held my attention. I've certainly appreciated the beauty of Gendaito, but they just haven't been what I've been looking for. Then I stumbled across a blade made in 1974...the year I was born. So as an off shoot, I now have a new spot on the BOLO list. A blade made in October of 1974. My question for all of you long-time collectors, how difficult should I expect this to be to find? Obviously I wouldn't be (or be able to to be) very picky on style, etc. Even being open to most anything in good condition, am I creating a unicorn here? Should I be happy with anything during the same year, or if I'm willing to be at least somewhat patient, should I expect to be able to find something? Thanks for the input!-Jason

I always look at things from a point of view of usability (not that any of us use a sword of course). So for me, I look at that and think, well, how can it be fatal? At worst a smith could have easily (I would think) have reshaped the sword to remove that section.

Markus Sesko has a great article on this topic, specific to the Wakizashi. I won't say it will be a crystal clear answer to the question, but it should make it clear that such an answer doesn't really exist. https://markussesko.com/2015/08/11/the-wakizashi/

Omar, I'm as new to you (or newer) so take my comments with whatever caveat is needed. To the first question. You can absolutely find a Daito out there for $2-$3K. You will find them easier in Shirasaya than Koshirae, but that also factors into the price. With that said, will the be Daito that you really want to own? The consensus around here (from what I've seen) is going to be a resounding "NO". That is of course in general. I'm sure somewhere out there is a Daito worth far more than $2-3K that could be had in that range. But the chances of that happening are going to be extremely thin. HOWEVER, that assumes a number of things that may not be true. A $2-$3K Daito that is truly worth $2-$3K may be just fine for one individual and not for another. That is where the whole, "it's worth what someone will pay" thing comes in. IMHO, that is one of the wonderful things about a hobby like this. Depending on why you collect, one man's "Meh", could be another's "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh". On the second question as to value of polish. I would say yes, assuming I understand the question. I spoke with a collector who had a table (really a collector not a dealer, but he was selling) who had a blade on offer that needed polish. When we discussed pricing he stated that he had factored in the cost of a polish to the price he was asking so that someone would be able to get into the sword without immediately being completely underwater after polish. I can't tell you if that value proposition would pan out as I couldn't tell you if what he was asking for the sword + polish is what the blade was worth. But those were his words. With that said, my understanding that a new polish will run in the $2K range. So that Daito we are talking about is not likely to be anywhere near fresh polish, and if you found one in fresh polish being offered for that amount it is either a steal, or something is very wrong.

I find this response dismissive, and not worthy of the discussion. My apologies for the bluntness, but there it is. Practically everything we discuss on this board is "academic talk".

I can't answer, but am very curious to see what our more knowledgeable members have to say. And I understand what you are asking.

Great looking blade.

Well said, sir!

I have to absolutely agree with this! Again, newbie-eyes, so take this with however many grains of sodium needed. While I understand and appreciate the need to protect the blades in these situations, there were so many instances that deterred someone from interacting. I don't know if I am alone in this, but being new, I'm fairly "shy" in these environments when it comes to walking up and just diving in. Examples: A couple of tables had blades lined up on the tables that were covered with blankets or some sort of sheets. I believe it was because of the table-owners being away, but in at least one case there was someone behind the table talking to a "customer". I'm not going to walk up and pick up that sheet to see what's under it, so that's a potential loss of someone having any interest in what you are offering. Prices. I'm sure this is hotly debated in every field out there, but I dislike asking for pricing in these situations. I believe it is well known that everything is negotiable, especially in shows like this. Price your items. It is a waste of time for me to ask about an item priced in the X range when my budget is the Y range. And I have no interest in handling something only to find out it is way out of my price range. Saya, Saya, Saya. Sigh. (sorry, couldn't resist). Again, understanding it is not always practical to have every blade showcased, having a large number of shirasaya lined up on a table with little or no information with them is discouraging. This goes back to the discussion of online sales above, you at least to get to see the blade to some degree immediately. If I am in search of a certain sugata, I don't have to unsheathe multiple blades to find out if one of them is a match. Again, newbie thoughts.

Mark, I do not disagree with you in the least. With that said, the online availability of swords now is simply too enticing for the newer collector. As you say, there is no substitute for blade in hand. Even books can only go so far. And for the newer collector, the ability to get a blade in hand...almost ANY blade, is very difficult to resist. Especially with some of the lower pricing out there. It may not be the best, or even a good route to go, but it is too EASY. And I would dissent with the comment in the article that the internet viewing allows for someone to "quench their thirst", so to speak, with viewing blades. I don't agree that this is what is keeping people from shows. Instead, I believe it is this statement: "It is easier easy to buy a sword from a dealer in Tokyo who doesn’t even speak English than it is to get on a plane and fly to a regional show and sift through the stuff at the shows and then purchase."

Peter, apleasure to meet you and Ray. Sorry I missed some of the others there. A very quiet show this Saturday. I wish you all the best of luck. And Peter, if that Tokyo U sword remains unsold after the show, please ask Mark to reach out. That was a very interesting piece.

Peter, I suggest a 100% discount for anyone named Jason.

A wonderful write up and beautiful sword.

Looking at your pictures I think I would go with the Katana. At your price range (which happens to be mine as well), my suggestion is that there is anything about the package that you know is going to bug you, keep looking.

Nick, link to the ebay listing?

Well, I don't know about all that, but that is a thing of beauty. That price though.

Very cool.

Respectfully, I think you are missing the point of the complaints, Eric. Pinterest may be a wonderful place to store and share photo's on the internet. I won't argue that point. Where it suffers is as a reference. As others have pointed out, Pinterest clutters search results when searching for actual information. It is a giant rabbit hole for anyone trying to research INFORMATION on a topic as 90% of its results end up going nowhere.

Sorry, here you go: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Daimyo-Registere-Authentic-Japanese-KATANA-SWORD-WAKIZASHI-KANENAKA-NBTHK-NR/254102141996

Ben, Yep, looks exactly like the tang on the blade in the first link. I saw something like this thread when trying to figure this out, but hadn't seen the picture of the threading on the end of the Nakago. Agree it's a shame, as I'm sure a good chunk of the history (Mei) is missing within that portion of the Tang that was reshaped. Still, interesting piece of history.

Ran across this on a listing over on the Bay. What is going on here? What happened to this Nakago? It has NBTHK papers and the oshigata of the Nakago shows this weirdness, so I have to assume it’s “valid” in some way. But extremely curious as to what has happened and why.

Great photos. Thanks.