nagamaki - Franco

Hello, please note that I am not suggesting to anyone to do anything less than being totally and completely forthright!!! In my numerous experiences as a seller and purchaser I have never been asked to provide documentation with the item(s)/package sent/received (or even when crossing a boarder) in a PRIVATE transaction, until now, and as it was explained by the carrier that in this instance it was because the "commercial invoice" box was checked instead of the "gift" box. In the end after spending the better part of the day on the phone explaining everything from A to Z, U.S. CUSTOMS, yes, CUSTOMS released the package after being satisfied and my signing a document which essentially makes me an importer under the carrier (I don't even want to know), and not lying under penalty of law. Good grief!

Customs officers can be good or bad like anyone else. I've experienced both.

Hello All, should have explained that in this case tax was/is not an issue. Yes, don't lie, dig yourself into a hole. BTW, with help from the carrier all is good at this time.

Gentle International Nihonto-ists , a word to the wise, if you conduct an overseas private sale to the U.S.A., when it comes to filling out the U.S. Customs form (checking boxes, etc.), please indicate that the item being sent is a "gift" and not a "commercial invoice" on the documents, otherwise it raises red flags (which require documentation/certification) and U.S. Customs will put the purchaser through the ringer. Thank you for your kind attention. Happy New Years to All!

Hello Barry, see ......... http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/12947-omori-teruhide/ What is consistent (kantei) in Omori Teruhide's wave work is the shape of the very end of the waves breaking, the shape and style of the swells, the size and material of the 'drops', and usually made with shibuichi. What differs mostly within his own work is the amount of refining/finishing/undercutting. The difficulty comes in that some of the copy work can be quite good, but invariably something differs giving it away. In the end if you've seen Omori Teruhide's best wave work it is unmatched, it's even a clear step above most of his own work that we see. As with swords, and as Pete points out, it becomes a matter of viewing/visualizing enough examples in order to train the eye to notice the small differences in detail. Is there any chance of seeing an image of this 'Mito' work?

It would be kind of neat if asked, if he would be willing to write a sayagaki for you.

Good Morning Jean, All, Jean, I'm only suggesting to 'show' the blade to a polisher to get his thoughts and professional opinion on the good, the bad, and the ugly (sorry, couldn't resist), and to ask .... 'is this blade done?' Years ago I was looking at a koto wakizashi that I was certain was beyond restoration due to all the kind of pitting/rust/flaws we see on this blade only even much more extensive as I recall. I spoke to a polisher who had looked at this blade and he said that it would come out fine with perhaps a few small pits remaining of the deeper pits within the hamon. It was at this point in my learning that I realized polishers don't look at a blade the same way as most collectors do. It is really quite amazing what an excellent polisher can do if he has enough metal to work with, and most of the time a polisher can tell you right away what the story will be.

I think it might be a good idea and beneficial to have a good polisher give a careful evaluation of this blade before proceeding.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Tsukamaki+

Hello, Yes, telephoning works best.

see beginning with page 146 https://books.google.com/books?id=46IYtI0nkiEC&pg=PA146&lpg=PA146&dq=Bush%C5%AB-j%C5%AB+Kanenaga&source=bl&ots=BQFh18WXSu&sig=Ig1TnPyCbGofTF9TvZYE9NPeF7g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiy1fDtqLTJAhXGWx4KHYYuD8IQ6AEIJDAB#v=onepage&q=Bush%C5%AB-j%C5%AB%20Kanenaga&f=false If serious about buying nihonto, books are a must.

Especially later Uda, Ko Uda on the other hand can be quite nice. In terms of concerns, if one has intentions of putting such a blade to polish the question will be if such flaws are likely to open up or not?

Hello, Souvenir reproduction quality, Meiji period, imo. Niente.

http://www.sho-shin.com/index.htm

Good morning Brian, No mekugi meant only friction was holding it in, which was somewhat surprising considering it has 3 mekugiana. The sword came out quite easily, thankfully it was not glued in, the tsuka split apart as soon as the sword was out as the glue was all but gone. A good thing no one flung it in all this time, an accident waiting to happen.

Thanks for sharing. Quick impression, mei on kogatana looks to have been added, but I could be completely wrong.

Hello Charlie, Glad to help. Please check your private messages. Thank you.

KATANA Attributed to Shizu Juyo Token certified by NBTHK http://www.choshuya.co.jp/1/0802/member_frame_sword.htm

http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/9006-kantei-for-quality/#p110339 also, if you read through literature like Yamanaka's Newsletters (revised), it describes and defines the differences between "excellent" and "poor" characteristics found on swords. Although some may find the wording and vocabulary in the Newsletters at times challenging, as one's knowledge grows eventually so will their understanding of nihonto.

first impression .... seems to have an Uda-ish flavor to it.

Seconded, John Tirado or Brian Tschernega

Hello, Thanks for that image of kissaki, would like to see it from above angle looking straight down on it. At this point would say muromachi, hamon reminds me of Bungo Takada.

Hello, Please post image of ko shinogi/kissaki area from above? Thank you.

1) Yes. 2) It depends on which polisher you choose to open the window, should be done to full polish. Why? If one stops to think about it, if the sword is worth the effort to begin with (pre-evaluation is very important), then why would anyone want something short of a window being fully polished? After all isn't kantei the final objective? Kantei, where seeing all the details including the boshi are essential in determining whether or not to proceed from spending a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars in finishing the work. Submit a sword with only a partial window to a shinsa and you're very likely to get only a partial answer in return. Come to think about it, submitting even a fully polished sword finished incorrectly will only/also likely get one a partial and perhaps an incorrect judgement as well. After all the judges can only go by what they can see. Besides, doesn't one wish to see what the final look of the sword will be? Choose your polisher/window opener wisely. 3) No.

Hello, That can very well be the case and why sometimes when a sword is sent off to polish those small openings open up (into blisters) when the blade is put to stone. NLT Ono Kokei and his students were known to seal pits using lacquer. I used to own a sword I had polished by one of his students where lacquer was used to seal any pinpoint size openings that remained. Pinpoint size openings are at times not removed in order to leave that much more metal for the next polisher to work with.