Lewis B

I had hoped to attend the DTI this year but the German government had other ideas. I will be there in 2026. Has the pdf of the 2025 catalog been made available?

So the whole auction was a scam? Or just the payment process post auction?

Your dealer should be able to mediate for you. If not, let me know and I'll provide contact details for other dealers I've used in the past when I needed sayagaki.

Just watched this informative documentary about the 47 Ronin

You could also ask Tanobe sensei to write a sayagaki and see if he thinks it has a chance at Juyo.

Ahh you didn't mention it was signed. I couldn't see a signature on those nakago pics. That changes things somewhat. At about 500 quid all in you did pretty well then.

Judging by 90%+ posts we see here, I beg to differ. Even the dealers with decades of experience do a p!ss poor job of it.

You're a braver man than me. Ultimately it comes down to price and the risk/reward calculation.

Is this a permanent display? Is there a connection between the 47 and the location? I'd also like to visit the Shrine this time next year when I plan to travel to Japan for the DTI.

What is the nagasa measurement?

It's a noble cause Erik and one I approve of. Very few people take the time to optimise the photography of nihonto, which is a shame as there is so much beauty that is lost to the casual observer. I get as much pleasure from taking photographic images of my blades as I do studying their history. Darcy and Pablo are the two pioneers who really sparked my desire to improve my own skills. I'm by no means a photographer and had limited equipment when I started last year. My camera is an aging Fujifilm XT2 with the kit zoom lens. I quickly realised to capture all the fine detail a sword has to offer, a macro lens was essential. I bought a cheap, used Laowa 65mm F2.8 from Ebay Kleinanzeigen. The lens is manual only but I think the way manual focus works on the XT2 there is no problem getting pin sharp photos in combination with the Laowa. Next most important consideration were the light sources and I think it's true to say there is no universal light that will highlight every feature in the hada, hamon and boshi. After a few experiments the primary light sources I use now are an Ikea Jansjö LED lamp, which was recommended on a forum dedicated to macro photography. These are unfortunately discontinued but you can easily find them listed on Kleinanzeigen and I bought four for 5 euro each. To see the hataraki in the hamon, I discovered a high intensity halogen light with a dimmer to control output produced the best results (I think this is what Pablo Kuntz's photographer uses). Finally a tripod is critical when implementing longer exposures and I use the Fujifilm iPhone App to control the shutter release so there is zero risk of unintended movement. Here are some images I took from my first session. These are all jpg's without post-processing. You'll find more in the Google Drive folder. Still room for improvement, not least wiping the blade to eliminate all the dust particles . Ikea Jansjö LED lamp/Macro lens/tripod https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hcfbKl8l-efqxqyAxZ4Oe_PdNVX_jwDN/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1crDNe1w38OAxs56JgM0YfQpHB6nDpDWd/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/15k7eGF_EwuC_oCAi-dd5qTee_p5E5PgY/view?usp=sharing 250W High Intensity halogen bulb/macro lens/tripod https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ri4luL4j5Lslik8-sYD63RvJ-mJj9jlX/view?usp=sharing iPhone 12/natural diffuse daylight/handheld blade and phone https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ppwmEYqNJq_mI8zImLY5FQg2Vkbu6M-1/view?usp=sharing Good luck

I think you're right. My bad. Photographic artefact. The penultimate pic shown for the Norishige confirms it, having the same anomaly. Seller should be ashamed especially for what they're asking.

Better start saving. That one is 18mil JPY.

For someone who is interested in reading this Allman Treatise would this be what I need to order? https://www.lulu.com/shop/albert-yamanaka-and-jeffrey-adachi-and-paul-allman/nihonto-newsletters-volume-1/paperback/product-yvn9w25.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqO02_UffD6p-46HHWBhQIaPTN_89R32qi6kzUmhwlgv35tu-wP&page=1&pageSize=4

Amazing crystal structure in this example. I only remember seeing this in top level honyaki kitchen knives using modern high purity industrial steels. Chogi seems particularly adept at swordmaking and its various manufacture steps. And it was a Den Chogi that had the best application of utsuri I've seen on a blade to date. Click on the images for better resolution or better still see them on the dealers website. https://katanahanbai.com/en/katana/katana-bizen-osahune-chogi/

I remember reading this thread with a great deal of interest 4 years ago before I'd even held a nihonto let alone bought my first sword. My thoughts return to it on occasion and I always wonder about the fate of this Munetada. Like the blade from Court thread, this story is equally as epic and needs to be revisited.

Forget those low ranked Samurai. I want to see Miyamoto Musashi's swords. Anyone know if they are still extant?

Does it even have an edge?

I think the PS explanation is valid. The PS monkey could have just extended the inner sleeve to over the hamachi. The habachi looks 2-dimensional in the photo.

From the sugata I would suggest this is Muromachi and if shoshin either 1st or 2nd gen Yoshimitsu. Hard to tell from the photos but the characteristics nioi deki, gunome hamon etc point in that direction. Mei is quite small so I might lean towards 1st gen. Does the mune remain straight over its entire length or dip towards the tip? The latter or uchizori suggests earlier production blade eg late Kamakura. A straight Chukan-zori mune would be more consistent with Muromachi. You should really consider attending the Japan Art Fair in Utrecht next June. This year they had an informal Shinsa session with some very educated eyes, who could assist with the signature and attribution, which I hope they will repeat in 2026. The show is also very educational and allows you to see many blades in hand from most eras. Here's a taster of what to expect https://youtube.com/shorts/DrrY8G1-4T4?si=U3V_2lzIJNAU-9FG YOSHIMITSU (賀光), 1st gen., Ōei (応永, 1394-1428), Bizen – “Bizen no Kuni Osafune-jū Yoshimitsu” (備前国長船住賀光), according to tradition the younger brother of Morimitsu (盛光), he signed with small characters, gunome-chōji-midare in nioi-deki YOSHIMITSU (賀光), 2nd gen., Bun´an (文安, 1444-1449), Bizen – “Bishū Osafune Yoshimitsu” (備州長船賀光), “Bizen no Kuni-jū Osafune Uemon no Jō Fujiwara Yoshimitsu” (備前国住長船右衛門尉藤原賀光), son of the 1st gen. Yoshimitsu, first name Uemon (右衛門), suguha or gunome-chōji in nioi-deki, sujikai-yasurime, the Yoshimitsu lineage stood somewhat out from contemporary Bizen smiths, jō-saku

Yes, thats him and same tanto..... with the habaki installed correctly

These are the kanji for tanto I think thats what we have here. Bayonets have a very different design and shape. I doubt Tamahagane would be used for such a mundane application. Regarding the habaki I wonder if someone installed it upside down. The design with the step over the hamachi looks odd, as does the mune sitting proud of the habaki.

Yes, Andrew won a prize in this years NBTHK togishi competition. I would put him up against any top level Japanese polisher. His work speaks for itself. Checkout his FB page to see examples of his work including the 2 Go's he's worked on.

I think Jean is correct with a Tomomitsu translation. Can you provide the specs. Nagasa, motohaba and motokasane. Tomomitsu is best known for armour piercing yoroi-doshi tanto.

Spectacular sword.