nihonto1001

Shan: I don't know much about this tsuba, but will be sorry to see you go. I hope you are not getting out of Nihonto all together. Jon

John, Do they have an online catalog? Jon

Thanks for the replies. If it is cast, probably not worth saving. That was the main reason for my question anyway. Jon

I came accross this tsuba and was wondering if I could get some more info on it. I could not decipher much of the kanji and am hard pressed to find any info on it. Thanks, Jon

Here is some more info from the smith database above. Awesome resource, by the way. Masatsugu Koto, Yamato no kuni (Tenmon:1532) Juyo, Jo saku MAS1654 TTp595, ¥3M nanto ju kanabo hyoejo masatsugu nanto ju fujiwara ason kanabo hyoejo masatsugu Here are those other pics of the handles: Enjoy, Jon

There are two Motoshige in Darcy's book: Japanese Swords of the Bizen Tradition. http://www.nihonto.ca/bizen-to/ One is a signed Tanto, the other is an O-suriage Daito, Juyo Token #38. The Daito has remarkably similar sugata to the one on AOI. One of my favorite swords in his book is the Osafune Hidemitsu, of course I may be a little prejudiced:) Jon

Sorry for the wait, I am finishing up a trip. Remzy: Here you go... I'll try to get a few better shots of the fuchi kashira. James: I have had it happen too. Hang in there. I am happy you worked it out, from the sound of things. Sword collecting is a labor of love. Sometimes more labor than love:) Gabriel: I am not sure how that works in Japan. I am not sure why anyone would have to pay to have it destroyed. Jon

Syd, Canon Rebel XTI. I picked it up on ebay for $450. You can do better, but I needed a decent camera. I am still trying to get the hang of it. Jon

Yep, it fits. It is a contrived Daisho using the saya from both the Katana and Wakizashi. The saya were lacquered together in Japan. The tsuba and fuchi kashira are papered as Daisho fittings. It has matching tiger menuki. The handles were wrapped using the original tsuka. As far as the Wak, that's also Kanabo Masatsugu. It is probably a later Masatsugu and of lower quality. But, it does have a NTHK paper. Bob Benson polished the Katana and did a very nice job. The Wak has a lower quality polish and is not as photogenic. As a whole, it makes an excellent display in my home, while I lock down the real nice stuff. Thanks for responding, Jon

I just got a new camera and took these shots of my Kanabo Masatsugu Katana. So, I thought I would share them. These are my first decent sword pics. What the heck, enjoy em. This sword is part of a Daisho project. Check out the koshirae. Jon

All: Does anyone have a list of criteria that the NTHK uses to assess swords? I found one for the NBTHK, but not the NTHK. Ironically, I also purchsed a sword on ebay with NTHK papers and a hagire. The seller was not aware of it apparently and refunded my money. Too bad, it was a very nice Wak. I always assumed it must have papered before it was polished. Jon

Syd: Here you go: http://www.nihonto.com/abtartkanenaga.html Jon

Tegai Kanenaga is a very famous smith. For more info: http://www.nihonto.ca/tegai-kanenaga/ Sometimes they will pass a sword based on this alone. In other cases, the sword is papered before it is polished; the hagire is hidden behind rust. Too bad, without fatal flaw, a sword attributed to this smith will pass to Juyo Token wish ease. Jon

I think WOW!!! sums it up. The hada is extremely impressive too. Probably a "dream sword" from the day it was made. Jon

Thanks for this info. Jon

I have a pending transaction taking Netsuke in trade for a high value non-sword related item. Since I know little about evaluating Netsuke, I have a couple questions: 1. What type of things should I look for in judging quality, age, authenticity, value, matter of composition... 2. How much is Netsuke worth on the low end v. high end? 3. Is counterfeiting common? Thanks, Jon

Here is the katakiriha Sadamune, pictured here with really nice jutetsu pieces +. http://www.jp-sword.com/files/masamune/masamune.html I have a Kaifu school piece that is shobu-zukuri on one side and katakiriha-zukuri on the other. I cannot even find that sugata type in a book. It seems very unique and thats why I like it. Maybe the katakiriha-zukuri shape makes for a stronger edge??? Probably easier to sharpen too. Jon

LOL! Damned, we need to get more chicks involved with swords:) ...and they claim to know nothing about swords, but were lucky enough to come accross the only signed Sadamune....Hmmm. Jon

Maybe a first??? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... TQ:US:1123 Jon

I forgot all about Miyamoto Musashi making tsuba. I was very interested in the story of Omura Shigehide; Christian Samurai from the Muromachi period? I never knew that. Thanks, Jon

One of the most popular anecdotes in Japanese history is that of Emperor Gotoba. In fact, it makes me wonder, were any Samurai also swordsmiths? Samurai had other duties outside of fighting. So, why not swordsmithing. I thought this would be an interesting question to gain some research on. Hopefully, you can point me in the correct direction. Jon

It is a crack that forms perpendicular to the blade's edge. Usually it will be seen on both sides of the edge. If not, it could be a scratch in the ha. It is considered fatal because it could lead to a broken blade in battle. JOn

That is one sweet rig though. I personaly would not spend that much sight unseen. But, it is very compelling. Just a nice all around set up. I could not find much info on Ietsugu though. All: As far as the Sadamori, a nice sword I know, also a rare smith, but Hawley does have him rated at 100. Henry: Cannot comment. I could not pull it up. Jon

When you got one of these: http://www.aoi-art.com/sword/sale/08275.html This is an awesome looking blade with beautiful koshirae. What do you all think? Jon

Maybe he is holding it hostage until someone buys it:?) Jon