Babu

To be honest based on your SMS to me and looking at your previous posts about your other sword purchases over the months I think it safe to assume you buy these off of Bill Tagg at Liverpool militaria or other non specialist dealers , then stick them on here to get the NMB members kantei and perhaps approval in your purchase or intended purchases. Bill is experienced enough to price these at the level of their worth and can and does tell you about them in his own kantei.If a polish will realise more money then he will get a John Bolton commercial machine polish done for a couple of hundred pounds. He often gives his opinion Sometimes on a label as you show in another post and sometimes as a letter headed "opinion". I get these are probably not worth the paper they are printed on but they might just steer your study to the right areas. I have a couple bought from JC Militaria with just such Kantei and I must say they should be taken as just that. An opinion which in the two I bought was miles out. I understand he's well respected and rightly so but that doesn't mean he is always right. You mention learned friends like the swords you seek info on so surely they can tell you more about them?

I think of all of these the only one I would be interested in is the one on the bottom left in Yas twitter link.it looks several leagues above anything else shown in this thread.

The only way to judge this is in hand. Your images just don't show any detail and I think the angles and perspective are throwing the sugata

Dean where are you in the UK? I know a few people dotted around our island.

There is one here in the UK at a dealers but they don't sell well. I have also seen a large arrowhead turned into one. I think the yari were more yoroi doshi as I would imagine quite some force would be needed to use one and the tsuba would very much be needed to prevent the fingers from slipping onto the blade. An Aukuchi is a far more effective weapon for a lady?

Ah yes that's a tsuba that's been black lacquered. The kozuka had not been "painted" with lacquer the motif on the kozuka was built up in high relief as a couple of shi shi in flowers in brown lacquer then gilded. Make sense?

Question if I may. I'm aware that there were some lacquer workers who migrated to being makers of sword fittings.The third Nara head Toshiharu started making sword fittings such as Tsuba and Kozuka. I had a sword arrive a few months ago with a nice nanako ground kozuka but sadly the decoration on it was devoid of most detail and was brown like rust. In hindsight I believe this was actually lacquer that was built up to create a shishi and flowers theme then it must have been gilt. This decoration was in such poor condition that some of the lacquer came off and eventually all was removed, it was all lacquer. I imagine it's unlikely that anyone would know the relief "carving" of a kozuka was lacquer unless they did a destruction test such as this. Does anyone know if this was quite a common composite material for the decoration on a kozuka?

This technique appears to be to build up the profile of bark like ridges and in different colours of laquer then to shave back those ridges to achieve this effect. I wonder if it was first made to resemble bark of a tree then due to damages that were unavoidable this was not done as a sort of a saving grace repair.

However if anyone has the book in the EU or the world then I may well be interested.

Yes we don't have it great over here. Lack of available stock means dealers prices are silly in most cases. Importation charges for non EU countries are 20% plus that handling fee. Once we are out of the EU that 20% may (with a no deal exit) be 20% from anywhere outside the UK. In the USA you get a lot to choose from and some very keen prices.

The gold habaki may be relatively low quality gold content as I think it's tarnished and I may be able to see verdigris at the back of your image. In or around 1830 the shogun's representative Tadakuni Echizen no kami, forbade the further use of any more ornaments of solid gold in sword fittings so many other ways of achieving a customer's expectations were developed including making something in pure gold then lacquering it Black.

With that opening just above the habaki area I would say this was not worth restoration.i know of at least one other sword had similar abuse and someone tried to repatinate the nakago but it remained unconvincing.

Yes I've worked this out this morning. One was indeed Royal Mail at £8.00 Parcelforce (a royal mail company) will hit you for £12. Rather a lot for a card through the door by our royal mail postman and online payment.

To be honest I was assuming that anything bought outside the EU was subject to vat. I just bought about $300 of stuff and was hit for £42.00 of which handling was £8 total $53 that's a bit of a kicker as I wasn't totally expecting it. One before that was $150 and £28 fees of which handling was £12. Think I may need to question this disparity.

I had it, sold it and now I'd like it back. If anyone has a copy for sale in the UK or Europe please let me know. Regretfully USA import duty adds 20% plus handling fees of £12. Unless its super cheap it makes for an expensive purchase from the USA.

This is Paul's post and I liked it a great deal. I hand it back for constructive comments

Oh I've only four swords and I bring them out every few days I really do get much enjoyment from just looking at them. I diversified to tosogu a long while ago and I've been tempted to become what snowflake has ergo judgemental and possibly appear arrogant , but I resist because it's not right I allow my standards of craftmenship to judge anothers treasured items. Yet now I only see the beauty in a higher skill level in tosogu.I hope this doesn't come across wrong but if it does that's how one might interpret it if that was their mindset.

To add I do not have the honour of knowing who the gentleman snowflake is but I do find that his attitude is counter productive to the community and our goal and expectations and it seems to be deliberated and posted to instigate conflict. Then the post sours considerably. Far better that you just ignore the criticism.... and he may just go away.

I knew a reformed smoker who had the habit for 40 years. Once he had given up smoking whoe betide any other smokers around him. Dirty, smelly, disgusting Habit he used to say to other smokers he later met. Perhaps it's a bit like this. The mediocre swords that were once beautiful become old junk as your education and tastes change. But then the others coming in at those "lower" levels see beauty and art. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I don't doubt many of my swords would be considered junk by some high end collectors but to me they give great joy. If what you have brings you joy then how can anyone say this is wrong. Especially in such difficult and trying times when we must find enjoyment and inspiration wherever we can. Almost everything I buy appealed to me in some way. But that's stating the obvious.

The quality appears pretty good on that Fuchi kashira so I think a very competent artisan. I've a solid silver habaki same as yours but slightly more decorative.it should indicate that someone respected the sword. It may be heirloom respect rather than a great smith though. Hard to tell but the FK I want!

Stain-less steel, stains less... it is not impervious to rust or any other form of corrosion. This is a common misconception. Regards Adam

Is the Gotō Dragon Kozuka shoshin only the kao looks incorrect. Just wanted to check.

I cannot seem to find this in JOLY'S

In the UK your stuck with local Auction and associated fees being around 30% A dealer who will possibly be interested at around £150 the pair. The blade is poorly shaped and I doubt its tempered. I have seen many of these in tanto and wakizashi size and the blades are more just metal tsunagi. Sorry its bad news the last one I bought was £50.

I was going to roll with modern sword based on the koshirae which looked 20th century to me.now I've seen the Nakago blade may be shinshinto still think the mounts are not that old.can we see more detail of the fuchi, kashira and tsuba please?