mtexter

So here are some links to other threads I started on the complete blades that Grandpa brought back: Type 98 - https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/33084-type-98-my-cousins/?tab=comments#comment-342680 Type 97 - https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/33233-type-97/?tab=comments#comment-344312 Kuniyuki Wakizashi - https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/33129-kuniyuki-wakizashi/?tab=comments#comment-343294 Mumei Tanto - https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/33165-mumei-tanto/?tab=comments#comment-343700 There are imgur links for all but the type 98 which belongs to my cousin, so I got what I could from that. May pay him a visit if people are interested to see more on that one. Cheers everyone,

I did! Quite a lot actually, if you go to my post history you should be able to find the individual threads I put together for each piece, along with imgur albums. I'll try to put them all here if I remember later

I definitely appreciate all the work he does, he's a model for our little group to aspire to for sure. And dang, you beat me to the link for the contest https://youtu.be/h8qtshEKGek

Maxime, that's a beautiful display, wow! Where do you get a glass case like that, or is it custom-built?

This is a topic I never really thought too much about. The humidity in my house fluctuates from probably 10% in the winter to maybe 60% in the summer, though with A/C it's probably less. Time to get a hygrometer to know for sure!

Hey that's the guy who shows up on Pawn Stars from time to time! Seems to know his stuff.

apparently this set was 52 inches tall and 24" across, so a big boy's day set They sold it for $2000 US. too rich for my blood!

I love all the fine details on this, if I can get it for a good price I'll probably display it with my swords someday. I just have no concept of what a fair price would be on it. ≈500 would probably be my max budget for something like this

Wonderful info, thank you! I got a translation from reddit: kabazaiku https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabazaiku

I ran across this on an auction site, looks incredibly detailed but i'm not sure if it's fake or what... Any info is appreciated!

Hello, I stumbled across this on an auction site, and I was curious if anyone could tell me more about it. Described only as a Japanese wooden box. Bonus points if you can translate the kanji on the outer wooden box!

Those should be in a museum for all to appreciate, in my opinion. Wow

I agree with what Steve M said above wholeheartedly. You might find an entry-level collector (like me) interested in a blade like this for ≈$100, but you can always try your luck on eBay. Old, traditionally-made blades with issues are still collectible, and very old and sharp things are still cool to people like me, regardless of condition. Or, keep it! Care for it as best you can, get as much rust off of the blade as gently as you can, and you might find yourself with something you think is cool too at the end of the day

The Seki Cutlery Company? Cutlery indeed. Thanks again for the knowledge Bruce!

This is exactly right! We didn't know the name of the substance, but this has to have been it. I've removed it all now, but that's an important thing to know about the history of these. Thank you!

So awesome that it still has the kogatana... Looks like the real deal to me, although the mei looks a little different compared to the style i'm used to. I'm sure it's a combination of the signer's handwriting and my inexperience. Wonderful looking piece you have there.

The pics of the tang (nakago) are actually upside down, for what it's worth. An experienced reader can still translate it though I'm sure. Do you have the overall length of the cutting part of the blade (nagasa) by chance? This looks more like a wakizashi to my (inexperienced) eyes than a katana to me, but this length will tell for sure.

Congrats Mike, it's gorgeous!

JP that is a wonderful post, thank you very much! I agree with Barry, it should be stickied or pointed to somehow for others to see Can't wait until covid is overwith, chicago meetup sounds great. Maybe some of our overseas friends want to fly in for the Chicago sword show (assuming it's back on) next year

I love this idea. Chicago is an easy train ride from GR, or just a few hours in the car. Similar for our friends from Milwaukee, I think! And let's not forget Ohio, I've seen at least a couple of members from there. Yay Midwest! I also really want to go to the chicago sword show, once that comes back.

Wow, great stories and advice so far, thank you all. I have a great reading list ahead of me Since discovering this community, I've had a lot of fun seeing so many interesting things and learning just how much there is to know about this one topic. What a beautiful way to spend a few months. It's crazy to think I only saw my family's collection for the first time as an adult just under 3 months ago. I can't wait to see where this takes me! P.S. I'm also attempting to learn Japanese, for some reason; it's fun! Hiragana and ≈50 kanji down, katakana and ... a LOT more kanji to go

Hi Everyone, I find that I'm struggling a bit to learn more about Nihonto. Over the last couple of months since the community helped me learn about my family's swords, my knowledge has stagnated. I have bought a 3-volume set of books on the various smiths of Japan, (and maybe that is the best avenue to learn more) but I'm trying to just grasp what seems to be basic knowledge for many other forum members. What is an itame hada? What does a hakimage boshi look like, versus komaru, omaru, etc? I've been looking for good resources to help distinguish the many, many different types of blade attributes, but have come up empty. (Yes, I have a LOT of books to get around to reading, but I'm also not sure what a good starting book would be.) Did most of you learn just through experience? I'm curious what resources there are to help me learn (besides the wonderful people on this forum of course), other than piecing it together one item at a time and hoping my brain remembers. I'd love to hear 'origin stories' if anyone is willing to share how you learned, or how you got into the hobby, or whatever! Cheers,

In my limited Japanese studies, the + is actually the kanji for '10' (jyuu), followed by the two dashes on top of each other, which is the kanji for '2' (ni). so it essentially just means 12 (twelve), or 12th. So it would be pronounced jyuuni I guess? I've only been studying for a month or so though. LONG ways to go yet

Hi Everyone, I've finally gotten around to putting up a thread to show more details on the 4th and final complete blade that my grandpa brought back. Pretty gorgeous looking blade in my opinion, nice hamon, and seems to be in good polish! Lots of little scratches but it's easy to see features through them. I'm curious about the paint on the other side of the nakago from the mei, if anyone could translate those. Take a look and let me know what you think! I believe we had a translation of the mei already: Gotō Hiromasa 後藤廣正 Pics are here: https://imgur.com/a/MxCiizH but i'll put some in this thread so they survive long-term.

I just started playing this game yesterday. The soundtrack and scenery are incredible, and there is some incredible attention to detail in regards to the main character's equipment. I suppose I'll take this to the Izakaya