ckaiserca

This was based on the estimated age of the blades and the fact that they were both mumei. As a general rule, Muromachi and Edo period mumei blades may not receive a Tokubetsu Hozon paper. This can change if the blade is really outstanding and can be easily attributed to a famous smith or school.

You can apply for both, but I did not, as I was guaranteed passing Hozon, but not Tokubetsu. It would have cost roughly $100.00 more if I had submitted for both and only passed Hozon. If it had passed both, it would have cost about $630.00 total.

The blade in question was in Japan already, so it only cost me an extra $300 (CAD) for the Shinsa. The other blade had no papers. Thanks for your input.

Finally some good news from Japan! The two blades (a Katana and a Wakizashi/Sun Nobi Tanto) that I had in for Shinsa since June have both passed for Hozon. I have to get some restoration work done on the koshirae of one of them, and also have to get a shirasaya made as it does not have one. So it will probably be a few more months before I actually have them in hand. I don't have a full report on the details of the Shinsa. I only know that they have passed at this time. I suppose that it will take another month or two before the Origami are actually produced. I have never gone through this process before, and really had no idea how long things take to happen. I will be curious to see the results for the Katana especially as it had two sets of older kicho papers. It was judged as Fujishima the first time and judged as Shitahara the second time.

This piece of fabric came to me by way of my grandmother. It is fairly heavy, and is quite detailed. It was used as a wall hanging in her home, and has a channel at the top that a wooden dowel goes through. It is sewn onto a cloth backing. Is this just a wall hanging or was it originally part of a kimono? I thought that it might be part of the sleeve of a formal kimono. The motif is cranes. I also see chrysanthemums and drums. Thoughts from the group?

Welcome Giulio! You have found the right place.

I was not aware of the actual symbology of the feathers. Thank you for telling me about it. That’s one of the things I love about this group. There is always someone who can help me learn more every day.

Here is the koshirae of my sun-nobi tanto. The saya is aogai-chirashi, the menuki are a feather design in shakudō, the fuchikashira is an engraving of ume tree and flowers on silver plate. The tusba is iron with a feather design on the rim and ishimeji on the surface. The kozuka of the kogatana is silver in what I think is a ishidatami pattern.

Just out of curiosity, how many of you still own the first sword that you ever acquired? I still have the first gunto that I bought, and I really can't see myself selling the first nihonto that I bought. My mind might change later, but I really enjoy just holding it in my hands and studying it. It certainly didn't cost a fortune, and is only has hozon papers, but I think it is a beautiful piece. I look forward to acquiring higher quality blades in the future, but short of winning the lottery, I don't think I will ever have a juyo blade in my collection.

Welcome Ken! I know from my limited experience so far on this board that the members here are great with answers to questions. There is a wealth of experience here, and the members seem to come from every level of experience. I think you will find any time spent here is time well spent. In this hobby, I would rather spend time than money, and a well asked question might save you a lot of grief with any future purchases!

I received an interesting email from the vendor of my sunnobi tanto that came in very early this morning. They asked me to check my parcel to make sure they didn’t send me an additional koshirae. I’m pretty sure I would have noticed that straight away. I hope that if someone did receive a koshirae that they shouldn’t have, that they would let the vendor know.

Hello and welcome! I have found the Connoisseur’s Book of Japanese Swords by Kōkan Nagayama to be a very useful addition to my library. There are other great titles listed in the forums FAQ section.

Aside from his prices seeming to be extraordinarily high, are there other reasons this seller is to be avoided?

Hello! Once I have posted a photograph on the forum, is there a way to use that same photo in another post without having to post it again? Thanks!

A question for the group. Pardon my ignorance, but what do you normally do with a kogatana in terms of polish and restoration? I most often see kogatana for sale in a fairly distressed condition with quite a lot of age and staining on the blade. I have a kogatana in a kozuka that I bought along with my sunnobi tanto to fill the empty space in the saya. I think that the pattern on the kozuka goes nicely with the rest of the koshirae. The blade is almost black. Is there any value at all in having something like this polished? It is signed "Hizen Kami Fujiwara Kuniyoshi" Using the forum's kaji pages, I think it is as follows in kanji: 肥 前 守 藤 原 国 (?) 吉 I know that mei on kogatana are most often false. Thanks for your input!