Surfson

Very nice video of building and running a tatara forge. I wonder if there is a way for a gaijin to get involved in this somewhere in Japan? It would be very interesting. Does anybody know how many days it takes to run it once lit?

One has to have sharp eyes and critical mind to find the gems and avoid the turds in Yahoo. I have bought a few that disappointed once I received them. Having said that, in most cases, it is the opposite - much better in hand than on the listing.

Very interesting Andrew!

All fake? Even the iron one with the cricket?

I have an Arikoto tanto but no photos of the mei handy. It's quite a nice blade but lacks the poetry often seen on his work.

Jussi, there are also a number that are listed as "formerly kokuho". It must be the best or one of the best private collections in the world. Are you aware of others more substantial?

Yumoto's book, BW Robinson, Nagayama, Sato. All are good overviews. Search for Japanese Sword and any one of these names.

I "liked" your posting Michael, since I think it summarizes the pitfalls well. The wisdom in it is quite hard won I think and worthy of passing on. I don't want to hijack this thread though, so you should have the final word and we can go back to talking about this amazing collection. It seems like nearly every blade in the collection is tokubetsu juyo or better, and I think that studying the collection can really help with learning some kantei. I've been told for years that folks outside of Japan can never really learn kantei of masterpiece swords since they don't have access to them. This gives us some proxy access and is very exciting. I suspect that I will study those youtube movies and still photos many times, focusing on the swords from certain schools in the gokaden. Thanks again to Peter for telling us about it.

I am well aware of Darcy's views Ken and thanks for the link - he has been a big advocate of microfiber etc. and has been influential. I just find it interesting that this museum, which houses probably one of the greatest collections in the world, uses the traditional uchiko approach. I think that using uchiko requires a learning curve. If one doesn't completely wipe the oil off of the blade before applying the uchiko, it can form larger aggregates (clumps). That, combined with pinching too hard when wiping it off, can produce scratches. Careful efforts to avoid this prevent the scratching and enable the uchiko to treat the surface.

At the end, they have a video about how to care for the sword. It is in Japanese but shown very clearly. I will point out that they clearly use uchiko in the video, and I assume that the collection is cared for using uchiko. We have had many debates about uchiko and there are some very vehement NMB members that are opposed to it. I have never stopped using it, and apparently neither has the caretaker of this spectacular collection. Don't want to start a debate here about it, but if you are uncertain about using uchiko, this is reassuring to say the least.

Wow, thanks for posting that Peter. I watched all of the sword and koshirae films. Truly astonishing.

The last two kanji on yours, which I think say "sei-tan" or respectfully made, are pretty different. I am leaning toward it not being 7th generation or being gimei of 7. You will need examples of 8th and 9th generations.

Here is the shot.

I made a side by side comparison, but the site wouldn't let me upload it for some reason. It isn't a bad likeness. I will try again on the next box.

Geoff, there are nine generations. Based on this date, I think that it could only be 7, 8 or 9. If it's gimei, it is probably purporting to be 7, since he is the most famous, along with the first generation. I haven't studied the mei, but I have a 7th generation and am attaching a photo of the mei.

Any photos?

I agree guys. Many's the time we have debated whether a mei is shoshin or not prior to shinsa. It's good to have the authoritative source to help with these determinations. If it is shoshin, it will be the second one that came up first here on NMB, the first one being that great katana that we discussed a year ago...

Hi Geoff, did you buy that sword on ebay yesterday? It looks like it's likely a hand made and probably older blade, but the guy couldn't get the handle off. The sword was in their family after his uncle brought it back. I couldn't translate that either, but didn't try too hard. I assumed it was an address of some sort. Congrats on winning and let us know what it turns out to be. I was an underbidder.

So Tokubetsu Hozon is especially worthy of preservation...

James, the sword is unremarkable, appears to have wide open grain in the shinogi ji and is unsigned. The naked blade in a shirasaya with the papers would cost well under $1000 in my opinion. So you have to ask yourself if the mounts are worth $2500+. They are unusual and probably gaudy to most collectors. I agree that it is overpriced.

It's a machine made blade Eddie, and it appears to have decent mounts. It's hard to tell the condition of the polish, and it may have the tip broken off at the very end. It's probably worth in the range of $1000, give or take a few hundred.

Woopster, you have the right instincts. Feel free as you find interesting blades to run them by the NMB members. Most of us are happy to help steer you to something that is collectible, legitimate, in good condition and fairly priced. We don't always agree with each other, but we often reach some sort of consensus, and at least you can get a good amount of feedback. Picking up a good overview book or two is also a good idea.

Do you think that one is Echizen Kinai Adam? Or another school?

I can't imagine it's a fake. What were the issues raised Geraint?

Brian likes it and says he is willing to restore it, so watch this space.