Jon

Yes I was so upset, I was all ready to bid, and got called away for work..then Found out the swords I wanted had no bids…I’ve not been able to negotiate a sale, it looks like the vendor decided to not sell them…disappointed.

Cheers guys, for myself in not looking for perfection, I’m looking for something I can study the basics on and then get restored…study some more…if I break even after costs of polishing I would be happy….i already have one wreck of a sword I’ve sent of to the polisher ( after I got it a nice Shirasaya made)…so for me collect study…rescue study a bit more and be happy.

As for price , I was not thinking of more than £150 per sword.

Fourth blade:

Third blade

This is the second blade:

I have the opportunity to buy a small consignment of Nihonto. But I’m not sure how much is a reasonable amount to pay for each blade. This is the first blade: Description: A Katana in Tachi in Koshirae Sugata: Shinogi-Zukuri Iori-mune with shallow tori-zoriNagasa:. 66.0 cmMotohaba: 2.8cm Sakihaba: 1.9cm Kasane: 7mmHada: details obscured by light abrasionHamon: gunome midareKissaki: chu-kissaki with ko-maru boshi with short kaeriNakago: Suriage, three mekugi ana, single character of the original mei “Oshu” remains.

This is an example of an authentic Mei for Bisho Osafune ju suke

I’m looking at this katana, it’s signed Bisho Osafune ju suke according to the sales blurb, but I’ve looked up some examples and I’m not convinced at all but as a novice I would appreciate some advice.

Well in the end I did not get the blade, it’s went for £1200 or $1500 which I personally think is well over the odds for a blade in that condition…on to the next one.

Hi is that something that occurred, Koshirae without Tsuka-Ito and Menuki glued on directly? cheers jon

unless someone has done something stupid like glueing the Tsuka to the Nakago.

Hi all thanks for your advice, a few more shots, I’m not convinced the koshirae was made for this blade. I will let you all know if I decide to buy…it’s still at £160 at present so I will see how the auction goes….( I’m after a nice French court duelling sword at the same time ) some more pictures from the auction house, if you look there is a big gap between the Habaki and Tsuka so I’m not thinking this is original Aikuchi mount. They have also said they I cannot remove the Habaki without causing damage when I asked for pictures of Nakago…suspicious. But it still comes with that nice Kozuka…..decisions decisions ( do I spend or bank my monthly guilt free spending and go for a better blade in a few months).

Hi Jean a few shots of the Aikuchi mount Koshirae, I did not realise Aikuchi mounts were rare on Wakizashi ? I have to say the kogatana and koshirae do appeal as it’s completely different from my first Nihonto which has katana koshirae.

Cheers Jean As you say without a picture of the Nakago it’s a real punt. Unfortunately auction houses in the UK tend to be rubbish at providing the pictures and images you need ( I’ve asked for shots of the Nakago), without that I’m thinking £200-250 as a punt. Jonathan

I know the pictures are not great but I’m thinking of purchasing this Wakizashi, the blade nagasa is 47cm, It comes with a kogatana with a really nice looking Kozuka ( I’m really drawn to the Kozuka.) Sorry I have no shots of the Nakago, which is a shame. What are thoughts, is this worth a purchase as a study piece ?

$200 that’s a brilliant find, even an Arsenal stamped Gunto is worth $200 ( infact they seem to be going for silly money these days, I’ve seen them selling at auction for £500 or around $700) but this is not a gunto it’s a Nihonto, good find, may be worth seeing if you can get a window Polish ( a small part of the blade polished ) to help study the blade ( before investing in a full Polish) although at the price you paid it would be probably economic to just go for a full Polish anyway).

Thanks for the thoughts guys.

When I actually got this in my hand it was really really bad…total Chinese special….I was at least hoping for it to be the end of a blade so I could admire a nice kissaki. Disappointing but no loss other than time.

Hi just wondering what people think of this Tanto it’s 27cm pictures included.

That poor sword needs some oil as a first step and maintained in an environment that will stabilise the rust. store it in a room with low humidity that is constant, with a constant temp…sudden increases in humidity and temperature changes are death to any iron or steel sword…swords like to live in the same rooms as people, not in sheds, garages or attics..but mainly oil the poor thing every now and then, remembering to remove the old oil then apply new oil as part of a regular maintenance regime. Unfortunately you will probably not know if it will be cost effective to get the sword polished and restored ( the blade being more that the restoration cost ) until after it’s done…but what you have there is a piece of history and a blade that would have been cherished over generations..that came into your family’s care and is now part of your family history and things like that go beyond mere economics. If you do go for a restoration don’t forget to also get a Shirasaya made for the sword ( it’s around £300) ..as you would not want to house your newly polished blade in the saya it’s been rusting in for 80+ years.

Would not seem to be a bad price to be honest, a grand for a Nihonto in Polish that you can study is not so bad, even if it’s not a great quality blade there will be lots to find out and discover. the fun is all in finding out about your sword. So you were not fleeced, maybe paid a bit of the odds many-be not depending on the quality. All in all it’s better to buy a sword in your hand that you can see and decide you like than one of the internet.

I need to get my Nihonto up to someone who will be making me a shirasaya for my sword, but as I live hundreds of miles away I need to find a courier who is trusted and can also carry my sword in a legally compliant way. Anyone got any contacts details ? as I don’t want my irreplaceable family heirloom lost, damaged or removed by the polic because the courier did not comply with the 2019 act.

My answer to this would be a crossbow 😂😂 and a very fast horse.

Hi jon Thats brilliant thanks for the response, do you have an email address ? regards jonathan