Bazza

Dear All, I hardly know where to begin!!! Although I started collecting life in my teenage years as a gun collector, in the course of that I discovered the Japanese sword and have been enamoured for 45 years now - presently about to turn 65. When I started here in Australia there was no one who was interested in Nihonto, let alone any books apart from John Yumoto or Basil Robinson. It took me 10 years to begin to understand what swords were all about and 15 years before I found my first recognisably good katana - a nidai Tadahiro with choji midare hamon in Shingunto koshirae. In the absence of sensei I had to teach myself about quality and what made a good sword - still learning!! Polish is another vexatious subject - still learning there too. I first got to know NMB when my good mate Rich Turner started it some years ago. I never did have much free time to visit, then it went to Brian's custodianship. I've spent all day today browsing and I have A LOT of work to do to read every thread. My, my, a lot of people have been very active. I've joined because I believe it is the proper thing to do and I have always enjoyed sharing and making friends in Nihonto. Without friends in collecting one may as well give it all away. Also, I believe I can contribute to some threads and thought an introduction was the way to go. I will be well known to some of you, faintly recognisable to others, and a total nonentity to some. I look forward to getting to know more of you - and, BTW, I do recognise many names here. My collecting interests are eclectic and run the whole gamut of blades, tosogu, koshirae including lacquer. Oh, and teppo. I have three of those short, heavy barrelled Kunitomo guns that I have managed to find over the years. So, here's a Happy New Year to you all and let's raise our glasses to Nihonto. Best regards, Barry Thomas (Melbourne, Australia).

Henry, I have never heard of this bloke, but http://www.uts.edu.au/ is the University of Technology in Sydney, New South Wales. As the academic year has closed and it is holidays here he may be a student and 'offline', or away in some student Nirvana. I'll ask around my mates here and see what pops up. Best regards, Barry Thomas (Melbourne, Australia) - introduction posted soon.