Z-Man

I am a recent graduate from a doctoral program and am now employed. This has allowed me to begin the serious pursuit of collecting nihonto. The exciting thing is that there are several giant warehouses full of what I do not know about this wonderful pursuit. 

My first exposure to nihonto was in 2003 while in Japan. I was in Okayama city and stumbled upon a shop there. I had no idea one could personally own what I took to be historical treasures of that magnitude. Of the $1000 I brought for a so-called "really cool thing to bring back" all was spent on a few tsubas. The owner of the shop (a man whose name I have since forgotten, but who apparently is/was a pretty well known dealer) was so gracious to let me gawk at his wares. He was also nice enough to give me contact information of a collector in the Reno NV area (where I lived at the time). I have since forgotten his name, but I did get the chance to speak with him. His advice is partly why I joined this message board. He encouraged me to not collect until I was in a position to collect only high-quality pieces. And, so, here I am.    

I travel to Japan at least once a year for a little more than a month, and am planning on purchasing a sword next trip (in Dec 2022). Thus far I prefer the Bizen school. I am very much attracted to pieces with a flamboyant hamon (gunome, choji, or the combination). I also prefer pieces complete with fittings.