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Wow, both have a double fuller Very cool indeed, thanks for the pics. Most people here don't seem to have much interest in jokoto though, so that's sad.

Just curious but has anyone ever seen examples of these?? I've seen like 3 modern repro tsurugi in my lifetime (in a youtube video, not in person) and they were made as offerings to a shrine. That's about it. I've never seen any other modern recreations of jokoto or their mountings. I wonder what these ancient swords would look like when made to modern standards with modern craftsmanship...

Thanks all. Someone has already sent me a pdf version of some books on tsuba, so I should be able to get started right away As with swords, I wasn't actually planning to buy any tsuba. Just wanted to be able to appreciate them visually and tell apart trash and treasure, basically. I guess I was confused about it all because online guides and articles tend to use vague descriptions and a huge laundry list of technical terminology, and it didn't really help me understand the difference between a genuine and a fake tsuba. But I have better resources now thanks to the kind people here so that's about to change soon!

Sorry if this is a dead horse topic but I haven't been able to find anything on this (that I could actually understand)... I know traditionally made tsuba should be carved instead of cast but how do I tell which is which?? And what constitutes a "bad design" or a fake patina??

Of course, thanks all for the advice

Heya. I'm gonna cut to the chase and be completely honest here: I fell in love with nihonto because I'm a massive weeb. My first exposure to nihonto was Touken Ranbu (which I am still a fan of) but rather than being content with staring at "swords" in the form of anime characters, I've also started to shift my attention to the actual swords themselves. So yes my view of nihonto is probably warped to hell and back, but I'm here to change that. Maybe one day I'll be able to attend a nihonto auction of some sort as an expert though the chances are pretty slim. Still, the knowledge of what makes a good sword and the ability to appreciate one would be incredibly valuable to me.

Hmm, it says he won't be entertaining "curious persons" like me, at least for now, only experienced collectors and specialists...welp. But his website has some nice pics though, so that's something. Thanks for the rec. I see, I guess I was being presumptuous lol. Maybe it's time to book that tour to the Bizen Osafune sword museum

Yes I'm aware lol. I just happen to be more fascinated by the ones that do. But thanks for the pointer about the nioiguchi, I didn't know that. If I understand correctly, a "continuous nioiguchi" means a hamon line that has a consistent brightness and doesn't fade in and out suddenly, right?? (Not sure if I got the terminology right either so the pics below show the "hamon line" that I mean. Sorry for the awful red circles, just wanted to be extra clear...)

Hi, I've been trying to change "Interests" under my Profile Info but it still shows my old info. It only shows the new one when I log out for some reason. How do I get it to update when I log back in??

Who are they? I've never heard of them before.

No it's just a random youtube video I found, sorry. (I think the person below you already said something about the brand but I'm not sure, sorry if this is a redundant reply.) On another note...judging by your profile pic, are you a fan of Touken Ranbu by any chance??

I prefer antiques, especially specimens with names of their own or some notable legend or anecdote about them. To give an example, I had a blast reading about the legends behind the so-called "twin swords" Higekiri and Hizamaru, both of which were renamed many times after all the legendary feats they accomplished - and at one point Higekiri was even named Tomokiri for slicing the tip off Hizamaru of its own accord. Obviously it's all fantastical bullshit but it really made the two swords come alive in my eyes when I looked up pictures of them later. So I guess I just like the novelty of such things?? Not to say unnamed/unidentified antiques aren't worthy of my attention of course - any antique that's in good polish is sure to have something beautiful about it, and I definitely hope I'll learn enough one day to be able to appreciate a sword on its own without a fancy name or legend to increase its "cool factor".

Thank you for this. I guess I just get easily discouraged sometimes. And of course it's so like me to not even know the difference between a fake and a repro lol. Fortunately, I may have the opportunity to travel in the future so maybe all hope isn't lost yet... any idea which countries have regular nihonto exhibits and stuff like that?? I definitely can't go to Japan since I don't speak a lick of Japanese but I was wondering if there is a sizeable nihonto community in, say, the UK.

Sorry I know this question sounds stupid - am a noob in case it wasn't already clear. But I've been told that the best way to develop an eye for the real deal is to look at examples with your own two eyes. Ok, fair nuff, but they don't exist where I live and I find neither pictures of swords nor articles written by experts tell me a whole lot...tbh I'm kinda disappointed that I've spent so long reading up as much as I can about nihonto but I still can't tell the difference between a fake and a real antique. Sometimes I ask an expert why they say a particular blade looks fake and even their answers just fly right over my head. They cite things like a tsuka ito that looks like shoelace (which usually just looks the same as a really old silk ito to me) or a fake patina (well how do you even tell if it's fake??), but no matter how one explains it I guess I just don't have the feel for it. Also I felt really stupid when I saw this video below and thought it showed real nihonto, maybe national treasures or something...but no. They were just chinese fakes, and I was ooh-ing and ahh-ing at them. Ughhhhhhhhh. Anyway I guess I just wanted to know wtf I'm doing wrong and maybe get some reassurance that I'm not a complete idiot. Thanks. (What an introduction, I know...)