Chishiki

Our national carrier 'telstra' crashed in the last 24 hours. Transport shut down.. mobile network down for many customers. I wonder where your server is based

My pleasure. I wouldn't bother papering your koshirae. As for shina, it's a real headache these days with too many applications and not enough spots. It sounds like you need to approach a mainline dealer in the US who is a member of the NBTHK and request they submit your menuki when they are sending their own lot over. It's going to cost you a handling fee and you probably won't see your menuki months for 6 months plus, such is the logjam these days. Sorry I can't be of more help on that. Just email, contact the dealers and see what response you get. Check the NBTHK website for shinsa fees and then add the handling charge and then decide if its an expense you are prepared to take on. I'd say if they paper to something like Mino, considering their size, their value may be around 2000 to 2200usd....based on your photos. Good luck. If they fail i will be hiding in the wilderness.

I would have them papered. Not to establish quality but authenticity. As Piers said, there are gold substitutes. This is a real problem and it zaps the confidence out of the market for buying online, ebay and yahoo etc. At least with hozon papers you will have authenticity and they will make note that they are carved from gold. They are a decent size as well at about 4cm by the looks. By their size and thinness of the plate they may be something like Mino. Just a guess. Lastly, keep them secure in a correct byox and handle them carefully. I wonder if I see a partial crack about 5mm back from the tip. If it is treat it carefully.

Look much better looking now after a wash. I'm confident they are gold, well as best as I can be. You need better photos, take a shot looking straight down from top and bottom. Additional photo of it laying next to a ruler [in centimetres]. If your camera is old ask someone to help out. I've taken dozens of photos just to get that one perfect one. Your menuki are not top tier, they look middle quality but better photos will help. You can then decide to put them back on the sword or replace them. You will learn a lot by comparing yours to papered examples on dealer sites. Gold menuki prices have gone up quite a bit over recent times. Dragons and shishi are the most sought after. The thing to look at with gold menuki is the crispness of the work. Look inside the mouth to see how defined the details, the crispness of the claws and scales. Gold is soft so they can wear down, but the points like inside the mouth will not. I have some menuki by 4th generation goto master and they tested at 21ct. But 17ct is very decent.

Don't feel too bad, you are not the first. I bought a wakizashi once and everything about it was average......apart from the menuki. They turned out to be solid gold shishi and papered to waki-goto. I had it rebound with more appropriate menuki and moved it on.

Hi. I have a fair bit of experience with the XRF metals analysers and they do have limitations. Make sure the jeweller takes samples from top and underneath and look for consistency. Heavy plating will register as gold. I don't think your photos are helping but we have to be judge on the work as presented, regardless of the metal. I would give them a mild wash, not scrub, as they are really dirty. Just under a tap and pat them dry with a paper towel. Lay them flat and take better photos. Sometimes if you take photos too close, on angles, it distorts the form. The real pity is the binding was decent and there's no getting it back. They register at about 17ct which today was about 140aud per gram. Put them on jewellery scales and you can get the gold value. Then you can judge value based on the quality of work. Hopefully with a light wash and good photos they will present better.

Hi. I recently secured this little treasure, a Toran Kei Tsuba from the Kofun period. I absolutely love it, the antiquity, rarity, beauty and charm. It measures about 7cm x 5.2. The wording placed over the tsuba is my instagram account. Mark

Thanks. If no luck here I'll try to source one from Japan. Mark

Dear community. Would anyone have a copy, or know where I can obtain the juyo zufu relevant to the naginata koshirae I am sharing with you? I am attaching to original Japanese text and a google translated version. Fingers crossed. Thanks, Mark

How's that for timing? What a great project. Don't forget to share your opinion once it's done. Mark

I can't believe this thread is 12 years old this month. It's epic and still relevant. No winners No losers. Mark

Lp

Hi Folks. Today we changed over the items on display with the exception of the suit of armour. Everything else, swords, fittings and kabuto are replaced. Regards Mark

Thanks Piers. I really appreciate your compliment because I know you are in the front and centre of this art. It was such a good vibe and moment in our collecting journey.

Yesterday, the Japanese Consul General officially opened our display of samurai art here in Melbourne, at the Box Hill RSL. It was a special event, having it attended by a Japanese Government representative was great. The RSL really have done a fantastic job hosting our display.

Thanks heaps for the compliment. We are very conscious that most of people viewing have zero knowledge so we try to choose pieces that anyone can look at and admire. The masataka koshirae is one of those pieces everyone can enjoy and that hamon can be seen from 2 metres away. Colin put that in at my special request....again. In 3 or 4 months it will make way for something else. 🤔

Hi. I'll share more photos soon. Some very nice items are on display. Mark

Thanks Brian. We are really proud of what we do. It's great to get such positive feedback from members of the public and members here on the forum. Thanks again for your support. Mark

Hi, nice of you for asking so politely. This organisation came about many years ago as a consequence of the Victorian Government introducing legislation that would make swords prohibited weapons and problematic for bona fide collectors. A considerable amount of work went into a submission to the government covering Japanese Art Swords and why they are important culturally and as Art. As a result our Society was formed and written into legislation as an exempt body. That's it in a nutshell. Mark

Hi. Today, we completed the installation of a display here in Melbourne. It's a nice display, worth visiting. The venue, Box Hill RSL, is quite large with restaurant, cafe, bar, and is very busy. We have displayed a good cross section of samurai art. The backbone of thr display is Colin McDonald and kudos to him. It will run for about 1 year, with most items being changed every four months. I'll post more details over time. If you'd like to know more please message me. Mark

Hi. We have installed a display of wood blocks, netsuke, okimono and inro at the Japanese Consulate, Melbourne. It will be in place until mid January. Public are welcome to view.

The final day was excellent, very well attended by the public and collector community. Displayed were antiques and art from across Asia. The Japanese Samurai pieces stirred a lot of enthusiastic questioning and discussions. Talks by organisers and contributors were followed by a tea ceremony. Looking forward to our next event where we can share our collections with the public. Stay tuned. 😉

It would be great if you offer to sell here, or keep us posted when the auction is happening. Mark

News Flash. A shrot term display, 4 days only. Thursday the 3rd through to Sunday (inclusive). A selection of quality sword fittings, lacquer and kabuto. At the following location :- ARTVISORY GALLERY 31O Toorak Road, South Yarra. Melbourne. If you are in Melbourne it's worth the effort. Here is the online catalogue. Samurai items start at number 72. https://issuu.com/ar..._and_creation_online Mark