FrenchBreadPrime

Hey ! Thanks for answering ! I also have an IMA set and I've been happy with it too, they're great at making their pieces fit to a T and their armor are quite strong. I've been eyeing a lot of their stuff too, especially their Haramaki which appears to look very nice. Another upside is that their katchu-shi are apparently Japanese and have been trained in Japan. I've seen your armor while lurking on the site too and yours looks really good ! What I'd be interested in would be a modern but fully traditionally made set, but I have a hard time explaining why, though it's kind of for the same reason that I'd prefer having a fully functional Teppo copy than a copy that's not functional. I've been holding IMA in high hopes given their new option of making their armors battle-ready but on the other hand they've been cutting corners on some details (which I totally understand) But to be fair, I'd like to get a set from Marutake too in order to compare everything firsthand, I'm just a little sad that there aren't many people going the extra mile and proposing 100% traditional stuff, I can't fathom the price it'd cost but it'd be a neat thing. Would the best bet be to get an antique one and have it fully restored ?

Are there any Gendai Armor makers that are 100% traditional ? I'm interested in Gendai models and how they compare to Antiques, but I feel like no modern maker manages to actually match antiques. Marutake appears to be display-purpose only (apparently, their metal is thin) and tend to use cotton for Odoshi, and Iron Mountain armory, while proposing thicker metal and the ability to use silk if asked, is assembled outside of Japan and uses some inaccurate stuff like riveted fukurin, for example. Both use spray paint instead of Urushi, I've heard IMA wanted to try their hand at Urushi but I haven't heard anything more. There's also Kozando but they're also made by Marutake, although those are apparently wearable but I don't know to what extent. Does anybody knows of another Gendai maker that would be of better accuracy and quality ? And if not, who are the best ones for historical accuracy and functionality ? It feels like nothing is matching even Showa antiques.

Yeah, you're right, I just have a soft spot for late-Sengoku/early Edo armors so having a blade from one of these period makes me happy haha Is it in a condition where restoring it wouldn't make it too structurally weak ?

Really ? That's awesome, I didn't expect it to be that old !

Hello, I managed to get my hands on a Wakizashi blade, but it's Mumei and without any kind of certificate. It's very rusty and I don't know enough about blades to try and date it. Is it even Nihonto ? The lack of signature makes me think that it wouldn't be a cheap copy since a fake would actually aim for a signature. I've noticed strange marks on the Nakago too, about 4 filing marks ? It's about 57 centimeters in length overall. The Kisseki seems to be a little chipped too. I'm unsure if I'm managing to see faint traces of a hamon or if it's just the rust. Anything you can tell me about the blade ? I'd be interested in having is restored if possible (I don't mind if it's not worth it, I'd just like to give it a second life if it's a genuine blade). I tried to take high res pictures.