BSA

I'm sorry. Did you say the matchlock was taken as part of a gun amnesty? Very interesting gun though.

People need to remember that even flawed or tired swords are valuable in increasing our knowledge of Nihonto. They might not be masterworks, but an entire discipline is not defined solely by the cream of the crop. To establish an accurate survey of Nihonto as a whole we need to preserve the good and the bad. An amateur polish is going to remove more steel then necessary, even if it appears cosmetically acceptable. We can’t go back in time and make more old blades, once they’re gone, they’re gone. We aren’t just dealing with art in our hobby; we’re also dealing with artifacts. They deserve some respect. When in doubt, do no harm.

As artifact and art, nihonto are a bargain. That does not mean they are cheap. Still, the level of craftsmanship you can acquire for under $10k is pretty amazing. When you look at the upper end of the spectrum you’re usually in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and not the millions. Compare that to the rest of the art world. It’s the double edge sword, if you’ll forgive the term, of a niche hobby, recognition vs. accessibility. For the most part an auction is a place to be certain, not take a chance. You must factor your premiums, taxes and any other fees into the final price, and be sure of the item yourself. You must also be familiar with the auction house you’re buying from and their policies. Not all auction houses will stand behind their description. It comes down to your end goals, are you buying it as art or an investment? Art is personal, if a particular sword or fitting speaks to you, it’s worth what you pay. That doesn’t mean you’ll recoup the price. Markets fluctuate. I have yet to buy a sword at auction, but I have more than a few auction catalogs, the photography can sure be nice.

Eric H raises a good point. Swords were not just shortened to meet the laws of the time, but also to suit the owner. In the Edo period, these were the working tools of the day for any samurai. We've all come across blades that don't quite fit their mountings, swords that would otherwise be considered wakizashi mounted as tachi for example. It comes down to context. If they are of the period, they are certainly mounted as a samurai's daisho. To the owner of the time it would have been his katana. Now, if we remove the sword from its mounts and evaluate it with no other information, that is up for debate. Brandon A.

Interesting discussions. I have just a few things to add. While it is seems that great swords were recognized for their artistic qualities early on, that did not necessarily preclude their use in battle. A lot of these top-class swords received the names we know them as today not just from their famous owners, but also from deeds performed with them; their martial use and reputation for superiority making them famous. Honda Tadakatsu's spear "Tonbogiri" was certainly used in war. We have evidence, especially during the Sengoku Jidai, of swords by fairly big name smiths being carried into battle. These objects each have their own long history, so their use or lack thereof fell to the whims and preferences of their owners. This is the difference between say, driving a classic car or keeping it stored in one's garage. These were the precision weapons of their day, and a wealthy warrior would carry the best weapons he could into combat. While the "Ishida Masamune" is a Masamune, it still bares some battle scars. (I would be interested to learn exactly at what point in time these blows were inflicted upon the blade.) So it's not as if once a sword was recognized as something special it was hung up, never to be used again. In the end you won't find a hard and fast rule, it's the nature of anything passed down through history. Some swords were thought of as beautiful when they received their first polish, others became famous through their quality in war; some were set aside to become heirlooms, while others were carried into battle in the hope that their superior quality would protect the owner. Brandon A.

But the important question is "is the blade ok?" Just joking. Quick healing.

I was only there Saturday and did not submit anything this time around. The buzz from others at the show was that things were tough, lots of pink papers going out.