Mark

paper looks fine to me, no signs it is fake.

Danny's website has a nice section that breaks down the papers and what they say, see the image for TH paper below Hozon, he has it all translated http://www.nihontocraft.com/japanese_sw ... se_sword_4 does that help?

if you want the best reference for Yasutsugu Grey's wesite says he ca get you a copy of the Taikan http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.c ... an-dr-sato

the first generation (seems that is who you are asking about) is very famous. made many great blades that are very valuable. very high ranking (depending on source) many people collect him, so sought after I have seen $10,000 to 50,000 but I am sure there are higher and lower there is a lot of info on him online as he is famous

welcome Sean just as a note, NMB requires you sign with at least your first name. I see your name on the into thread, but just remember to sign all your posts . I am sure some members will add a brief translation. But as far as an appraisal: I was told that the value is set by what a willing buyer paid a willing seller on the open market, and since you bought these at an open auction it would seem that the high bid sets the high value for the items. Unless there is something hidden I would think what you paid is the top of the value as you were the high bidder.

thanks!

Hoanh he did post a link and pictures see his first post I think -- if all the communication is through eBay they have a record of what is agreed to. You are protected. If I get a commitment from a seller that he will "refund full price when item is returned" I have cancelled a transaction and make sure I have tracking for the return. If you do not like that let Eric know, and return it, have him confirm (through eBay) that he has it and will refund when cancelled, then you can cancel it and he will send a refund or ebay has all the info, you will be fine. A seller does not want to send a refund unless the sale is cancelled because if the buyer does not agree to cancel he is out fees. I have never had an issue if everything is through eBay as they bend over backward to help buyers

wow, maybe I made a mistake by posting a reply. I was trying to be neutral. Yes I know Eric, but I know Mike, Grey, Barry, and a bunch of the other NMB members. I do not owe Eric any special treatment. I reread the description, I do not see it described as "being in perfect condition ", I see it described as " light surface scuffs/scratches/stains here & there". All descriptions/opinions can vary a bit. If you would have posted a link to this sword before you bid then we could have given our opinion on the mei if you wished or comment on its collectability/desirability. There are swords I have that other members probably do not care for and they have ones I would not have bought. All swords are different. If you want a sword in perfect condition you should only buy a sword that is in new fresh Japanese (or professional) polish, with a paper. I do not mean to discourage you as I (and most of us) went through the same learning process and made plenty of mistakes but I do not see the long term value of a thread arguing about the differences of opinions on exact condition when the seller has taken it back. It seems a fair outcome. If you search past threads there is plenty of advise to avoid eBay unless you are confident of your ability to tell a treasure from the trash.

difficult situation. I agree with Chris' comments. If you buy a sword on ebay with a famous name, from someone knowledgeable (just check other items and feedback, if someone has sold a lot of swords it is likely he knows what he is doing) you should expect it is gimei. If the mei was correct the sword is worth a lot more than double what you paid. So if you think you know what you are doing and it is a genuine signature you more than doubled your money. I have made mistakes and sold great blades cheap (check past threads), Eric and all of has probably done the same. If the seller is refunding the price that seems very fair, if you had not bid maybe the under bidder would have won the sword and been happy, so the seller looses a sale. If you are only out return shipping that seems reasonable and I would just consider it the cost of learning. I have spent plenty of money on swords I should not have bought over the years and lost, but I learned from the experience and figure it was just part of the learning curve. To buy off ebay and expect to get a treasure every time is unrealistic. I would would think Brian's deleting the thread as it is better for everyone as the situation resolved itself.

thank you Piers and Moriyama san. I would never have figured that out, so something like messenger of the Chemical (gas?) Hazmat team in the Second Ward.

I have a sash or something similar, I am guessing it is military, maybe something like officer of the day etc, but I could be way off track. any help appreciated. thanks for looking!

welcome the NMB rules require you sign a post with your name. You are wise to check, in my opinion there are not WWII or earlier Japanese swords. I am sure others will add their thoughts

Chris Grey posted a picture of the tsuba, I had to open it as it does not open by itself (maybe size) check above the picture of the box to find the link

masamitsu saku kore showa 16 8th month

the black writing (if that is what you are asking about) says 85, it is an assembly number used when mass produced blades are assembled in a "factory", used to keep all parts together, that is why your parts are stamped #85

David McDonald was wrapping handles, not sure is he is a NMB member but he has a web site

I see a lot of these, they usually have poorly made blades, mostly machine made. In my area they sell in the $150-200 range

Ben welcome to the NMB. Great that you have an interest in tsuba. after a quick glance I wonder if #1 & #3 have had gold paint added? I am more of a blade collector so maybe I am off base, I am sure others will comment. I like the heianjo tsuba, it seems to be in good condition, my guess would be late 1500's or early 1600's. The last tsuba looks suspect, it may be a modern or cast copy. As I said I am not an expert but wanted to add a comment as it is nice to have a new member

the signature does read that way, you are correct. That being said it does not mean Kiyomaro made the sword, it is just the name written on the tang

smith looks like Ujifusa

any chance to see a picture?

Good to hear Arnold found potential treasure, I heard a number of attendees found something special to take home. Here is another picture I copied of someone's Facebook page

Ron I did not mention any names (privacy) but a few NMB members are visible in some pictures, if they want to identify themselves that is fine

I will let others give their opinions of the show as it would be self serving to say anything positive from myself. but I will say some things about what was there... The NBTHK American Branch put on a GREAT program Saturday afternoon, they first had a kantei session with 2 blades, one of the a Chogi, then Bob Benson reviewed the kantei "guesses" and explained some pointers to help participants learn. Then they put out a group of SoShu blades, all Juyo and higher, as I recall: Chogi - powerful and wild SA Hiroyuki - elegant SA Sadayohi - fantastic horimono Yukimitsu- just "Wow" Usually these exhibitions are for members and others can come in for a small charge but the NBTHK (AB) genourously opened it to all at no charge. You could walk in and walk up to each blade, pick it up, examine it, study it (great sword viewing lighting was set up). What a great opportunity to learn hands on. It was very kind of the owners of these fine swords to share them with anyone who wanted to study them. In the show room was the display of Naokatsu as mentioned before, Thank Ron!!!!! Also there was armor displayed (available for sale but great to see). There was a display of fine menuki. A real highlight was a display of Very Special Tsuba, they are Daimyo fittings. The owner, from Japan, brought them to display, he had printed information and he was happy to answer all questions and discuss the history and provenance of all the items. I am not a tsuba collector so hopefully someone else will provide more information but I remember one was a Miyamoto Musashi tsuba, others owned by Daimyo and important historical persons. This was a better display (items together in one place) than you would see in a museum in Japan. As a side note the owner said he was so happy to see the items being appreciated that he will bring some other special items next year ( I heard him mention a Masamume but we will have to see next year). From a business end: it was encouraging to see a Japanese dealer in attendance, he flew in just for the show. It seemed he had a successful visit and I saw him carrying a lot of swords out of the room and he needed additional cases to pack the items (I was happy to donate a case as a few of the swords were mine and I did not need as many cases going home. A number or dealers commented they had great shows, one said it was his best show in 20 years, another was excited to sell a high end item they had carried to shows for several years. Buyers perspective: I know quite a few swords were brought in from by the public, I saw them come in but as promoter I wanted to make sure those in the room had the opportunity so I worked hard to buy none of the swords that walked in. I did hear some quite excited about items they bought. Maybe some will comment about that (as I said not buying any I have nothing to say). There seemed to be some very good deals on tables and a lot seemed to find new homes. that is all from me for now. I hope others will give there thoughts

One of the Displays Naokatsu swords has mentioned earlier sorry for the poor pictures, look much better in person