kusunokimasahige

Chris, Would you rather have the lesser works of art also preserved in a vault of some rich bugger for none to see ?

Thank you all. Here is his obituary, describing his life. http://dailyjournal.net/view/obit/16748/#.Ur59hftsvTo KM

It is with very deep sadness that I have to inform all of you about the passing of my friend Anthony Bryant (1961-2013), who was a great author (for Osprey among others), Japanese History buff and a great and kind person. He wrote much about the Samurai and was the proprietor of the very interesting Nihon Katchû Seisakuben armor pages (http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/). He had been ill for a short time and we all thought he was getting better. Sadly the Gods work in mysterious ways. I wish his family, friends, students and fellow SCA members much strength in the coming time. He will be sorely missed.

To be honest, I only like the blade itself. I find the koshirae hideous. But, tastes differ. KM

True, I might have been too hard on the koshirae and its fittings. Great discussion though ! KM

Eric is of course right, but I did not want to get into Ashigaru ranks and Samurai who led ashigaru troops (Teppo Ko-gashira etc.) KM

Probably used a river for Yaki-ire. Were these giant swords not presented to shrines and Temples ? KM

This raises a question. Were menuki always the same on both sides or did there exist pairs which were not symmetrical, not the same so to speak but still matching because of either a religious or legendary theme ? I do like the idea of a Menuki Orphanage though KM

Well, if people are that sensitive about atrocities and that adament on the collecting interests of it all this board should not even allow posts dealing with cutting tests on corpses (which constitutes desecrating a body in these modern times) and should only be talking about tameshi giri performed on bamboo and wet rice mats apart from the occasional translation of an edo period cutting test or the use of Shin-Gunto in war, which also seems to be a sensitivity on the board. I am here for scholarly debate on these matters and their history. Not sensation. And that the last I will say about it. KM

I like the mounts a lot. The sword is very nice too. Happy Birthday Chris !

Brian. I was referring to a passage in the scientific report about two holes found in the front of the skull of one of the skeletons which were made by a two -or three sided blade. These do not correspond with the tameshi-giri cuts in the rest of that same report. I have no clue what you are on about here. Its a scholarly paper so I made a remark on something which was left open in the paper. You might also be surprised to hear that Tameshi was at times performed on live subjects. Agenda' s have nothing to do with that thank you very much. KM

For me its simple. Search preference : Japanese antiques. Worldwide Keywords : Katana, Wakizashi, Yoroi, Kabuto Sode and so on. I also use various languages if needed. (Once found an A11 USAAF flight helmet for only 30 Euros because it was an advert in German) Search list 200 items per page. Bob's your uncle. KM

Edit admin - This is about tameshigiri...not executions. Please stay on topic.

Happy Saturnalia & Dies Natalis Sol Invictus, and merry X mas. Here is my tree: KM

I find it a bit strange that you seem to think that this sword would not have been worn by a samurai at one time. The koshirae sucks, the blade is about dead, but even a soldier on the run during the Boshin war could have worn such a blade. These blades are old, and not all blades survived in their original mountings or condition. KM

Great story Chris ! Looking forward to the images of the blades including the Mei. KM

That is not a Kabuto but a Jingasa. Jingasa were often worn by Ashigaru soldiers. Sometimes iron, sometimes leather, sometimes even paper maché with lacquer. This one is interesting because of its shape and its construction of iron. Some say that they were sometimes used as cooking pots when on campaign. What clan the Kamon is from I do not know at this moment KM

In this case it would be clear cut to me. Go to the police and other law enforcment organizations. This is criminal behavior and there is nothing else one can say about it. KM

Adam, its clearly cast. KM

Thank you very much for posting this ! Excellent reference !!!

Guys.............. viewtopic.php?f=56&t=4408&hilit=Samurai+Sword+Native+American

But..... Is it magnetic ? KM

It looks very Chinese in appearance somehow Like it ! KM

I agree fully with that Hamish. I must say I see that a lot on US sites. Ridiculous prices, often for mediocre and even fake stuff. This guy has good stuff, but still the prices are about 2 fold of what you would pay in Europe. KM

Great item ! The first time I actually see a woodblock itself ! KM