kusunokimasahige

i did not say Hirohito was a hero. i said Yamamoto was. BTW i have read these sources in official archives. The Dutch also suffered under Japanese rule, maybe a bit less than the Chinese, but as a Dutchman i also know people who were in Japanese camps, as well as POW's however i am less biassed towards the subject, and more historically interested, so not a revisionist as you say....... i also am VERY angry !!! about the recent comments on comfort-girls by the Japanese government. They did exist! KM

IMHO he isnt a conman either, but just a very peculiar seller who does not like any kind of criticism or even questions at all...... it indeed varies... i did have some normal messages of off him untill he went into tirade mode again... KM BTW i think it is a good thing to discuss sellers on this forum!

I asked a question about a naginata he sold, on which clear power tool marks could be seen....... he flipped!! :lol: KM

I have studied this subject extensively, and must disagree with you... Hirohito tried as early as 1943 to end the war with the USA, and his courtiers were trying to set up communications through the Russians, to get to a "satisfactory (for Japan) " truce...... without the knowledge of Tojo and the other military rulers of Japan. when in 1945 the secret "we would like to surrender" messages to the American government were deliberately blocked by Stalin's offices, it was even too late to stop the atomic bomb from dropping. The weird thing is that if the communications had not been blocked by the Russians, and later talks about surrender were not "lost in translation" so to speak, about the position of the emperor and the term "unconditional" there is a valid chance the atomic bomb would never have been dropped. KM

Ah the Mackster......... yaikes....... did have some very angry e-mail traffic with him!! he likes to insult people e-mailing him with questions...... stay away!! KM

personally i think you would have been better off spending that money on a gendaito to use for cutting...... however if after polishing this piece properly by a togishi, a really nice sword would come out i would advise you never to use it for tameshigiri.... KM

very good article indeed! I remember myself doing research into the midway invasion plans, and have always had a soft spot for the Admiral. The weird circumstances in which the army counteracted the navy, and the other way around, because of petty feelings of grandeur, seriousely damaging Japan's war effort have always intrigued me. Admiral Yamamoto was right with all of his warnings towards the Army war-mongerors like Tojo and the rest who in a way overthrew the Emperor's power and reinstated a kind of new shogunate, under the veil of a diet.... thus abusing the weaknessess of the Emperor, while carrying out atrocities under his name. however no one would listen. Yamamoto tried his best when fulfilling a sheer impossible task, and he did it out of Giri towards Japan. In a way he is one of the true Japanese heroes, not only because he opposed the war, but also because he tried vehemently to save and secure the lives of those under his command, as well as on the side, and in deepest secret working with those who also opposed the war and wanted peace for Japan. KM

Hiya all, i recently stumbled across an antique wooden board with a copper samurai figure attached (gilded) who was feeding a few inlaid(wood) cranes... probably 18/19th century the samurai figure itself was very detailed, and in style with some of the older wood-block prints.... is there anyone who has ever come across such a thing? the dealer wanted a fair price for it so i first would like to aks the members wether they have ever seen such a thing...... KM

From China............ says it all........ KM

I think that Saigo Takamori is seen as the last samurai because he was the last of the samurai who was able to raise a considerable army to fight the treacherous Meiji troops who destroyed the way of life for the samurai and the shogunate. The shinsengumi were widely seen (by the Meiji traitors) as a band of brigands and an unimportant nuisance..... they were hunted down and destroyed. Probably the standoff of Saigo Takamori and his armies was more widely seen as a last stance and his seppuku was reveered as an act of courage by the Emperor's faction. The last samurai as a movie could be very nice if you ditch Tom Cruise... since the only westerner ever to have been granted samurai status in Japan was the "Anjin sama" hatamoto WILLIAM ADAMS. KM

beautiful maedate!! I am trying to make one using real deer antlers at the moment (of a small deer that is!) KM

Hey there and Welkom op het forum! Go with the advice of Milt I would say.... I do have a set of armour, combined, however i got it cheap, since i need it for re-enactment here in the Netherlands... if you want quality armour, check http://www.toraba.com he has quality stuff! best wishes, KM

looks to me like a hijacked account....... i would inform e-bay, and would certainly stay away from this one! KM

I have two of those!! I am Rich!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA KM

so, what about the advice some people give to use clear sowing machine oil, or high grade weapons oil, like gun oil? KM

yeah, i wondered about the same thing..... probably a replica, since with a real one the crook wouldnt have kept his arm........ KM

strange but true....... http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,, ... 69,00.html KM

funny to see such a badly removed stamp when a togishi could make it as if there never was a stamp! KM

it strikes me as a bit odd that in Japanese sword-laws the swords with arsenal stamp are considered to be weapons, and older, better, and sharper swords are considered to be artwork...... because in the wrong hands they obiousely are the same thing....... KM

iwamoto Konkwan......... also of Korean descent? KM

You mean this image......... It indeed looks like the same technique! it might be that it is the technique of a laminated blade... i have seen cross sections of swords in which it looks as if there first was a soft core, after which harder steel was in a way folded over the core lengthwise... very similar indeed, also the kissaki shape.... bummer i dont have the money to make it a pair then... but i would only do that if i would know it was definetely by the same smith.... KM

so it is quite cumbersome :? KM

I meant the small crack running up from the cutting edge, at the light spot, not the lengthwise indentation......... but it might not be large enough... KM

Ah Thanks so much for your info!! that sure helps with my first! i have discovered a very nice trace of the hamon, colliflower shaped somewhere in the middle of the blade, which only shows up at a certain angle... though i wouldnt know how to photograph it, and I have finally been in touch with a polisher, so it will be a while still before i can show all of you the restored blade... with ubu-ha KM

aiiiii......... fatal flaw.......... KM