Hokke

Thank you Hoshi, I actually found it (embarrassingly) a while after I made my comment but it was too late to edit my post. My fault for not looking carefully enough.

Well done Super user friendly and easy to navigate. The only thing I would consider adding is a currency exchange calculator, similar to the one on Aoi.

I dont think this sword was made in the thousands. I think it was likely made maybe a few at a time, depending on who was selling them. I cant imagine this particular design being a big seller to the point where they needed volume. As for the price, someone said you didnt get ripped off.....I would agree to the extent that "ripped off" is more a feeling than a value. I would simply say that for the same $100, you could have procured a new mass produced blade made in china, but manufactured from actual carbon steel and mounted more appealingly. At the end of the day though, if you are pleased with how it looks on your wall......thats all that really matters.

I agree on the nanako, but overall, as others have said, I rather like the set. The theme elements show quite nicely and have good detail. Im also a fan anytime you can find a matching set that includes kojiri and kurikata. In fairness he never said it actually holds or held a spectacular blade, only that it once held a sunobi. The "spectacular" part was an admitted presumption on his part.

Just want to chime in here as I have owned several pieces by Mr DiChristofano over the years. His work is by far my favorite of all western makers. Not only is he a hugely talented smith who has worked with mukansa level smiths, he is a hell of a nice guy as well.

That vid was hard to watch, for me at least, that guys voice was like nails on a chalkboard. Also, that snake blade looked as if it needed some attention, the oxidation looked active.

Kanji was adopted from the chinese

I agree of course, I dont think ANY animal should be illegally hunted for any one thing, whether it be horn, tooth, tusk or skin. However, since elk have a much shorter lifespan with a much great population, it is far easier to find and harvest their ivory versus that of an elephant.

Ah yes, you may be correct. When I did my initial search I looked only to see if the lines were unique to elephants only, which of course they are not. However, thanks to you and making a deeper dive, looks like you are correct, elephants and mammoth only.

Had to look that one up, great question. Its seems yes, the lines are present in all naturally occurring ivory, however, the angle of the crisscross will vary. Learning something new indeed.

As I understand it, there is no way to distinguish elk tooth ivory from elephant ivory, they are the same composition. Not all elk teeth are ivory, only two per animal, but still a more sustainable source of the material for small things like netsuke.

they look small enough they could be made from elk teeth

If you contact Markus Sesko here on the forum he will send you the translation and have it laid out in both kanji and english for a VERY nominal fee.

My eyes arent the greatest, but I dont see anything there that says made in Japan. Looks simply like someone with some basic skills decided to try their hand at making a knife with hamon from modern steel....and succeeded

Seems logical that the angle would also allow for more clearance of the hitsu to make sure there was no rubbing on the tsuba

Looks like a thin film peeling off the blade. Doesn't looked chromed to me but more likely polished with compound and wheel. For $895, like others said.....hard pass is the right choice

Dreadful? Soooo.....youre a suguha guy? Not judging, just curious in your choice of adjective.

I agree, to me those lines look like ware, rather than just a colored wrinkle.....not a very good picture though

Exactly, new papers are only *new papers* until they aren’t. In 2075, the papers of today will be ancient and this conversation will remain ongoing.

I agree, if authenticity is the only parameter, new papers would be of little benefit in your case. However, if condition is a parameter, old papers have less value since they reflect condition at the time of evaluation only.

Precisely……because people will always prefer to keep a big name, regardless of origami age. Plenty of folks out there buying nihonto who just need *something* on paper, regardless of the color or age. The flip side of that is when someone has old papers with a lesser attribution, but good reason to believe that modern papers would attribute it higher. Those folks are the first in line for new papers.

It seems to me that all this back and forth really boils down to one common denominator……value. Anyone owning a blade with blue papers is fine, no problems, just know that if a day comes when that blade is up for sale, the price may reflect the absence of modern papers. You can argue up, down and sideways until you are blue in the face, but nihonto, like every other art, is only worth what someone is willing to pay. Conditions change, judges change, conceptions change and as such, attributions can change…….

Yep, that would be my guess.....looks over function

When I have contacted Markus in the past he was always prompt in his response. However, I never contacted him during the holidays, so please be patient if it takes a bit.

Im not disagreeing with you Jean, I have little doubt these were produced recently for tourists and those unfamiliar with traditional techniques. My only point was that Japan is not immune from producing items for a buck, or yen as it were. There is no rule I am aware of in Japan, which states any tsuba produced within the state must be traditional and functional. Often times we romanticize people and cultures for one thing or another, but in this day and age, its money and wealth that drive most people, even in a country like Japan, so rich in history.