Takezo

Does the tariff overvalue the item though? Between 2016 and 2019, 5 million JPY was worth approximately $44,000 to $47,500 USD. Today that would be $32,861 USD. Even if you pay 10% tariff, that is only $32,861 + $3286.10, so $36,147.10. That is still $10k under what you would have paid. Now, whether that 5m JPY sword in 2019 has been inflated in price to now is another story, but given the scenario it had not, the 10% doesn't matter at all. Also, as far as I know, tariffs have been taken away for these items again. I just imported from Japan an expensive sword and paid $150 from UPS.

I have really enjoyed your forum topics as of late @MassiveMoonHeh. Yes, it is becoming an apparent thing and Tsuruta has commented on how difficult it has become to find truly great swords as time marches on. I would say overall, even from just a few years ago, that Aoi Art's general offerings have a lower percentage of fine to outstanding swords, especially if you want to factor in "a good deal" on those categories. Myself, I definitely have seen this era of the low JPY as a buying opportunity and have taken (and will continue to) advantage of that, but I also consider myself a trustworthy caretaker. I have to imagine that some of the swords going out overseas will end up damaged and not taken care of, but to be fair, this also happens in Japan. One of the better things Japan could do to facilitate movement back to their shores is streamline the importation process of swords back into their country. Nobody really wants to wait or risk a sword sitting in a warehouse for months after sweating over international shipping etc., at least I don't. I really do think it would help if they had a better process for this though, as it would make commerce easier and we could sell and trade pieces back into Japan. Honestly the only reason I sell/trade swords here in the USA is because of the hassle/time taken getting them back into Japan. If it weren't for that I would have just sent my swords back to their homeland.

Posting my TH "ko-fujishima" naoshi (in the hands of Tanobe right now getting some alternative input) to compliment the discussion. Would like to hear anyone else's thoughts on this one as well, as ko-fujishima seems like an unusual and (to me at least) hard to classify attribution. What makes this blade in particular scream "ko-fujishima"? Ko-Uda? Yoshikage, Motoshige or more subdued Bizen? Anyway, 71.5cm nagasa, 0.92cm kasane, 2.7cm sori and 3.12cm motohaba. Koitame with jinie and faint utsuri, nioi based gunome midare with sunagashi and kinsuji.

very nice, so a 4x more or less. Still pretty small numbers overall. Is the ko-fujishima I have counted in there also (71.5cm nagasa)?

@Jussi Ekholm What about numbers on Kamakura - Nanbokuchō naginata-naoshi over 70cm nagasa? Are those far more numerous?

@YourBabyBjornBorg I was able to feed your paragraph to ChatGPT along with the sayagaki images and here is where it landed: Hizen no Kuni jū Musashi Daijō Fujiwara Tadahiro Bearing the twelve-character long signature together with a date inscription of Kan'ei 3 [1626]. Blade length: 1 shaku, 5 sun, 5 bu. In the autumn of the hinoe-uma year [2026]. Tanzan, appraised and inscribed [kaō]. The blade has a broad form. Its jigane is finely and excellently forged in the kome-nuka-hada style and displays variation. The hamon is a gunome-based midare, intermixed with ko-notare and yahazu-like pointed elements, with tobiyaki occurring. The nioiguchi is bright and clear; nie accumulates in the valleys of the midare, forming band-like areas. The temper gently undulates and terminates in a ko-maru bōshi. It exemplifies the style of workmanship at which this smith particularly excelled during this period, and the execution is excellent.

This is the piece in question

Hey I know this guy - yes Musashi Daijō Tadahiro era!

Thank you!

Requesting some help on this one. Seems Tanobe-sensei has thankfully made it out of the hospital for his back and is doing sayagaki again. If any paid translators see this, please feel free to DM me for a transaction. Thank you in advance.

I can see why someone might attribute it that way. I think you might be inspiring everyone to get their swords and cameras out. Maybe we should pin this thread and everyone can practice their skills. I might try today after seeing these!

@ROKUJURO well that is what being up late with a few glasses of saké will do 😂 Will repost this

@eternal_newbie apparently so, as that’s exactly what he elaborated on. He was able to send me what I assume are 3 entries from the upcoming book, showing the breadth of ability from Kanenobu. There is one that he labels as having Aoe style dan-utsuri. 119 兼延2.pdf 121 兼延.pdf 117 兼延1.pdf

I was able to contact Kondo-sensei (head representative of NBTHK Gifu) directly and it seems he personally chooses the swords on these calendars every year. Also he let me know that he is releasing a new book of oshigata called Mino-tō Zufu (『美濃刀図譜』) next year (Gifu members only?) and that this Kanenobu will be featured in it, as he has stated that long swords in hitatsura from Mino are extremely rare, but found that this one was valuable/significant as a representative of hitatsura from Shiga-Seki.

Snake eyes iron tsuba attributed to ko-shoami. $850 shipped.

Nice shishi set, signed in great shape. $1000 shipped. Maker: 稲川良克（花押）Inagawa Yoshikatsu (kaō) Subject: 獅子図 Shishi (lion) design Type: 縁頭 Fuchi-kashira Technique: 赤銅魚子地・高彫・色絵 shakudō nanako-ji, takabori, iroe Paper: NBTHK Hozon Tōsōgu Shinsa Date: Reiwa 5 (2023), October 10

For some reason I never opened a document tube that was sent to me along with the paperwork of a sword I submitted to 2026 Juyo Shinsa, posted here: But when I opened it, I found out that NBTHK Gifu chose this sword as their 2026 members calendar sword - kinda cool! Verified it on another member's TikTok, which took me a while to find. Apparently these calendars always feature Kondō Kuniharu's oshigata work, who was prolific and has handled some incredible swords and submitted oshigata for said works as well. It makes me wonder exactly when and why he chose this sword to document so thoroughly...well now I have some digging to do. Any insight into this selection process or how/why/when Kondō Kuniharu would do oshigata would be awesome. I do know from some research that he explicitly researched Shiga-Seki Kanenobu and his migration from 1st gen Naoe-shizu Kanenobu's area (as he was second gen overall as I understand it) to the area where he settled. This sword in particular is basically the Soden-Bizen version of Mino, some call it Mino-Soshu around the forum I see. Anyway, kinda cool like I said.

Beautiful piece. Someone needs to pick this up.

These are on hold but feel free to send more messages if interested, in case it does not go through

Offering these as a pair for $10,000. Incredible deal if someone is looking for a beautiful pair of Enju with koshirae. These are with Moses Becerra right now but I will get them sent back to me (and then out to you) if someone wants to do the deal.

Wanted to share the fittings on the koshirae of a sword I bought from the Count Ito Miyoji collection (original post here: ) Will share the tsuba for now, but more pics coming for the rest of the set. It includes all matching iron+soft metal inlays - the tsuba, fuchi (also signed), kashira, kojiri, kurikata, kaeshizuno and kawara-gane (both sides) Kozuka, Kogai and menuki by Goto Mitsutaka