Lindus

I started making shira saya back in the 80,s,not so difficult with a little care,during that time I suppose I made around thirty a year for collectors in the UK who wanted to get rid of Gunto mounts {how times have changed} The wood used from a specialist merchant was described as "Satin Walnut",virtually identical to Ho which in those days was unobtainable. The process is fairly simple and would suggest for those with a sword in decent but not new polish to have a go,the process is fairly well documented on the net now. Take your time, if you are not satisfied with either the saya or Tsuka finish they can easily be turned into civil saya & Tsuka which is also good fun. while on the subject, I was offered a splendid sword by a Dealer {Chris Shewen,remember him....good old days} in a black lacquered shira saya with a gold lacquer mei,never could afford to buy from a dealer but was always curious as to the rarity of resting mounts that were lacquered. I no longer make make anything{See old age and wife} but have recently been asked about wood for both saya,tsuka & shira saya,seems that importing wood from Japan has become difficult, found a specialist wood merchant in Falmouth,Cornwall while looking for some Ash. They have a large quantity of good dry wood including Magnolia, if desperate mail me for address and Number,would be happy to go and check out the wood prior to you buying....no charge. PS...simple Habaki are a piece of cake as well...... Roy

Thank you gentlemen, as usual NMB turns up info on the most obscure. Wonder how it came to Cornwall via a shin gunto?> Regards Roy

Many thanks Morita San. Roy

While being laid up{damned boring summer} I came across this medal,no history although it must have come with a sword. Possibly Russo/Japanese war?? any ideas chaps. Roy

Hi folks, been a while due to minor op. Sorting through some of the rapidly depleting collection I found that the Fuchi on the Sukekane is signed!!!{after owning for decades} any ideas of who it may be?. Thanks Roy

Thanks for that quick reply. Now please excuse my ignorance on this subject,can I assume that the close ties at that period would have allowed both the Chinese & Japanese to use the same date system based on a Chinese dynasty?. Asked as My knowledge of the Japanese date systems has never in the past included anything outside Japan. Regards Roy

Although the vase is I think Japanese the inscription seems possibly Chinese?, can any assist?. Thanks Roy

Hi Grey I had forgotten that,what year?,must be slipping old chap but these things niggle at me,great looking blade with quality mounts from a period where usually a great deal is known about smiths. Maybe Robert.R may have an idea,did not think to ask him then and now he has moved on from being the Hizen sensei gottogo,the Japanese film "Hidden blade" is about to start,if you have not seen it search it out,a masterpiece. Thanks for the reply Roy

60-69 age group "helluva age!!!" Life was so simple then, you bought Robinson & Yumoto,read cover to cover and set out as an expert.......swords were £40 to £100, a dealer offered me a splendid Daisho for £800 and thought he was mad. Ron Gregory sat in the garden with me and showed three swords he had picked up, one with a gold inlaid cutting test & a daisho with a snake horimono as well as similar on the saya's.......cost.....10/- & £5. While I appreciate just how far the learning curve has come,it was so much fun then. Roy

Have an O Tanto signed " Hizen hirado no ju Nakayama Suketsugu tsukuru" dated Keio 3rd year 8th day. Hira zukuri ko wakizashi.O tanto,iori mune & shallow sori of 3mm. Moto haba 30mm,saki haba 22mm,kasane 8mm. Hamon in nioi deki with a well defined habuchi. Streight yakidashi becomes rolling gunome midare,some ashi. boshi is an extended chu suguha section turns into an O maru with long, even haeri that turns into crisply up to meet the mune. Ji tetsu, distinct mokume hada with some itame. Nakago is streight and broad,113mm. Rounded kuri jiri gives the impression of a Bizen nakago. Single mekugi ana, yasurime are kiri near the machi becoming sujikai towards the jiri. Hopefully you will agree that it has all the properties leaning toward a decent sword by a decent smith....my question is this. I cannot find anything on the man. Roy

Seems both swords were drawn at the time of impact,this from my collection is ok but would see yours with the .45 stuck in as a gem. Dont be tempted to remove, in fact do anything to the mounts. Note, the sword below has two pegs,believe this was seen where the officer was also a martial art man?. Roy http://www.collectorsloot.homestead.com/gt5.html

The tassel is not original or Japanese of course,nice sword. If you paid £400 or less you may have a bargain. Roy

Over the years I have owned a number of swords with presentation plaques to British officers, these were/are of a standard pattern,eg, "presented to...{Name & Rank} by HQBMA,Malaya,1946} one had "Taken in a night attack,Naguchidauk,1945" followed by the name of the officer. one out of the ordinary had "Presented to {Name of the officer} by General{Field Marshal} Festing,Saigon,1946. As a matter of interest has any member had these and the variants. Should say that these do not add monetary value,just historic. Regards Roy

Yes as I remember, that is the Hamon. Roy http://www.collectorsloot.homestead.com

Again thanks folks,if our buildersa do as they say, we should have a great time.....if they do not {am I being cynical} we may not make the ferry. Roy http://www.collectorsloot.homestead.com

In addition to another thread re papers. On a mJapanese site, the Japanese auction center Jauce.com which I found while looking for seppa which a friend wants I found this declaration. Real swords and sword related items are restricted by Japan Post and cannot be shipped outside of Japan. Is this a new law or are the members already aware?. Surely seppa cannot be considered in the same catagorie as national treasure sword? Roy http://www.collectorsloot.homestead.com

A friend reminded me of a sword I did not buy in the 80's, a shin gunto mounted blade that had the most outstanding Hamon of several cherry blossoms floating on an undulating suguha. It was signed but cannot remember by who, has any member seen similar?, did not buy as the chap was asking around £400 which at that time would have bought at least one daisho or three civil & four gunto. Roy

Although I have some issues with Japanese attitudes I try to understand them,last time in Kyoto we sat in a temple grounds while dozens of school children had a picnic lunch. Children were as children are but when their teacher called time every scrap of rubbish was collected and as they passed us they smilled and waved. Not so in the UK. In Tokyo late one Saturday night we asked at the Hotel desk where we could safely walk as it was a splendid night, the clerk smiled and said that we should go where we pleased,it would be safe ,it was,even the drunks were happy drunks. Not in the UK. Sadly as another said about the US,we in the UK have lost respect not just for each other but the country in which we live. No go areas exist,many groups live outside the law & sadly I suspect unlike the Japanese, should a major disaster occur many would see this as an opportunity rather than to close ranks and as in WW2 support each other. Cynical?, yes I am afraid so,The UK could learn much from Japan but if I expand more I would be considered................ Roy http://www.collectorsloot.homestead.com

Thanks everyone,you have been splendid & in particular Maurice & JP for their invitations,most appreciated. Regards to all Roy http://www.collectorsloot.homestead.com

鍔、刀装具 武具 アンティーク、コレクション -.htm Interested to know,cut and paste. Roy

We are off on a joly to Paris soon,any suggestions of where we can see some Japanese art, not essential that it is Nihonto...also {as we are brits} some good but reasonably priced eateries... Roy

Further to my missplaced re "shelter box" Any donations from UK & EU members should be made direct to this splendid NGO disaster charity,I would suggest a google on them to see full details of there work.... Hello Supporters A chance to keep you all in the picture following an extremely busy day, yet very satisfying. I am reporting the latest information below, but also to make you aware that we should receive good TV coverage, we have had five international broadcasting stations at HQ filming throughout the day, we are already on BBC News 24 in the loop and should be on the national BBC 22:00 news. Both Sky and CNN are also involved. News as at 20:00 on Friday 11th March. Disaster lessons put to the test in Japanese response. Homes have been washed away, thousands of people are unaccounted for and the death toll from the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan today continues to rise. The catastrophic scenes from north-east Japan have shocked the world. Fires have raged out of control, fissures have cracked the land and torrents of water have swept away cars, boats and buildings. The humanitarian response to the disaster began immediately and a three-person ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) is already en route to Japan. Three of ShelterBoxs most experienced SRT members, Lasse Petersen (AU), Mark Pearson (UK) and John Diksa(FR), are spear-heading the response and will be drawing on all of their skills and experience in delivering emergency disaster relief as they fight to overcome the challenges ahead. Mark Pearson led ShelterBoxs response to the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, and the Haiti earthquake and Pakistan floods in 2010. He was in Port au Prince, Haitis capital, less than 36 hours after the January earthquake last year and says the lessons learnt from there will be essential. When you arrive in a country in the immediate aftermath of a disaster you have to be prepared to operate quickly, effectively and make the right decisions under pressure, he said. Were there to help, not to add to the burden, so we make sure were completely self-sufficient. Operationally, the Haiti earthquake was one of the toughest tests weve faced and its vital we apply the lessons we learnt there to our response in Japan. One of the biggest challenges facing us in Japan will be the logistics of reaching the affected are. The north-east of the country is a very remote area and with the infrastructure being either damaged or wiped-out its going to be a real battle to find out where the greatest need lies. Well be working closely with regional and national authorities as well as other aid agencies operating in the field to ensure there is a coordinated effort to reach the people in most need. Phenomenal support The situation in Japan is still unclear and the scale of the disaster continues to unfold. Scientists say the earthquake was 8,000 times stronger than the earthquake that rocked Christchurch, New Zealand, last month. ShelterBox stands by to respond in whatever capacity is required as the extent of destruction and the scale of need becomes clear. ShelterBox Founder and CEO, Tom Henderson, said: The outpouring of support weve witnessed today from around the globe is phenomenal. Once again our supporters are going the extra mile with their acts of generosity; we cant thank them enough. Our thoughts are with everyone affected during this tragic time and we are ready to help in whatever way were needed.

This has gone on way too long,if you had bought at auction & probably paid the same the "buyer beware" scenario would apply....do as most of us have done at some time,bite the bullet,never go back again & let people know your thoughts,learn from the experience. I have a page entitled "Happy Buyers" with their feedback, also say that it is your decision...Like,Afford...buy. If this is a fraud fare enough but at the end of the day you have killed any further sale from any NMB member and made your point. Roy

You have said it all,let me add thanks to the NGO's who reacted so fast with help,one, our Cornish disaster relief charity "Shelter Box" who within six hours had men in Japan with years of experience and six hundred box's. Thousands more of these box's which contain survival equipment for ten people,tents,cooking utensils,water purification etc. By supporting groups like these perhaps we can indirectly help some of those poor people. Roy

Pre Christmas I put aroud a 100 books for sale on my web site,many sold mainly to European members. I am so sorry that due to the vast sums that the postal services charge,few went to north America............any suggestions on postage of printed paper to that area?. Roy