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Stephen, it snows in Japan...and the bells have a great sound to!

Thanks Ian, thats a good drawing, I always see bits and pieces being sold but I have never seen a complete set. A lot of work went into it and its surprisingly light for being so bulky.

Piers, there is no ring, but I know what you are talking about as I just saw a set with a metal ring attached to the cord. How does the ring work exactly?

An interesting Japanese saddle and very complete, it looks old but I have no idea how old. If anyone knows what this type of saddle was used for etc I would be interested in knowing. http://s831.photobucket.com/albums/zz23 ... %20saddle/

2 more yari tanto, both from Ebay. ttp://s831.photobucket.com/albums/zz238 ... ?start=all

A couple of Tanegashima related items that thanks to Ron and Piers I was able to recognize. A Karasu-guchi or crow beak ball dispenser and a couple of different Hayago

Ian, just the sort of information I was hoping to hear, thanks.

If you read this it might help explain the tang stamp and its meaning. http://ryujinswords.com/shostamp.htm

Paul, thanks for your thoughts, I know its a subject that probably would be hard if not impossible to answer accurately but I thought I would try. As for the mumei ubu blades, I was wondering if blades that did not meet certain standards but were not bad enough to be destroyed were instead just sold unsigned maybe by a third party so as not to damage the smiths reputation but salvaging something from the work.

Roy, it almost looks like a life mask or a death mask of a real person.

What I mean is what type of flaw and or fault on a brand new sword would someone not have had a problem with in Japan when swords were actually being worn and used. While I am sure people of means could afford to buy perfect examples what was acceptable and considered normal by the average person and when brand new did high level smiths have certain flaws and faults that they considered to be normal enough to not have a problem with when selling the blade. I know that some problems with blades are not apparent right away but I see blades that to me look like the flaws in them were there from day 1. Did the smiths themselves consider certain flaws and faults acceptable? Was there a different standard of acceptance of flaws and faults or was it strictly a monetary consideration that caused people to own swords that were not entirely perfect. Any input would be appreciated.

My new bargain just arrived..1 yen+shipping from Japan of course.

Any thoughts on authenticity. From http://cgi.ebay.com/Japanese-Samurai-Sw ... 275wt_1076

Reminds me of this one. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6744

Why not take some pictures of the blades?

I vote NO!!! Post an add on the boards wanted section or look at the for sale section first.

No one has mentioned that you approached this sword in the right way, acknowledging that you were not informed enough on the subject you asked for informed opinions on a forum were you thought people with experience would help you. That is so much better then the people who have already purchased a bad condition, overpriced, or even fake sword and then have to hear the truth about their mistake. There is nothing wrong with checking out different swords you see for sale in a price that you feel you could afford and then trying to find the flaws and faults in those swords in an effort to gain more understanding and knowledge. Make a list of the sites you see being recommended and look at what is for sale and how they are described and how they are presented for viewing and along with reading this forum and some basic books you will eventually be able to see for yourself if a sword is real and worth the price being asked for it.

I would recommend looking in the for sale adds or post a wanted add on the forum before I looked any were else first, I have seen some excellent deals here lately. The longer you wait and the more you learn the better the chance of not regretting your future purchase ( I wish I knew then what I know now)

Paul, I have found that as I get older and as my eyesight gets worse my ability to spot flaws is the only thing that has improved? Like you I also have recently been trying to understand subjects that I previously had taken for granted, there is always room to learn something new.

Asking for additional pictures of a particular area of a blade is also a good way to find out if the seller is actually in possession of the sword.

By good one do you mean a real nihonto? You would need to show pictures of the blade and nakago before anyone could tell you for sure and if you want any further comments. Here is a link to a sword glossary if you do not know the names of the individual parts. http://members.shaw.ca/nihontonut/glossary.html

What a wonderful statement..I have been trying to do the exact opposite...accept the fact that there is no such thing as perfection and that flaws (in both people and objects) are not only natural but needed and that the lack of a flaw is unreal and only an illusion.

Yes, you can view most yahoo Japan items through their site and you can bid through their site, here is an example, if you wanted to bid on this tea sword you would click on the place a bid button and your bid will post if it is higher then the current bid. Its is a good idea to look over the site and figure out how to find the type of items you are interested in. I use google crome browser which translates automatically but there is a translate button on each page also. http://www.japanauctioncenter.com/view2 ... j106869865 Check this category out. http://www.japanauctioncenter.com/view. ... 26acc%3Djp

John, I have used http://www.japanauctioncenter.com/ to purchase items from Yahoo Japan. You will have to register and deposit funds with them through Paypal. If you win they will charge 8% plus the cost of shipping the item to their site etc. I have not used them for swords but they will register a sword according to them for a fee. When the item arrives at their site they will ship to you and charge for the shipping. I have never had a problem but bidding on Yahoo Japan means that you can not snipe, a last minute bid extends the bid time for a few extra minutes. Here is an alternate site that I have not used. http://japamart.com/clogin1.php?done=ht ... agetip.php

Mark, thats an awesome piece, thanks for posting, the pictures posted here are the only ivory mounts I have seen, bone mounts that I have seen do not have any were near the same quality of carving maybe due to bone being more porous and not as good of a medium or or maybe due to the fact that ivory being much more rare was used for higher level pieces.