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Ian, when I saw that armor I thought about the picture you sent me of the kikko dou you own, which might have belonged originally to an armor much like the one pictured. I have been looking for something similar to yours for awhile but kikko armor in general seems to be extremely rare and I have only been able to find some kikko armored clothing. This is an beautifully restored example of a "kikko katabira?" from kevin at ryujinswords.com.

Carlo.....show me were I have ever on the forum mentioned that I was selling an item, and if you care to search you will see that I have never listed an item for sale on the forum, and I have never sold a samurai or Japanese item on Ebay EVER, unlike MANY forum members. I BUY ITEMS and have no NEED (currently) to sell anything and I do not make my living from selling ANYTHING...and while I do have a web site..... calling me a DEALER is like calling someone with a garden a farmer. I think Roys advise on waiting a couple of decades is very worth while. Carlo..people have different opinions..you have a right to yours but in the end its just an opinion. I do not just own items, I share pictures of what I have with people on many forums (again no mention of anything for sale)with anyone who asks and have posted many pictures online including on wikimedia commons for posterity> http://toolserver.org/~daniel/WikiSense ... _timestamp As for the armor mentioned, here is a quote from M.J.Peters of http://www.blackhydraarmouries.com Everyone makes mistakes from time to time...Anthony just saw something that you missed or maybe what he sees as interesting in an armor is just different then what you look for, once again an example of how OPINIONS can be so very different.

Keith, is that a fact or an opinion? people sometimes confuse the two things and even facts can be argued. I think you are absolutely wrong and any item from a time that someone is interested in is of historical significance to them. To someone interested in this period or who HAS an interest in the "common soldier" items such as an existing ashi-garu armor are historically significant. You have made it clear on several posts that you consider samurai from the Edo period to be not worthy of respect so of course you see things differently from someone who is more open minded and sees the Edo period and the items from it to be just as important as any other period. Here are a few quotes from you> and you also stated So now you are an expert on what armors are historically significant? And what about the future, maybe someday these items that some people consider to be junk will be seen in a different light. We are all keepers of history in our own way, you do it your way and I will do it my way, does either way have to be right or wrong? Someday people of the future will be glad that the items we have preserved are still around for them to see..thats the important thing to me..not just looking at a sword on my shelf or an armor in the corner of a room.

This is an ashi-garu or foot soldier armor, and you are telling me that just because it is "low end" that it is a piece of junk with no historical importance? This armor was made for a specific purpose and the ashi-garu played an important part in samurai history. I would have no problem owning an armor such as this but once again you have a right to your personal opinion...but thats all it is..an opinion. Ashi-garu: Foot Soldier. A complete matched Ashigaru Gusoku from the mid Edo Period (1750 +) again a munitions grade set under a wealth Lord. This set does have yoke padding but without Kikko inserts. The Mon on this armor also suggest that it was provided to men in the Taiho (cannon) squad as was common with particular crest, but I can not confirm or deny this. Also of interest is this Jingase is made of iron with urushi applied, much more costly to make than with leather, paper or bamboo. from> http://hirasefamily.com/antiquesyoroi.aspx

Here is an example of how 2 people who consider themselves to be EXPERTS can see the same item in a completely different way...A while back I posted a picture of an armor I own and was attacked by a self styled expert member of the forum...he told me and I quote directly When a well known person who IS considered to be a leading authority on the subject (Anthony Bryant) saw the exact same picture he said and I quote directly Here the picture of the armor in question..is anyone here able to understand why Anthony Bryant would consider this to be "good high quality" as opposed to the forum member who considered it to be "low end stuffs". More pictures of the armor in question. 99.999% of the members" better shut up when it comes to HIGH END ARMORS!!! http://s831.photobucket.com/albums/zz23 ... ?start=all

99.999% of the members" better shut up when it comes to HIGH END ARMORS!!!

If you notice, I said that the armors pictured were the type that I was interested in, obviously some people do not feel the same and thats their personal opinion....You would not find much better examples FOR SALE of these types of armors (kikko and karuta) from this period any were that I know of. Some people genuinely believe that the age of the samurai stopped sometime in the 1600's and anything from the Edo period should be ignored. While you are certainly welcome to your opinion it is just that, an opinion and no more. Different armors for different times, the same goes for weapons also. I can admire items from any period and from both sides , the high end and the low end but some people only see one side....there is no right or wrong here..only personal opinion.

Yes exactly, art is in the eye of the beholder but history is not. Low end was not made to attract the man with money, it was made to do the job, to lure the rich buyer ( who might not even actually use or need the object) you have to add flashy colors and a sense of extravagance , its just that some people are more susceptible to the "bait?" Things have not changed much as even now a house is much more marketable with a slab of marble in the kitchen and a swimming pool.

It is easier for me to use armor as an example but this applies to to nihonto as well in many ways. Recently I came across 2 really rare high end armors of the type I am interested in, with all matching pieces and both in really incredible condition. While I could have afforded to purchase them, I hesitated due to the fact that they were in such good condition and owning such items for me at least comes with a big responsibility to make sure they stay in the excellent condition they were in. Also for the price ( equal to a VERY nice sports car) I could buy quite a few armor pieces and weapons etc that while not nearly as pristine, to me are just as interesting if not more so. I opted to pass on them and while they sat unsold for quite awhile both have now gone to new owners..I have pictures of both armors and hope the new owners can take care of them in the manner they deserve. The armors I usually purchase are of the more low grade type worn by the average Joe samurai, and due to the fact that they are rather plain and unadorned have become almost as rare to find as the high end pristine examples since they were (and still are not) very highly valued and most were allowed to deteriorate to the point were they really are junk now. I just personally like samurai items that were owned by the average everyday samurai and Ashigaru, some people like the items owned by Daimyou and high ranking samurai but both types put together represent the real history and paint a more complete picture of the times and country they came from. Even junk armor can teach a lesson in construction, materials etc (if the price reflects the condition) to someone with that type of interest and to people who want to recreate their own armor. Both high end and low end can and should be appreciated and I hold the deepest respect for anyone who sacrifices to reach a higher level of understanding in ANY field then I am currently at. Disagreeing is normal but we are really on the same team are we not? Just trying to learn something new and pass on what we know to other people at the same time....in the short time we have been allotted to us. The high end from http://www.winterjapaneseart.com/ ........... and the low end from me.

That's why "99.999% of the members" better shut up when it comes to big name blades. reinhard So who are the 00.001% of the members that in your opinion are able to talk about big name blades....so we do not waste our time listening to the other 99.999%? I am serious..I would guess you and Guido..who else?

Roy, thanks for the tanto pictures, I have seen some nice carvings on bone but they just do not compare to the work done on ivory.

An excellent example of someone having an opinion on an item in question and then stating what aspects of the item back up the stated belief. I wish more people would take the time to tell other people the reasons for their critiques and not just make blanket statements.

Roy, do you know if the tanto is mounted in ivory? It does not look like bone to me.

Roy, you saved that kabuto and did a good job on the shikoro and maedate. Ian, the kikko piece is from a dou or possibly a haidate, either way kikko items are hard to find and usually in bad condition, someone found an ingenious use for it.

Ian, your right, its a mess....but I like it for some reason....it was sort of resurrected...and it does fold up well. ....

I have also found some items which have older parts and more recent but still old additions..but in this case the 2 items pictured are completely modern..I can absolutely guarantee it. Recently within the last few weeks a veritable army of these (menpo somen?) things were for sale in Japan and as usual they are now being trickled down to people as authentic. As Ian noted most people who buy items like this will probably make the effort to finish them before trying to pawn them off on unsuspecting people but these characters do not even bother doing that..and notice the lack of pictures, no doubt so that the WELD marks can not be seen. Here is a chochin kabuto were the kikko shikoro appears to have been added later and maybe not even made for this purpose but both pieces still undoubtedly old items. A restored, updated, and or repaired period item is far different than completely fake.

Some things are easier to figure out then others...http://cgi.ebay.com/Japanese-EDO-Samura ... 3024wt_932

Todays nihanto still has the form but what function? It is now relegated to being a piece of art were as a tansu etc can still be used for its original function.

George, I am interested in knowing what the showa gendai smiths actually thought about the work they were doing...did they consider themselves to be artists or craftsmen...was it a patriotic duty for them or a job? Do you have any idea.

Updated info on the return of the samurai exhibit and some photos. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/art ... le1666630/

Chris..any chance of seeing some pictures of the sword when its finished being polished?

"Sarcastic" is correct, "bitter" is definitely wrong, "old" is disputable and depends on the perspective. I'm 48 years old. But seriously: If don't want to make a complete fool out of yourself you better pick up some reliable books about history and stop making insinuations. This is neither about (plain) attitude nor about samurai-romantisiscm. It is about knowledge. reinhard Good god man..your 48 and you already have the attitude of a cranky 80yr old...I have plenty of history books..maybe your take on history is different then mine.

Conclusion of a very simple mind or a primitive way of provoking? Frankly, I don't really care. reinhard Response of a SARCASTIC BITTER OLD MAN!!!!!

Keven has a perfect example of a beautiful old sword in ww2 mounts..would you just toss out ( or sell ) the mounts? viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8214

Andrew, I have found that some western collectors have a very negative attitude towards Japan during the ww2 era and only want to think about a romanticized samurai era...they just as soon remove any reminder of the ww2 association their sword has and I can understand their feelings, many people feel the same way about German ww2 memorabilia. I would be interested to hear what someone of Japanese ancestry has to say on the subject, especially since there are way more ww2 related swords outside of Japan then inside.