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95,200 yen final price, someone really liked it.

http://www.japanauctioncenter.com/view2 ... h144282129

Very imaginative, someone had a sense of humor. Is the abalone shell real or just part it.

Koichi, thats interesting, thanks.

Piers, do you know if all fire hooks are called "Tobikuchi" is that a generic name or are there different names for different shapes. If the one I have is a fire hook it is a lot different looking than the ones I have seen. Thanks for that link, there are some interesting pictures of different hooks and tools etc, and those ladder acrobatics are extreme, do people do that as an exhibition in Japan? Thanks!

I saw one of these that the owner called by a specific name but I cant find it now, Tobikuchi or firemans tool has been suggested but I have not seen another tobikuchi with this shape, I was hoping someone might have an idea.

That right there says it all....most people will never have that experience in their entire lifetime....spending under $700 for a sword you can actually handle and learn from along with investing in some books and reading what is posted on this forum will go a long way. The $700 dollars is just part of the price of an education..it goes both ways though....anyone who sees any problem with his sword should be completely honest and tell him what you think about it so he can learn from your experience and knowledge. His next purchase should be significantly better than his first one. So dont hold back!!!

You will see that for the huge amount of items he sells damyou has a good rating...I have always believed that a large amount of the fake and replica items sold by him are purchased by people who know what they are buying and they intend to resell the items themselves...they will have his description in hand which does not say outright what the item is and to the unaware it looks like the item was purchased from a legit dealer...there are probably antique stores, gun and knife shows etc all over the world with damyou yari etc for sale.

Any comments on this? Looks fake to me... http://cgi.ebay.com/2863-J-P-Samurai-sw ... 2155wt_932

From the site, "all serious offers will be considered" and "Inquiries Welcome!"

Japanese Topsyturvydom by Mrs E. S. Patton - Published in 1896 http://www.archive.org/stream/japaneset%20...%200/mode/2up Just read this one...great pictures and observations by the author on the little differences between cultures...The part about how the Japanese would store their valuable artifacts in a fireproof "kura" is interesting and the observation on the absolute respect for police also.

Ron, your bell is one of those things that someone might not even recognize without the stand. Great story..I second your opinion..the Portuguese would be quite lucky to have Piers and company show up. Sounds like a permit nightmare. I for one would love to see them come to the U.S. I would chip in for that!

There are no prices and no statement on any return policy or inspection period or any guarantee on age or smith stated....before purchasing I would ask some questions and request more pictures of any item you have an interest in...any legitimate seller will be able to provide additional pictures which help you to know that they actually have the item in their possession. Establish what inspection period, return policy and guarantee of authenticity if any the seller is offering. I am sure if you post pictures here of an item you are thinking about buying you will get a few well informed opinions.

Steven, assuming that the picture is as old as it looks would a kai gunto have been made yet, whats the earliest that would have been?

Klaus, native american with a samurai sword?? Now thats a strange picture.

Good eyes, a very interesting set of pictures, the picture I posted was in that mix also already.

The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria will be presenting an exhibit of various samurai items, if any members of the forum are in the area this should be worth a visit... Trevor Absolon of Toraba.com will be providing assistance and loaning some items to the exhibit so there should be a wide variety of interesting items being shown. Hopefully someone will attend and take some pictures. From>> http://aggv.bc.ca/exhibitions/return-samurai

I was wondering if the blade was longer at one time? Is it normal for bo-hi to be so far into the nakago?

I remember several months ago 3 really nice looking jutte were sold on Yahoo Japan for rather high prices...the fact that there were 3 similar looking jutte being sold at the same time did not keep them from being sold...they had handles that were wrapped much like a sword handle with menuki and tsuba...each one was completely different but much the same also....it made you think that they came from the same collection possibly..eventually I saw at least 2 being re-sold on ebay for even higher prices...now that I think about it they appear to be made by the same people making these current whips and jutte and possible some of the other small items being sold recently also...I have to give them credit for not making to many copies at the same time and making each piece completely different from the next. Maybe they are same people who made the series of fake hand cannon that appeared suddenly and now have disappeared again...very ingenious..pick a certain type of item...make a few fairly decent copies and move on..I wonder whats next?

I dont know if this ones been posted here but I do not remember seeing it.

Another metal whip...how many of these need to pop up before people become suspicious...at this point I have to believe that this dealer knows what he is doing. http://cgi.ebay.com/2846-JP-Samurai-Ant ... 2188wt_932

Another great looking book to add to the list, thanks!

So be it then, if someone who should know better sells obvious fakes without regard to their reputation then they deserve to have a spotlight pointed on them...and the same goes for people who care about what they sell, people should know about them also. The few people that do not make the list will benefit from their own honesty.

This finally sold for $600+ and its an obvious FAKE!! This is why we are seeing so many dealers carrying items that they MUST realize are not real....no integrity at all. Maybe a list of dealers that sell items like this would be helpful.