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Tampa 2014 report

Grey Doffin
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Grey Doffin Grand Master

Grey Doffin

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Hi guys,

Back from Tampa with a ton of work to catch up to so I'll try to make this quick. Hope others who attended will add their own take.

I think the show was great. All tables were full, lots of people (both new and old timers), great stuff to look at: Bill and Natalya did a 1st class job of running the show. From what I heard the shinsa ran smoothly and I heard no one with a complaint about the paper he did or didn't get.

The NBTHK/AB display was Ko-Kinko and it was spectacular.

The big news at the show was a signed Soshu Akihiro ko-wakizashi. This was found at a pawn shop for a pittance. This is also a missing since the war Juyo Bijutsuhin (one step below National Treasure). Created quite a buzz. I got to see it: beautiful but unfortunately the owner had sent it to the wrong polisher and it was only a hint of what it might have looked like. The polish was terrible. On top of that, the polisher had taken it upon himself to clean (sand) the old shirasaya saya and add his saya-gaki, and he added saya-gaki to the new shira-saya also. On top of that, he charged the guy $7,000 for the desecration, at least 3 times what a good polish would have cost. Once the sword has been sold the new owner will have it polished properly but pity it had to suffer the bad polish.

Grey

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Medina San1 Enthusiast

Medina San1

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Good morning to all.

I arrived late 2pm on Sunday and still got to see some really nice things. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. This was only my second Shinsa, and I was very happy with the outcome of the blade I submitted. I had no idea of what I had I just know it looked good to me. And I only had it for a couple of days. Nidai Omi Daijo Tadahiro 74 pts. I’m a happy Camper.

Dan :)

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Uechi Collaborator

Uechi

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Good show with a nice selection of items and of course over priced nice items and junk. Many high quality, honest dealers and the usual crooks. The sword etiquette talk and the tameshigiri were excellent. All in all a good show, but basically kept my money in my pocket. Everything I liked was beyond my means.Saving my pennies for next year.

 

 

J Dromm

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Jean

Jean

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Jeffrey,

 

And the usual crooks

 

I am surprised that in this small circle which is Nihonto world, there are crooks in shows. How are they allowed to have a stand? How are they treated by collectors and by people having stands? Are they given cold shoulder?

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Ed Veteran

Ed

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Had a nice time at the show, all the swords I submitted passed except two. I just want to say that Chris Bowen is a real stand up guy, he went above and beyond to be sure everyone was well informed on their results whether pass or fail. I didn't hear one complaint about the shinsa. Thanks Chris.

 

Pretty good turnout for the show, saw some nice swords including the Soshu Akihiro Grey mentioned. Nice piece but again as already mentioned the polish sucked, which was a real shame. Tons of nice fittings, some for sale some for show. Ken Clark had his Tsuba collection on display and was selling his book on said collection.

 

Had nice chats with Chris, Curran, Grey, Arnold F., Quang, Skip and many others. Met John from O-Nihonto, Jeff D., David from Tsuba Otaku, and others.

 

Sorry that I did not take any photos to share. Intended to, but was running around having so much fun I simply forgot.

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Stephen Grand Master

Stephen

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Crooks might be a tad heavy, maybe the likes of used car dealers. Once in SF a friend and i were in the Japanese section of town, one small mall like area with shops and sobu stands ect, we about lost it when we were having a conversation with old bent over grayhaired Japanese gentleman. We learned very quick he knew what he was talking about when it came to Nithonto....we keep saying come to the show see all the swords...he just shook his head and said too many dealers, as one would talk about used car dealer. we went back the next day and the shop was closed....sad .miss talking to him.

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Ray Singer Grand Master

Ray Singer

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It was this sword below? Jim Kurrasch had the Akihiro listed #1 in his article on important missing Nihontô. Really tragic to the extreme that it was finally rediscovered after all this time had passed, only to end up in the hands of an amateur polisher.

 

http://www.sydneytokenkai.com/new-page-26.htm

 

- Ray

 

 

This is also a missing since the war Juyo Bijutsuhin (one step below National Treasure). Created quite a buzz. I got to see it: beautiful but unfortunately the owner had sent it to the wrong polisher and it was only a hint of what it might have looked like. The polish was terrible.
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b.hennick Grand Master

b.hennick

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The polish was very poor. In comparison to the Tokuju Akihiro that I saw at DTI it was a poorly made Akihiro. The Tokuju is thought to be his best work so in comparison to his best not so good. I do not know if it got a paper... the polish was so bad that it may have failed based on that.

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nihonto1001 Proficient

nihonto1001

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I removed what I said before about the sayagaki because it may have been an honest screw up on the part of the togishi.

 

You should have been there...

 

It was a good show. Sold a couple items, bought a few more, an had a good time with friends. I also, got to see Ed Marshall's knife making skills and was impressed.

 

Bill Green, did a great job, and nothing was lacking. There were not many items in the auction. But the auctioneer was very good.

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Darcy Mentor

Darcy

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Jeffrey,

 

And the usual crooks

 

I am surprised that in this small circle which is Nihonto world, there are crooks in shows. How are they allowed to have a stand? How are they treated by collectors and by people having stands? Are they given cold shoulder?

 

It's like politics. Even if someone is really in the wrong, there are a group of misguided people who support him.

 

Like right now in Ukraine, they opened up on the $100 million palace he built for himself over 3 years with stolen money from the people, and he was building a second one, and god knows what he filled up two busses with when he left the place and how much money is in London investment banks and in purchased real estate through corporations throughout the world.

 

But some people don't care, they are more upset that the former President got released from jail. They say (unsubstantiated) she stole more. Then you say, well what about the snipers? 20 people got killed by Snipers when Yanukovich sent them out with military weapons. These people have told me directly, "the opposition party dressed their own people as police and then sent them out as snipers and shot and killed their own people, in order to stir them up."

 

So if there is no evidence against you, it means you're clean. If there's evidence against you, it means that someone planted it.

 

That is, their minds are made up not at all based on facts and objective truths. It's made up and then all of their observations are sorted out in order to justify what they believe.

 

So for this reason a lot of people just don't want to get involved in policing it because it can blow up in your face with a whole lot of lies and accusations. And so people think, "Do I need that? Nope. Better that people just do their own homework and buy cautiously."

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Brian

Brian

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Well, I have the name of the polisher, and it is sad that he is one that actually did have training in Japan. Be that as it may...

I dislike the process of "outing" a polish or polisher, as what is good for one person might not be for another. I don't want the forum to become a "good/bad" site, but if those that were there are prepared to stand up and say "Yes, I saw it and I am prepared to say it was a bad polish" then I suppose it is in the interests of the community. But note that I am not going to take the flak myself over this. I was not there and did not see the sword. We have heard from Grey, Barry and Ed that the polish was bad. I assume there are others that saw it and felt the same?

If so...I'll allow the naming of the restorer with some trepidation.

 

Brian

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Uechi Collaborator

Uechi

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I am not naming names but there was one individual that I know personally having had dinner with him and his wife on several occasions back in the 80's. Provided him with money to purchase me a decent sword ( I was a brand new collector ). I was assured that he could find me something I would be satisified with and would not be the usual type of junk you now see on E-Bay. He took my money and basically used it for a year returning it after that year without a sword or even an adequate explanation. He had an interest free loan for a year.

 

I have also talked to several prominent dealers who confidentially told me to watch out for certain sellers. Enough said. Used car salesmen would be refreshing but down right lies amd deception is another matter.

 

Fortunately as in most professions/businesses the majority of people you come across are helpful and honest. They are smart enough to know the Nihonto group is small and word gets out.The key words remain " Caveat Emptor"

 

JDromm

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QuangD Enthusiast

QuangD

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Had a nice time at the show, all the swords I submitted passed except two. I just want to say that Chris Bowen is a real stand up guy, he went above and beyond to be sure everyone was well informed on their results whether pass or fail. I didn't hear one complaint about the shinsa. Thanks Chris.

 

Pretty good turnout for the show, saw some nice swords including the Soshu Akihiro Grey mentioned. Nice piece but again as already mentioned the polish sucked, which was a real shame. Tons of nice fittings, some for sale some for show. Ken Clark had his Tsuba collection on display and was selling his book on said collection.

 

Had nice chats with Chris, Curran, Grey, Arnold F., Quang, Skip and many others. Met John from O-Nihonto, Jeff D., David from Tsuba Otaku, and others.

 

Sorry that I did not take any photos to share. Intended to, but was running around having so much fun I simply forgot.

 

 

Ed,

 

It was great seeing you at the show. I heard your iron Tsuba "made in China" got papered. :badgrin:

 

It was fun to see many familiar faces. There is another show in Chicago

 

Quang

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b.hennick Grand Master

b.hennick

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Bob Benson did not polish that sword.

Bob Benson explained to me that the AKihiro is a difficult sword to polish. The sword is hitatsura and so there is an irregular mixture of hard and soft steel. If special care is not taken to keep the stone level with the blade you get more of the soft steel removed and hence the dips. I have no interest in identifying the polisher.

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