What is your opinion?

[Jean]

Following a comment by Pete in the Tosogu section, what is your opinion:

 

Do you think that for Nihonto, Tokubetsu Hozon papers are only worth getting if one wants to go for Juyo?

[runagmc]

People will pay more for the same sword, with higher-level papers...

 

...so it depends on the purpose of the sword owner...

 

...do they want papers for resale, OR to get an attribution for their own learning/ satisfaction?...

 

If all the owner wants is an attribution for their own satisfaction, Tokubetsu Hozon is overkill for that purpose (be it

sword, or tosogu)... IMO...

 

Some people go for higher-level papers wanting to see what level of value, or preservation, a sword society will deem their item worthy of... but that could be seen as collecting papers, rather than the item itself...

[Guido]

I posted a reply on the other thread before I saw this topic:

... the NBTHK fittings Shinsa fees are 17,000 Yen for Hozon, 30,000 Yen for TH if the item has already Hozon papers, and if submitted for both Shinsa at the same time, a total of 44,000 Yen. IOW, TH is "only" an additional 27,000 Yen.

I already stated elsewhere why I always go for the highest possible papers, so I won't repeat myself here. Financially it makes perfect sense to obtain TH papers IMO, especially if sending the item to Japan from abroad, and taking the shipping/handling fees into consideration.

 

If one collects without regard to re-sale value and what happens after he's gone, I actually don't see the need for any kind of papers. And there are also people who are so full of themselves that they are convinced they can recognize TH & Jūyō quality from a mile away - for them it would be an insult to have their opinion questioned by a Shinsa panel (except if that panel agrees, of course).