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For Sale


Ed

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Hi all,

For a limited time I would like to offer this Wakizashi by Aizu Kunisada at the reduced price of $1650 with free shipping within CONUS.

It is a nice blade, signed and dated.  It would make a nice blade for a beginner, someone on a budget or the collector of Aizu works.

 

While not papered, it has a letter from the former head of the NBTHK Mr. Tanabe who has authenticated the mei and states it is an important study piece.

 

http://yakiba.com/Wak_Kunisada.htm

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****  UPDATE ***

 

Ok, had a few inquiries, but it seems everyone wants to pay it off over time.

 

 

I really would like to sell it outright and soon.  

 

I hate e-bay so for a limited time, I am willing to entertain best offers for a one time payment for this sword.

 

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Thanks guys.  

 

I don't get it, has me scratching my head in wonderment.  I thought at that price it would fly out of here.  It's a nice little sword, signed, dated, easily papered, cheap.  ??????????

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Joe,

I wouldn't jump to conclusions. Maybe some beginner who was looking at a $500 project blade decided to see if he can take the advise and buy something better. Or maybe someone who had no plans to make a purchase is trying to start out. Nothing wrong with trying for a deal imho.

But yes, this is a great deal and I suspect it will go on the weekend to one of the weekend browsers.

 

Brian

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Often it is a question of pure coincidence.

 

You post a great deal, nobody is interested at that particular moment. You post it two months later, it sells right away. No way of predicting what will happen. This applies to $300 deals as well as to $3,000 and $9,000 (forgive me my self-advertsing here) deals.

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**SOLD**  Thank you Steve.  :thumbsup:

 

Thanks for all the comments guys, I appreciate your support and input.

 

Seems to be some difference of opinion contained within this thread and I must say I can relate to them all.  

 

While I may not have used those exact terms (being the kind and restrained gentleman I am :doubt: ), I can totally relate to Joe's sentiment and don't really think that constitutes elitism.  I mean overall this is an expensive hobby and the price range in question is about as low as it gets for something worthwhile. 

 

Yet, on the other hand, I can relate to Stephens sentiment as well in that there are those who have an appreciation for this art form, but are not financially able to cough up even a smaller amount at a moments notice.  I do understand because I was there once.  I studied swords with Dean Hartley for years and didn't own a sword, with the exception of a Kai Gunto which was given to me.  Hell, I am still there, I think most of us are at some level.  The more I learn, the more I realize is that I can not afford the swords I really want to own, like a particular Awataguchi Kuniyoshi which was recently sold by one of our brethren. So, we all do the best we can.

 

While I confess to being a tad surprised that this sword didn't sell instantly, Mariusz's comment is spot on.  Something I only know too well. After years of doing this I surprised myself by being surprised  :laughing: .  I have had swords sit for what seemed an eternity, then one day for whatever reason, three people will write from various places throughout the world, all wanting the same sword. There is no rhyme or reason to it, it just plays out that way. Karma ?

 

In summary I would like to leave you with a famous (or not so) quote:  Can't we all just get along !  (Rodney King, after getting an ass whoopin by the LAPD)

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My first purchase. I have been looking at swords for over 35 years, have even made a few nihonto-style blades myself, and I am not a rich man as a disabled vet……yet there are times when you just have to DO IT! (I did it :)

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It's pretty much as Stephen described. I have a couple of swords in Japan at the moment and need to content myself with the odd small purchase until l'm sure that I've covered off the outlay there. 

 

Ed has a couple of lovely items on his website: a Yokohama Sukenaga Wakazashi and an o-wakizashi by Echizen Tomotsugu that I would be more than happy to have in my collection but it's just going to have to wait a while unfortunately.

 

What's particularly painful is watching some of the great items that Marius offers so frequently slip past. I think I'm going to send him my CV in case he needs a curator for his collecton... :glee:

 

Best regards,

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The more I learn, the more I realize is that I can not afford the swords I really want to own, like a particular Awataguchi Kuniyoshi which was recently sold by one of our brethren.

 

For quite a few years now I didn't buy any swords - as I always tell those who ask why: I can't afford my taste anymore. Sounds funny, but is the sad truth. Besides, I had to pay tuition fees & rent & living expenses for my daughter. Today she graduated from Waseda University where she majored in International Liberal Studies. It was either that, or two (maybe three) tokubetsu jūyō - believe me, it wasn't an easy choice ... ;-)  :rotfl:

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No worry about hijacking, the sword is sold !

 

My congratulations to your daughter Guido  :beer:  :beer: .   My last child at home will graduate high school in May, then she's off to college in the fall.  I thought tuition at private school was bad enough, but looking at the upcoming college expenses has me saying YIKES!!!   Shocked at how much expenses have increased since my oldest daughter graduated in 2000. Likely be a long time before I splurge on anything for myself. 

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I think we are all there. Heck, I don't even have kids, but a household on a single income means selling one of my pinball machines to be able replace the main tv that just blew last week. This isn't a "who is poorer than who" thread..just pointing out that we all know what it's like to have to have to pass on great deals. It comes with any hobby, and ours is particularly expensive.

But it is nicer making a plan to save and acquire items than just having an unlimited budget and buying an instant collection for those who have the money.

Part of the thrill of a chase I expect. As is knowing when daily expenses have to come first and swords second.

 

Brian

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No doubt most have some sort of financial constraints and (hopefully) buy/sell within those constraints. But let's be honest: collecting anything but the absolute lowest quality Japanese swords requires at a minimum a disposable income of some sort. It's just not a hobby you can actively participate in forming a collection at anything but the very lowest level unless you have the capability to drop several thousand dollars at a pop. This is not elitism, it is reality.

 

Once one has seen quality, it becomes hard to be satisfied with less.

 

I knew several sword enthusiasts in Japan (notice, I didn't call them collectors) who attended every kantei meeting, exhibition, etc. yet owned not 1 sword. Shibui! When I asked them about this, they said they simply couldn't afford the type of sword they would want to own and rather than live hand to mouth to own a nice sword, or own something of poor quality, they simply studied great swords every weekend at a kantei meeting and let the owners worry about the care and feeding of these treasures. Makes a lot of sense. I often wonder why we don't see this attitude more in the US... Instead, we see people spend years collecting all sorts of very poor quality items rather than studying and focusing their limited resources on a few quality items.

 

Back when swords were $20 a piece, you could collect treasures for next to nothing and those at any financial level could assemble a wonderful collection. Unfortunately, those days have passed and collecting quality swords, like it or not,, has become what it has always been in Japan- a rich man's hobby. Just like most types of art collecting. Some continue to live in the past and instead of developing an eye for quality, knowledge, patience, and awareness of a good deal, insist on treasure hunting and bottom feeding. When they ask for opinions and are told their items are poor, they get huffy and cry elitism... :dunno:

 

Speaking personally, I became interesting in collecting gendai-to when in college and I couldn't afford older swords of quality. I recognized that there were those of very good workmanship and that the market wasn't valuing them (in my opinion)) properly. Now, the better ones are no longer $400-$500 but $10,000 and more. I rarely buy anything anymore for my collection-partly because really good gendai are scarce but also because they are expensive. But I haven't lowered my standards and started buying poor quality, cheap items simply because I can. I would rather not buy anything than buy poor quality items.

 

For those on very limited budgets, I would suggest finding something undervalued, saving for that great deal that shows up (like this one), and make careful buying decisions with a long time horizon, rather than buying low end items willy nilly and hoping for a miracle. One should also keep in mind that there are always other hobbies that are less expensive but can be equally interesting and fulfilling. I have found these very alluring, and much less expensive than a good sword! As a bonus, they are a good excuse to drink sake:

 

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