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Hi all,

Another South African.

I have worked with metals most of my life at one stage or another. I am a turner by trade, although I no longer do that as an income.

I think when I started to look at Fords work on tsuba, wow the man has a talent, I started to get interested in the Japanese sword.

 

Thank you

Alan

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi all!

I am a tansu collector and sometimes restorer and I collect mingei and Japanese antiques of all kinds. I was trained in tansu restoration by Dane Owen of Shibui. I've

always wanted to start collecting armor and swords but have been wary because it is so much information ahead of me and it all seems a bit daunting. I don't want to be an uneducated collector and the real joy for me is being able to spot something and instantly know the approximate age, where its from, which mon is on the piece, etc, sooooo I'm biting the bullet. I'm here to learn. I'm in my mid twenties and I'm really excited about reading all your post and hopefully engaging at some point when I feel I've learned enough. Looking forward to this. -Joshua

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Hey guys, just heard about this site tonight from some guys over on Sword Buyers Guide.  I just purchased my first nihonto (or what everyone suspects is) and posted on there to get some insight about it and learned a good bit, then they told me about this site so I'm likely spending all night here reading all kinds of new information.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi, just wanted to introduce myself and say thanks to all of you who have contributed to this forum.  It has been very educational for me.  I will certainly continue to review and maybe one ask for more of your guidance.

 

Best Regards

Mike Kwok

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi all,

 

My name is Wouter and i currently live and work from the Czech Republic.

I have studied Japanology in Belgium and always dreamed of possessing a "katana".

 

This is actually my second post, so I have been quite impolite not to introduce myself here.

 

As an excuse I could state that my first buy might a) not be a Nihonto; b) be a candidate for the recently started topic 'worst buy'.

 

If you could find some spare time, maybe you might take a peek at my first post in the 'Military Swords of Japan' discussion thread? (link here)

I did receive some very valid information, but still have lots of open questions.

Like, this exact gendaito has been described on quanonline.com (link in post), so must have been around a while? I do wonder if anyone on this forum has come accross it?

 

yes, I should have followed your extremely valid advice and have studied, studied, studied and posted here sooner, before buying.

 

But, being a romantic, I do appreciate the historic meaning of my first buy.

 

Besides that, I would like to thank all of you. I have learned so much in so little time, for which i am eternally grateful.

 

And I have bought the recommended (starter) books.

 

Looking forward to your replies and reading through all the unread and yet unwritten posts.

 

Wouter

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Hello all. My name is Chris and I reside in Victoria, Australia. I have had a chequered career in IT, mainframe analyst/programmer and recently military war gaming and simulation for the Australian Army. I have been admiring nihonto since the early eighties and have had a few nice blades come and go. I have now settled back to my old home town and have taken over my family taxi business and now find my interest in nihonto re kindled. I have looked around a bit on this forum and am quite impressed with what I see in the knowledge, interest and willingness to help from the many members worldwide.

 

Thank you.

Chris L.

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Good Morning, Brian and thank you for the warm welcome.

 

My own view of Japanese swords is rather narrow being limited to a single piece

related to my father's service in the South Pacific. Lately I have been nosing

around on the INTERNET to see if I can learn more about the sword I have. As the

handle and sheath were in bad condition I have had it remounted. I assume it

was cherished by its original owner and has information etched into the tang.

 

Frankly the amount of information out there is a bit overwhelming and it would

probably help if I understood Japanese ( I don't). Any how, just took a moment to say

"Hi".

 

Best Wishes,

 

Bruce

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Good morning/afternoon all,

 

I jumped the gun a little and posted a question without a proper introduction.

 

A little about myself: Australian, I have been collecting IJA militaria with a focus on swords for approx 4 years. I have a love of history and military, so you can guess where that led me. I think I was attracted to Japanese because it seemed to be a less saturated group, with Germany, GB and the US being well represented. I also find the stories of Japanese bravery quite inspiring, not to mention the profound respect I have for a society that strives so highly for perfection. That someone will dedicate their life to learning and mastery is something to hold in awe. Swords are a good reminder of these qualities and I love knowing that there are literally hundreds of thousands of variations, minor as some may be. The fact that the Japanese actively saw these as 'weapons' is interesting, in an era where the gun had made these archaic implements of war obsolete. That these swords can be a priceless work of art to... what's not to love?

 

I must confess that While I can certainly appreciate and would love to own an 'art sword', I actually have a FAR greater interest in the military swords. These are what I love and an amazing reminder of different times. I feel no need to specifically collect pristine examples. My favorites are all swords that one would believe saw action, or have some sort of personalisation. I desire a 'leather covered' sword above a pristine Type 98. Call me odd. One day I hope to have a collection worthy enough to donate to a museum.

 

I collect these swords with a passion borderline obsessive, but the good news is I take very good care of them and always handle with respect. I'm here to learn and share my thoughts with likeminded individuals. Advice, assistance and the odd rebuke are all welcome and encouraged.

 

Hope to see you around.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey everyone

 

My name is Olivier Allemeersch and i'm almost 22 years now.
I live in Bruges in Belgium, a small city but it's nice.

Since i was about 16years old i grow a big interst in Japanese culture and so i found more about samurai and nihonto.
And now most of my interest go to nihonto.
I don't own any nihonto (yet), because i'm a student and my budget doesn't allow that.
But i do own a simple iron (edo-period) wakizashi tsuba and a (edo-period) kabuto. At least i hope it's a real one.
I will post pictures of the kabuto tomorow with the question to you guys if it's genuine, becuase it's damaged and i have some doubts.

Another big hobby of mine is keeping a saltwataquarium, I only keep corals and no fish, I did that with my previous aquarium though.

 

In september i will start a class to learn Japanese and soon i wil try out the art of Kendo, I know it's a bit late to start that but my previous studies didn'nt allow me to do that.
So better late than never I say!
 

I hope I will find much information here and learn a bunch of things from you guys!
And mayby i will find me a nice nihonto here :Drool: haha

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good morning everybody!

My name is Alessio and I am from Italy.

I am not really into Japanese culture, but I am looking for help to identify what a handle I have is.

I am going to post some pictures in the relevant thread, hoping someone can help me.

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  • 2 months later...

Good evening all, having joined recently I thought I should introduce myself here. I'm a creative writer for advertising by profession but studied fine art at Chelsea School of Art many years ago. My specialisation (outside of art history) was sculpture, including ancient traditional techniques such as 'lost wax' metal casting. I also do volunteer work in a legal capacity.

 

I've been fortunate to travel to and spend time in Japan, including Tokyo, Nara, Kyoto and Sendai. I've had a fascination with Japanese culture and crafts for many years but have only recently considered actually purchasing a proper nihonto. Peace and good health to you all.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello Everyone,

 

Just starting out with this hobby, currently flipping through some books and trying to get a feel for things.

Hoping to learn a bit more here.

Many of my google searches on nihonto have led me to this message board, so I figured it's a good idea to make an account and look around.

 

thanks.

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