website update

[Mantis dude]

Hi all,

 

I have been promising to update my website and I finally did. Just to give some indication, I last had 37 tsuba listed, I now have 53, menuki are around 25. Fuchi kashira and kozuka are also upgraded. I appreciate all comments and even better more sales leads!! Thank you for looking. http://www.freewebs.com/kamakiriken/index.htm

 

Ken aka "The Mantis Dude"

[Aldwin]

Hi Ken,

 

You really have a nice and vast collection of mantis themed tosogu, makes me want to start my own themed collection.

 

I've been wondering, did you get to win the mantis tsuba on YJ that I emailed to you?

 

Regards.

[Brian]

Yep..I think themed collections are a great way to go. I have often been very tempted to go the shishi route, but then I see some other theme that grabs me, and I am too tempted. Dragons would be a great and fairly easy one. We already have a Daruma guy. We have also seen the great horses theme here, and there are so many more. In every theme, there are the top schools too, so the quality is there if you can afford it.

Very tempting

Great looking collection Ken. (Hmm...with that name, you should be looking at the dragon and ken theme :lol: )

 

Brian

[Aldwin]

Indeed, themed collections are a great way to go.

 

Do we already have a bird guy here? I've just acquired my first tsuba that has a bird on it (and I don't even know what kind of bird it is, a chidori?)

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3911

 

I've always been fascinated with cranes and other bird species, so I guess I'll go with that theme. :D

[Mantis dude]

Of course one of the nice things is that there is a way to collect for everyone. What I like about my theme is that I can get pieces of low quality to high quality. I seek all types of examples and I like finding a school that I didn't have before. While I have been trying more for quality these days, if I like a piece of lesser quality I can still buy it since it adds value for me. I have stopped buying Aizu shoami for the most part, I have enough but every once in a while there is one that appeals to me. On the quality side, I have found some incredible pieces. One of my recent purchases which I have been staring at for a few years online now is a late edo piece made of copper and iron, looking around the mimi, it is so cool how this sword smith made the tsuba. I always hem and hawed about buying it, but now I am so happy that I did (tsuba 53).

On the down side since one of my goals is to get as many versions as possible, I don't sell any to upgrade, so it gets expensive. I may never become an expert in one school, but every time I add a different school I get to read up on it. And I get to see their techniques and interpretations. There are pluses and minuses on every way of collecting but I am glad I chose the way I have collected, it fits me and truthfully, I like being the mantis dude. lol. Be careful though because if you get a theme, then people may want to buy you everything with that theme. I made it very clear to my family, I only like sword fittings with a mantis theme, otherwise they would buy me ties, shirts and underwear with a mantis on them (ok so I might like them) but it is my choice of what to get. I recently redecorated and put my tsuba in an old display case and they do look really cool together, even non collectors think so. It has been so much fun and I look forward to continuing to build the mantis collection. I am really upset at myself for not buying that tanto done all in mino mantis themed fittings. Wow would it look good at the bottom of my display cabinet now. Anyway thanks again for all the nice comments and help in my collection. Attached is the iron/copper rim, the pics didn't come out great but you can see how the copper and iron really become almost one (when in hand you can feel it). If nothing else it has and should continue to be fun!!

all the best to guys.