Why i dislike this dealer

[Sukaira]

In general I don't think Aoi Art builds cobbled together koshirae for their blades. They deal in volume and I am pretty sure Tsuruta just gets these as-is for the most part as he runs all over the country picking up blades. That being said I almost always ask them to price the blade without koshirae and they usually knock off a few hundred to a few thousand USD depending on the piece. Sometimes its a more recently made or well kept koshirae though, and that is worth keeping.

Edited October 27, 2025 by Sukaira

[lonely panet]

Yep hes a honest dealer

https://www.aoijapan.com/katana-mumei-unsigned/

[Bruce Pennington]

I don't understand this last post.

[vajo]

The question is was it made by him or was it made/ changed wartime.

 

 

 

 

The Koshirae is made up of parts. The Seppa are from a Type 3. But we've seen something like this before. Bring your sword to war or assembled after war?
 

I didn't like this part.

Edited November 19, 2025 by vajo

[Rawa]

@lonely panet ffs maybe you are right.

https://sword-auction.com/en/product/29954/as25207-katana-hizen-koku-fujiwara-yoshikanenbthk-tokubetsu-kicho-token/

no word about „activity” in pics

 

Edited January 22 by Rawa

[Hector]

1 hour ago, Rawa said:

@lonely panet ffs maybe you are right.

https://sword-auction.com/en/product/29954/as25207-katana-hizen-koku-fujiwara-yoshikanenbthk-tokubetsu-kicho-token/

no word about „activity” in pics

 

"This piece comes with a Kichō Tōken (Precious Sword) certificate, but it does not guarantee a passing the Hozon Tōken designation."

That's stating he thinks/knows it's gimei and the old papers are worthless.

What else is he supposed to say? 

 

[Shugyosha]

Nothing to do with what looks like a momumental crack in the ha then?

[Lewis B]

57 minutes ago, Shugyosha said:

Nothing to do with what looks like a momumental crack in the ha then?

Doesn't go through to the other side, but still a very ugly kizu

[Lewis B]

Had my eye on this healthy Tametsugu. Then bidding exploded in the final 30 mins jumping from the starting bid of 1.6milJPY to 3.5milJPY. Tsuruta says it would benefit from a polish. Based on the photos the fine scratches are quite obvious. It appears to be a Mino period Tametsugu from what I can see. 

 

https://sword-auction.com/en/product/29871/as25689-katana-mumei-attributed-to-tametsugunbthk-tokubetsu-hozon-token/

[eternal_newbie]

1 hour ago, Lewis B said:

Had my eye on this healthy Tametsugu. Then bidding exploded in the final 30 mins jumping from the starting bid of 1.6milJPY to 3.5milJPY.

 

Hmm... so taking into account the cost of a polish and shinsa, someone's already pricing that as Juyo-grade Tametsugu. I do see some masame-like bands of sunagashi/yubashiri in the ha area and nagare in the shinogi-ji, and combined with the overall Mino look and the wildly active hamon, I'm guessing the buyer's punting on an upgrade to Shizu (or better) at Juyo shinsa. 75cm+ Juyo Shizu would definitely be a good investment for 3.5mil JPY + light polish to get the scratches out (and of course, if it goes to a higher smith than Shizu you're rolling in cash).

[Lewis B]

5 hours ago, eternal_newbie said:

 

Hmm... so taking into account the cost of a polish and shinsa, someone's already pricing that as Juyo-grade Tametsugu. I do see some masame-like bands of sunagashi/yubashiri in the ha area and nagare in the shinogi-ji, and combined with the overall Mino look and the wildly active hamon, I'm guessing the buyer's punting on an upgrade to Shizu (or better) at Juyo shinsa. 75cm+ Juyo Shizu would definitely be a good investment for 3.5mil JPY + light polish to get the scratches out (and of course, if it goes to a higher smith than Shizu you're rolling in cash).

I'd be quite surprised if that blade got Kaneuji or Yamato Shizu. His style appears to show more control of the hamon than is evident here. I could see it getting Naoe Shizu perhaps. But would that be an upgrade from Tametsugu?

[Schneeds]

Tametsugu can get awfully nice in and of itself.  If the below one ever shows up in public for 3.5 I will be the owner

 

 

 

 

[Jussi Ekholm]

I wrote my opinion on that particular Tametsugu on another platform recently, my opinion might be bit controversial. Personally I am seeing obvious signs of mei removal and nakago seems to be repatinated, I would think this was originally a later katana. Of course for my data I will accept this as Tametsugu as NBTHK says so (I'll add note to myself though) but I would personally steer clear on a sword like this that I see as altered and problematic.

[eternal_newbie]

47 minutes ago, Lewis B said:

I could see it getting Naoe Shizu perhaps. But would that be an upgrade from Tametsugu?

 

Tametsugu and upper grade Naoe Shizu are somewhat equivalent - someone who learned from one of Masamune's students, with some Yamato influence. Tametsugu for a wilder hamon or features that lean more to the Uda side of Yamato; Naoe Shizu for a more controlled hamon or features that lean towards Tegai. Neither has achieved TokuJu to my knowledge (without having the attribution changed to a better smith), though Darcy wrote that there is a signed Naoe Shizu blade in a private collection that is likely to become the first TokuJu if it ever gets submitted to shinsa.

 

Personally I would prefer Tametsugu because of the stylistic connection to both Go and Norishige, but that's more a matter of taste.

[Lewis B]

5 hours ago, Jussi Ekholm said:

I wrote my opinion on that particular Tametsugu on another platform recently, my opinion might be bit controversial. Personally I am seeing obvious signs of mei removal and nakago seems to be repatinated, I would think this was originally a later katana. Of course for my data I will accept this as Tametsugu as NBTHK says so (I'll add note to myself though) but I would personally steer clear on a sword like this that I see as altered and problematic.

Interesting you say this. I'm slowly working my way through the excellent Sesko KantoHibiSho volumes. Coincidentally, I just saw this oshigata and immediately it reminded me of the very active hamon, overall jiba and elongated boshi on the Tametsugu. Also has wide mihaba and elongated kissaki. The opinion piece on that particular wakizashi also suggested a later generation work in the style of Shizu. The low starting price was a bit of a red flag and maybe reflects some issues with the blade like the ones Jussi suggests.

 

[eternal_newbie]

10 hours ago, Lewis B said:

The opinion piece on that particular wakizashi also suggested a later generation work in the style of Shizu.

 

And here is another example of the hidden nuances and politics of attributions and setsumei. During Tanobe-sensei's time at the NBTHK he (and other sources) was adamant that any attribution to Shizu means specifically Shizu Saburo Kaneuji; however reading between the lines (and here, explicitly stated) it's acknowledged that this does encompass a line of smiths distinct from Naoe Shizu who could theoretically be referred to as the Shizu-den, all considered more or less equivalent for the purposes of attribution.

 

This is why, in most cases, a setsumei for a mumei Shizu blade will say that a sword "exhibits all the qualities of Shizu" but occasionally you'll see "exhibits clearly the workmanship of Shizu Saburo Kaneuji". This may be something that's always been the case, or it may be something that shifts depending on who is in charge of the Juyo panel; perhaps during Tanobe-sensei's tenure, he really did allow attributions to Shizu only for Shizu Saburo Kaneuji and lumped all others of that line in with Naoe Shizu.

[CSM101]

https://www.aoijapan.com/matched-mounting-set-kogai-kozuka-menuki-kizukawa-motif-44th-important-koshirae-fitting-designation-with-origami-ansei-6-appraised-by-mitsunori-value-3-mai-8-ryo/

 

Now at Aoi Art for 2.8 Mio Yen. Sold at the #802 Mainichi Auction for 1.725.000 Yen. That seems to be slightly more than the usual 3 percent dealer profit.

[Alex A]

Well, feel i have to add something positive here as folks seem keen on pulling Aoi apart.

 

All i will say (in my experience), there are no special saint type dealers in this game. Every dealer will have sold something to someone that has ******them off. Its how they respond that makes the difference. 

 

My experience with Tsuruta San has been 95% positive, he accepted a sword back that i was not happy with, without making a big song and dance about it.

 

Antiques in general is a minefield. Personally, i think there are far worse dealers to moan about.

 

Lets face it, buying swords online is less than ideal.

[PNSSHOGUN]

This is pretty depressing: https://www.aoijapan.com/katana-sun-pu-on-motsu-masamune-honawritten-seal-mark/ 

[lonely panet]

finally peaple are taking note of years of "this dealers dodgy claim" 

honestly pigs some times go willingly to the block.

 

 

[klee]

Agree with Alex

 

Probably one of 3 dealers I ll ever buy from. Definitely a dealer you have to  know what you are looking at and buying but he ll never claim a blade to be something it isnt. 

 

Their photos are also one of if not the best.

 

Seen way more sketchy listings from ppl on the forum honestly

[eternal_newbie]

15 minutes ago, klee said:

Seen way more sketchy listings from ppl on the forum honestly

 

I should also note that being one of the biggest English-speaking dealers with the highest throughput of merchandise, it's far more likely that you'll encounter "sketchy" seeming deals on their website, simply via the law of averages. I personally have at least a couple of Japanese-language dealer websites where any verbiage they add to a sales listing is to be taken with extreme amounts of salt.

[Alex A]

1 hour ago, klee said:

Agree with Alex

 

Probably one of 3 dealers I ll ever buy from. Definitely a dealer you have to  know what you are looking at and buying but he ll never claim a blade to be something it isnt. 

 

Their photos are also one of if not the best.

 

Seen way more sketchy listings from ppl on the forum honestly

 

One thing i have noticed with them over the years, they always list a gimei.

 

On the opposite side of that scale and why i personally think there are a worse dealers. There are some that make a living from selling non-papered swords with mei and pronouncing through their write-ups that everything is legit. No mention of caution to the unaware buyer, no guarantee to pass Hozen.

 

I could go on about such a dealer but ive made just one point which will suffice for this discussion.

 

Suppose that's where my perspective on such matters come from. 

 

As for Aoi, they sell lots of swords and no doubt there will be some from time to time that raise questions, that's up to the buyer to educate themself and ask.

 

At the end of the day. If someone buys a wrong one, who is to blame?. All been said before.

 

 

[anguilla1980]

I'm just a new guy here, but I've had a broad taste for various historical items/collectables over the decades. I always tend to do research on educating myself about a type of item I wish to acquire a couple of years in advance, if not more. That said, when something strikes me and ticks all of my boxes, I will impulse buy. However, that does not mean I don't know exactly what I'm buying. I also tend to buy just one example of an object I want, then move on to something else. In very rare cases, I become an extreme niche collector of a VERY specific form of a thing and over decades will acquire as many as I can of it. Anyway....

 

Caveat emptor always applies, and most everything has a variation of a compromise, even if slight, unless you have unlimited funds AND patience. 

 

I knew about a decade ago that I one day wanted a Sengoku period nihonto. Over time, casually researching, I found myself drawn to a certain style of hamon, and jihada especially. Then via more in-depth research, I found which regions and schools and in what time periods I would narrow my search to. After this, I compiled a list of dealers/websites to monitor. Over time, I noticed trends and browsed posts online about them. 

All of that to say, I believe a buyer should always do their due diligence (or hire an expert curator to acquire it for them) so that they can identify attributes of an item from all available sources (written, pictorial, documentation, etc.), often contacting a seller to request additional info due to gaps they may perceive in an ad/auction/etc. 

 

It's already been said in this thread that simply over time and volume, most sellers will exhibit patterns in their listing details and feedback. In the end, it comes down to the buyer's education and the seller's integrity, should there be an issue. 

 

I made a purchase almost 5 weeks ago from Aoi, and thus far, I've found the seller to be extremely responsive, professional, and accommodating. I found the listing details and images in my swords case, to have been comprehensive enough for me to make the purchase without further inquiry. I more or less knew exactly what I was buying (signed, dated, NBTHK, condition, etc.) and anything else was just a bonus. In my case, I found the koshirae (particularly the tsuka and tsuba) to be non-offensive and complimentary. The saya didn't even matter to me at all. When the sword arrives, I expect it will be just as shown, but if there is a problem for any reason, I'm also confident this seller will not "ghost" me if I reach out with one based on our correspondence thus far and having not seen any reports of this occurring to others. Which is good enough for me, what more could you ask of a business? 

 

Of course, there are always people who will buy whatever, totally uninformed, simply based on desire in the moment and at face-value of what a listing states (truth, lies, omissions, and all - just trust me bruh). More often than not, those people are totally happy with what they receive and never think twice about it. Mostly because they just don't care or sweat the details like most of us do. 

 

At the end of the day, no one is twisting your wrist to buy anything you don't have the warm fuzzies over. If you spot something that feels off, trust your instincts and move on. - But keep in mind, even the most terrible seller could one day come across exactly what you are looking for, then what will you do....

Edited February 12 by anguilla1980