Need help with signature on antique katana

[raaay]

Hi Neil

 

 

good luck at Bob's , please give Bob my regards .

 

Ray

[aphelion]

Hi Neil

 

 

good luck at Bob's , please give Bob my regards .

 

Ray

 

I will.

[Brian]

I think you are going to come back with a MUCH clearer view of what we could see about your fake instantly, and also what this hobby all about. I think you are going to love it. Please do post your impressions when you return.

 

Regards,

Brian

[aphelion]

Well got back from Bobs. He unfortunately didn't have anything antique or authentic to look at, but he did look at my sword. It's funny, he spotted right when I walked through the door, lol. He said I should keep as a pretty wallhanger, in case I ever buy anything real in the future and want a decoy for thieves.

 

He also invited me to the Taikai International sword tournament this June in Orlando. Very nice guy. I think I'm going to start taking his classes at his dojo... why not learn how to properly care, use, hold the sword as well as owning... He said he's been studying and collecting nihonto for 30 years and still learns stuff everyday. Thanks Ray for bringing him up. He said this is a great forum.

[Jamie]

"why not learn how to properly care, use, hold the sword as well as owning... "

 

I agree

[Alan Morton]

Hello Apellion--N,

you are only going to get cut to pieces here verbally, these guys have

spent the last 20-30 years looking at Japanese swords ,good bad, duds like yours

and Fittings. Go back to the main page and go into Tosogu and then into

What are your Favorite Fittings go to page 5 and find BobM entries , there you will

see the fantastic tsuba" Shoki and the Oni" that yours is poorly copied off.This tsuba

will bang your artisic socks off and then start looking at books.

Alan .

[Brian]

Alan,

Considering it has been days already....I really don't see anyone "cutting him to pieces verbally"

Nope...the fake has already been pointed out, and now it is just a case of seeing as many real ones as possible, and the fakes will become obvious. Yes, that tsuba was clearly a fake. Seeing the real one will help. Fakes come in many different metals, and iron/steel is certainly not an indicator of genuineness.

 

Brian

[aphelion]

I've seen tsuba's on sites that are reputable and what not (some of them from links here) that seem to have tsubas made from iron. Obviously mine is casted, and someone made a comment earlier that the bubbles/pits were a dead give away (not to mention that it has a seam on the side). To be honest, I knew it was casted, but didn't know that that wasn't how they did it. What metal do they use normally for tsubas?

 

I also just finished "the samarai sword: a handbook" by John M. Yumoto, and just from what I've read in that one book, would have been enough info to inform me that mine was a fake. Oh well. Like Bob E. said, it'll make a nice decoy or wallhanger. I'm no expert, but I find myself becoming obsessed with learning more about these powerful items.

[aphelion]

Hello Apellion--N,

you are only going to get cut to pieces here verbally, these guys have

spent the last 20-30 years looking at Japanese swords ,good bad, duds like yours

and Fittings. Go back to the main page and go into Tosogu and then into

What are your Favorite Fittings go to page 5 and find BobM entries , there you will

see the fantastic tsuba" Shoki and the Oni" that yours is poorly copied off.This tsuba

will bang your artisic socks off and then start looking at books.

Alan .

 

Thanks for the input Alan. I don't feel cut to pieces though. Sure, I'm green to all this, but feel that I'm more then intelligent enough to keep up with snappy or cutthroat comments. This is a forum, and everyone knows there is know-it-all dicks on every forum. That being said, I'll check out the entry you you suggested.

[John A Stuart]

There are legitimate cast tsuba, iron and bronze, but, you have to be careful. Some kagamishi tsuba are wonderful. John