Surfson Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 In a very creative listing, a blade signed Miyairi Akihiro is being sold: http://cgi.ebay.com/Japanese-Samurai-Sw ... 2254wt_922 The interesting thing is the following quote!: "The blade is guaranteed to be a gimei. If it turns out to be genuine, I will gladly buy it back." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 Yes, the quote is interesting. It also reminds me of an old humor (another variation). Ref. viewtopic.php?f=9&t=214&hilit=guaranteed+to+be+a+gimei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabowen Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 This seller seems to find a lot of these..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfson Posted June 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 I agree Chris, and assume they come from bottom feeding at auctions in Japan. The disturbing part is that they start to cycle through the hands of US collectors and some are only found out by a very discerning eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanjuro Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 I cant speak for the experiences of others, but I have purchased a sword or two from Mike Yamaguchi in the past and was more than pleased with the acquisition. I found him to be very honest about the blade and willing to share his observations. In all, very pleasant and informative to deal with. In my own case, the blade was better than described, and the final price was very reasonable. I still have it and am quite fond of it, having not discovered any subsequent fault with what I purchased. I think most dealers could be accused of bottom feeding at auctions in Japan, even though the term possibly sounds a little harsh. Aoi Art for instance sometimes has very similar blades, most likely from the same sources and lists them on their site in shirasaya at higher prices. Its what dealers do..... If they are honest about their wares as Mike seems to be, then you have a fair idea of what you are buying. At the end of the day, an honest dealer is better than a dishonest one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fritaly Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 I bought this wakizashi from Mike M. (1 or 2 years ago) at a very honest price and I was really happy dealing with him. I would buy from him again if I had a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george trotter Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 Interesting to see a fair and honest description...it really is down to the buyer to buy or not...no deception here. Edit: hate to see gimei gendaito turning up...have they no shame! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estcrh Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 For those who do not know this sellers personal philosophy.in regards to the swords he sells: Q: Are the swords genuine? A: This is a difficult question to answer, and you must first define "genuine." If you mean swords made in Japan as opposed to "Japanese" swords made elsewhere like in China, then the answer is Yes, every sword I sell is genuine. When the origin is questionable, I will clearly state so. If the question concerns the authenticity of the signature, then the answer is "Who knows?" Unless you witness the sword being made and the signature inscribed, no one can tell with absolute certainty that the signature is genuine. But, fortunately, there are people who spend years studying swords, and they offer their opinions in the form of kanteisho (evaluation paper). In the absence of such a paper, it would be safe to assume that every signature is false. Experts suggest that more than 80% of the signatures are not genuine, and the percentage gets higher on famous and popular swordsmiths. The lack of kanteiso or having a gimei (false signature), however, does not mean that the sword is worthless. Far from it. False signatures are often added years, if not centuries after the blade was made, and that is no fault of the original swordsmith. If you appreciate the blade for itself, then the signature should not matter, in my opinion. If, on the other hand, you are buying the "name" and not the blade, then you should be prepared to pay dearly for it. Having a kanteisho does not necessarily guarantee that the signature is genuine. Some kanteisho are issued by questionable organizations, and reputable organizations too are known to have issued some questionable papers in the past. So what is one to do? Unless you have trained eyes and the confidence in your ability to judge blades, it would be safe to shop only for a swod that "speaks" to you and is within the price range that you can justify to yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanjuro Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 Seems to be a very healthy and reasonable attitude. Would that all dealers were as forthrite. The sword I bought incidentally, was stated as possibly gimei. (In other words doubt existed and one always favours doubt in order to err on the side of caution) . In the end it papered to the smith who had signed it. Needless to say, I was immensely pleased. :D Better to doubt and be proven wrong than to not doubt and be proven wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drbvac Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 I bought from Mike as well and can second all the positive comments placed here. In fact I got a real deal as their was some question as to the authenticity and he switched from a buy it now price to an auction which I managed to win as I knew the kind of money he was looking for - arrived perfectly exactly as described and found an origami to authenticate the signature - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b.hennick Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 I too have purchased from Mike - at shows rather than on ebay. Good vendor, good merchandise always fair. I personally love the "guaranteeed gimei" tag line. When in doubt ask questions. You will get truthful answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfson Posted June 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 Lots of testimonials, and it speaks well of him. I also appreciate his honesty in the listing. The concern that I raised is that he does bring in to the US quite a lot of blades that are gimei or have issues, and thus don't have papers. It's when the folks that buy these blades decide to put them back into circulation that they may not be represented so fairly. I guess one always has to be on the defensive about authenticity in this sport! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kusunokimasahige Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 So are you basically saying that only papered blades are worth the effort ? I think that is unfair. KM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Bray Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 So are you basically saying that only papered blades are worth the effort ? I think that is unfair. KM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 :lol: Ok, this topic has been dealt with before. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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