Brian

Now back to our regular programming, I have reinstated the post in the hope that someone can assist James. Thanks James for keeping calm and level headed, and to those who are trying to help. Regards, Brian

Lee, I come back after working the whole weekend to this? You are out of line. The assumption that you were blocked from anything is bull. I am the only one that can block anyone, and quite frankly you were not even on my radar to notice..never mind "block". You told me your pass wasn't working and what it was. I accessed your account, changed the pass to exactly the same thing you said it was, and you told me you could then log in? I think you either were typing it wrong, had caps lock on, your isp had dns errors, or some other randon internet bug that we see so often. I changed nothing. So please don't give me bull about you being blocked. I have only ever removed 2 people, one by request. No-one is blocked except known fraudsters. Perhaps you don't have a static ip, and your isp allocated one that was too close to a blocked one. (Unlikely) As for "cliques" or whatever...I see plenty of beginners receiving help from great individuals. We don't always check every thread every day. Sometimes someone else has made our point, so we don't reply. Sometimes the question cannot be answered by anything else than "seek shinsa" as none of us is qualified to appraise swords online. Sometimes, believe it or not, no-one has the anwer. It happens. Myself and the mods are doing a tireless job trying to make this a beter place for everyone. I am sorry if the "terribly high price" you pay for this (free) forum makes you feel despondent. Frankly, I see things improving all the time. Lots more responses, and even the "rude" posts are starting to get backed up with solid facts. Those we are working on. Do you think we sit here daily letting the forum run itself? I still know very little about Nihonto myself..so if there is a "clique" I am not in it. Some days I think the real "clique" is actually a group trying to stir up trouble by emphasising a situation that is tiny in comparisson to how many posts and members we have. Why didn't you post your requests on one of the other few dozen forums dedicated to helping newcommers with free advice? I am sure they must be out there if no-one is getting help here. The list of helpful members is too long to even begin typing here. If you choose to ignore all of those members and try and stir up some more non-constructive criticism, then I do suggest you take your requests elsewhere. Looking at the post that seems to have started your ranting and raving: viewtopic.php?t=2932 You had six pages of opinion, including very good ones from people such as Darcy and others. When some of the top guys suggest it is close enough to submit for shinsa, that is a damn good result for an online opinion. But reading your replies when you didn't get the answer you were obviously expecting, and wouldn't accept anything less...well what can I say? I urge anyone to read that entire thread again. Having just done it myself, I am surprised I didn't "block" you then. I think I will correct that immediately. Welcome to the 3rd removal of the NMB. If you want to make the forum a better place, don't be part of the problem. Brian

Absolutely wonderful as always! I shouldn't post when I have just worked a 12 hour work show and am barely able to keep my eyes open, and was going to say what a silly guess I made, but your reply came in first Darcy :D These aren't a replacement for formal kantei (as I have said many times) but obviously there must be something good about them if we get so many atari. Well done to all...even if we had to "nudge" you all to have a go The answers are always the most educational thing too....like a mini article on the smith that will remain archived for the future. I'm going to have to come up with a small prize or incentive sometime for these. Well done all, have to go pass out now. Brian

Max has emailed me a complete reason and explanation for not releasing any info that is completely valid and understandable. I would ask everyone to be patient with this one, as it is incredibly complicated and serious. Nothing worth waiting in suspense for either, so let's let this one lie for now and hopefully more can be revealed. I'll open it again if and when it is ok to do so. Thanks for your understanding. Brian

If I am going to be wrong, I may as well be totally wrong :D I am going to take a stab here and say that this might be a shinsakuto blade copying the mid Kamakura period blades. Condition is very good, and the hada looks very refined and subdued. I'm ok with being laughed at :D Brian

Hi folks, I don't want us to make this a seller bashing thread please. This was about the sword, and its description. That has been resolved for potential buyers, and I think that is sufficient.. if there is anything relevant to add, pm me, but I don't want this to get out of hand. thanks, Brian

I think the lack of responses was due to many wanting to see what they went for and maybe put in a bid without too much publicity :D This was a truly bizarre auction I think. Who would put large lots like that in one auction? Wierd! 38 pairs of fuchi/kashira? 395 menuki? 70 tsuba??? I think there were some bargains there (where was my registration confirmation email? ) and some not-so-bargains. Here are some highlights: http://auction.igavel.com/Bidding.taf?_ ... F948236383 http://auction.igavel.com/Bidding.taf?_ ... F948236383 http://auction.igavel.com/Bidding.taf?_ ... F948236383 I think 70 tsuba for $2760 was a steal! You only need to find ONE really good one in there. Ah well..expect to see some of that stuff on eBay or at the shows very soon. Who here scored a deal? I think the swords went cheap too. Brian

Just a bump for a very worthwhile exercise Can't believe so few attempts? I will have a go after the weekend when I have more than 10 minutes at the pc No shame in wrong answers folks, just a chance to learn. Brian

Nico, Afraid I deter people from getting into the price of current auctions too much lately to prevent any influencing of live auctions, so we won't get into the value too much here, but from past experience watching his auctions, his reserve is not a huge amount under market values, so I don't expect a huge bargain imho. Looks like a nice blade, but the origami is not from the NBTHK or NTHK. Don't have too much time online right now, so haven't checked the pics too closely though. Brian

Why would it be a problem? I like other forums a lot too, and you know our own forum has waaay less rules than others, so the more info that leads from this, the better for everyone. Anything that helps is fine with me. Brian

Hi Jacques, I think what undermilkwood (who needs to start signing with a name ) was trying to say is that if someone bought a sword like this, is it possible to send it afterwards for yakiire. I don't think that is practical though. Sori comes through the quenching, and extra bending might cause hagire. Also, it would be expensive, and difficult to find someone who would do it. Unethical too..and you would be left with a yaki-naoshi/saiha blade that would likely still have tell-tale signs and it would never be what it claimed to be. Not very easy to do. Brian

I don't know much about oils, but I do think there is a significant difference between normal machine oil and the type of light machine oil that is commonly recommended such as sewing machine oil? Can anyone elaborate? The stuff I bought in Japan from a knife dealer has the consistency of water, and works very well. Brian

Congratulations too go out to you too Moriyama san I can't translate of course, but comparing your work above, it looks very very close. I am constantly amazed by both of you, and the forum is in both of your debt. Regards, Brian

Erick, Just wanted to mention what a superb job you did of describing the sword in the original post. A good example indeed. All the details we usually ask for. Regards, Brian

Proof that things can and will come back to haunt you in this field. Thanks very much Grey and Mark for the background. I am sure word will travel and people can draw their own conclusions. Brian

Brian

Ford, That is a brilliant find! I have no idea how you searched for those symbols and found that kozuka. To me that is conclusive proof that the markings are original and Japanese. I think this will make an excellent research project for the owner. Perhaps the samurai archives forum could assist? Brian

Very nice Steve, I would be proud to own that. I think with the blade length and mekugi ana, that still falls under licencable blade status in Japan and needed an export procedure? Much as we see larger shrine dedication and presentation blades, I see this as a large presentation kogatana. Cross between a tanto and kogatana? Nice. Brian

I think whoever wrote that was wrong...but let them play with it while we use the good stuff and keep our swords in good condition. Proof again that not everything written is valid or true Brian

Sorry to throw links at you, but there is already quite a bit on this here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1648 viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1397 viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1229 viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2482 viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2225 viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1709 Pure choji is clove oil...and we don't use pure choji. Just a few drops are added to light machine oil to give it that familiar scent. That is the stuff in most kits. Regards, Brian

Eric, I do have strong doubts about getting any form of origami with a hagire in this case. The smith is good, but if you search the forum, you will find other posts and threads that indicate a sword has to be truly rare and unique to pass with fatal flaws. Things like Rai school, early Kamakura tachi, Ichimonji etc have passed, but because they are such important swords that they are worthy of study even with fatal flaws, and are truly remarkable. However a sword really does have to stand out, and be a great example for them to consider this I think. In this case, it is a risk, and one that I don't think would pay off at all. The cost of restoration would also likely have to be purely for your own reasons, as I doubt you would ever be able to recover the cost. Brian

Well said Jean, you expressed it perfectly. The friction here has been increasing lately, and I am not sure if it is due to an increase of members, an increase in lower class swords being discussed, or just personality clashes. However my patience is wearing thin, and if I need to start banning people, then I will. I am only diplomatic to a point, but it is not worth the extra stress. I would normally just delete the comments above, but I think people need to hear this, so I am going to hijack Max's thread for this. I am not only directing this to the people who make rude comments. Some of the blame has to go to people who make statements that can only be seen to encourage negative replies. If someone was to post a message saying "I am a sword sensei, and a Ninja" then can you blame others for not being able to hold in sarcastic replies? However the difference between mature collectors and part time "kids" is that we have to hold back comments that contribute nothing to the aims of the board. Rather let the mods handle them, than lead the thread down a one way path. What I am saying is that I expect adult collectors to have the maturity to either ignore statements that irk them, or just add others that they disagree with to their foes list and not see the comments. And if you post something that is fairly ridiculous and someone does call you out on it, then have the maturity to ignore it, apologise, argue in private, or leave it for someone in charge to handle. I am saying this for the last time. I am going to add another mod or 2 in the comming days, and they will be stricter than me. Both myself and Stephen need less stress, and I am hoping that with more mods, some of you guys can learn a bit of self control. I have seen a good increase in useful and decent info lately, and can't understand why it is often ruined by a single thoughless comment or 2. For the sake of the other 3000 people reading this forum, can we please get back on track? Brian Edit to add: I don't think any of us needs the forum, much as we don't need the internet or need to collect. Some of us do it because we enjoy it, enjoy sharing knowledge, are looking for info, or just like to spend time with others that share our interests. It is not a need, but it is appreciated by everyone that receives help.

Darcy, Have you had any further success getting a full translation done? If not, then we can contact some of the members who might be able to assist, but might not have seen this thread yet. Brian

Hi Nico, welcome to the forum. Sorry, but I deleted a bunch of the pics that weren't really necessary. Thought that 26 images were maybe just a bit much, as we don't need every inch of the saya etc. Please remember folks that you can upload up to 5 pics in ONE post, before making a new one. Just for the future, as I see many are doing one per post. I am not sure how much info we can provide. This falls under the generic mumei reasonable-condition late koto/early shinto wakizashi type in my opinion. Nice, but maybe not worth a full restoration. A few months of care and light uchiko work should show the details a bit better. Mounts are low/fair (although I would like some opinions on that tsuba) and looks like it is a nice, honest complete package. Bit of loose grain, but not in bad condition. I am not sure how much more info could be drawn from it. Looks like a fairly common type of Japanese sale item on eBay maybe, nothing great, but not terrible either. Regards, Brian

Ok..disclaimer noted for the future, no need to use it again...please! You forgot to include the bit about "any and all opinions are my own...the content remains my property...do not copy this..unauthorised duplication is prohibited....contents may be extremely hot....do not turn upside down.....seek medical advice before useage... and especially the bit about "may contain traces of nuts!" :lol: Brian