Brian

Sheesh..I am really having a hard time expressing myself lately Make that "...the more undesirable..." They have a different meaning in context I guess.. Grey summed it up nicely. Regards, Brian

A little more info than we needed to know... :D Brian

Ah yes..I have to make a correction to my previous statement. I was thinking at the time that we were automatically talking about Koto or early Shinto...but of course the newer a sword is, the less desirable extra mekugi ana are. A shin-shinto blade with 3 ana would not command the same desirability as an ubu nakago. In general, the older a blade is, the more extra ana are accepted. I haven't seen 2 or more ana in Koto blades commanding less value, but will bow to the experience of the other collectors here Brian

Hi Andrew, The number of mekugi ana doesn't seem to have any bearing on the value of a blade. It just indicates how many times it was remounted and/or shortened. It isn't necessarily seen as a bad or a good thing. It can sometimes denote age..and I think it can be a good kantei point used in conjunction with other factors to verify age etc. Personally I don't have any problem with more than one mekugi ana, but can understand where you are comming from. Don't let it get to you too much though. I would recommend looking for a waki for now, and then later you can make your next purchase a katana. Good luck with your choice, and post some pics when you get your first sword. What are the laws in Singapore like regarding edged weapons, and is there much interest there in Nihonto? Brian

Hi Raygun (please sign with a name..unless your name is Ray Gun?) In your price range you should be able to get something nice, that doesn't have major flaws..and it should definitely not have any fatal flaws. Not sure where you live..but there are a number of dealers in the links page above that should have decent items in that range. There are many good dealers outside Japan depending on where you are. Ichi brought out a very good and important point. Wakizashi usually go around half to a third of what the equivalent katana size would go for. They make very good study pieces, and should not be overlooked. I would rather purchase a really good wakizashi for x price, than a poor katana for the same price. If you look in your price range (approx $3500) there should be some decent items from our dealer friends here on the board. Regards, Brian

I would like to add some guidelines to those (especially newcommers to the forum) intending to post asking for advice: It was recently mentioned to me that some people may hesitate to post opinions on items due to the fact that they are unsure if these will be used in descriptions for commercial listings. We know and verify many of the members here, but there are many new members who might only post once or twice about a certain item. For these members, I would like to ask if they would please mention in the post if the subsequent replies will be used for commercial gain or info in an item's sale. Listing an intention and asking permission to use any info gathered would be the correct thing to do. Many members would feel uncomfortable if their non-verified opinions were used as fact when describing an item for sale. For this reason, I would ask people to please mention if they intend using the info for an item that is going up for sale. These concerns do not apply to those just seeking info on an item they own, or one they intend to buy. Please keep this in mind when requesting information and translations. Here are some other brief guidelines that will help with posting: *Use the search page to look for similar topics that may already have been covered. *Check out our FAQ' s and How-To forums for the answers to many questions about posting pics *Post in the correct forum - thats where the topic experts hang out! *Don' t post the same message in many forums...It will not attract more attention, in all likelyhood, it will make people ignore it *Please maintain relevancy in the post - if need be, please start a new thread *If a problem is perhaps browser related, test in another browser and let us know the different results. *Be short but descriptive in your subject. It is sometimes not a good idea to start a reply in the subject line, as it is often overlooked. *Provide a URL where applicable. Just cut and paste the link, and it will be automatically converted to a clickable link. *You will need to be registered in order to post. *Please remember that the forum rules state that you should sign (all) of your posts with an initial and surname or vice versa. *Use the pm feature to continue a discussion when it goes off topic. That should cover most of it for now. No new rules, just a bit of common sense. Regards, Brian

Richard, Welcome to the forum..good to have you here (and what kept you? ) From your website, you are eminently qualified to give hints on photography..some stunning galleries you have there! Gallery 20 has some beautiful Nihonto shots. I look forward to any further input you have and to your continued participation. I would love to have a short article for the archives/articles section on photographing Nihonto if you are ever so inclined There was a good one out there in the past, but it is not freely available anymore for valid reasons by the author. Any tips are welcome. I must haul out my old Canon 300D and see what it can do for my lousy skills. Just afraid that it will take away any excuses I had for my bad photos :D Regards, Brian Btw - Richard has written one of the best articles aimed at newcommers to the world of Nihonto. It is hosted on Rich S's site here : http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/advice.htm

I also thought it looks like shi-shi. Brian

All, I just picked up a sword that I purchased recently..and just discovered it is the one that was discussed previously on the forum here: http://www.militaria.co.za/nihontomessa ... php?p=3378 Didn't even realise it was on here :D It is signed "Noshu Seki ju Tadakatsu kore kitau (濃洲関住忠勝之鍛)" Anyways...it has an interesting hamon that looks like it has some choji in it. Looks like it had a bit of etching previously to bring out the hamon, and I was wondering if anyone has a good idea if this would be oil or water quenched, and if it is just a showa blade or perhaps might be a Gendai blade. Blade is in good condition, and looks like it hasn't been worked on much before. He is listed as a Seki smith, but I don't know if he made just mass produced blades, or if he might have done Gendaito too. Could also be forged and folded, but from non-traditional steel? No stamps on the nakago, and quite a bit of activity running though the choji, but needs a lot of cleaning to be able to see much more at this stage. Will post pics of the entire blade later with nakago. Nicely signed with nice yasurime, and older fittings. Also appears to be a punched mekugo ana possibly. Appreciate any comments. Brian

LDR, If the UK is like here, then you don't pay any import duties on any antique older than 100yrs (I think most countries have that rule) You would have to have them declare it as an antique though, and prepare for them to ask for proof. We here however, do pay 14% VAT (which you have there too) and I think you may be liable for any Vat taxes. With clearing fees, and the made-up exchange rate they use, I usually pay about 17% on items that are antique. No real way around that as John rightfully showed. Regards, Brian

I will have to try learn how to do that In the meantime just register a slightly different name, or enter without registering if you like. I know the pass is case sensitive if you do register. Regards, Brian

Grey's index of Japanese Sword Literature is a great reference work for those that don't have it. Belongs in every Nihonto library. Tells you in which reference books the individiual smiths are mentioned and where to look. Quite a compilation, and worth the (cheap) price it is going for. Can be bought from AFU research here: http://www.afuresearch.com/doffin.htm Regards, Brian

You could always buy something (if you have the money) that comes in shirasaya with separate koshirae, and display the koshirae with tsunagi, and keep the sword safe elsewhere? As mentioned..this is a personal choice. I don't think I would display openly a nice piece though. Brian

Just experimenting with a few add-ons. I have activated a live chat room at the following address: http://www.militaria.co.za/mychat You do not have to register to use it, you can just choose a username and click chat, or you can register if you wish to reserve your username. Very basic chat. There is a tutorial there if you need it. Not sure if there is any call for one, but thought I would see how it goes. Because this is just a test for now, there are no rules except be polite. Can discuss anything, or just have a social chat. Does not have to be strictly Nihonto related. We'll try it out for a few days and see if there is any use for it. You can leave the room, and come back later..and the messages will still be there for 24 hours. To exit, just type /exit in the room. Any comments can be made in this thread. Might be able to co-ordinate certain times for people to meet there if they feel like discussing anything on a real time basis. After a few days we will see if it stays, goes, or get's modified. Regards, Brian

Morita san, Good catch there. I had noticed the stamp, but hadn't looked it up yet. Yes..definitely worth getting a better pic of. We tend to think that all stamps are a negative point...but there are some that can be advantageous. Look forward to hearing more about this one. Brian

It's just after Xmas still..who has money at this time? :D Good deal there. I have lots I want to buy..but saving for my Japan trip in April. Brian

Chris, There are many characters that are totally different that can read the same. There is more than one kanji for "nori" and they can be completely different. The same goes for other sounds too. Different smiths used a different kanji for the same name, and it is one way you can narrow down the smiths sometimes. Take a look at this page: http://www.nihontokanjipages.com/kanji_for_mei.html One of the best out there for kanji 2 Nori's there..and at least 6 different ones for "yoshi" as an example. Regards, Brian Edit to add: About the dates..the way I understand it is it is the 18th year of Showa..not Showa plus 18. So 1926 is the first year of Showa, and the 18th year is 1943. Basically add the number and minus one.

Jeremy, I think the simple answer is no. The way to sharpen any Nihonto is to go through the polishing process. There are no shortcuts. Perhaps there are methods used by some that are less traditional, but this board's stance is that the traditional method is the one that should be applied to prevent damage. I assume by shinsakuto you are referring to traditionally forged, folded and tempered modern swords. If you are referring to modern copies like Chen, Hanwei etc..then that might be a different story. Regards, Brian

Could it be Nobumitsu? There are quite a few Showa era smiths with that name. Like your other one..also signed tachi mei? (Btw..do we get a discount off your ebay auctions now? :D ) Have seen your listings a few times. Some interesting stuff. Regards, Brian

Steve, 2 Difficult ones there. I don't think that either is "fatal" in the common terms we normally use. I think the kissaki flaw is a bad fold/ware that is showing up quite badly. Difficult to polish the whole thing out as it looks quite deep near the yokote, but not cutting through the hamon. It will be easier to evaluate during polish to see how deep and serious it is. The other one doesn't look to me to go right through the blade. Perhaps it is co-incidence that they are in the same place? Looks like a bad area of forging..maybe carbon pocket or fukure? That might cause it to look like it is right through. I don't think it is fatal though, just a bit nasty. Fatal flaws would have to interfere with the structural integrity of the blade when being used. None of these 2 cut through the hamon to cause a catastrophic failure, so I would call them bad flaws, but not fatal. Just my opinion though...the more knowledgeable members might disagree. Brian

Ford, I really love the surface treatment of your work. Looks very refined. Do you sell all of your work, or do you at least retain some of them for your own private collection? Love that new tsuba pic..I think Stephen captured the feeling well Brian

Does anyone have a good guide to the English dvd's or tv shows about Nihonto that are out there? I know of the History Channel ones...I think one was called "The Master" and there was another possibly by National Geographic. I believe Paul Martin may now also be a member here (welcome Paul) Hopefully he is able to fill us in a bit on his current project. Thanks for the info so far all...looking forward to the completion of this one. Brian

This has some traits of the good fakes, but it does have some indicators of a genuine WW2 gunto. I'm unsure of this one. The menuki have traces of old wear to the finish, and the expedient use of some other material besides same under the wrap leads me to consider that this might be a very late war sword produced when there was a lack of good materials. Some of the fittings look like they may have had some stock of normal fittings, and used whatever they could get for the rest. Can't be certain (especially with the rough look and slightly odd shape to the nakago) but I would go with late war production mass production shin gunto. Brian

Tony, Welcome to the forum. Try the How To forum http://www.militaria.co.za/nihontomessa ... um.php?f=8 for help with uploading pics. Brian

In SA, the militaria guys use Dubbin on old WW2 holsters and leather bandoliers. Get it from the shoe shops. Beeswax with other additives I think? Works quite well in moderation. Makes the leather supple and rehydrates. I use it myself on old holsters, and have had some success. I think the old leather shoe rejuvinators might be the way to go on this, but would approach that method with caution as always. Brian