Brian

Simon! Don't go disappearing on us like that again. Had been wondering where you went. Sorry to hear about the family problem. Good to have you back. Are you still in Tokyo? Still a Yasukuni nutter? :D Brian

Well..looks like I painted myself into a corner here :D I was of course refering to the ones made nowdays, instead of 20-30 years ago (I was born in '71, so everything back then seems ages ago to me..lol) but by refering to the 80's as long ago..I then seem to be making the older members here appear ancient. So either way I can't win. I think I will just offer my apologies and wait for this to come back and haunt me later *LOL* Brian

Wow Guido! That is pretty amazing. They look nicely made too...I guess not like a lot of the modern stuff. Impressive display. Does it get displayed permanently, or packed away until the festival? Not sure how these things work there. Beautiful display. Brian

But of course! :D Hmm...shipping is just a little umm..er...on the harsh side. I wonder how the modern Kyudo practitioners feel about carbon vs traditional materials? Brian

(Don't forget to sign your posts with your name....) Linking is simply a matter of pasting the eBay link. The forum will do the rest. No need for any code. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0200253413 Brian

Did you check out the file I posted here? The secret is patience. Lots and lots of it. Very thin layers, followed by fine sanding and then more layers. Brian

Ah yes Mark....but the electronic version doesn't have pics, so you need to purchase the original Japanese books, and also have access to the electronic translation. And then you need to sit by the pc with the books on your lap and look up the English page. Bit clumsy when you also have a sword on one hand trying to look up a mei, check the book for the pics and work on the pc translation. Not a pretty picture :D I would love the AFU translations. Brian

I'm working on a NMB photo gallery, and also a reference library of photos too. All takes time, but it is on the cards. Brian

I think there was/is one on eBay recently. Not sure what it went for, but it is farly scarce and predates the other Fuller and Gregory books. Not expensive..although it is a small pamphlet-type publication. Brian

Welll..we have a sugata shot, and a nagasa measurement. Not everything, but there should be at least some guesses from that. You think it is o-suriage? Just from a quick look, it looks like it may be ubu to me. Can we get a shot of the nakago without habaki, and a close-up of the machi? With this length, it may have been originally mounted with 2 mekugi ana (what was the term for that again?) Brian

Well done Ken, a nice write-up and one that is worth repeating often. Brian

Hiroshi-san, A big welcome to you from me too. It is good to have you here. I know sometimes the discussions can be a bit controversial, but I think we would benefit from your input, and I am very happy to have you here. regards, Brian

Thanks for that Ludolf. In your opinion, how does the mei compare to the published examples if you have access to any? Regards, Brian

Guido..c'mon...don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel. Brian (Going to find a special "sarcasm" smiley just for Guido's own personal use)

That's why I implimented a new profile field that has to be filled in with real name when you register Check out any profile of a member after Feb 1'st. Xuan Mei, I am sure an introduction is well past due by now. Brian

You can upload 5 pics per post. Are you sure you are doing it correctly? One at a time. Browse to file..upload (wait until it finishes)...browse to next one..upload. Then finally submit post. Brian

Using the nakago patina to date a Nihonto is just a guide and not an exact science. It is one of the tools that is used in conjunction with other aspects to narrow down to a date range. Length doesn't necessarily prove that it was a tachi, or disprove it. It could be, but post some pics so that the more educated members can have a look at the sugata. Brian

You have of course tried Namikawa? They are easy to deal with, and have high grades of samekawa. If you need something specific, just ask them, as I know they will source stuff that isn't on their website. Link is on the Links page above. Brian

Post a complete pic of the tsuba. It may be giving that misplaced look simply because the ana was enlarged at some point. Would like to see the whole seppa dai. Brian

Joshua, I regard these as high end custom swords/knives of the type that modern knife collectors would own. Basically a custom knife in the tradition of the Japanese katana. As a once off item, I think they would appeal to collectors of modern edged weapons, but i would not consider them as made for the same market we deal with. Brian

JSA is a Japanese auction site: http://www.nihontomessageboard.com/japa ... links.html Sword looks good to me at first glance, at at that price it looks like a good deal. Not quite sure what is going on in that nakago though...will take a closer look when I get home. Need to check the placement of the mei, and the 2 yasurime division lines and all the ana and see if they all check out according to the suriage job that was done. Brian

Thanks Scott. I am not going to go into the gun debate, but I hope the seller realises that many top dealers, JSSUS members and collectors also collect and/or study other weapons. I am sure they would be very surprised to hear that they are unsuitable to collect Nihonto What amazes me most though, is that a person selling polishing stones to almost anybody, not knowing what blades they might ruin in the process..dares to suggest he has the interests of Japanese swords in mind?! Y'know..freedom means he has every right to sell to whomever he wishes, and I would not argue at all with his right to choose. However that same right gives us, the customer, the right to totally avoid his auctions and mention his comments to others so that others can make up their own minds and choose whom they prefer to deal with. Brian

I'm still waiting for Piers to let us know what that wierd little item is that he picked up. Brian

Very nice Michal, thanks for sharing I love those fine sukashi designs, although they aren't as sought after as old iron. Some very nice ones there. Brian

Been there, done that. viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2642 Don't forget to sign posts with your name, Ron Brian