Brian

Ok, I deleted the attachment, much as I'd like to keep the info here. This is the ongoing and severe dispute between Lou and Kurt that has been going on for a while now, and I honestly feel that the state it is in now, it is going to have to go to legal action, and the info is probably best left out of the public eye. This is a particularly nastly one, and death threats do not help the situation at all. Let's let this one take its natural course and hopefully it does have some resolution eventually. Brian

Nigel....don't forget that we also have a translation by Gordon Robson earlier in the thread too, and an opinion that it doesn't look good. In the sword world, that opinon ranks pretty darn high :D (FYI - http://www.ny-tokenkai.org/shinsa-in.htm ) Not sure which Akimitsu this would be though, maybe in other references? The close-ups of the mei do seem to show that there may have been kani cross-strokes that have worn off, but I 'm not qualified to judge properly. Would likely only become clear if the sword is seen in person. Why don't we get the easy ones anymore? :D Brian

Ah Guido...now if anyone accuses you of having a forked tongue...we know why :lol: Ichi..was this the same company you took me to the word show of? If so..I can highly vouch for what Errol says..they had the highest class of swords I could ever imagine. They kept thrusting priceless masterpieces in my hands until my legs felt like jelly :D Not one Kiyomaru..but 3. Not one Inoue Shinkai...3. Plus many Rai and other blades. Best you can see in one place IMHO. Brian

I'm open to offers :D :lol: Brian

Milt, Yes, I quite enjoyed the proof that the Rowling books can be almost priceless too..good answer. But in the interests of keeping this on track and not going off on a tangent I "yanked" it Pm it to Guido..I'm sure he will get a kick out of it. Hope everyone notes the light hearted references to so many swords going "Bungo" and it is just an in-joke with Milt's swords..and not a serious criticism of the shinsa process..which is frowned upon here. Don't take it too literally folks There is no-one we respect more here than those people who have dedicated their lives to Nihonto. Brian

I do understand what Franco is getting at. To judge sugata/sori you can't just draw a straight line through the nakago and tell immediately if it is koshi/tori/saki sori. You need a baseline in your mind along the mune to get more of an idea. It is not just as simple as a short line, and as Carlo said, taper can definitely mislead. Judging sori is one of the basics you need to learn, and one I am still struggling with Brian

Hi Jim, welcome to the forum. That is a nice looking tanto there, I especially like the hi (groove) running through the tang. Wish it was in better polish so that we could see the hamon (temperline) but looks in good condition and quite healthy from what we can see. Btw..the image is just a size thing. If pics are over 800 wide, then to prevent the screen scrolling, it makes it a download link instead of showing directly. Regards, Brian

Hi Bob, and welcome to the forum. Feel free to ask any questions, share any pics or just stick around and you will soon find this a very addictive hobby. I just had to find 2 British Fairbairn Sykes daggers to trade with a guy for his wakizashi. Last one is on the way now finally, so hopefully the waki will be mine soon Brian

Hi, If we can keep this discussion unemotional, then I think it could be an informative and interesting one. Judging sori is one of the most important and also most difficult things to do in kantei. I know I battle with it, as it isn't something that can be measured exactly, and sometimes is just an overall impression you get. This is before we even get to o-suriage etc! Here are the pics, with a line added to assist a bit. I would be interested in comments too. Brian

You sure it isn't because they were so fragile that the Samurai were afraid they would break, and left them at home, rather taking their Rai/Hasebe etc sword into battle? :D :lol: :D Kidding! Brian

I think you did well. Nice looking sword, very active and interesting hamon, in polish with papers (yet another of the small organisations/dealers I think?) and showing nice hada. The photos are reasonably high res too, don't think you could have asked for more. All for just over $2K? Sounds like a good deal to me. Brian

Which paper is that? I can't think of a reason the seller would part with it on eBay instead of in Japan unless the papers were maybe unreliable (not fake..just maybe older) or there was a flaw or he just likes to gamble Glad you didn't post this one while it was running Mike, because there would definitely have been influential comments. You have to ask yourself why sell this online though, if it is indeed Inoue Shinkai. And new seller too, with no feedback. I guess with papers it would have been very tempting though. Wish Gordon would pop in and make a comment on this one Brian

Derek, Whether to polish or not is up to you. Likely you would not get back what you put into it, but it would be for yourself, and not for the value. Bungo swords (as Milt will tell you) are not the most sought after school, but they are still good swords that had good battle characteristics. It has age to it, and is genuine. You would have to get some quotes on restoration to see if it is affordable to you and worth it. Most times you don't recover the money you spent when you restored it if you sell later, but the pride of ownership and beauty you would see after a good job is worth far more Brian

Andreas, I will take every genuine NCO Gunto you can find for $100 each! The standard NCO swords are fetching around $500 on eBay every time. Off eBay, cheaper. They are NOT junk...just not traditionally made. They are militaria instead of Nihonto, and there are many collectors. As for the name..you can use any log in name, just sign the bottom of your posts with a real name, or add it to your profile. Brian

Sergio, I think you got a great deal there. Still looks fairly healthy, just needing a polish, but for what you paid there is no loss in a polish. Nice looking hamon and at least mumei can't be gimei Brian

Hi, Please sign all posts with a name and initial as per the rules, thanks. I guess we are going to need decent pics to assist, but how does this HQ tie in with the sword? Post some pics and I'm sure we will be glad to assist where possible. Sounds like there is a story behind it? Brian

Carlo, Currently phpBB doesn't have a save pm's feature unfortunately. I copy the text of each myself and save them as a word doc. Long process, but the best option for backing up before cleaning the inbox, outbox, and sent box (good thing to do regularly) The new version of phpBB3 (which will be released oneday ) has a new option of backing up pms, so we just have to wait for the final version so that I can upgrade the board. They don't have an estimated time of release yet though. Brian

Dirk, I have deliberately resisted the idea of forming a list of "good" and "bad" sellers as I believe this is a potential minefield that we should be wary of. What happens if someone has a bad experience with a "good" seller? Or if a non-recommended one changes his ways and offers a good deal? Too much that can go wrong with that, and it isn't really our responsibility to say who is recommended and who isn't. Most of the good ones and bad ones are already mentioned on the forum, and a simple search will pull up info on them. I think that is the best we can do. As it stands, there are some great sellers already on the forum, and listing all the guys who sell fakes is almost impossible, as they change names so frequently. Nope..there are just too many potential problems associated with that idea. Mariusz, Rich's page is already linked on this forum, and it does a great job. No need to have another one, as there are already good ones on Rich S's and Rich T's pages, and maybe when they have some time (which is a scarce commodity nowdays) they might update a bit. If someone does want to write a comprehensive guide oneday though, I would always welcome it to add to the articles and archives section. Brian

Slightly scary that they are getting better with the kissaki nowdays, and the acid etching looks less like damascus and more like a random grain that has been overcleaned with acid. The nakago is the give-away as Rich said. Also, as he mentioned, if in doubt..ask. Another good piece of advice is to study good swords, and the fakes will become apparent. Don't study fakes and assume the ones left over are real. Btw, judging by the language used here: "Except above countrys, other buyer want to order them, email me before you place your order" and others, I expect this is a Chinese seller using their name to try and fool ppl into believing it is a US seller. Brian

All, Does anyone have any contact info for Jim Dawson? I have a question about the book, and both emails on the main page bounce back to me. The book should be available in a few days if everything is on track. Brian

Great work Wim! That must have taken some time and dedication, and must have been a really educational experience. You are going to have to field off all the requests for it now :D I would suggest publishing it, but I think maybe there were copyright issues with the last attempt Brian

Rich, Just to make this a bit more interesting and confusing... The person who registered that site (you have already looked it up) is the same one that owns http://www.jp-sword.com This is the website of our friend Jinsoo Kim, but he has only popped in here twice to say he is putting up his website again, and then disappears. Some have had a few doubts it is Jinsoo, but being in Korea it is likely him. So at least you know who it probably is Brian

Oh my goodness! I am in love! :D You shouldn't have shown me that Stephen. wow. I would love one of those pistols, not even the most fancy ones...just a nice representative example. Are there many of the swords from this collection going on auction too? I will have to look at the catalog, but auctions like this are a far better bet for the buyers than Christies and Sothebys when it comes to possible bargains. Hmm..... Brian

Tom, I would expect that the presence of a showa stamp would count as one strike against it when importing. The blade would then have to convince them otherwise, but the stamp is definitely not a plus when trying to get them into Japan. As mentioned here, they can get in, but it can't be an obvious mass produced Showato, or it will be denied. This link by Guido Schiller is still the best write up on the subject: http://www.nihontokanjipages.com/japane ... _laws.html Brian

Well..since I am a gun collector and enthusiast, discussions and pics of antique tanegashima are more than welcome here. I am still after one myself, but they are big $'s. As long as any discussions stay around the art and historical aspect they will be fine. They are, afterall, a crucial part of the history of Japan and even the later developments of swordsmanship. Brian