takeda81

Hello and Happy New Year to all members ! You are a great resource for nihonto knowledge and I would like to thank you again for sharing all this informations. Second, I will be in Japan in february for kenjutsu and I have 2 side objectives as well. One is to see the Nihon Budokan Kobudo embu and the other one is , if possible to meet and watch true Nihonto Kaji, which maybe to allow me to take part in their work ( apparently you can also forge a kozuka in one day , but I do not necessary want a final material proof of this experience). I will be staying in CHiba, but I am willing to travel, not necessary to Tokyo , but also other locations, and also I am open to other nihonto related crafts like 1. Tsukamaki , 2 Tsuba & Kodogu , 3 Saya So , if anyone do know . can reccomand masters not minding a quiet and eager to watch and listen gaijin with medium nihongo skills. Of course I understand I must pay , also gifts, all nihon customs... Please PM me if any ideeas , sugestions, etc thank you all again for your rich knowledges and great informations sharing Stefan C.

Very interesting link - thank you very much ! Cris

Hello all , Even if my experience in iai / batto jutsu is limited I was , let's say amazed / schocked , seeing this video from Japan : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=425UoLdwWxo 松山の町にひびく槌音 Go to minute 4.28 and there will be what they call "block cutting" with a shinken... Based on my little knowledge , here are my questions : 1. howe "normal" / often is this in Japan ? specially in a koryu , more or less ( toyama ryu / nakamura ryu ) 2. my feeling was that the block was more cracked in impact , then cut...so what's the point - that the steel is so powerfull ? You can do that with a simple iron pipe. 3. assumming that the shinken is intact after that ... is is normal to put it right back in the saya , with concrete dust on it ? The chiburui (chiburi) was just formal, not enough for cleaning anything ( and is not intented for that) Thanks for your time Cris L.

Hello , I visited Berlin last year and I can definitely Ost Asiatische Kunst Museum ( Museum of East Asian Art) which has a beautifull Japanese section and a great library with many international books on asian subjects. Sometime they have also nice discounts on their books so only this bookstore is worth alone a visit . Check some of my pictures here : http://isba.bugei.ro/berlin2012.2.htm Enjoy and have fun Cris

Please also accept my sincere congratulations even if you do not know me. I was attracted to nihonto by my kenjutsu sensei in Japan, but I must confess that you - Ford, opened a new window in me - on the beautifull art of Tosugu , tsuba specially. I am deeply impressed on your work and this amazing achievements are just arriving natural I suppose, because of your hard work and dedication. A big and heartfully Thanks, for your great contribution to the art ! Gambate neh ! Cris L. Romania

Very nice set indeed ! For sale ? The wood used in Japan for pole weapons or bokuto is ussually shirokashi (white oak) or red oak but it is a very dense type of oak , well picked along the wood fibers to prevent cracking ... Rikishin ryu kenjutsu still uses this kind of strong wooden tsuba , just gets more thin to the outer rim. Also from shirokashi. Some time ago it was a well know wooden weapons master on Tsukuba mountain. His bokutos were great , well known in martial arts circles even worldwide... If somebody has such one for sale , please let me know ( picture and price) Cristian L.S.

Hello again , I just came back from Japan and I had the honour of visiting Shihan Jun Osano, which is also a great collector, besides being a very good sensei and a known researcher ( many published books on koryu bujutsu) I saw some pieces of his great collection, including many old bokuto. The one which started this thread seems now close to one that I saw there, and came from Kogen Itto Ryu . Apparently they use to train with large and heavy bokuto's. If they are suburito or regular training bokuto, it depends on the skills of the owner. Also something else which might be interesting , sometimes there are old pieces used just for display on temple boards - Honogaku, and they are not always exact replica of the original pieces.. Maybe same like shrine dedicated nihonto's... A good example is the bokuto of Tennen Rishin Ryu which was not that huge as they tend to beleive (according to some temple display) Also, I saw at Fuji Sengen Jinja in Fujiyoshida city , a pair of bokuto's - long and wakizashi size, used on a memorial Honogaku written for an Itto Ryu embu there , more then 120 years ago... The original weapons seemd small, because they were original (normal size), and very high placed on the temple wall... hope this helps Cristian L.S.

Well, it is / was / a weapons , so , with or without horimono should be still able to perform its main purpose as a weapon. In my very limited experience in nihonto , I beleive old swords with original horimono were solid enough and horimono was just outside and deep enough to affect blade integrity. It is that horimono which fades away with the more polishing of that blade in time and cannot be restored.... The same old blades but more tired / polished/thinned, with a newer horimono may be a problem of ressistance , when used let's say in Edo , late Edo... I also read that this new horimono was supposed sometimes to cover blades defects.. Please correct me if I am wrong , I am always ready to learn more and deepen my knowledges... Thanks Stefan Cristian

Hello , For sure it is not sanskrit, it is still Japanese , but a fluid script , both Kanji and Kana. Maybe others will be able to help more. my best regards Cristian L.

Thanks Guido , I appreciate the pics and I wait with a lot of interest your article ... thanks all for sharing your knowledge again Cristian Romania

Thanks everybody for the rich infos.... I already have that Paragon book , Craig , it is a nice one... @Tom - price is still high for me ....maybe one day I will get this books , they seem interesting , but , like Guido pointed - Japanese knowledge must be at more then a medium level. I am still strugling with that This books contain also debates on angle of cutting, ways of making test tsukas , and other practical matter - not just oshigata ? I read somewhere that from Kaga clan, comes a "secret" cut - a Kubi Kiri / cutting the neck of a man hanged by his hands, WHITHOUT cutting his arms .... Also cutting the DO (waist) was somehow involved. Does anyone knows more on this one ? Thanks , Cristian

I found somewhere the same book at just 500 USD but still a great deal of money. I would be interested in copies maybe for a smaller price , or sharing with somebody ? Also I am interested in any books regarding Kenjutsu / Batto Jutsu / Tameshigiri of Kaga clan ...any details would be appreciated. I understand they had a different approach of nihonto , on a more realistical criteria - different sorts of cutting with shinken , body tests, special tsuka designed for cutting ...Apparently some of this works have been continued later by Nakamura Taisaburo and his students my best regards Cristian

Hello , I am glad that the chart was interesting. It is comming from my data collection on the hard drive, probably saved from the net, or from some sketches scanned from brochures got from various budo stores in Tokyo... I kept it specially because it gaves also weights of the bokuto's which was interesting for me. This board is a great help for me, and this is an opportunity to thank everybody for your contributions here - Domo Arigatto Gozaimasu ! gambatte ! Cris

Hello , The shape is close to the regular Kurama Ryu Bokken. The dimensions can suggest the legendary Musashi bokken but accordingly to its weight it can be just a customized suburi bokken as well. just my humble opinion Cris

Hello Paul and Happy New Year ! Please put me in for your latest great DVD. Please PM with total price to Romaniam , by Paypal , thank you very much ! best regards, Cris

Hello , This is a wakizashi blade which left me after using it's koshirae. Then I had no time to investigate this, and now I have more time and I am more curious on the subject. The nakago in bad shape, seems to had 4 kanji's...., like the Japanese paper confirms, but very difficult to understand. So, what ideeas do you have on this ? The pictures are at : http://bugei.ro/waki/ Thank you anticipated for your time and help. Best regards and a Happy New Year for all ! Cristian Stefan

Hello In my limited experience I never saw a silver mekugi , and I am thinking that silver is not strong enough to be a functional mekugi for a nihonto, specially with just one mekugi. So here is the subject : http://cgi.ebay.com/WW2-Japanese-Samura ... 41535c247e I know that the seller is a serious guy, but my question is about the autenticity of the mount - the silver tsuka and the silver mekugi ... Maybe other people more knowledgeable here on the forum who can add more to this subject. Thank you in advance. ps. I just made some quality mekugi from black ebony, those interested, please contact me. Just 8 pieces for the moment.

Indeed this is a very interesting topic. "The experts are not artists and artists may not be swordsmen; the grip shown with the right hand would not be correct in Kendo nor in any of the schools of Iaido I am familiar with (from my own limited experience). However given the original design and placement it would be correct for the left hand on the saya prior to the draw. I love this idea but I am highly dubious." Some years ago, when I was interested just in sword practice and not in particular in swords, I read somewhere (wish I knew where) that most of the Yagyu Tsuba for examples were used to transmit some teachings (kuden, okuden, etc) related to the sword practice. It was mentioned in the article that the tsuba craftsmen from the Yagyu family were also experienced warriors. Maybe Ford knows more about that and I would be really happy to find out more. In this light I can say, that I found this Tsuba design quite related to some unconventional but high level batto jutsu (iai) practice from the branch of Itto Ryu that I practice. Also I saw that in 2-3 schools, but of course not for basic levels. It can be related to the Nuki (draw) and also related to the Noto (resheath). Now I am even more happy that I joined this wonderfull forum, with so many knowledgeable people arround. Thanks again Ford, for bringing this up. For me it was really useful !

Hello Thank you for the information ! I just made the order. Indeed is a good price. have a nice week ! Cris

Thank you for comments. I was just amazed because of so many fakes ... Indeed the blade seems that was something nice long time ago , so maybe indeed is an old fake, not a recent one... or maybe like Brian sugests , maybe is another Masamune. But yes, again, most of the people think of THE Masamune, and I understand that mr Daimyou from ebay (not Jean here ) sells a great mix of fakes and maybe some true things... Thank you for your comments.

Hello everybody , Daimyo san, popular on ebay, has a Masamune tanto for sale at only 990 . Here are detailed pics : http://daimyoubugu4.web.infoseek.co.jp/B2-453/index.htm More then probably is a fake, but any comments on the pictures ? thank you and best regards Cris

Hello again and thank you all for the kind welcome Well,the churches here - orthodox - does not provide same services like most catholic churches in west. But probably we will use the space which I rent as a Dojo, no problem here. The money will go probably for books, translations, editing an internal newsletter, etc ... Anyway , I will do that slowly and firmly ! Any ideeas pros and cons about NHTKB and the new NBSK http://www.soulsmithing.com/LIBRARY/ARTICLES/NBSKEN.html ? Or maybe it is already a different toppic ?

Greetings all from Romania ! I am Cris, 36 , ingineer, and I arrived here (this very nice forum and the areea of Nihonto ) after some years of training in some Koryu, now mostly Aikijutsu and EnshinHa Itto Ryu. My master, Machida Sensei, showed me once his Bizen wakizashi, incredibly beautifull, explaining to my all the details, hamon, nioi, hada, etc ... Then he mention that by the practice of Bujutsu, our body must be the same like the Nihonto - sharp, dangerous, but in the same time beautiful and delicate/gentle - the perfect balance must have In and Yo. His wife mentioned that he had his old wakizashi with him in the hospital during a hernia intervention, with the doctors aproval. That was to remind him about the good balance and to practice Shibori and Suburi, not to waist any moment , to train at least the upper body, while the lower body was imobilized in bed. Incredible ! That moment was my transformation from a Bujutsu practitioner in a nihonto lover. I attended 2 Dai Nihon Token in Japan, bought some books, own a few blades and tsubas. Main interest would be old swords - Koto or older, also books and scrolls related to sword or sword practice. I contribute to the main martial arts magazine here and also to a small one in France where I have a lot of friends.I hope to learn more with your help . In Romania there are no nihonto clubs, so after I will study more, I will do my best to initiate that kind of activity here, too. Any advices would be very appreciated. I will keep reading and maybe ask for help with some translations, thank you all in advance ! best regards to everybody , Cris, Romania

Hello from Romania guys, Nice to meet you, I am a nihonto beginner in Romania. I think Jean is right, yes, there is a new rule in Japan which says that if there is no direct flight between 2 countries, a blade cannot be sent by EMS , just by ground mail which takes time and ussualy it is not insured. The rule works just for Japan because I was able to buy Japanese swords from US, by Ebay and also from other countries. Still I remember that last time when I was in Japan I had a wakizashi in my bags / old koshirae, new inox blade just for fun and training and nobody cared to ask me about that. best regards , Chris