Wickstrom

There was a very beautiful kanbun katana with a choji hamon if I remember correctly, the light was quite dimmed so I could not make out very many details on it. Whoever set up the display was obviously not wearing gloves when they did. There is a huge fingerprint right on the shinogi line The other was a pretty plain tanto, shin-shinto circa 1830's. It was signed, but I don't remember by who. Yes, I believe they are. Overall their Japanese collection is quite extensive, they currently house an O-yoroi that belonged to a daimyo during the Momoyama period. The curator of Japanese art had an appointment to look at some of our Japanese Textiles for an up-coming exhibit and told us they had spent over $1,000,000 on purchasing/restoration of the armor

I took a trip to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts today and noticed that they had several nihonto on display unsheathed. Would it be acceptable to display the nagasa of a sword if it was inside of a climate and light controlled display case? Or would the blade still be prone?

Sheesh! Almost makes me want to load up on the sea of wakizashi on e-bay and stop by his store, I'll give him a good deal for $10,000 a piece :lol:

Yeah, The hamon looks like its gunome maybe with some notare? Could polish up to be an interesting blade. Hope it turns out good :D

You probably aren't too off guessing 1500's. Square nakago are more common on earlier blades but the sori corresponds to swords around 1480-1550.

Sori and nakago look late koto, but I could be wrong.

I'm seeing a few blogs about it here and there on Google, but it seems there is no actual statement from the USPS. I doubt such a drastic regulation would be put in effect so soon anyways. I'm sure the media would have mentioned something about it too.

I'm really not sure, his site was idle for almost a year and then he updated it and added several things to the for sale section around the end of June this year. I've heard some pretty mixed feedback about this seller though...

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Occasionally I have a tendency to be a bit indecisive when it comes to investments. As always, too many blades; not enough funds Papered always makes a sweet deal sweeter and it secures your investment is genuine, but papers can also add another 0 to the price....maybe even three 0's..

I've recently had this debate in my head over which is the better era to pick for the price. I've seen gorgeous blades out of both periods but I'm still on the edge. I've noticed Shinto era blades seem to have more aesthetic value to them since they were not entirely created for functional use. While I have seen some very beautiful late Koto blades, Most in the range of what most people would deem "affordable", seem to show a little more utilitarian usage. In comparison, a $3.5k Shinto katana will get you a pretty little blade with a notare-midare and some nice burly grain in decent polish, maybe even with papers too. While spending $3.5k on a Koto katana will get you a old,sturdy soldier that definitely has the power behind it, but maybe in a little older polish with a pretty plain features,more polished,more risk of flaws appearing. I know most of this is just personal preference as some prefer plain to fancy, but I'm interested to see what you guys have to say. Or maybe I'm just over-thinking the whole concept Regards,

http://cgi.ebay.com/B017-REAL-Japanese- ... 4cf29d1290 Gimei? If it's legit I'd imagine most people would be able to overlook the flaws at this price for such a rare and valuable blade.

First of all thanks to all of you for your prompt replies, i really appreciate it Chris, do you think it was made by a smith or just an oil tempered machine blade and had the file marks done later?

All my blades are safely housed on a sturdy sword rack when they are displayed and kept in their bags when not. Don't get me wrong, I have much respect for swords and what they stand for being a preservationist. I make sure they are at least kept in the same condition as i received them.

Thank-you stephen, I did not mean disrespect of the sword by setting it on the ground, I was merely trying to find a good spot to photograph it. I will remember that for future reference though, My apologies to anyone offended.

What do you guys think? The blade faintly shows suguha hamon, but there does not appear to be a yokote or if there is one it is not very defined. The blade also came in naval fittings. The habaki has caused some strange looking oxidation near the machi that i have circled in the picture. Would this occur on tamahagane? just figured I'd let the experts weigh in on it and see what they have to say. It would be most appreciated Here are some pictures of the blade and nakago. I can provide more close ups if needed.

Has anyone ever done business with a man by the name of Raye Cantrell? I recently purchased a sword from an Iajutsu student that bought the sword from Ray back in 90's when he was in Indiana. I already tried googling his name but all that came up was a martial arts blog written by one of his students. If anyone knows anything about this dealer or how to contact him, it would be most appreciated if you let me know.

The pure white Same that looks like popcorn ceiling was a dead give away...

Thanks Peter, I'll try your advice next time i take the sword out, I was pretty busy today so i didn't have a chance to get out and get some good shots. It doesnt help that my camera is not very great, ancient would be a better way to describe it. Do you think a tripod would help at all? Like directions to assemble the mounts onto the blade?

I personally think it is ridiculous that people steal Juyo-Token and expect to be able to sell them under the radar someday. You'd think if someone is going to spend $30,000+ on a piece of art they'd take the time to look into it and check the police reports...

I'll try to get some better shots tomorrow when the sun is out. My thanks to all that tried even with my crap photos

I'm working on it, The nakago is only about 1.8 cm wide so its proving to be rather frustrating trying to take pictures of it. I appreciate you looking though. Thes two are the best i have gotten so far....

Well...just keep in mind when buying that if its too good to be true...its probably not. Although I'll agree with Tsugio Kawakami and say that's a pretty snazzy looking koshirae

I just purchased this sword from a former iaido student whos had it in his garage since he stopped going in 1996, Fairly good condition blade but it has a greatly shortened nakago, huge nagasa for a katana (32 inches) but with a nakago you would expect to see on a tanto. The original signature has been lost i believe but the owner must have re-inscribed the name with red lacquer or paint. Almost impossible to get a good picture of this but i will keep trying to get some decent ones if anyone wants to have a go at it? I had to edit in the last 2 kanji as they have been worn away but i can still make out the outline of them. **figured out the last two kanji, probably a date of some kind? Kazu-ichi (1) ku- (9) Is the third to last character masa maybe? Thanks guys,

Anyone ever seen this video or heard about this event? Same Hawley that wrote the sword-smith volumes? You can only begin to imagine what treasures could be in a sword collection that was worth millions of dollars way back then. I thought it was interesting so i figured i would share it.