tokashikibob

Ben, Make plans to visit sword shops in Japan and attending a few of the sword shows here in the states ASAP! It doesn't hurt to buy fixer uppers to learn a bit from as a catch and release type of event. My preference after getting bitten 15 years or so ago, is buyng Nihonto with healthy blades in good old polish that can be papered if I desire.

Tanker with regulation sword. I thought it was a pretty good pic of a reg sword.

I think so Bruce, It lets the handle line up with the mekugi ana. Going to put it in my booth with a Japanese flyers outfit, should look good together.

Fellas, Picked up this oddball from a online auction because it's something different and the leather garbed swords always gets me! Never seen a kinnuto in field fittings almost a last ditch piece, whaddaya think Bruce?

Yep, I got a two out of three too. The 5 hole katana got a question mark due to a worn gakumei which Steve M and Jussi were able to ID the kanji on this board with good pictures. Chris B said the second character was too worn to verify by the team. I'd like some NMB papers!

That was a good idea, as I was on the fence on which blade to use my 3rd ticket on. I mailed my box up there already but would have liked the board help choose!

I wonder if anybody can chime in about the number of collectors in China? If the traditional historical negative view of Japanese in general is overcome the Chinese market could be a game changer.

Old polish looks good, I always like buying nihonto that way, Good buy! I wonder what the price was?

Jeepers, I need to get that haunted WW2 blade Mark sold me 12 years ago on the auction if the market is this strong for ghost blades. I wonder if they have special spirit papers from NPO if strange things happen while it's laying around the suite? https://www.ebay.com/itm/113828029442?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=s3IXV20cS72&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=vr5my0t8r0c&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Merry Christmas gang, Wish you all the best this holiday season! I bought a wak the other day online as it was too cheap to pass up and was surprised by the wild hamon it sports up and down the blade. Didn't see a easy match in Connoisseurs, I'll have to dig a bit more in the reference books. Looks like hot lava popping out of the pool in the volcano. Best regards, Bob

Thanks for the translation Ray! No collection room for me, too big a family, I have 10 kids and 7 of them are still here!

Hey Y'all, I took the day off today to gather things because I am setting up for the 1st time in 2 years at the gun show. While digging around finding objects I forgot I owned I found this Naganata Naoshi. I remember getting this about 8 years ago, so I brought is out to give it some oil and was surprised it was signed and I did not have it tagged. Not going to sell this blade but put it where I know it is, also found a nice 18th cent flintlock! Man, when you find things in your own home that you forgot about you might just have too much laying around! Any help in translation would be appreciated.

Howdy Nihontophiles, I've not been hunting blades the last 4 years or so unless they fell into my lap. Recently I have followed a few online auctions (not ebay) for pretty common gunto and gendaito military blades amongst others and the prices seem to have increased maybe 30% or so the last 4 years. So, what is the state of the market these days for Nihonto?

Thanks Steve, definitely not the lost Masamune.

Maybe these cropped photos will post a bit cleaner. Doesn't look like the typical address, but maybe something interesting for the Military sword section of NMB. Best regards, Bob

Hello, A friend a mine got ahold of a few WW2 era swords. One had a loose fitting leather combat cover which had quite a bit of kanji on wooden saya side when the cover was slipped off. I told him it was probably a prayer but figured you guys can confirm or deny.

Gents got around to looking at it today with my kanji sheet and Steve M is correct, definitely SukeShige. Might have even been a tsuku there at one time. You don't find these really old blades often in military koshirae that is for sure.

Hi Shamsy, how have you been? If you look at inlaid mei which I think is called Gakumei it also has a ana which would make this nakago a 5 holer. She's a old gal but still looks good kinda like Raquel Welsh. If the mei is SukeYoshi then it could be a Ichimonji school piece which would be nice. Wish I had a coupon for a polish!

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Here's a auction buy that comes from a mega collectors estate that is being parceled out. A NMB member did the write up for the piece and attributed it to Sukeyoshi, do you agree? Blade was pretty dirty when it came in but shows some detail after clean up and in a nice morning son. Really nice early family blade that in all likehood saw Port Arthur or the Tsushima straight waters

Real or fake fighting? Here is a recent acquisition a Ishido school sword with a sheetz-pot full of kirikomi kizu. Looking at this nihonto objectively was it wielded in massive battle(s) or did the grandkid practice with it? There are 12 chips and cuts to the sword. Many are deep. The hypothetical scenario that this damaged was caused by fun and games well, that is a lot of swinging by the 13 year old and since many are edge imprints of another sword very dangerous for the teens who were swinging. I can see one or two blows but this many? This would have happened after the blade was polished by a pro and had tsukimaki and all the rest completed. That is hard to contemplate also. Question to you all is: How many kirikomi have you seen on a Warring States era blade ?

I had this one, it was a gnarly sword. Not sure really why the hell it was made. Maybe for a forest dwelling samurai.

Wow, thanks Piers! A couple of those swords in the woodblock remind me of the ones Ray S. posts time to time on the for sale forum. I guess I should have stepped up on a couple of the others instead of buying pottery and coins. Now to find a frame!

Just got back from a 7 hour round trip with a truck load of pickin's from a estate of a husband / wife art collecter. The one thing I wanted in the woodblocks was this Samurai battle wood block print. There were others of various subject matter and maybe famous artists but the only one I wanted was this one to frame and keep. If this scene is familiar to anyone, please post so I can make a index card and put it on the back of the piece. Best regards, Bob