SAS

I think I understand what James is saying and i also agree....in the days when these swords were used, the quality of the sword was what counted....this is why smiths became famous in their own time. Collectors may have different values for other reasons, but in the beginning a sword was a tool (weapon) that could not fail its owner when needed.

Some people really have a case of spring butt, all ready to judge something not in hand, and maybe not even qualified to judge. You all do know that Japanese polishers use nitric or other acid when called for, right? I do not know if that is what is visible here, it is not in hand. Ferric chloride acts differently and tends to darken steel, not whiten. I have used it a lot on cable damascus blades. The o kissaki looks a bit strange on the sugata of that blade, but perhaps it is a kantei point for the unknown smith. It has the look of a newer blade trying to look older, maybe shinshinto or later, to me. The polish (taking into consideration of lighting issues in the photo) doesn't look bad to me, other than the scuffs near the habaki. I don't necessarily recommend a polish, but the suggestion to have a good polisher look at it is a good one.

There are other things beside your 3 tests, such as the machinery to make a bohi straight, strike stamps in right without distorting the metal being stamped, and many other things. The logic problem you have posed has a built in fallacy, enough said by me.

Sword came today, made it through the USPS system without any damage to contents, though they did ding the outside of the package. Sword was packed well in styrofoam. It has some condition issues which will benefit from some TLC. Thank you Steve Bone!

As was said before, best not be too explicit on the errors as the Chinese read here and learn quickly. That said, i know jack voodoo about these gunto and i can spot the errors quite obviously. That you can't, Mark, ought to make you wonder. (PS autospell is very irritating but sometimes amusing)

I am unsophisticated when it comes to tsuba, but when a tsuba price exceeds that of many swords I would be happy to own it makes me wonder.....

i cancelled my amazon order only after speaking on the phone with their representative who was full of apologies in a hindu accent but had no solutions for me getting my books, and never having a status update. i had to wonder if the ship had sunk. never again will i deal with them for a hard to get item.

wow.....just wow. My optic precision has been set back decades.

Supposedly it was going to be reprinted, but the publisher, Kodansha, is out of business.... I heard this in relation to some aikido books that were also published by Kodansha.

My copy has been shipped by Booksamillion after only a couple of days since ordering. Contrast that with my Amazon order on June 21 with no action on either of the books I ordered, the other one which was in stock when i ordered was never sent. I cancelled on Amazon and found it with the referenced seller for $97.95. Can't wait to see my copy!

As I suspected, thank you for enlightening me!

Please tell me as i am the first bidder

reminiscent of Mino togariba, but straight like Shinshinto Tosa.

You sure that is not a kashira? If a kurikata, how would it stay on the saya?

Carlos, si comprare eso katana, si tiene usted mas grande cojones, sabe? Comprar ahora, email Andy mas rápido.

Bob Benson recently gifted me some magazines from previous shows, what a great opportunity for those able to attend! Looks like an educational and fun experience.

Sugata is very curved, I too see it as a naginata naoshi blade, nice score.

Funny how my post disappeared for a couple of days.

what registration certificate?

I was looking on ebay and saw a bunch of rusty swords for sale from komonjo in the Berkeley area; this Nakajima Jr. is in Oakland......could they be the same person? I wonder.......

Just got off the phone with Steve Bone; obviously i had some concerns about the transaction being successfully completed. After discussing it with Steve, I am satisfied that he will do what is necessary to complete the transaction. Having been through a number of difficult situations myself as a disabled veteran, I can understand that at times life can be a bit overwhelming, and I try not to add to the load in those cases, but try to help carry it.

My check was for $850 sent at about 1 pm American Samoa local time and was only offered after i was reasonably assured there were no legitimate offers on the table after talking with Steve Bone for nearly half an hour. Seems we have an issue; when I saw Grey's post i thought it was too late to call Arkansas, but i will be on the phone in the morning. Due to time zone differences I will most likely be late to the party, but I will be attending.

My check is in the mail as well. He stated that the former bidder had not been in contact with him for 2 weeks; is this incorrect? I spoke with him at length prior to making my offer which he accepted. Steve, what gives?

Just got off the phone w/ Steve re: the katana, we have an arrangement. I'm off to the post office.

Not that i would know or anything, but it seems that moisture would best be driven from any ware before sealing with lacquer, in case anyone had the audacity to try this themselves.