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Brian, I'm left-handed, so you might have to switch my instructions around. I would hold the handle of the sword, tilt the sword with the sharp edge facing up (say 30 degrees, but an exact angle is not essential), and tap my right hand (which is holding the sword) with my left hand. Depending on how tight the handle fits, you might have to tap your own hand pretty hard. I would start off lightly and tap harder as necessary. Don't go full blast or the blade might fall right out and hurt you. Basically, you are using the blade's inertia to remove it from the handle. I hope the instruction helps. Regards, Hoanh

Brian, Is the peg made out of wood/bamboo, or is it a metal screw/pin? Hoanh

Dear Brian, The wooden peg is tapered, i.e., one end is bigger than the other end. It's done that way intentionally. If you push it out the wrong way, it won't come out. You might want to get a short dowel (say 3 inches long) with the same diameter as the peg, place the sword on a flat stable surface, and hammer on the dowel to loosen the peg. It should be easy to remove. Regard, Hoanh

I cannot figure out the game being played by this seller. He is either a brilliant manipulator or a dumb-as-dirt ebay seller. Obviously a poor Chinese fake, but $10k? http://www.ebay.com/itm/antique-japanes ... 4abf08986a Hoanh

Hi Albert, Yes, I do understand you. Most of us are on a budget. You are not alone Regards, Hoanh

Hi Albert, The sword in question, even though papered, has quite a few cosmetic flaws, especially on the shinogi-ji, making it ... unattractive. I'm not sure it's worth the 300-mile drive. If you have $3000 to spend, I think you have better options, even with papered blades. Figure out what type of sword you are looking for: papered/unpapered, mei/mumei, koto (Kamakura, Nanbokucho, Muromachi)/shinto/shinshinto, tradition/school, etc. Then, sit it back and be patient. A sword within your parameters will come along in your price range. Regards, Hoanh

Hi Albert, Emails sent. The hagire is there alright. He doesn't know a nihonto from a machete, but I have to say he seems to be very honest and decent. Regards, Hoanh

Hi Albert, It must be his item you are looking at http://www.ebay.com/itm/170943192908?ss ... 1423.l2649 I have no experience with the seller, but he seems honest and open. From hi-res pictures sent to me by the seller, the blade has what looks like a hagire (a fatal flaw) and a very nasty opening at the cutting edge. If you wish, PM me with your email and I'll forward the pictures to you. Even though it's not part of your original question, I would caution against this blade because of the aforementioned flaws. Regards, Hoanh

Dear Henry and Jean, Thank you for such wonderful discussions. I must admit I learned a great deal through these discussions. I will order the book recommended by Henry and ponder it. I understand Jean's question as well. There is a direct analogy to Jean's question in quantum mechanics. Does the state of a physical system depend on whether or not it is observed? In physics, the answer is "yes." This answer is a deep mystery, but one that has been shown through rigorous modern physics experiments to be the correct answer. In other words, without observing a physical system, I only have a probabilistic picture of the system. The exact state of the system is "fuzzy," and I can only place a probability on the system being in a particular state. However, the moment I attempt to measure the state of the system, what I get in the measurement is what the state of the system becomes, until the next time I disturb it. So, by measuring, or interacting, with the system, I, in effect, "change" it. This is in essence Jean's question. I would have to say, from my personal perspective and from my professional training, my answer to Jean's question would have to be yes. I believe that whether something has a Zen quality depends on the person looking at it. We can disagree on certain issues and interpretations but I have tremendous for you gentlemen, not only for your knowledge and intellect, but for your courtesy in our discourse. Regards, Hoanh P.S. I wouldn't mind sitting down with you, Henry and Jean, for a pint, a few shots of single malt, cognac, or sake, whatever your vibe is

Markus, A lot of us here on the board would love to order the set once they are available. Could we get a special group rate if we pulled together and place the order all at once? Regards, Hoanh

Thank you Henry for the link. It is indeed a very good read. Thank you Jean for your clarification and for coming to the rescue. At any given time, my mind is always full of thoughts - what to do to complete me tasks at work, what to do for the kids at home and in college, what the game plan is for tomorrow, nihonto & fittings, etc. I would say 99% of us working stiffs are that way. For lucky retirees, I am sure it's the same, just different worries. A few times a day, I try to clear my mind by short meditation exercises. My goal is not to achieve the "null" state, for lack of better term, but to minimize screaming thoughts in my head and put me in a mentally quiet state. When doing this, I find it helpful to close my eyes and focus on a mental picture. It helps me achieve this quiet state more quickly. When I look at Jean's menuki, I find myself mentally calm - most of my thoughts and worries are cleared from my mind, and I am much more aware of any disturbance in my thoughts. It's a very pleasant state of mind. This is the basis for me to make my comment about Jean's menuki having a "Zen" quality. Regards, Hoanh

Hi Jean, I see that I was way, way .... off course. Very nice pair of menuki!!! The simplicity of design and the color of metal are so attractive. There is just this zen quality to them. Regards, Hoanh

Curtis, Are you sure the thickness is 3.5 cm? That's almost 1.4" in thickness. Regards, Hoanh

Jean, I don't know much about menuki, but I really like the set in the pictures. My uneducated guess would be kanamono from the Kamakura jidai. I'm ready to be shot down (don't mind it, either). Hoanh

Steve, Here is a sword on ebay probably by the same smith (if the ebay sword is not a gimei). You might drop the seller an email to see if he has any clue. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wakizashi-with- ... 3ccc62f655 Regards, Hoanh

Mark, I wish I had your carpentry & artistic talent. It's very tasteful and nicely done. Regqrds, Hoanh

Thank you David. I won't forget this tip. Hoanh

Shipping time is very slow to Australia recently. I shipped USPS Priority International on 10/20. It arrived in Australia on 11/05, still waiting in customs. Regards, Hoanh

Because people reading Forbes magazine tend to be affluent. Hoanh

Gentlemen, I believe we are all missing the point. The sword in question is worth $80,000,000 because it proves that time travel is reality. Chinese forgers travel back in time, say by 6 centuries, leave a poorly made copy so it would pass all of the patented, Nobel-Prize-winning, secret-formula scientific tests of metal aging (rusting...) 6 centuries in the future. They forgot to send a linguist with their team, though. Ah, now everything seems to make sense to me. Hoanh

Thank you Chris, for both taking the time to post the pictures and for the detailed explanation. It helps me calibrate my understanding of nihonto. Hoanh

My votes: 5 and 9. Hoanh

Mariusz, Aaron lives a few miles from my house. He and I met once - a very nice and personable guy. I'm glad you had good experience with him. Regards, Hoanh

Chris, PM sent. Regards, Hoanh

Hi No_6, Please sign your post so we can address you properly - it's also a rule here. The nakago on your blade doesn't look particularly old. I would guess shinshinto. Unsigned shinshinto+poor quality blade = not worth the $$ required for restoration, IMHO. Regards, Hoanh