Marius

I don't mind, it is one of my favourites - a Soshu Hirotsugu. Oh, and could you perhaps post a pic of your Kiyomitsu? Another one of mine I really like is this Uda Kuninaga.

Joe, those swords are not an investment. The first one is more of a gamble with considerable cost of fixing the grind wheel job someone has done to it, the second one is - to all intent and purpose - just a tsunagi (the kissaki has been ground down and the boshi is most likely lost). If I were you, I would buy a nice nihonto book for that money. You will learn nothing from either of these blades, although in their current state they may just remind you of machine-made WWII blades

Brian, thanks for the explanation. I thought that conscious hijacking is simply impossible on this Forum, given the gentility of its users. But you are right about the limits to the natural flow... Reinhard loves debates, and rightly so, because debates allow people to learn (you don't learn if you talk to like-minded people only) The only thing where I disagree is the distinction between diplomacy and politeness. Diplomacy is sometimes about saying something which might be unpleasant in a polite manner. I have been told many times in this Forum that I have no idea what I am talking about, but it was always in a very diplomatic manner, and, it was true :-)

Reinhard, your post is quite interesting, and I agree with it, but what to you mean by hijacked threads? I am on this forum for some time now, I have seen discussions diverting from a topic, but I have always thought of it as of a natural flow of thoughts... What exactly do you mean?

Read my signature

John, does it work? I mean, does the aplication of uchiko make an out-of-polish sword reveal hataraki? Does the sword eventually look like it was in old polish? If so, how long does it take?

Curvature is in the eye of the beholder, so to say... It is always an individual feeling. Hence the silence.

I guess that, given the current weakness of the Polish currency, it could make sense to order from Bartosz even if you are not in Poland...

Brian, hope to see you back soon. All the best and good luck :-)

This one went up to nearly $400... Actually, I think this is a chrming idea with "the ones that got away" :-)

I missed a nice suaka wakizashi tsuba with Shoki and Oni. I like suaka kodogu and I love Shoki, so I was very disappointed not to win the auction. I am still looking for a tsuba of this kind, with Shoki and Oni on it. The Oni here is particularly funny, he is scratching his head, rather puzzled than frightened while Shoki casts a spell...

Well, maybe... What I CAN see in the pics is a nice habaki. The rest remains uncertain as to the quality. I would not buy any sword having only these low-res pictures. But it is probably a decent sword, sold at its current market value

Mark, never do that again, otherwise you risk cutting your fingers badly. Gently up only, from the hamachi to the kissaki, NEVER down. Justa an advice of someone who has done it the wrong way.

A treasured blade is returning to me after a few years (I have sold it to a friend, and I was regretting it ever since). Just wanted to share it with you, as I know there are some fans of naginata naoshi here. Pictures attached, comments appreciated. Close up pics possible at the end of the month, when the blade is in my hands again... Let me know if you are interested in such pics. This blade's cost has cost me quite a few greenbacks, and I know I could have got an excellent ubu wakizashi or even an average katana for it. I know I will not be able to sell it fr what I have paid. I don't care, it simpy has this something that appeals to me. I was waiting for years to get it back... This blade is not gimei, so it clearly violates my principles of collecting :lol: Oh, BTW, and this blade is:

Thanks, Markus, I appreciate your help :-)

Dear All, could you please help me with this origami? I know it is Soshu Hirotsugu, that is all... Thanks

Not bad. From what I can see on your pics, the tsuba might be cast iron, though. I might be wrong as I am over-cautious and usually completely wrong when it comes to a tsuba . Could you post some pics, please?

Actually, no conspiracy here, just a simple calculation by eBay: how much of our fees comes from nihonto sales? does it make sense to provoke anger of (admittedly not too bright and rather populist) authorities, or worse, suffer a PR debacle at the hands of a hysteric press? The answers to both questions result in a logical conclusion - let's call the whole thing off. eBay is neither good nor evil. It is a company whose goal is to earn money. It is not a club of like-minded people or a charity, or a public service of any kind. And as clients, we, the nihonto collectors, have no bargaining power with eBay.

Adam, the admins here will tell you that we don't comment prices here, just swords. But I would say: hey, that is what "the market" now pays for a sword like this. Fair enough?

I just love the nakago, can't wait to see good quality pics, Piers I wonder how you get it repatinated... Not that I like such new patina when it is put on a nakago for the purpose of deceiving a buyer, but in this case, where it is a restoration job. I mean, how many nakagos have been "cleaned" by ignorant idiots...

I love it :D Great job More pictures of the nakago, please, please PS: I have just noticed how nice the seppa are!

Peter, I shouldn't be surprised, but your knowledge of nihonto is positively occult :-) Yes, it is Aizu Michitoki (attribution by the NTHK, London Shinsa last year, I believe), with a Shibata Mitsuo origami attributing it to Yamon Naokatsu. BTW, I have ordered uchiko from Bob Benson, and I use German machine oil (Ballistol - http://www.ballistol.de/english/index.p ... 05&sub2=33).

Hi Franco, many thanks, your advice sounds very reasonable to me. Question - what do you mean by "hike"? Scratches? Or something else? Also, HOW do I develop my uchikoing technique? What should I look for? How often should I uchiko my old polished sword? I presume that I will have to keep two balls of uchiko - one for freshly polished swords, one for old polished? Actually, I would rather avoid uchiko for newly polished swords - all my swords are polished in the kesho (hadori) style. Another question arises - how does an amateur like me tell sashikomi polish from hadori (kesho) polish? I know the difference - sashikomi is more subdued, the hazuya follows the hamon more precsisely, the hamon is not too bright, but I still am not confident enough to tell which one is which. I have a tanto, where I am in doubt (picture attached). I ask these questions only to determine where I can use uchiko...

Thanks for the clarification - I like the Hon'ami approach - it seems honest and sensible. BTW, where can I buy top grade uchiko? Any shop you can recommend? I don't mind paying top prices. I would not like to risk using uchiko from a kit...

Dear All, I have just stumbled upon an interesting opinion on the Usagiya website: http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/ns8.html This is a short article about a newly made sword and the togishi who has polished it in the classical style (sashikomi). Allow me to quote the part which has left me bewildered: "The polisher said that he wanted to polish this blade in the classical style (sashikomi), because it should be better for that interesting appearances in the blade. Then he presented an uchiko powder ball to the blade and said. "Polishing work is not finished by polisher. A newly polished blade has to be treated politely by the owner. Careful treatment during long time makes the blade surface clear. It takes some years or longer. For that, real uchiko powder is necessary. His policy is quite correct. But on a deep make-up polishing, it is not good sometimes. Treatment with real uchiko powder may take the make-up off and bring the true face up." Now, this is something totally contrary to what I have learned - uchiko has been defamed as an abrasive agent which can indeed ruin a good polish over time and even blur those crispy edges of a newly polished sword. And togishi who have recommended to apply uchiko to a newly polished blade have been defamed as lazy bums who don't do their job properly. Then again, I allow myself to quote the late Jim Kurrasch's opinion on that topic: "Swords in Sashi-komi polish are different. Sashi-komi polishes will improve with age and uchiko. If properly maintained using uchiko several times a year they will reach perfection in five or ten years (please see the quote at the end of this article)." BTW, for me, the humble amateur, Jim's essays on nihonto have been a constant source of knowledge and inspiration. I have downloaded and archived his website long before it was taken down and now I would like to host it, or basically put it up for everybody interested to download. If anyone here has got a contact to Jim's family, I would like to ask them their permission to distribute Jim's essays to the nihonto community. His articles are small gems, as most of you will surely know.