Nickupero

Thanks Clem for the link upload, I missed the first 10 min when I was streaming it live Sunday, was enjoyed even more the second time, helps us appeciate the effort that goes into these pieces. Was also pleasant to see so many familiar faces. Nice to see you here Andrew, I would have loved to see you in the video :D Congrats with your accomplishments, I'm sure it feels great to be back home. Lisa sends you a big hello and also wishes you all the best!!!

Darcy, what a beautiful piece. Definitely got me all hot and excited, sword porn indeed Thanks for sharing!!!!!!

and a few more of the rest...

Wow, I love the variation of items so far, beautiful pieces and the images are nice and clear so we can really appreciate them... thanks to everyone who participated so far. Remember it doesn't have to be the most expensive item in your collection, but the item that's closest to your heart. I let my fav piece go a little while back during the expansionary phase of my business, when capital was most needed... definitely some regrets there. Was a pristine & flawless Ko Enju katana in all original Higo handachi style Koshirae, has a slightly over-exaggerated amount of gold inlay but it was superb. The second runner up after it would have to be this baby, All matching hollylock Mon (solid gold menuki) with some nice Shakudo fittings. The Tameshi blade that its paired up with is also nice but the fittings are what do it for me in this set, and I'm more of a blade guy. FYI its not for sale :lol:

Hey guys, I thought I could start a thread about members favourite pieces. It could be valuable to all of us while at the same time help us understand each others tastes. The idea would be to post your absolute favourite item in your collection, now I'm sure some of you have several pieces so I'd ask to think real hard which one tops them all. I invite all members to post at least one clear image of the item, it could be a blade, Koshirae, fitting (even a single menuki), yoroi, any component that makes up a yoroi, tanegashima, or anything else related. To make it more personal if you could tell us why, even if it's the story behind how you came about acquiring the item. Don't be intimidated by other posters level of items, we come from all walks of life and ones collection is what they make it, not the dollar value it carries. So hopefully it works out and we all get to enjoy each other's eye candy and maybe a few good stories.

Hi Klaus, I can't see very clear on the second picture (out of focus a little) but it appears to be from possibly more aggressive Sabi that was improperly removed. I could be wrong but a better image of the mune would help.

Thank you all gentlemen, the comments are much appreciated and motivating. Its taken years of trial and error, playing around with many photography techniques, and I'm always still trying to improve. Yes Brian, the Kurikata is all solid iron, its my wife's favourite part as she loves cute things :lol: . Brain B was very kind in answering for me (sorry for the delayed reply), he pretty much summed it. I don't buy anywhere else but Japan, and I also don't always find items but when I do I make sure the piece talks to me, otherwise I won't buy. Just have to say that as foreigners we are lucky to have access to the JP rail pass otherwise I think my cost would be way too high. Thanks again for all your support!

And the hamon...

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some more.... we have a 2 sided kozuka

Soon I'll be adding this Papered Shinto Settsu Wakizashi signed Kazusa no kami Shigeyasu, and dated Kanbun 3rd, 8th month. It is in very nice polish with a lively Koshirae. You can judge form the many pictures added. Nagasa measures 46.5 cm / 18.3 inches with a Sori of 0.8 cm / 0.31 inches. Price for members is $4,750 US, plus shipping and any transactional related fees. Donation will be honoured if sold here.

Second that Alex!!!! Awesome and good job Markus

Wow, lots has been discussed since my posting. First off thank you Brian B, Stephen, Joe, Eric, Brian, & Chris for the nice comments. To Brian B, I don't have much of a lawn so no need for the mower, and if my wife wasn't such a good cook then I'd consider the trade... but she is a keeper :D I'd like to apologize to Brian if this caused any problems, my intention was not to offend anyone or create any specialty treatment and so I extend my apologies to everyone involved in the debate. As a dealer I sometimes find it difficult to sell the higher price tag items for several reasons and Brian mentioned a big one, so did Brian B. I also find myself somewhat reluctant to list prices for the big ticket pieces because the internet can be a scary place, like most high valued items these pieces tend to attract the attention of not just the collectors but also the crooks, not everyone is here to appreciate these items for what they are. I'm sure many of you had some bad experiences with scam artists, it's my way of being extra careful in not drawing too much attention. If someone is real interested in a piece then I imagine they'd contact me, if it happens to be above their price range then at least I've made a new friend, thats the worst case scenario. By saying over $10k I think that filtered out a lot of buyers from inquiring. And if it was a bad guy trying to scheme something then hopefully my radar can catch it while that person is reaching out through an inquiry, its happened before and thankfully I was able to sense when that someone was being sketchy. I never reply to people with a single sentence, by nature I'm a bit of a chatterbox but I also like to take the opportunity probe people I first meet. Normally I do list all my prices, for those who see my listings you would know. Thank you Brian for your understanding and allowing this exception, I will continue to list my prices for members but occasionally I will have that higher valued treasure that I'd prefer to keep shush shush. Off topic a little here but I'd also like to this opportunity to mention that I am a passionate collector like all of you, becoming a dealer just happened and wasn't something planned, I'm not just another opportunist in it for the money... I care about these items greatly and try my best to filter who they go to and make sure the new custodians have the right knowledge and tools to properly take care of them. I don't have a lot of spare time and when I do I like to read the lovely input you all contribute in the various postings found throughout the NMB. FYI I don't mind when people reply on my posting to criticize a piece be it positive or negative, it adds as a learning experience for everyone but as long as things remain constructive. To get back on track regarding the listing Markus did mention he will add it in his book, he said he's never seen one where just individual characters are differently inlayed. Sorry for the poor translation Piers and John, its the best I could do without seeking the aid of my Japanese friends (which I haven't had a chance yet), so the door is open to any contributions of a better translation.

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alright guys, soon I'll be taking a break... working extra hard and not having time to enjoy the short but beautiful summers Montreal has to offer, but before I do that I thought I'd show you this. Because of the price range I don't feel comfortable disclosing the price publicly on a piece like this but the talk of Cutting test blades has been recently discussed and I thought some of you might appreciate. I will note that the sword is well over the $10k mark for those of you that might be genuinely interested, Moderators I know its the rules so if you tell me I don't have a choice then I'll update it with the price, or the other option would be to move it to general nihonto discussion, whichever you prefer. Anyways back on the the blade, it is signed "Bizen no Kami Minamoto Sukekuni", wakamono ranked smith and there is a 2 body cutting test that was preformed, kanji is 擁一身雄揮両胴断 which i think translates "cutting off two body, tighten and wield a blade nobly". Whats particularly interesting about his one is the extra large Kanji on both gold and silver, that and the incredibly long nagasa of about 75cm / 29.53 inches. Very healthy piece in a very healthy polish. Comes with NBTHK hozon and a quality made shirasaya. Donation will be happily honoured if sold here!!! The link to my site is http://nihontoart.com/item-details.php?id=119 , but I haven't listed the price.

Thanks guys for the comments!!! much nicer in hand. Thank you Sebastien & Thierry for the examples, can you confirm if the vines are made of iron or copper? Both look iron to me, I imagine the iron is difficult to manipulate since it doesn't have the same flexibility like the copper does. Also it appears like the iron "vines" were made separately and then placed / welded into position, whereas the copper ones my guess were weaved as the maker progressed. Might be wrong there.

Hi gents, this is aimed to the Tosogu experts and whoever else would like to join in. I have this Tsuba which appears to be from late Edo period with some interesting workmanship. It has vines growing from plant below and what is interesting is that they really are winding three dimensionally around the fence, I don't recall seeing this before, is it something rare? What would we call it. Sorry if the pictures are not the best as i snapped them quickly. I also attached a picture of the Kojiri from the set and its for those who like this sort of thing.

Hi Markus, Thank you for the attachment. Permission for the image is granted You can always contact me directly. I don't have a larger image (thumbnail like) but is it not something like this also? Do you have this image in larger format? Thanks

I have an interesting Shinto Katana with cutting test. I believe the cutting test performed was on a body hung in upright position. Anyone is welcome to correct me if I'm wrong but the test was through the center of the body, literally cutting the body lengthwise in half through the central chest cavity and spinal cord all the way down, starting from the head and finishing at the pelvis. If so does that include the head? Does anyone have pictures/ diagram of this upright style?? (Guido, wink wink) Thx Here's a snapshot of the Nakago

Hi Trent, I won't comment on the situation about the blades description but he possibly wants to cancel the transaction for feedback reasons, I could definitely be wrong there. I will comment though that I have a couple clients that dealt with him in the past, one that met him in person and apparently he's a down to earth guy. I doubt he would try to scam you as this would most likely end his career, so you're not dealing with another Eric Roush. Best thing to do is pick up the phone and talk it out, emailing can sometimes be a poor method of communication, still its good to get things on paper but often times an old fashion verbal conversation can go a long way. Good luck.

Incredible work, definitely a great loss!!! Sensei Toshimasa will live on through the beautiful work he has left us.

Thanks you gentleman for all your valuable input...now its a big waiting game. Hopefully this customs official will not have something to prove! John I found the link where you got that info, I really hope they don't ask me how to prove that exact species.. wouldn't even know where to start. Btw I agree with you John, its unfortunate not everyone shares this opinion.

Thanks Brian and John! I checked both species John supplied and they are not listed as endangered but "vulnerable" which is one grade above endangered. Not sure what to do here, if I give them the wrong species this situation can go sour real quick. Here is an image of the Tsuka in question, I would grade it as antique.. wouldn't you agree? And being antique does that change anything?