Alex A

Now i see, cheers John. Alex.

Probably a silly question, why would someone go to the trouble of putting in silver inlay, only for it to be lacquered?, unless the silver inlay was not lacquered over?, just something that springs to mind when i see a decorated kokinko tsuba. Alex.

Some late muromachi Tensho koshirae have very small tanto sized tsuba. Alex.

Mike, for piece of mind, i would have a new shirasaya made, not too expensive. Alex.

I see the assembly police have arrived, joking Mariusz . I do agree. A koshirae done badly is a waste of money and time, some may say a koshirae done well is still a waste of money and time , keep the original shirasaya!. Parts can be difficult to come by, it can take years. As for pricing, there are traditionally trained craftsman who are reasonable, allthough expect to be in a que for a while. Wanting a blade in koshirae is down to ones own taste, the blade can still be appreciated. If the parts are correct, the rest of the work is traditional and authentic, what harm can it do, besides blow a huge hole in your pocket. Alex.

Agreed Christopher, assembling can be educational and a pain in the ass :D.Im sure the experts in this field will advise you. Alex.

Hi Cristopher, if you dont mind me asking, if you are not a fan of military mounts, then is it really worth the hassle and expense? Alex.

Fully agree Clive, ive been to the smaller arms fairs, hoping to get to the Birmingham arms fair next year. Work gets in the way most on most occasions, including the northern token society meetings. Il have to look into the auction side of things up this end. Alex.

Hi Clive, i could have worded that better, i agree. No names mentioned, but the only other walk in shop in the Uk that i know, i would not buy from, or would not recommend. Thats from personal experience and advice taken from others. "If" there any other shops then i would like to find out more about them. I know there are few reputable dealers who sell online, my comment was not aimed at them, neither the few folk who sell occasionally who we all know. Armsfair purchasing is not for me, the only guy i new of was Bill, and with the misses being a scouser it was just easier for me to nip in town. I suppose with your knowledge Clive, it makes buying at arms fairs that little bit safer . Alex.

Silly bird :D Alex.

Shops worth dealing with in the UK are now none existant, maybe im wrong, but i doubt it. Only a few reputable dealers left., if any. Seems the only place to buy nihonto in the future will be online..I congratulate Bill for his dedication. Alex.

Not real, cast, late edo :D Has Mariusz would say Alex.

"Is there not less chance of any damage at all with alcohol and sewing machine oil and well washed single use cotton ? Why would one even consider using anything that has any abrasive qualities" Totally agree Brian. Alex.

Microfibre is man made, quite coarse, kind of feels like your polishing your blade with a fleece jacket. The next time you clean your blade just try a cotton cloth afterwards, you will know what i mean. The best kind of cloth would be a jewellers cloth, im presuming that maybe what Jean has. A trivial matter, but if your willing to buy top quality uchiko, maybe best buying the top quality polishing cloths too. All down to personal preference, as i said, i use old cotton rags made from tshirts. "Yawn", i here you say. :D Alex.

I tried microfibre cloths, didn't like the feel on the blade, felt abrasive, gone back to using an old white cotton tshirt :D , someone is now going to tell me white tshirts are abrasive arnt they? No neod. Alex.

Good news... Alex.

I appreciate these old simple tsuba, from an historical point of view, the same way one may look at a Roman coin for instance. Simple tsuba, not to impress, but does try, thats its appeal, to me. Alex.

Nice original tsuba David, i see the pagoda, but whats the other part of the design, snowflake and lanterns? Alex.

On a bright note, only £250!, so not the end of the world. If folk on here sometimes seem a bit harsh about stuff like this its because, as mentioned above , they want to help you, human nature. Alex.

Tom, the guy told you it was 1560, that was his opinion, right or wrong, probably because it was signed Bizen Sukesada (well known bizen smiths of that era). You thought the blade was a later kanbun blade. This should have rang alarm bells. I think shapewise you where thinking in the right direction (maybe not far enough) but with my knowledge its hard to tell from the pics and the poor state of polish. You spent £250, for another couple of hundred you would have probably got a wak in good polish. Was this off ebay?. Alex.

Hi Tom, have you got a clear shot of the signature?, no expert but looks strange, angle of camera maybe. Alex.

And black coloured, so laquered? Alex

Hi Lee, i understand that, but i was talking battlefield, totally different, all that goes out of the window. Roy mentioned "battle", you see. Slow on the uptake lol :D Alex.

Surely on an old battle sword there could be a scenario for this to happen, if im wrong, please tell me why? Alex.

Yes Dick, could peri the oncoming bullets, like in the wolverine films :D Alex.