Ken-Hawaii

Welcome, Bryan. There are many facets to the study of Nihonto, which fit well with your personal phases. Invest in a couple of good books, & you can pick up a lot of information before your trip. And feel free to ask questions.

Seiko, please post the price, per Brian's rules. Ad is this blade papered?

Welcome, Alexi. There's a steep learning curve for Nihonto, so buying a few reference books is a good use for your money. Feel free to ask questions. We all do. I used to live in Alameda, on Bayfarm Island, & do miss the city.

Darcy was already a Grand Master to many of us, Dave. Unlikely to be from a bullet, John. Knowing how a sword is actually used will give you a more-likely answer. Good job on the restoration. Lots to study.

Yes, thanks, Steve. I had assumed it was a spelling error too.

PM sent.

Okayama is right down the road from you, Steve, & it's definitely worth the trip. You might also check out Tozando's store in Kyoto https://tozandoshop....do-store-information. My wife & I mostly use them for martial arts gear (iaido, kendo, jodo, & judo), but they also have a collection of Nihonto. I would love to have yoroi, but my wife has 11 large Maine Coon cats, & armor deserves better than what they would do to it. As far as juto, I suggest contacting Ray Singer, who advertises on NMB as Swords of Japan. I only see one juyo Bizen on his site (https://swordsofjapa...en-masamitsu-katana/), but I'll bet he has access to more juto, & Ray is very trustworthy. The least-expensive (2,950,000 JPY) Ichimonji I know of is an incredible wakizashi at Aoi Art (https://www.aoijapan...ikatayama-ichimonji/.

I used to have my office in SF, & kinda miss the city. Was hoping to attend this show, but didn't happen. Just sent you & Nicky a few yen for a drink, or part of a tsuba. Enjoy yourselves! Ken

I'm also a Bizento collector, but you've set your sights (& your budget) higher than mine! I do have a beautiful Kagemitsu wakizashi, which has given me many hours of study, but that's as high on the Bizen tree as I'm likely to climb. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit the Bizen-Osafune Sword Village in Okayama, I recommend putting it high on your bucket list. It's full of juto of the highest quality, & confirmed my choice of what I wanted to collect. Here is the video I posted a few years ago, after my visit: https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/30100-bizen-osafune-sword-village/

G'day, Steve, & welcome! Looks like you've already dived in, so please tell us where your interests lie.

Yeah, Grev, size would be nice. Ken

Great photos, Ray. Some of the best I've seen.

The fact that your blade is signed Sukesada almost guarantees that it isn't gimei (false). There were many, many Sukesadas over the years, & no one would be likely to falsify that mei, in hopes of making the blade worth more. Do avoid eBay until you have a lot more experience - you really were lucky this time. Now that you have a blade to study, what information can you find?

Yurie, will the curator presentation be in Japanese, or English? Linda & I have been looking for an excuse to go back to Japan! Ken

Been offline for a few weeks, Brian (funerals take lots of time), but I'm pretty sure that you know what a great job you're doing, IMO.