Ken-Hawaii

I've dealt with Mike for many years, & have found him to be a very straight-up guy. Nothing I've bought had any problems. He's also quick to communicate on questions, both before & after. He's also one of the few sellers who can actually get blades delivered!

Shockingly horrible news, Ted! Not sure there's much we can help, but just ask.

Dallas, one phrase I haven't seen in this thread is, "Buy the blade, not the mei." So, if you like the blade, don't worry about who signed it, unless you're planning to resell it in the near future. It's a good first blade, so study & enjoy it.

There is a clear logic, although the timing is a bit vague. Prior to Muromachi, all blades were tachi. Why? Because one way to define a blade is how it was used. A tachi was worn edge down. During Muromachi, battle techniques changed, blades got shorter, & began to be worn edge up, which defines a katana. When a blade's mei is on the omote nakago, it's signed as a katana, but if it's worn as a tachi, it would be considered as tachi. So you can see that the terminology isn't as definitive as it is descriptive.

All blades have itame hada, bu this is very tight, so I'd go with Grey's ko-itame.

Can you see it on both sides?

I've bought a number of blades on eBay that have papered, but my favorite is a $325 Kagemitsu, that is already at TH.

Very nice, Piers. Quality shows.

You'll have to find a better way to watermark your photos, Paul, but the quality is good.

One more article on suriage. Sword Length Prohibitions.pdf

John, if you post photos of your blade, it would be easier to answer your question. Chris' answer is correct, but may not describe what you have. The nakago can be literally broken, but that doesn't happen very often. I've Attached an article on suriage. Hope it helps. Suriage.pdf

Is today April first, or something?

Will, until you have considerable experience, please deal with sellers you can trust -- i.e., here on NMB.

Is EMS back up & running reliably yet?

Welcome aboard, Gary. Browsing through this may give you some ideas on photographing your blade: http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=a30df46f3bd23b77365a104b87ec1563&daysprune=-1&f=26

Grev, does your version 2 have different tsuba, or just editing of V1?

I'd pass on this one, Will. Few redeeming properties. Spend a bit on books, study, & then check out the For Sale section on NMB.

Okay, Brian. Once the discussion has reached a stopping point, I'll compile it & pass it to you.

The topic of tameshigiri has been explored on enough threads, that there's no need to repeat. However, when you reach a certain level of proficiency in iaido, practicing real cutting can bring some new understanding. I've taught tameshigiri in my iaido dojo for 20 years, & happened to mention that to my Sensei in his kenjutsu dojo, where my wife & I have trained for 15 years. He asked me to bring in my cutting stand, & enough tatami omote for all the students to do a few cuts. At the end of that session, both Sensei & most students were astonished to find that they couldn't cut corrrectly. They knew the theory (Sensei for more than 50 years), but knowing something is a lot different than doing it. If Mr. Hiebert chooses to self-teach, it doesn't bother me, because he isn't in a dojo where someone else could get hurt. However, I do wonder why he is spending time on NMB, where we choose to do things differently? I do advise him to buy a modern shinken, that can handle pretty much any cutting without bending, rather than a Nihonto, which the rest of us are interested in preserving.

All of this from a bo-hi question. Brian, I think this discussion could be valuable on its own, in a permanent location. Can do?

Greg, it's a bit more complex than you might expect. Check out http://www.ncjsc.org/gloss_measure-1.html for a step-by-step approach.

Midare-komi.

The blade would have to brought into Japan by a registered agent, Brad. Welcome to another sword-swinger.

Jeremy, there's no way to make a general statement about the appropriate bo-hi, as Mark pointed out. I've never needed to have a bo-hi cut, but I'd refer to a similar statics/dynamics formula. And, as Michael stated, proper hasuji is the real key to cutting successfully. Tachikaze is a good way to tell if your hasuji is right. If you can't hear it, even with a blade with no bo-hi, I suggest that you NOT try to cut anything, even single tatami omote!

I'm not the least bit interested in dipping my toes into the discussion on whether tsuba are/can be cast. But after nearly 40 years of training in iaido & kenjutsu, I can state what the tsuba's real purpose is. Simply, its function is to keep your hand from sliding onto the blade, no more & no less. They can be ornate or plain, but if it can't stop your hand, it's useless. For grins & giggles, a couple of my students & I have tried to develop a technique where the tsuba intercepted the cutting-edge. We succeeded, but in every case, the attacker would be dead, as he/she would have been wide-open for a fatal reposte. So, speaking practically, any metal should do.