Ken-Hawaii

Yes, thanks, Piers.

Greg, a little info about yourself will also help NMB members decide to make a purchase. Welcome aboard.

That seems most logical. If they didn't live through the battle, the troops wouldn't care whether their yari was back in saya. But that makes me wonder about the "secondary market" for yari, swords, etc. that were picked up from the battlefield. Hundreds or thousands of weapons must have provided a never-ending business for those recovering them.

One of the key things to remember, is to buy the sword, not the mei.

Thanks for the airgun info, Barry. My rifle is the .25 Daystate Delta Wolf, https://hardairmagazine.com/reviews/daystate-delta-wolf-review-the-start-of-a-saga/ which is sitting in its case until my shoulder surgery heals. Yeah, bunnies at 40-60 meters is easy with his FX or my rifle. We're inundated with roosters behind my house, & a few feral pigs on my rental property. Haven't seen any axis deer lately, but there are 70,000 on Molokai, compared with 7.000 people. Not quite like hunting antelope, elk, & moose in Wyoming, though.

Tokubetsu Kicho, Grev. Good question related to tsuba.

I was really just curious. No rules or regs on blades over here - at least for now - but Hawaii goes crazy over firearms! Linda & I had a very-profitable firearms dealership for 20 years, but once we moved here, there were so many obstacles, that we turned in our Federal Firearms License, after we sold everything off. These days, we shoot high-powered airguns. How about training in iaido or kenjutsu? I assume that pretty much any bladed weapon has registration requirements, but do you have to carry around paperwork?

Piers, I'm curious what kind of hoops you need to jump through when buying a Nihonto while living in Japan? With all the blades, small & large, you've posted over the years, do the authorities take up much of your time & money?

Join the crowd, Piers. I did the same a few months ago, & am still wondering why.

Thanks, guys. He sends his thanks, too.

Thanks, Ray. I think this is why he's worried he bought a gimei blade.

A retired collector friend just acquired a blade with mei Minamoto Ju Yoshimune Saku He says it's "extreme quality, flawless, 28-1/2 inches." He asked me to post this photo, & ask if anyone has come across either a gimei or shoshin blade by this smith.

Welcome, Paz. I'm sure that you've found significant differences between your replicas & your Koto blade. Many of us on NMB are sword swingers (MJER iaido & Shinto-Ryu kenjutsu here), so we tend to appreciate how swords are really used. We look forward to your questions & contributions.

Welcome aboard, Khalid, & Happy New Year! Please tell us about your curating duties, when you have a chance, & feel free to ask questions, too.

Welcome aboard, Dave. I lived in Torrance about 50 years ago, on Artesia, not far from the mall. Please share the history of your sword's acquisition, as I'm sure it will be fascinating to many of us.

I agree with what Jimmy sees. Far too much nakago damage that doesn't look natural. You can find much better, right on NMB.

Nice find, Piers. More shopping expeditions planned?

Nathan, the problem really lies in how your brain interprets an image. What you see in a high-res image of jigane, isn't at all the same as what someone with decades of studying will see. Even when you have a blade in hand, your brain needs to be educated to see the underlying details. My sword mentor has an incredible collection of elite Soshu blades, & he was determined to get me to see what he so easily saw. I can remember the weeks of frustration - on both our parts - until, one afternoon, something just clicked, & I was finally seeing the intricate details of his Rai blade! Once I was able to see that, I never lost it, but I'd never have been able to make that quantum leap, without his insistent help, & the actual blade! Tom & Dan are right - attend sword show, but find a sword club you can join, & get a mentor. It's well worth the effort.

No, that's pretty much what I do, although I do use choji oil.

Having been there myself, I trust that Guido's doctors are doing everything to mitigate the stroke. Please keep up updated, Robert.

Jussi is right, Adam. The upper extent of a valid hamon is defined by its nioi-guchi, & that's best made visible by shooting at a relatively shallow angle, with the tip pointing at a good single light source. Take a look at this, as an example (best one I could find):

Welcome aboard. If your pocketbook can stand the strain, by all means buy juyo blades. You'll never really have to worry about provenance, & value is unlikely to drop very far. My only question is whether you'll actually study those blades, or just put them on a shelf? We all collect Nihonto for different reasons, & although I'm unlikely to ever own a juto, I've spent many a pleasant hour getting familiar with the blades I have.

Marki, if I may ask, why are you starting your collecting with juyo-quality blades? I understand if you're ensuring a blade's provenance, but considering how many more blades you can buy for that price range, I'm interested in your thoughts.

Swords are indeed addicting, Todd, & since they've been around for a thousand years, there is quite a vocabulary that has grown up with them. Since you have a katana, I suggest that you go to the NMB home page, & click on Nihonto Info. Under that, you'll find a downloadable Kantei Sheet. Carefully strip your blade down, & start filling in the blanks. There's nothing like hands-on learning to get you familiar with terminology. Welcome aboard.