obiwanknabbe

Just a side question,, The mei on this , TO MY EYES, seems expertly cut.. someone took a lot of time to make a fake signature. I realize the intent behind doing so but have any of you seen gimei that are so cleanly done? Def more that a 6pack of beer and a pizza type job. Kurt Also, if i do buy it, after negotiating the price down a bit, i plan on keeping it.. I dont buy swords to flip them. These are for my appreciation and study alone. I still have every blade i ever bought.

I would like one too.. pm sent

I once again defer to the vast knowledge of the members here in asking the following: Is buying a sword with gimei signature necessarily something to avoid? I am looking at a blade on AOI that for all intents and purposes looks pretty wonderful.. They openly state that they dont trust the Mei. This being the case, what is the move as a matter of course? What is the general consensus on great swords with questionable mei? This is the blade in question.... https://www.aoijapan.com/katana-mutsu-kami-kaneyasunot-guarantee

Except it isnt sharp.. look close at some of the close ups and the blade has no edge..

Ok gents, heres a weird one.. I have heard of blades like this before but never seen one.. Is the shape legit or is this an odd repair? http://www.nipponto.co.jp/swords3/KY327317.htm not gonna lie, if its legit, i kinda dig it. kurt k

found this one... https://www.antiqueswords.com/product/BQ2582/Shinshinto-Period-Katana-in-Shirasaya-by-Dotanuki-Munehiro.html

on my own work (swords and knives that I have forged) i have had success with binary epoxy. Its humid as all heck down here and i have not had any rusting issues. I have used it in conjunction with 1095, 1080, 1070, 80crv and W1.. no rust. Rice glue best if you have it.. Kurt K

ill pretend to be a "steve"... yes.. chinese..

I was curious where the line is drawn between showato (gendaito) and shinsakuto? Is it by date or is there some other defining factor? I know showa ended in 1989 with Hirohito's death, and then began the Heisei period.. So where does shinsakuto fall into this equation? I ask as there is a REALLY nice blade for sale in Japan that was made showa 59. Is there solid investment potential in these or do the suffer from new car depreciation? Thanks as always Kurt k

Thanks for the info guys.. I was taking extra precaution here as hes shipping a VERY expensive sword and i dont want to give him the wrong info and have it end up getting confiscated as a prohibited item. Real value on the sword is in excess of $10k usd so getting it right is important. Kurt. K

Anyone know which forms.? My friends english is limited so im trying to help him out as best i can.

My good friend has a customer in canada who wishes to buy Nihonto from him. What are the proceedures for this? Kurt K

I am fully aware of sashikomi vs hadori, but my questions is why (like in the case above) does it not try to more faithfully follow the lines on more complex hamon structure? Its just my opinion but it strikes me as a lazy polish (wartime perhaps?) With the current aim of polish being preservation and apprecaition of the original work, it seems at odds with intentionally "painting outside the lines" of what the smith intended to create. Take for example blades forged in hitatsura where in one case the details are highlighted but in another, most of it is ignored in the polish. VS This blade is clearly hitatsura but the polisher did not polish it as such. Examples like this are at the heart of my question. Again, as for thinking it looks like having too much makeup, the wild hamon is what the smith intended, so why not honor that in the best way possibe rather than applying modern aesthetic values which in some cases, ignore that intent? I realize that polishing techniques evolved but would it not be better to bring the style of the day to its apex?

Hey all, On many swords i have noticed that the hardened edge may be a tight gunome or wild billowing midare, yet when polished with the hazuya, the gunome gets polished as if it were suguha and the midare gets polshed as if it were notare.. Why is this done? I have heard some say that following the lines exactly would look garish but if that was the smiths intent, why is it not honored in the fininshing steps? I use as an ex the following: Thanks for your input Kurt K

Thanks for the feedback guys.. really appreciate the knowledge.. I always thought most nara school was more brassy looking? Shows what I know. As for that patina, it looks like they got a little scratched up in that location so it may explain the way it looks in the photo.. . oh, I almost forgot.. I picked up this set of menuki as well..what do you think of these?

Hi all, Recently i have been trying to build up my Tosogu collection with some nicer pieces. These are 2 new acquisitions from AOI. I know that one is made by Shige Mitsu, but which one? The other is mumei. Can anyone please point out some key points that would help me identify the maker? Does anyone have any information on what schools of workmanship they represent? Thanks in advance. Kurt K

saya? habaki?

Im in the market for a nice ko-katana.. something with an interesting shape/overall appeal. Does not need to be a papered masterpiece (cant afford one of those anyway on a city salary). If you have anything let me know. Kurt

My guess would be that its an example of upgraded features.. As we know, officers had sword purchase budgets and this is likely an example of the next level up for those with a few extra yen, with bucket seats, AM/Fm/Cd radio, and chrome rims optional. Kurt K

I have shared this before but there are many new members.. And i do just love this tsuba It reads: "Like the bonfires that go swiftly up river with the cormorant fishers on these short nights, how swift the skies of the 6th month". Signed Nobutoshi Kao Sanan sato bito (i think)

My Mantetsu has metal reinforcements in the tsuka.. Discovered them when I had the handle re-wrapped.

These are all good pointers.... I will try and cover all the bases... As for a shinsa, i dont have those types of contacts yet.. now if someone here did...........................????

Hello to all my friends here on the board, It is with great pleasure that I am informing you all of a planned sword show here in the Fort Worth Dallas area. My dear friend, Kazuhiro Hayashi, and I are working together to create a Nihonto event sometime in the coming year. I am putting this idea out there now in order to see what interest there is and who else may wish to be involved. This is all very preliminary but will serve to help us better choose the location and dates. Kindly respond with whatever feedback you my have. Thanks in advance, Kurt Knabbe

anyone have any feedback about this site in general?

http://weblog.tozando.com/2017/05/30/Japanese-sword-how-to-know-if-a-tsuka-is-good-or-bad/ Good information for the novice (like me) who want to dress a blade but are not sure what the rules are.. Kurt K