WoodbridgeGaijin

Oh you are absolutely right. I can't wait but I also saw how many blades were already on the go. There must be 15 or so in various stages around the workshop so I know when he says "a year to a year and a half " that it's likely going to be a while. Val Giardina.

Not even sure where to post this. Just got back from a month in Japan and a great visit with Yoshindo Yoshihara. A daisho is in the works for me, hopefully I won't have to sell my car to finish paying for it. LOL. Anyways, what a kind and interesting gentleman he was. He showed me practically every inch of his home inside and out as well as his smithy and workshop. He makes a mean iced tea as well! I have video of an exquisite double edged tanto he made that I would love to post if I can figure out how to compress it. I was lucky enough to watch his son taking pictures for their upcoming book. (Out of respect for them and their new book I wont post any pictures of the work they were doing.) Still can't comprehend the dexterity and skill it must take to carve horimono. He was showing me how he does it on a wakizashi he was making and after seeing the carving tools which he makes himself....it was amazing to see, it almost looked like he was carving lead. It looked like the metal was incredibly soft as he did it and I will never forgive myself for not snapping a pic of the finished horimono which was a Buddhist deity. I didn't realize that he also has studios in Seattle and San Francisco. Val Giardina.

I strongly agree with both Simon and Darcy, Lacquer will almost certainly remove "permanent marker" and Urethanes can change the color of permanent marker dyes from Black to a lighter Purplish color. I would leave it alone. If an actual sayagaki is refused for some reason I would at least try for the Urushi signature. His work never ceases to amaze me. You have an outstanding example of a work of art by someone I personally feel is among the best ever smiths.

I used to live in Malton! You wouldn't recognize the airport now. Its becoming exponentially larger as we speak. As for Yorkville, its changed quite a bit since the late 90s, no more Versace on Bloor St. No more Armani, most of the cigar shops I frequented are all gone, Cartier is the size of a shoe box, Bulgari is gone, Sassafraz burned... but at least you can still eat decent Japanese at Yamato. I would crumble and die without that place. How is your current location? "Artic Coast" sounds serene and peacefull.

Thanks for the info Darcy. I had always wanted to visit you when you were still selling swords but I never had enough money to be comfortable coming to see you cause I would most likely lust after something I could not afford. I should have bought something from you when I had the chance.I spend a lot of time in Yorkville so I have had many a chance to visit the ROM. Sadly...their displays are laughable. I appreciate the time it took for the reply.

Do any members know if there are any worthwhile shows here in Ontario?

What are the odds of that happening? I guess it really is a small world

Henry, was this done with tsubas of higher metallurgical value or iron tsubas as well?

An old post about Yasukuni blades rekindled an interest. While reading about Kenzo Kotani A.K.A Yasunori A.K.A Takenori I learned that he was awarded the character 武 for his name. My question is....is "Take" a prestigious or special name prefix in its own right? Or was it to be highly regarded in this case because the General who gave his name to Yasunori was an aide of the Emperors?

My apologies, It was this one. Val Giardina http://cgi.ebay.ca/Japanese-Samurai-Sword-FUJIWARA-NOBUTAKA-w-BOHI_W0QQitemZ160123033978QQihZ006QQcategoryZ73466QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Is it common to have two different styles of Bo-Hi on a nihonto such as this?http://antiques.listings.ebay.ca/Asian-Antiques_Japanese_W0QQfromZR4QQsacatZ37934QQsocmdZListingItemList Val Giardina

I assume you paid roughly $15-$20 on the sword plus $70-$100 on shipping? I suggest trying to sell it , and not as a Japanese blade either. Take whatever money you get and buy a book on Nihonto. The sting of buying a fake lingers long after the thrill of a bargain is gone. The story's some vendors come up with sometimes seem convincing("my uncle was plowing a field dug this up") but rest assured if its coming out of China.... it was made there and not in Japan. Val Giardina

Depending on the type of material, I am assuming it's silk? I have used Woolite to a great degree of success. You can also use very hot water with a few drops of dish detergent and a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda per litre/quart of water. You know the water is hot enough if the baking soda foams voraciously when you pour it in. Baking soda will leave a white residue if you don't rinse it well but it is harmless, just rinse well again. Don't forget to shape the tassel before you hang it to dry. You can also loosely wrap it with thread to keep its shape while drying. Good luck! Val Giardina

Is anyone familiar with this type of finish on saya? I would love to find out how the pattern on the last saya was made. Urushi over cork? Or is that some type of sea shell? Val Giardina

Me------>Q: You clazy? You ask too much. I give you my daughter, two baby pigs and a yoyo for trade. Daughter ugry, but plow field like an ox...even though only one arm! You send sword now. 28-May-07 A: Me no clazy you clazy. Me fight you for sword. Meet you two thirty. Two thirty because me eat too much chocorate. By the way its spelled disconcerting. Val Giardina.

Hilarious! :lol: Val Giardina

Are you into Physics Barry? I have been wanting to discuss string theory with someone for a long time. Val Giardina.

Are you guys serious? Its a joke. Read the guys answer to a question about more pics. I think its pretty damn funny. Val Giardina

The Yajiri are signed? I don't think I have ever seen a signed Yajiri.Sounds like you made out quiet well. A fellow shopaholic huh? I agree two days is not enough,I spent 10 days in Kyoto and it seemed like every day there was something else I just had to have. Glad you had a good time. How long is the flight from South Africa? And don't let not buying the Katanakake bother you....its incentive to go back! Regards, Val Giardina

Glad everything went well for you Brian. They certainly are nice people. Did you wind up purchasing anything on your trip? Val Giardina

Namikawas kits are of excellent quality, but I agree with the microfiber solution. In a sense the microfiber takes the place of Uchiko because it cleans the blade so well.They never scratch the blade and seem to leave just the right amount of oil. As for the Mekugi nuki...I would definitely go with Namikawa, and in my opinion gun oils work great but most of them smell pretty bad,and some of them have silicone carriers and petroleum byproducts. After a while the silicone will seep into the joint of the saya and release the glue and I have seen sayas where the petroleum byproducts have attacked the lacquer. If your saya has an actual Urushi finish, your good to go, Urushi is incredibly resilient. I recommend mineral oil for the blade if you don't want to pay for top quality Choji. Val Giardina

I`ll take that under advisement Stephen. Thank you for your wise words. V Giardina

I just bought a time machine from China for $50 on eBay. I figure I'm gonna bring an Ipod loaded with some traditional Japanese Shamisen tunes and dazzle Tokugawa Ieasu with it and get him to trade me 10 of everything...The finest Katanas, Naginatas, Yaris you name it. And perhaps if I can find him, I can get Miyamoto Musashi to come back with me and train us. It would be cool to have the only autographed copy of the five rings! V Giardina

Has anyone seen Nihonto TV on YouTube before? I found the videos pretty interesting to say the least. http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=NihontoTV Never noticed that the clay used to create the hamon was a different mixture and consistency than the clay used elsewhere on the blade, looked much darker and less dense...I'm guessing more charcoal in it? If so is the extra charcoal to contribute a minute amount of carbon to the ha?

LOL....I know Stephen, Don't tell me you have the eyes of a hawk too. I love Hiroshige,Hokusai, Kunisada, Toshi and Hiroshi Yoshida, but I am amazed at how observant you guys are. I love Kandinsky's work as well and I can picture many of his works in my head with ease, but I don't think I would be able to spot a piece of his art being obscured by a katanakake. I guess thats why you gentlemen are so knowledgeable about Nihonto while after 4 years of Japanese School I can barely utter a few sentences, and I can't fathom the wealth of information you must have locked up in your head in respect to Nihonto. I've spent allot of time reading your posts, its quite impressive. I hope to get there someday. Val Giardina.