Uechi

“There is hardly anything in the world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price alone are that person’s lawful prey." - "John Rush" JDromm

No offense. but the design looks skewed and the Gold design looks like it was painted. You like it fine, for me no sale, not my cup of tea.As far as interesting not.

Once again spot on. The question is not about the whether the work is reflective of a sword smith's style/work it is whether the signature reflects some " standard " of authenticity.Many examples of nakago that have had " so called " gimei erased and voila are now legitimate.Loads of examples of swords confirmed to be from a specific school with a questionable signature or is it questionable? Like I said, it is what it is. Not an exact science, at least not yet.

Absolutely true and works quite well for Smiths that were literate and signed all their own works. Unfortunately there were some ( if not many ) smiths that were illerate. These smiths either didn't sign their works or had someone else sign for them. In many cases this was most likely an apprentice. If the smith had more then one apprentice and they signed the signatures would not be the same. The other issue is that many smiths had apprentices over many years. The other issue is that signatures change with the age and the health of the signer. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that there are a lot of signed swords declared as gimei that are in fact a sword made by the smith shown on the nakago.It is what it is and the experts for the most part do the best they can with the limited knowledge available.

When it comes to sword polishing the old adage holds true " You get what you pay for". Pay low prices and get low quality. Though there is a little difference in sword polishing rates some polishers are far superior to their competition. Do some research and you will quickly see who is good, who is mediocre and who are just plain crooks." Caveat Emptor." JDromm

Lest we forget, take a moment out of your busy holiday to remember the reason for the day and all the men and women living and dead in the military who have kept us free.Without their sacrifice there would be no such indulgence as a hobby any hobby.God Bless The USA JDromm

Like to see what Brian mentioned but in a computer format. It would allow easily search capabilities and the option of printing out particular pages for use and as a data base the ability to compare swords. Realize that would be a super major undertaking but you asked. I also like to see IImuras books translated into English JDromm

There is a certain amount of subjectivity into what defines a tired blade. That being said, the more you study blades particulary high end swords the more you will understand the concept. Shows are a great place to handle and examine swords. Many of these will be ones most of us could never afford. Knowledge of Nihonto comes with lots of time and lots of exposure to all types and conditions of Nihonto. JDromm

Not only for beginners, it has been in France the far most advanced Nihonto book available thanks to "La maison du Japon", and it will remain for years. I think this book is a little too intensive for most beginners. Obviously if you have the money and can find a copy ok. There are alot less complicated easier to understand books for those just taking up the hobby. JDromm

Nioi and nie are the same thing, differing only in size. If it is too small to see the individual crystals with the eye, it is nioi. Using a loop makes nioi appear to be nie... Not if you realize you are looking at a magnfied image. JDromm

A loop works great and so does varying the light intensity and the angle of the light.

Quite frankly you don't need to know anything about the forging process. In fact one could be a collector based on what you like without much in the way of any Nihonto knowledge. It is my belief that the more you know about all aspects of the Japanese sword the more you can appreciate the art, the beauty and the hard work that goes into its creation. In the end it is up to the individual collector to decide on a knowledge base.

Couldn't agree more with Chris lots of factors to take into account. Ever wonder why so many early and middle Koto blades have so much activity in steel? Swords varied from one batch of steel to another depending on where it was located in Japan and the purity and components (trace elements) of the Iron. Much of consistency in many aspects of later era swords is a result of not only improved forging processes but also the use of imported Iron with a consistent composition. JDromm

Received the book today. Excellent reference for sword furniture signatures. This is a great asset for collectors that will only assist in the identification of artists along with Haynes Index and Wakayama. Thanks Markus. JDromm

Very nice, but I personally wouldn't pay any where near that kind of money if I had it.Besides the bidding price you have to pay a premium to the auction house. In addition, they basically want you to give up your first born to bid. I registered for the auction but will not bid. Asking for a photo ID and a credit card should be enough not an ID , a copy of a utility bill and a bank or financial reference.( at least not on purchases of less then 5K) They can keep there auction. I have bid on numerous items from other houses and did not have to jump thru my butt to be a bidder.

I guess unlike some people I don't have instant learning and recall. Learning Kanji is something I am doing but it is not instantaneous or easy.In the interim, it helps to be able to navigate all Japanese texts and not to have to pour thru hundreds of pages to find the kanji you've learned or are looking for.Your points are well talen.

Grey I'm far from illerate when it comes to computers but just how do I go about extracting an index? I know the text is referenced in the JSSUS but I went to the site and couldn't find just the index. You can PM me. Thanks once again for all your help now and in the past. JDromm

Thanks Peter. I'll have to contact him it doesn't show up on his website. JDromm

Thank you, but I already have the book and I assumed someone would have an index without charging for it. I went to the referenced website and it is in German. Even though there is a spot fro English when you click on it nothing happens.

Looking for an English index for the subject book by Tokuno Kazuo. Does anybody have one or know where I can find one? Thanks JDromm

I'm sure it's a good book I ordered one. As for replacing Wakayama and Bob Haynes' works I seriously doubt it. JDromm

Remember that rarity is only one aspect of any purchase. The quality of the forging, the smith and the school are as important if not more. Many obscure smiths that made a few swords of poor quality. Definetly rare but not valuable. JDromm

Nice to have the kind of money that it takes to purchase excellence. Enjoy before you sell JDromm

Masayuki/Shozui ( 1695-1769) was a noted student of Toshinaga and the founder of the Hamano School.Famous for Tsuba reflecting Historical figures and folklore. Most signatures found are fakes. I don't know enough about the various schools or signatures to tell you whether this is a good signature and whether it is Hamano ( I'm new to collecting sword furniture) Perhaps more knowledgeable people will elucidate. JDromm

Mitsuzane Tenbun (1532-1555), Mino Mitsuzane Genki (1570-1573), Iwami Mitsuzane Eishō (1504-1521), Chikugo * Hawley gives all 15 points ( Mitsusane) As listed in Markus Sesko's E-index of Sword Smiths. Based on description of time frame see above JDromm