Uechi

Shokoku Artist - Jakushi - family and school at Nagasaki 17-19th century JDromm

$700 to polish the sword? I don't think so, unless you want garbage results. JDromm

Try enlarging please Jdromm

I wouldn't say there aren't reputable sellers but with the feedback system not always the most accurate, unless you know the seller from somewhere, it can be difficult to differentiate. It might be helpful if people posted their NMB name in their Ebay auction listing so people knew who they were dealing with... Truth be told, the sharks not only survive, but thrive, because of all the meat in the water. If more people stayed out of the water, they would starve. Ebay, in general, plays to the treasure hunter/bargain hunter personality. It is a great place to buy commodity like items- I have saved a ton buying construction items for my house- but collectibles are another story. Even if you are cautious and an expert, odds are you will get burned at some point. If you like to gamble and accept that you will lose from time to time, have at it. Good place for certain types of items like rare parts for firearms. I have also gotten decent fuchi/kashira but I am very reticent to buy anything of high dollarvalue that has anything to do with Nihonto or Tsuba.As far as getting burned I doubt if there is a serious Nihonto collector or dealer that hasn't gotten burned many times and not by E-Bay. Like any other form of collecting it is about your knowledge your reseach abilities and your luck but sooner or later you slip up. JDromm

Yes Andy did get burned but I have also seen Tsuba that he bought on E-Bay that were sold by less then knowledgeable sellers and he made money on them.

I'm glad you cautioned him on injudicious uses of terms. I did the same and was instantly blocked from bidding on anything he sells. Fine with me I wouldn't buy from him anymore anyway.

No problem, whether you obtained the sword through a purchase or it was given to you the comments apply with the exception of it being an error.Understand that Shinsa costs money and many many swords aren't worth the expense in time, money and effort. It helps if you can find a knowledgeable collector or sword club that can provide feedback on your sword prior to deciding on a shinsa. Perhaps there is a Japanese Sword club in New Hampshire? JDromm

Works great on my my computer with Windows XP. Now if I only had a lot of money hanging around, oh well nice to dream and drool. JDromm

One very important step if you are really interested in Nihonto( and not just this one sword) is to amass a library. Lots of information on the Internet but there is so much data and so many aspects of the study that books, lots of books are required. I also suggest you attend a legitimate Japanese Sword Show/s. There is one in Chicago Illinois, San Francisco, California and Tampa, Florida every year. Nothing beats looking at, holding and examining lots of swords. Please note, you made the first and most common mistake ( I'm included ) you bought a sword without knowledge. If you are smart you will hold off on any other purchases till to gain a little knowledge, As far as I know there is only one Shinsa a year in the USA. If you can't wait till next year you are stuck sending your sword to Japan, not a cheap option. Good luck with your journey of discovery and knowledge it's what make the whole topic of Nihonto absolutely amazing and great fun. JDromm

Is there an English Index available for this book?Thanks J Dromm

Daniel, glad to see that it wasn't my sterling personality that elicited a block on bidding. There is no way I would ever buy anything from this seller ever again. Lets just say I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him with one hand.

Be careful doing business with the original seller. He has a 100% rating, but his descriptions of swords are very often inaccurate. I recently bid on a Nihonto he had listed on E-Bay. When I question the qaulity of the Hi on the sword he admitted that it was damaged and the photo's didn't show that. He allowed me to withdraw my bid and then promptly blocked me from bidding on any of his items. This even though I had purchased from him before. Apparently he didn't like me questioning the accuracy of his description and deliberately evasive photos. Caveat Emptor!

Baloney! There is no question that today's modern swords whether Japanese or any other are superior metallurgically. Better and stronger steel alloys means better blades. Namely stronger and more resistant to corrosion. Of course it is about personal preference what isn't?You talk about preferences and the go on to make statements about sweeping generalizations. I do not prefer Koto blades based on a romance factor but on history and the complexity of the metal given limited technology and limited resources to iron ore. Please provide examples of swords made in the last 100 years that are equal to or superior to Koto blades?. I would certainly like to see pictures of Masamune or Ichimoni quality blades made since 1914. I may be on a sinking ship but at least I'm at sea not in the stratosphere.

Sorry, I couldn't disagree more. I don't buy Nihonto based on how much it costs or how much I can sell it for. I'm not a dealer. I have no problem with that mindset it just isn't mine. I'd rather have an average condition Koto sword in good polish then some modern metallurgical miracle. Even though forging techiques may be similar they are not the same. If modern techniques where the best artistically, smiths would be churning out Masmunes on a regular basis. The metal is different the techiques are different and the mindset is different. Name me a Gendaito with hundreds of years of history carried by a Samurai? The reality is they don't exist.Different strokes for different folks. There is no right or wrong or good or bad it is all about what you like. I don't hate Gendaito and would certainly buy an excellent example but they aren't the same and for me don't arouse the same emotions.

I see what you mean but partly for similar reason as yours is why I collect WW2 gendaito and kindaito. Obviously it depend on what sort of history you are interested in. If it is "Samurai" history you are after then gendaito is not your subject Wah You hit the nail on the head.For me it is about the art and the complexity of the metal forging before European metal imports and the real " Soul of the Samurai". I guess my martial arts training is showing.Even though most WW2 swords are no match for modern Gendaito at least they have a history albeit in a negative context. J. Dromm

To each is own. I just don't see the appeal of Gendaito. Some have great workmanship but they don't have the history or the metallic complexity of much older swords especially Koto. High end Gendaito are also not cheap. If I'm going to shell out coins I'd rather have something that reeks of hundreds of years of history. Obviously whatever you choose condition is important. Just not a fan of modern Japanese swords. J Dromm

Understand that shinsa is an educated guess however a sword with papers will almost always sell for more money then one without papers given equal quality. If you don't care about ever having to sell a sword for a better purchase disregarding papers is fine. No doubt you can find high quality swords for less money if they aren't papered. For an expert in Nihonto there may be little difference. I don't have that level of knowledge so relying on people that have spent years studying swords in Japan and elsewhere is a big plus.

See lots of swords being sold from Japan with Fujishiro certification papers. I would like to know if they have any import compared to current certification organizations like NBTHK etc. or are they just so much toilet paper? JDromm

Thanks guys that's what I figured. Anybody can take a photo and make pronoucements. Understand that shinsas can be best guesses but it helps if the people making evaluations are known, respected and highly proficient. J Dromm

Does anybody know about this organization? See lots of Tosogu on E-Bay from Japan with certification/papers from NTKK. Know about NBTHK, NTHK, and NTHK npo but never heard of this origanization legitimate or baloney? JDromm

Just understand if you are buying because you like it great. If you are buying it with the intention of selling later then suriage or o-suriage Shinto blades don't have much of an upside in resale unless the market changes. Decide why you are buying.

Thanks Chris you answered my questions. Get well soon

Thanks Chris. So what a you are saying is they use the same standards as NBTHK. Personallty like the numeric scoring I just wish it was on Kanteisho not just the worksheet. Hope you feel better soon. JDromm

87 views and no response? It would appear that no nobody using either organization for Shinsa knows what they do or how they decide on a swords pluses or minuses. I have no axe to grind with any of these organizations. Don't you think there should be some standards for evaluation regardless of whether you personally are qualified to make that evaluation?Why is apparently a big secret what the judges use as standards?Perhaps someone can answer the question please.

The best book ( in my opinion ) in english is " The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords" by Kokan Nagayama maybe a little too intense for beginners but loaded with information. I have probably $6000 + worth of books and I constantly go back to that book. JDromm