Andi B.

Hello Dimitri and Thomas, maybe you can reduce the numbers of swords displayed at once on one stand and change them every month? Then swords with similiar sori can be combined and you will have variety over the year.

...the more blades are "battle ready" within reach, the more can be grabbed by invaders. Was it mentioned before that blades and Koshirae have a front/omote and a back/ura side? So it would be more common to present the swords with the front side facing to the visitors. But it is of course up to you how to diplay them.

Hello, a bit off-topic, but comparing blades only with help of photos reminds me of the Martian Face pictures taken by the NASA in 1976...those nakago look really the same. Very interesting details to think about can be found in this thread!

Hello, I have here a nice set of Fuchi/Kashira showing the race of Sasaki Takatsuna and Kajiwara Kagesue across the River Uji. The ground is shakudo, some pillars seem to be copper, the face could be silver. My question is, how the golden parts were applied? Is this the shakudo ground gilded with amalgam? Or are these inlays or foil coated? I'm facinated how small the details are and curious about how these miniatures were created...

Hello, I use this thread as an opportunity to ask a similiar question: I have a tsuba with a "comma" theme but what does it really show? Together with the blossom it looks like a carrot... PS: I found out it is a TOMOE but has it a special meaning together with the blossom? ...and a second one with stylised blossoms in a way I haven't seen before: Do they represent some real existing flowers? Thank you &

Tim, as said before: If you browse ebay for Japanese Swords simply avoid Chinese sellers -> these are nearly 100% fakes. And the ones left judge with a trained eye! So first try to see some real ones and browse the commercial links on the Nihonto Message Board start page for pictures - simply to get a feeling, how real blades look like. Then you will be able to distinguish (obvious) fakes from antique Nihonto very fast. To distinguish good real blades from crappy ones is then the next exciting lession. Have fun!

..nice fingerprint on the first. Your friend should't touch the blade with bare hands.

Hello, first one question: Is it better to open a new thread asking for translation or should existing threads be used? I have here a wakizashi tsuba where I dedected something what could be (a part of) a signature which I can't read. Or are these simply scratches?

Yes - these books...

Hello all, I have the two picture books "Zusetsu Nihon-to Taizen" (Encyclopedia of the Japanese Swords Vol.1 + 2) and I suppose - according to the pictures and charts - it contains lot of interesting information. Of course / unfortunately it is completely in Japanese and except of very few expressions in Hiragana I can't understand anything... Are there any translations of these books (or summaries at least) available?

Hello, I don't know it (or if they have something Japanese) but the German Blade Museum (http://www.klingenmuseum.de) in Solingen is not so far from Köln (40km northeast) And the regular NBTHK (European Branch) meetings are often in Bonn (25km south). Maybe someone knows exact dates...

Hello, I think not to the "opponent" but to the persons coming across (looking at the sword in the belt). (...if you want to delight an opponent with the omote side facing the kissaki, the tsuba would be still upside down for him.

KM, here is also one example where I can not imagine that a habaki will properly fit (if it is possible - what is the trick?) -> I suppose these blades are simpy worn down to crap without any possibility (and necessity) for mounting any habaki...

We should wait how the 47 Ronin will be... I suppose it will be an interesting movie because of the plot but it will also have many historical inaccuracies we ("we few, we discering few, we band of brothers") will discover. But it is like that - we should never forget that these movies have the intention to make money by entertaining as much people as possible and not to proclaim historical facts. Cinema has no educational mandate / responsibility. I'm curious where they will place the compulsory love story in this Chushingura movie...

Also a nice and newer no action but sword related movie is Ame Agaru (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_the_Rain_(film)). BTW: Does anybody knows, if "Koutatsu of Shimosa province" is a imaginary name of a swordsmith or could he be based on a historical person? (..."Koutatsu of Shimosa province" is the smith of Zatoichis blade and I would like to know if the scriptwriters mixed fantasy with historical facts...)

...at least the swordsmith played by Kuniiye (Shoji) Yoshihara was realistic.

That is always the problem when Hollywood tells true stories. It is a bit sad, that the (few) popular movies like "Last Samurai" always try to cover the biggest target audience at the expense of realism and historical facts. And so they create a wrong image of Samurai, Japanese history (and of our hobby). To be honest - I like e.g. the old Zatoichi movies where Ichi has a bigger scope of human characteristics (bravery, wiliness, kindness, frowardnes etc.) than the cool guys in those Hollywood movies... Maybe the stories are not historical facts (that is not the intention) but the persons seem to be more realistic, exhilarant and not deadly serious.

..I purchased a few cheap Tsuba from Yumi3go55 without any problems -> What you see/pay is what you get... But there is one long wakizashi I bought from him what I regret : The suguha hamon is - as far as I can see - only created with hadori and the blade is polished extremely narrow (compared to the nakago's thickness). This was not visible on the small pictures. So look carefully! But I suppose that happens to nearly everybody sometime...

Thank you all for posting this - i'ts good beeing reminded to read and examine images of these offers very carefully. Keeping this in mind you can see on many of the detail pictures a crack (or at least a dust fluff :? perpendicular to the ha...).

Hi Paul, do you have any further information regarding the DVD (content, lenght...)? If one copy is left could you please PM me with some information and the total price for sending it to Germany? Thank you & best regards

To distinguish between (obvious) fakes and real Nihonto is the first hurdle to take. The first quick thing one can do prior buying a Japanese blade is trying to see real Nihonto as much as possible (live and on images). Of course you will be not able to judge the quality, age and origin of real blades without learning but you can identify possible fakes. With a little experience, it is not so difficult to recognise the similiarities of real (even very different) blades - the overall "image" & "feeling" created by the shape, the lines, the proportions of tang, blade and tip, color/rust, hada & hamon etc. makes them easily distinguishable from common fakes. Learning by comparing -> the differences will become more and more visible. At least you will get a feeling which says "Hands off - this looks suspicious!".

Rich, many thanks - that is really a good idea and very helpfull!

...thanks - I always mix these both words...

Hello all, probably a bit strange on the first view but I have a question regarding the smell of a nakago. I know that the odor of a blade can be a hint of special treatments. It is difficult to explain in words but the nanako of one wakizashi blade (ca. 1700) smells a bit strange. I have no clue what causes this (bad) aroma - I smells similiar to a piece of mammoth tooth I have. If you snuffle the nakago there is this intensive, kind of "organic" / "not really ammonium but...?" smell... Maybe one of you has made similiar experiences and can tell me, what happend with the steel?

...I'm looking forward to the DVD! I suppose the German Kantei book is a translation of the Engish version without any new information? (I have the English one already...)