Andi B.

...here is one piece with yose-tagane where you can see how the groovings are chiseled:

...be aware, that some scanners have only a very narrow depth of field (like the one of http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=6831). Only the parts touching the glass will become sharp and clear; the scanners are intended to scan paper - not blades or fittings... So before buying a scanner for "your purposes" , you should check the results.

no - it's another one but probably some scenes are identical....

Yes - it is a great documentation: In the first ten minutes you can watch how tamahagane is being created using a tatara. The next part shows Gassan Sadatoshi creating the blade from tamagahane, performing tuchioki and yakiire. Then it is polished by master Honami. After some fighting instruction from master Otake of Katori Shinto Ryu and Fumon Tanaka of Hyomon Enshin Ryu and his daughter the final polishing process is shown and finally Gassan Sadatoshi receives his polished blade back...

Brian, I understand what you mean and you are absolutely right. I only had the impression, that people who show low grade blades are sometimes condsidered to be misguided and resistant to advice. They do it in good faith and do not want to annoy anyone. And they don't want to brag with it - who they trying to impress with that? Buy books, learn, study the best accessible blades, save your money for the best you can affort, buy only when you have enough knowledge, don't spoil your eyes with crap,... These are wise advise from experts and of course it looks like stubbornness in their eyes when beginners always make the same "mistakes" (aka experience). But I suppose it is the natural way: children (and adults) finger the hot plate regardless of what the parents say and so - that's the trick - they learn. With collecting blades - I suppose - it is the same.

...a bit off topic but I am always unsure about the (desired) content of contributions to NMB... Can I ask about and show my lowest level blades and tsuba? Do I decrease the standard on NMB? I'm also one of these guys who had bought some cheap wakizashi recently without knowing exactly what they are except that they are cheap and inferior compared to flawless fully polished blades. But they still are Nihonto and WYPIWYG (what you pay is what you get)! What is wrong about this? And if you are newbie you can learn even from such cheap blades: 1) On one piece I discovered gunome choji (like the one one pictured on p95 of Connoisseur's book of Japanese swords) and on the other a kind of sanbon sugi. Now I want to learn more about hamon styles. 2) A professional polish is beyond all questions considering the prices of the blades and the overall conditions. And there is the dilemma: without any polish, the blades are unacceptable but no professional polisher will polish these cheap blades... And so I make the experience at first hand, that "restoring" such blades by myself - even on the lowest level - is immense difficult (actually impossible and therefore not "allowed" on higher grade blades) -> so one guy less who overrates himself and destroys higher grade blades (Nobody should bemoan these blades and condemn my attempts when he or she is considering the blades as crap and not worth spending 100 bucks...) 3) Better blades are more interesting! We are all on the path to connoisseurship - some still near the starting line, some right in front of the first hurdle and some are approaching the final stretch. BTW - Jock, it is a nice blade!

I know one video from TAKUMI, featuring Hon-ami Nisshu (26min) and on Youtube "KATANA TOGISHI-Japanese Traditional Sword Polisher".

...it seems, that some ebay sellers have rich sources of supply for blades and fittings which are apparently "finds from fields or backyards"... Hey - I should bury the following pieces made by myself from simple steel plates (for my first "daisho" = Paul Chen Katana & tired but real wakizashi years ago) for a few weeks and put them on ebay... Joking aside - how big is the risk, that these internet purchases are later man-made aged real pieces or actually newly made fakes?

Hello, here are pictures of one of my tsuba and I would like to find out more about this piece (age, style, school etc. if possible). Some data: - 8 x 8 x 0,3 cm - a filled kozuka ana - blossom sukashi (lost inner parts?) - uneven surface (tsuchime ji?) Is this a Ko Tosho style tsuba? Which time - early, mid, late Muromachi or later and only badly rusted? Thanks for your feedback!

Thanks for your input - I have googled and found this interesting link: http://www.shibuiswords.com/BITsuba2.htm Maybe I can identify the kanji / symbol...

There are typic hammer/stamp marks visible on the surface. Is this simply a common? style of decoration or do the marks have any meaning as charakters?

Hello, I purchased this little wakizashi tsuba recently and now I'm curious what this motif shows and what it means? The rope seems to be a shimenawa but I'm not sure about the two other objects - are they incense burners? Does anybody has further ideas/information about this kind of piece? Thank you & best reards

Here is the Tsuna I found in Yumoto's book: Not exactly as the one on my nakago but that's the closest I could found...

Here is a scan of the rust spots. I will try to remove the thick layers with oil and bone scraper...

That sounds interesting! ...I will buy a copy - if others follow my example you are good-looking AND will become rich!

Hello, a small question to those who read or wrote the book "Samurai Swords: A Collector's Guide to Japanese Swords" Is the content overlapping with Clive Sinclaire's (...your name reminds me always on my first computer ) "Samurai - The weapons and spirit of the Japanese warrior"? Thanks!

The blade arrived - it seems not as bad as it looks on the photos... I have to remove a few red rust blisters and dimples which are filled with black rust and dirt. Any hints how to remove the rust without affecting the "healthy" steel - oil, bone needles, chemical solutions etc? (I don't want to grind the surface - that's the polisher's job...) What do you think? Can I assume, that the Mei "Yamashiro Kuni Ju Kiyotsuna" is real and not a Gimei?

...and the black samurai has stolen his descriptions and images from http://www.nihontoantiques.com... e.g. http://www.armor8.com/productslist.asp? ... ame=Katana http://www.nihontoantiques.com/fss209.htm

Certain standard regarding what? If I want to purchase a collectible pretty blade I will of course NOT buy a cheap piece via internet without inspecting it face-to-face. But here I was looking for a test object: - this was my first purchase from Japan - a test how this works (international payment, shipping, customs etc.) without risking too much money if something fails. - it is a project blade for all sorts of things, not a collectible And don't condemn NMB ...I'm aware - at first hand - of the following fact: "Nevertheless if someone is truly intersted in the "ART SWORD" it is advisable not to invest time end effort in low level blades. If there is a real interest in the Japanese sword, there are only two ways to train the eyes and increase one's knowledge: First, look at good swords under good guidance; and secondly study the literature intensively." (Selected fine Japanese Swords from European N.B.T.H.K. Collections) ...so I have a little remorse although my intention was buying not an art sword (but a Nihonto).

The blade arrived after 50 days (Nagoya - Munich)! I can't help doing it - here is a picture: It was very cheap ... and completely sanded mechanically :? Ok - that's no surprise but they should leave it to me, how to botch the blade... Any Idea how this kind of hamon is called?

In Germany weapons are illegal if - they pretend to be another object or if - they are covered with an object of daily use. But I'm still not sure what about Zatoichi's 60's movie sword cane: The mounting is definitely not an object of daily use (blindman's stick of a fictive Japanese movie settled in the 19th century!!!) and a newly made Zatoichi style mounting normally pretends to be a "Zatoichi sword" (and that's what it is) but not an other object - therefore no hide-and-seek! But it's tricky: If I make a Zatoichi mounting with intent to create Zatoichi's famous sword - is it ok? But if I make the same mounting with intent to create a weird stick, it is certainly forbidden... Depends the interpretation of the law on the view of the "user" or on the view of outsiders? If the latter, it's still tricky: If someone can not identify Zatoichi's sword, he is certainly not aware, that a shira saya covers a deadly blade as well...but shira saya are legal.

...can hardened steel bent like this? I thought the tip will break of if treated in this way?

Hello, I have here an scuffed wakizashi tsubsa (6,9 cm) with bittie pieces of gold and silver? inlays: (same image 1000x1000 pixel) Any ideas how this tsuba looked like when manufactured? (...and other information about this kind of piece )

here is an overall pic (blade lenght = 55 cm): (bigger version: http://www.brackebusch.de/online-pics/waki_02_omote01.jpg ...strange rust - I'm curious how it looks in real...

Hello, I'm going to purchase a rusty wakizashi with this mei: I read it: 山 Yama 城 Shiro 國 Kuni 住 Ju 清 Kiyo ? ?Tsuna? (character found in Yumoto's book) so does it means "Kiyotsuna?, inhabitant of Yamashiro province"? Are there any known Kiyotsuna's? Thank you