Peter Bleed

looks ok to me Peter

Uwe, I enjoyed your images and were I to find myself once again in the Eastern Capitol I would love to visit these stores.Thanks for sharing. Unfortunately, these are exactly NOT the kinds of outlets where I think I might pursue my interests. I view swords as antiquities, as things that were made and used and that happen to have survived so that they now need attention, research, and assessment.Shop in toney downtown Tokyo can certainly provide nice clean stuff. They can suggest things that I might need, And they can provide anything I might call for. But I don't think I deserve the level of support they provide. I certainly can't afford the excellence they purvey. They are about modern Japan and I'm an antiquarian. Again, THANK YOU for sharing these images. They helped me understand my interest and attachment to Japanese swords. Peter

Okay, I'm getting a tsuka wrapped and I need to decide what kind of menuki to use. And, yes, yes, I know that menuki are the best and central fittings on a sword. Yahhh dahhhm Yahhh dahhh But screw it, Nobody picks up a mounted sword and looks at the menuki and says, "Wow." It never happens.Obviously I don't want something that will detract from the koshirae. So no galvenized washers or whatever. But why not nice repros? Peter

Chuck, Welcome to the hobby! Where do you live in Colorado? There is a sword communiyt out there. And from my experience, lots of public libraries have good "OLD" source. Borrow a copy of John Yumoto, and B. W. Robinson. Niether is perfect, but what the heck, I also urge you to meet other collecotrs. We are a complex communiyt, but we are also a handy means of looking at swords. Peter

Chuck you have been presented with a lot of information. Now is the time for you to "hit the books" In the old days that meant going to the books. My generation used a big thick volume by W. Hawley. You may be more comfortable with digital resources. So google "Tamba no kami YOSHIMICHI; and "Yamato no kami YOSHIMICHI" see what you find. After you have done that, I suggest that you also google the word "GIMEI." Peter

Chuck, You can figure this out. Look at the second to the last character on each side. Count the strokes (ignore the handwiriting) and you'll get 6. At that point you can go to Robinson 51 or the "Y" section of Hawley... Peter

Rather interesting. - in that it has two signatures. You can start on on either side - and come up with a similar "similar" result. This will be a good project! Peter

Amy, If it is at all possible to visit other people, look at swords that they think are worth looking at, and observing the reality of current sword collecting, I URGE you to do that. Sword collectors are a fair cross section of humanity. I won't guarentee them as company, BUT they are a way of looking at swords. Oh, and sometimes "collectors sell stuff cheaper than "dealers" do. Best of luck. Peter

This is indeed very sad news. Arnold was a deep thinker and also very knowledgeable. He knew the facts of sword history and he also had wonderful insights into how the world works. He taught us to think realistically about things as "investments." I will miss him deeply and sword collecting is diminished by his passing. Peter

I tried to direct the other NMB thread on the Hermann Historica auction to both of the "Namban" pieces that Ian mentioned. In the past I have tried to use the chronology of European swords to date lots of so-called Nanban tsubas. Those compariosn suggest to me that the Namban style has to be later than most of the books suggests. Whatever the dating, they certainly show that there was flow of ideas about sword fittings across the Indian Ocean. It is also usual now to suggest that lots of the nanban and sawasa stuff was made "in China." Maybe it was, but I'd like to see some evidence of that. What seems to survive is either in Japan or Europe/ And the estimates on the Hermann sales are - well - pretty steep IMHO

A couple of of more ore less specific items have been mentioned. And I really don't think that that I will make a run at either of the "Japanese" items that are attracting my attention, so let me say that folks might be interested in items 3815 and 3790 Peter

This is a bit beyond what I regularly encounter in my retirement home! There is an item I would like to take a run at. I have not history with this firm but is someone from the NMB going to be there and could someone carry a bid? Peter

what kind of helmet is it? Peter

cast iron??? Peter

This has become a truly significant discussion. Thank you Ford! Peter

This conversation has moved in directions that I had not foreseen. Thank you all, but I have to say - you guys don't understand museums - AT ALL. I have never worked at a museum, but I've been close. I think it is fair to say that in history and anthropology at least and maybe in "art", museum are NOT THE BEST PLACE TO WORK. They attract the dorks and the folks who can't get better jobs. Furthermore, "museums" describes LOTS of different kinds of institutions. A "collections manager" at - say - the National Park Service has essentially nothing in common with the "curator" of the San Carlo Historical Society. This diversity is so great that you simply can't generalize about "musems." They have different missions, resource bases, and oversight. Finally, it is also important to note that an "institution" is always actually run by human beings - and we know hoe flawed they can be. Peter

This thread made me recall the discussion we had about the possibility (?) that many/most of these brass embellished guards that get called "Onin" or "Heian-jo" were actually repurposed "old" (ie Muromachi-era) iron guards that were - well - "embellished" by the addition of some brass elements. Those elements were solid brass. They were NOT, that is to say, "nunome-zogan." They could, however, be either "inlay" or "overlay". The coarsest of the overlay was the simple encrusting of small bits of brass. This used to be call "Gomoku-zogan." Alternatively, the brass could be soldered on more artfully. In any case, IMHO, the brass on these tsubas is a LOT newer than then iron. In this view, the whole brass embellish thing can be considered as a style, a 'fad" that swept across the sword carrying population of the early/mid Edo period. Peter

From my experience, naginata with that signature are not common. This looks like a usual "duffle bag fitting" cut. I say this could be interesting. Peter

There has been lots of history to the Tampa show. There are reasons why it was there and a success, but time and communities change. The community was good. And I have always enjoyed that - cheesey - auction. The banquet was IMHO always too costly - and way too calorific. But THE thing that made the Tampa Show a success was the ease of getting there - you never had to leave the Airport. Atlanta is a central spot. It might work as a replacement. Please keep us informed. Peter

Dear Friends, Thank you all, I am feeling no particular frailty, but I happened to take a bit of a drive last Friday to look at an "estate" that featured some swords.The good news isthat the owner was still be with us. He had also told his handlers what all this stuff was and what it would be worth on the world market over the past 20 years. There was as well some bad news. 1) he was wrong on almost everything , and 2) it was in Arkansas, rural Arkansas! (hot, but no cotton mouths) I would just as soon not see my stuff and my heirs subjected to what I observed at this event. Peter

I, too, have enjoyed seeing this blade and reading the various reactions. This sword was made at an interesting moment in Japanese history. And it is very impressive,. I'm sure there was a reason for doing this in 1867. Still, I have a very hard time appreciating this knife within the great sweep of Nippon-to history. It strikes me as a tricked out customized 5 window Ford with candy apple paint and a Dodge hemi motor. Peter

I find myself wondering about what should happen to collections. I am still out there scouting and thinking about Japanese swords. But I also seem to be encountering collections - of diverse old stuff - that are being offered for sale. I like my stuff better, but seeing these other collections being broken up makes me wonder "When and how should a collection be dispersed?" What are good - and bad - ways of dispersing collections? Peter

Ian, Thanks for these picture. I think I've got that one down stairs. I'll check next time I'm down there. Peter

Expressing a reaction - much less a judgement - on a sword like this over the medium of of NMB seems dicey. But I do not respond well to either the signature or the horimono on this blades. It all looks seriously fake to me. Peter

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Japan-Antique-Nanban-kabuto-yoroi-armor-katana-samurai-busho-koshirae-tsuba/163844344255?hash=item2625e249bf:g:yHEAAOSwMeVdbRFO Calling this Namban seems a stretch since it seems more northern to me Peter