doug e lewis

Not mine yet!!! tho have mentioned it.... as an aside to asking her & husband to bring it down to Pasadena [only 120 miles west of me!] so I can it a look. I do not have a Gregory & Fullers , but nice to know it may be interesting, even in its poor condition, to a beginner; which certainly am!!!

:D yes Jean.... a little joke! like me being able to really see "Fuji-san or choji" hamon on such a dirty blade, and bad pix. tho with a little imagination.... still there might have been the off chance. a small number of swords were made in Seki in the traditional manner -- at least according to my beginner's book "Modern Japanese Sword and Swordsmiths" by Yoshindo Yoshihara [his "Craft of the Japanese Sword" was my first nihonto book, given to me in 1989 by friend --- it is his fault I am here today on NMB lol ] anyway, would still like her to have a person who really knows there stuff look at it. and might not be worth a polish but it deserve some respect and a good proper cleaning. hope she brings it down with her. her husband might be able to give me more history on how it got into their family. and I want to hold it.... I must take every opportunity to learn from every sword I am allowed to study, even gunto or bad gendaito, yes???

thank you one and all. I will pass on all the replies to Karen & her husband along with whatever info I can get following your leads. [actually I will give her the NMB site address and she can read the posts on her own ] I seemed to be traditionally made, and not gunto steel, but I would guess even so the quality is not so good---- certainly not Yasakuni Shine level, eh??? Any info about someone in her area she might take it to would still be good. a hands look always best, as my mentors drum into me [they have discouraged my buying anything on line for the last 15 yrs.] She might come down my way this Spring or Summer and I will encourage her to bring it with her. Thank you again. doug e.

:D an old friend in Washington State, Seattle area, sent me "bad" of her husband's family katana. story is his grandfather brought it back from Japan after WW II..... either surrendered to him or plucked from a pile, not sure. at first I thought 'gunto' from her discription, then she sent the pix! saya looks army gunto to my novice eye; tsuba with release catch, gunto [?]; tsuka maki leather[?]. But the blade looks like traditional katana! do I see some choiji in the hamon? [that that is visible] Fuji-san in the motohiba hamon? all is dirty, rusty [???!!! :x ] and the nakego shows decent wear & rust... and kanji! faint but there. I did lwhat I could to clean up the pix posted here. have asked for more & better pix, but also asked her not to try if she is uncomfortable handling the sword. did ask her not to touch the blade other than to wipe with light sewing machine oil to help stop the rust [did not know what else to say from my perch in Southern CAlif. any thoughts about the katana? did I do OK in my advice? and, is there anybady in her area that she could take it to for a hands on evaluation??? I did recomend she contact the Northern CA Japanese Sword Club, or even Fred W. at Nihonto. Com for their opinion

he would love to use honoki.... but you know the problems getting it here, besides the price.... someone once told that Fred W. in SF bought up a whole bunch years ago and he is hording, doling it out to "preferred" customers. Which I take to mean those who are willing to pay a premium! You are right : "The bitterness poor quality remains, long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten" Have a good weekend! Bonzai!

Not many complaints over the years about Mike V.'s work. they are comparatively plain & simple, next to some I have seen, especially those done in pre-WW II days.... the craftsmanship is top rate, tho... and he does care about what he does. Advertized for awhile in the So. Cal. Japanese Sword Society news letter, Nanka Token Kai Newsletter. He mostly relies on repeat clients & referrals.... retired from Hughes a few years back... and now wants to do than 2-3 a month.. He used to do 2-3 per week... anyway, an option to protect the swords til Lou knows what he has.... if the tachi [ IMHO] is really by that smith, several with that name as you know, then he has something special.... yep..must hold it in your hand... how can folks buy swords for thousands of $$$ on e-bay! Unless they know the seller, of course wish I had the bucks to indulge myself like that.... retirement is not all that much fun with having limited money....

$450 for shirasaya for the katana/tachi? seems very high. Mike V. in Pasadena would probably charge about $250, & $200 for the "wak" [sure looks funny for traditional wakazashi ....guess you would have to hold it in your hand to know]. plus shipping costs. now, he uses alder, as getting honoki is difficult & pricey in US [so he says], so that may be the reason for the seemingly high cost, it is for using honoki. Mike has been doing it for over thirty years. almost retired, but got bored and now wants more work.... he is well known in the Southern California Japanese Sword Society, of course. you can always have a window opened in the "wak" to see if worth full polish .... maybe $200... I don't know, that is what I have been told it costs. the katana [tachi?] looks fine from a distance to my untrained eye.... again a window? I hope to go to the Token Kai of the Northern California Japanese Sword Club this year.. Meet & greet some folks I only know by word, book or legend.... and if all goes well [it always comes down to $$$ don't it] come home with some kodugu or, if I win the lottery, a katana or wakazashi of modest, yet acceptable, quality.... or just with good memories, lots of pictures and some new friends to keep in touch with..... maybe I will see some NMB members there....

Robert Benson would be a good choice...if he had the time Maybe Fred in San Francisco---- any opinions on his service? other than that.... take above advice ... leave it alone & learn more about nihonto. That's what I did with brother's katana [now returned to him]. you lucky guy... wish I had those... would do nothing but look at them for hours....

makes sense to me. Hummm.. next owner..... let me check petty cash! LOL

Super! can't quite see what those menuke are, but I guess they would follow the crane theme [am i right here??] on the rest of the koshira. I hope it is in good enough condition -- you know, no deep chips, rust, 2 cm. off the kissaki --- to justify a polish. And if you need a new shirasaya I can refer you to a 30 yr. man in Pasadena, CA. I think he has done work for NBM members, but it would up to him to discuss former clients or not. Probably get it done faster than Fred in SF [nothing on Fred Weisberg, just he is busy]. anyway --- great find. I got start checking out yard sales and out of the way antiques shops up here in the Hgh Mojave Desert; might get lucky like you. doug

Thanks. the tsuba alone looks worth the price; and with with rest a matching theme.... super! what are menuki, as far as you can see [i know you are not going to unwrap the tsuka, like a friend did his --the ito was frayed, and he did re-wrap it later, but....]. I think you got a good deal. I bet they paid $50 doug

Really!! Must watch more TV. That is a fun show when I've seen it. Did they let you have for a "picker's" price?? Posting pix... down load from your digital camera to computer; trim, edit, color adjust, etc.; make sure size is within NMB standards [they are pretty loose] then upload in area below message composing area. If problems refer to directions at top of board, or, more fun cause he has nothing to do, post e-mail to Brian. LOL I had problems the 1st couple of times then .... all good, tho my sword pix do not measure up to the quality of Darcy and others... A learning process. good luck! doug

Howard, I hope that you will post some photos of your fortunate find on the NMB sometime soon. I live on the West Coast [in the High Mojave Desert, actually] and thus was unable to attend the Tampa show. keep hunting those yard sales!! thanks, Doug Lewis

if it were real Muramasa blade --- tanto or tachi, don't care --- it would be beautifully displayed in the inner sanctum of my library and treasure room. Even the Masamura would have to be gimei ---- a real one would go with, but too near, the Muramasa. But any sharp Shinto katana will do for trash that actually fights in anger.

Only fire from me would be from my bow ... at a safe 50 yards. I do agree, guns are cowards weapons, but there really is no chivalry in warfare. and if I have to defend myself, my lover, my dog, my friends, my land ... I will do so I any manner most effective. though if I could kill you with a nice, sharp Masamura katana, I would prefer that. More aesthetic satisfaction; in the use of the blade not the killing; of you or anybody else. Killing wrong; of anything or anybody. Might needed -- to eat --- or justifiable in defense, but still wrong.

Since we are totally off the thread . I have wonderful silk painting of samurai in full Kamakura armor [o-yori?] on horseback defending himself from arrows with a naginata. From what have read this was not uncommon, though I had originally thought that the naginata was primarily a foot soldier's weapon. so much to learn in this obsession we share!! Jean, your 44 Russian whatever [pistol?] is OK, but my 12 gauge pump with double ought buckshot might give you pause. what happened to "Lord" Kira??

well, i guess. In English, anyway. We are such a people that revels in generalities and avoids the specific, it seems. kind of another reason I like the Japanese culture and nihonto in particular. there is a specific name for almost everything. so.... thread done? should we put a fork in it?

US Calvary saber has one edge; sabre used in sport fencing has one and a third. some Japanese tachi -- as we all know, right -- have two edges. the edge -- well the whole darn tachi -- has specific names for shape, edge, etc. generally, I think, a sword and sabre are used interchangeably, and indiscriminately, by the public; only weapons experts or collectors bother to discriminate. the US Calvary sabre [and the Marine Corp dress sabre] is primarily a slashing weapon, with a sharp point you could thrust with if necessary, like the tachi. I think the only pure thrusting sword is the rapier [epee in sport]. the Damascus sword is a slasher, but has a point. the rapier ... correct me if I am wrong [need I ask] .. has no slashing side per se. John kind of covered this better before i posted this, but since I took the time..... Kira [i like the Lord Kira reference] seems to be a devils advocate here. and has done his work well. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, and to even express it vigorously, even when they are wrong! certain facts can be argued about the merits of various swords, sabres, tachi, broadswords, rapiers, etc. the aesthetics, the supjective may be discussed, but not argued. it is a matter of taste and beauty which is the eye of the beholder. you can try to be logical about the appreciation of beauty in a tachi, or any weapon, painting, etc. but you might a well try to push a rope into the ocean. Remember: Logic is used in an argument is an organized system where you can make incorrect statements with confidence and impunity. [hummm ..quote is off, but ya get the idea] anyway ... we are having fun, right?

the Japanese did not start importing iron ore or steel in any quantity until Edo period. for the 800 yrs. before that the mined their own, mostly from iron sands --- but, Kira, you already knew that, right? the Viking swords, etc, were twisted metal, not differentially tempered like Japanese swords, and did not, except by accident, have a core of low carbon steel that gives tachi their flexible durability. The Damascus swords made of wortz [sp] steel are fine works of art and fantastic weapons, but most "experts"--- not you I guess --- consider them inferior to the Japanese tachi. I think Jean is right ---- you should collect something else, if you find nihonto so worthy of your above criticism. I also collect lighters, Japanese prints, netsuke, rocks, wonderful dogs and cats, and wonderful women (loaned, not owned].

and thanks again, Jean, for sending back to the books and blade for more research .... good education and fun!! doug

and the cutting ability of the blade is much a function of the skill of the tester as the sharpness of the ha. And I suppose the reason we have so many "great swords from great smiths" is that they were not used in battle much. even in the day the Masumune or, Muramasa or Kotetsu, etc, were relatively costly to the average samurai, much less the ashigaru. That is why i was surprised that my brother's common, late Edo katana that I posted here [uda or not Uda} some time back, survived even a 150 yrs. should have been scraped long ago or been destroyed in battle. but NO... was kept, re-mounted, and even some repairs made. somebody liked this Bizen style imitation. and, despite or maybe even because of its commonality, so do I. Brother Brad -- give it back. Please!! i great discussion. thanks all. doug e

yeah, that is what Yoshihara-san said in his book. and the ones not saved were either given on demand to any US or other allied personel, they had pick of the litter so to speak, or they were tossed into Tokyo Bay or some other deep salty water grave; gone to rust by now. that sword could be a temple sword as it is in shirasaya, but i think not. not big enough and the temples hid a lot of their special tachi. also there is a big tachi on the floor in front of "Sgt. Smiles" both these look old. just by size they are not gendeito, showato, shinshinto, shinto, or shirashinto [newly made sword]. must be Koto. but who.....? if I could only hold them, i know even a newbie like me could do good kantai. doug e

I am sure all have seen the famous photo of a GI Sgt. [not identified] standing in a pile of katana, tachi, etc. most is saya; Showato, Gunto, Gendito, museum pieces, 500 yr. old __________ [insert your favorite smith here], and he is holding up and admiring what looks to me like a meaty O dachi of Nambochuko vintage. so... who is this GI, what was the sword he was holding , and what happened to the sword?? I think the swords in the picture mostly ended up in Tokyo Bay ---but not all. The book I have on modern, post Edo swords by Knoop and Yoshihara has the photo but no further info. any of the military guys know??? doug e

Wow! very nice house! so when do we all get to come up for a house warming party?? I'll bring a keg of fine sake. and getting Japanese girlfriend sounds like a great idea -- even if I don't learn much nihongi, i am sure she can teach me something :lol: must find nice nisei woman who likes red haired [well, some gray] short 60 yr+ men with Nick" names like 2 Dawg Doug, and Tanuki-sama, etc. the search begins!! doug

Well, Chris, I do understand. thanks for responding. i guess i will just have to come to Japan and help you unpack and look for them. how long did it take you till you could read katakana, kanji, or hiragana? I know you have been in Japan for a while, so I bet emersion learning is the best. I just always feel i am missing something, in haiku, art, etc. not knowing even the basics of Nihongi. there -- i have learned a word have a good week end. doug