Ted Tenold

Well, more accurately, hadori can recreate or represent what should be there. But with observation, one will discover that it is just hadori with no underlying nie or nioi. The responsibility and intent of the application is the larger question. Sashikomi and Hadori styles are discussed on Guido Schiller's excellent article. Not much I could add as he covers it very well. http://www.bushidojapaneseswords.com/po ... eaning.pdf What I can say is that each blade comes with it's own character and decisions are made to best reflect that character. There are swords that could look quite nice in either style, many that can only really be best represented in one or the other. Hadori involves more than just the whitening of the yakiba. I explained hadori once as a way of gathering the yakiba and guiding the viewer through the smiths patterns and intentions, while at the same time identifying the features with elegance and without garrishness. One can see this practice for example on a Soshu sword with Hitatsura, that if polished in sashikomi, would look scattered and confusing. The hadori style helps bring some guidance and balance to the whole sword and that is inclusive of the hada. Sashikomi polishes are softer by nature, and a blade with a strong compact nioi deki are many times best represented because hadori can over impact the yakiba's pattern which is already quite identifiable and beautiful in more natural state. The habuchi is clearly revealed as it is in sashikomi, while hadori accentuates and defines it. However like just about everything else in Nihonto, there are exceptions and gray areas exist. That's where the polisher's experience, skill, and perception come into play. They must decide how best to represent and preserve the work. Uchiko seems to have become somewhat of a contentious subject over the past couple of years. I sum up my thoughts with, "all things in moderation". Excessive use of uchiko (even if top quality) can adversely alter the polish, sashikomi or hadori. Though I will say that there are polishes I've seen that "settled" over some time (hadori or sashikomi) developing a gentle color and luster, I don't really agree that any fresh polish can't be *fully* appreciated without seasoning it through the use of uchiko. That seems a bit presumptuous over a skilled polisher. Having known Jim Kurrasch, I can say that I didn't completely agree with his views regarding application of uchiko. I'm not saying he was outwardly wrong. Hey, he was a fun and good man, I just didn't agree with the ambitious application he did.

I stand in complete agreement with the opinions expressed. I must also add that you came here for advice, which has been provided, yet you seem somewhat obsessed with using this koshirae against all reasonable advice. Don't let your enthusiasm over-ride common-sense; the structural integrity of this old Ebu potentially puts others at risk, and in spite of the contrary advice you are receiving here knowingly marching ahead to use it is both irresponsible and selfish. That said, I am of the opinion that the blade is not original to the Ebu by reason of the observations you have made as well as the second ana that was installed. When constructed, the blade and Ebu are "married" to provide the structural integrity necessary to sustain the stresses of use. They are not interchangable and refitting *already* has compromised the fit and integrity of the rig regardless of any age or conditional considerations. Nothing you convey to me here will convince me that using this naginata in training, whether alone or among fellow students is either safe or responsible. Just my not so humble opinions on the matter.

Yes, save your money. Watch, read, observe, and learn first. Don't spend money attempting to satiate a desire to own something by filling the space with a reproduction. By spending $1000 on a reproduction, you'll be $1000 further away from owning what you're after in the first place. Not much logic in that if you ask me.

I've heard several explainations including preference of school, polisher, time period, etc.. Certain polishers do have a style they prefer. I've also heard that some polishers vary it periodically to identify when it was polished. Bottom line (no pun intended) is that it varies according to the polisher.

Wow! A classic actor *and* a swordsmith. Gee, I wonder how he found the time. Stuart, welcome to the board and congratulations on dodging a bullet!

Hi Jimmy, Glad your interest in Nihonto has awakened. Just make sure before you go out and buy a bunch of stuff that you've had your coffee (or tea) and a good breakfast. :lol: Alf Tan also has a nice selection of wartime (and earlier) stuff. http://www.japanesesword.com/ Good guy to deal with too.

Looks like it could be Kunihiro to me. In any event, it's a poor mei. Don't expect much from the blade.

Top notch effort gents. Lovely and elegant representation. Congratulations and Kudos!

This sword is a classic example of; "It's only worth as much as the next guy is willing to pay for it". In this case, clearly, the buyer was willing to pay what many here would consider a big premium for the sword which is in my not so humble opinion, firmly catagorized as a World War II Era Collectable Military Sidearm, not a nihonto. But that's the point; this isn't the World War II Era Collectable Military Sidearm Forum. So looking to this forum for a judgment on a sword (uh, sidearm :lol: ) is a bit like discussing apple pie at an orange growers association meeting. As bdgrange pointed out, and what I completely agree with by the way, is that as a former collector of militaria (for well over two decades) I can state from experience, the perameters for which spending decisions are made for items like this don't equate by the formulae we, as Nihonto followers, use to vector the value (or lack thereof). In the militaria world, artistic expression of metallurgical prowess isn't really big on the priority list. The rareity of the item, country of origin, quality of the strike/fabric/ribbon, era of production, number issued, to whom, for what, all make the list at higher levels of interest. That said, I would also add that I have seen quite a few swords by this maker, with showa stamps and without. I had a 27.5 inch with bohi by this maker. It was oil tempered, industrial steel, midareba, and not a stamp on it. Go figure. NO way in hell it was tamahagane, oroshigane, I-made-it-in-my-garage-gane....just industrial steel. So stamps, clearly, are just that, stamps, and by no means a compass to guide your way north. The militaria side of me (at least the residual since I don't collect it anymore) considers that the rareity of the stamp is one thing, but the logo being inclusive on the koshirae would be imperative for a prime and more pure example. I do not see the NCR Logo on any of koshirae parts. So, in the end, this piece won't really stand up to comparison as anything more than perhaps a "variant" of known NCR examples, and that would be a major consideration for how it would fit into other rare gunto I might have in a collection. Though I have no conclusive proof, and it is mearly speculation on my own part, I would personally consider this may have been "stamped into" service with the NCR rather than specifically made for it under contract, based on the lack of NCR logos on the koshirae, and the fact that I have seen other swords by the same maker without any NCR stamp. So, is this gunto worth the closing price? Someone seemed to think so, and hey, more power to them, I hope they are completely stoked with their new addition. Time will only tell what the price will be in the future. I would never pay the kinds of money folks do for things like beanie babies or hubcaps that keep spinning when your car stops, but that's their choice. They like it, they buy it, they live with it. No matter how silly I might think it is, really it's neither bad, nor good, it just is. As Grey and David point out, the premium price of a sword with this kind of stamp on it, could lead to the....uhm....."sudden emergence".... of more examples. In the event of such, those collecting these kinds of things should excercise additional caution.

To elaborate on Mike's correct answer; this stage is called "migaki" or burnishing. It is performed with a variety of hardened steel or tungsten rods and knife shaped tools in a process that compresses the sword's surface to make it mirrored, and contrasted to the other parts of the sword. The ibota is a wax-like substance that provides a lubricant to prevent the tools from gouging the surface of the blade. Like everything else, migaki can be done either skillfully, or abhorridly. Once completed, the areas should not only be clear and mirrored, but a good job also will allow the hada of the blade in those regions to be seen which can be a vital part of identifying the sword's origins and age. Polishers will often times install lines under the habaki where the burnish terminates, and at the kissaki on the mune. These are called "migaki nagashi" and are a decorative mark of the polisher. Their patterns and numbers vary, but are nearly always an odd number placed on each surface. Many swords do not have them at all.

You'd never think that guy had a 2 liter Diet Coke and a package of mentos under his haori.

Just cut the middle man and sell it to Milt. He already set the market on it. Maybe you'll catch him on his "good day".

Dirk, No no, please. I specialized in 19th and 20th century American coins. I just knew where to look to identify them and got enthusiastic about the research. I originally suspected they might be Belgian minted because of the helmet design the rider is shown wearing. I hope it helped!

The coin you show is minted for a different province than that of the tsuba. The main difference is in the coat of arms under the horse and rider. The province of Zeeland coin's coat of arms is a lion emerging from water, where your example is different. Zeeland's motto is "Luctor et Emergo", I struggle and I emerge. You can see elements of this coat of arms even though it's cut away like the majority of the date. A numismatist specializing in these coins could likely pinpoint the mint date through characteristics of the die used to strike them. Sorry all, not trying to turn this into a numismatic forum, I have a coin background and it's a stroll down memory lane. :-) Did I happen to mention I really like this tsuba? :D

I noticed the edges too. Very nice touch by the maker to refine the design. The coins either originally had a "reeded" edge like many coins which are verticle lines or just a blank edge, probably just a plain edge. I like the roped style better. :-) Talk about portable wealth! :-)

The owner, Andy Quirt, was changing website hosting services. The process took a few days, but it's back up now.

That's probably one of the coolest examples of Namban I've ever seen. The coins are silver Dutch 60 Stuivers minted in the Dutch province of Zeeland around 1760-1780. The date is cut out of the bottom of one of the coins but the "1" still remains intact. The condition of these coins is fantastic,......well aside from the alterations. :-) Coin collectors would go nuts for the patina thats on them. The "concordia" inscription is: "Concordia res parvae c r e s c u n t " or "By concord (harmony, like-mindedness), small things grow great". Very very cool.

Sorry, but I disagree. If James knows for sure, then he should say so, period. And given the numbers of newbies that are introduced at SFI, and the some of the most basic questions that get asked, I wouldn't say conclusively that any great number would know a gimei from a shoshin. It's not a dig on the forum or the members on my part, it's just a very "entry level" forum from a Nihonto standpoint. I don't know about the other gendre forums there as I don't have interest in them. Gimei need to be disclosed as such if they are known to the seller, especially to the new and unitiated. If he knows it's gimei, he needs to say so in the interest of full disclosure. If he believes it's righteous, then perhaps he wouldn't have a problem with a gaurantee that it pass shinsa, and if it comes back gimei issue a full refund. The description doesn't imply any suspicion, so in fairness, why should the seller have any lack of faith? Too many people these days use that old latin sheild "caveat emptor" as an excuse to flog whatever, where ever, for any price. It's just too much like saying, "The burdeon is on you to make sure I don't shaft you, and if I still do, well too bad, the burdeon is on you to be". Maybe this is the way the world works these days, but that doesn't make it right.

Doesn't the method of wear (along with time periods) also dictate a bit of the differences in terminology? Within the terminologies; A tachi is tachimei, a katana is katanamei. Mumei O-suriage is katana by default. Put a Mumei O-suriage in an Efu no Dachi...and it's a tachi. A Hizen Katana is signed Tachimei but not a tachi. An Aoe Tachi is singed Katanamei but not a katana. So Put a zaimei Aoe in Bukezukuri mounts and it's a Bukezukuri Katana mounted Tachi with reverse signature. All wine is liquor but not all liquor is wine. Just pour me something to drink though, it's been a looonnng week.

Here's a pair I own, currently in Shinsa. My thought is along Yokoya though. Very high relief work.

Shan, A long time ago, I heard a very poignant saying regarding swords and fittings; "Show it to 10 different people, and you may get 10 different answers". So here's mine: I have seen this tsuba in hand. Andy showed it to me personally. I also pondered what it might be; Yoshiro, Hizen, Namban, and I more or less settled on Hizen. But I never questioned it's authenticity as a tsuba of Japanese origins. It simply did not strike me as a reproduction, Chinese or otherwise, in any respect. Though it has some conditional issues (which were disclosed) I believe it a righteous tsuba and I know Andy is a rightous guy. The problem is not the tsuba. The problem is that doing a favor for the guy backfired on you based on his lack of knowledge and someone else's opinion.

According to some of the emails I get daily...pretty darned high if I buy the pills they offer! Anyways, I'm having my first Martini (gin of course...) of the New Year! So I'll lift the glass.... Happy New Year everyone! Cheers!

It's only emotive if you own the sword. Otherwise, its a pure discriptor for a flaw that is forgiveable *only* within the context of appearing on an extremely rare or iconic piece that would never again be considered for use a cutting instrument even lacking a hagire. I wouldn't care if nothing could be seen. It's been disclosed as having a crack. Why question it further? If you are positioning this as an acceptable trait of a working blade, then this stands in stern opposition to all conventional reason. Please feel free to quote your sources of information regarding this. The wings on the plane are bigger so don't mind the stress fractures in the spars. Nope, sorry...looks great in the hanger, but don't fly it. This really isn't the forum for that, but perhaps check with a couple of the other forums that have some very highly skilled and qualified instructors and let us know what they think. When it comes to the subject of using swords with hagire for *any* activity whether cutting or kata, the Devil doesn't need any help and we don't need his.

The reality of the situation is... You didn't miss anything. Personally, I dont' know why someone would pay that for the sword, but looking at other swords and fittings is time better spent anyway.

Japan Airlines (JAL) will *not* allow a sword in any luggage, checked or otherwise, or any freight containers either. They mandated this policy earlier this year. Other airlines may but you would have to check with your individual airline to verify. Also make sure that when you purchase an antique, request a written receipt that states the item is more than 100 years old (if it is indeed 100 or more years old of course). This may save you some duties/tarrif when the item is inspected by customs upon return home. Since you are talking about a shinsakuto, this wouldn't apply and you will want to find out the customs policy for entry, VAT's, duties, tarrifs, fees, holding periods, etc., beforehand.