johngdo

What an interesting piece, almost two shaku on the nose yet hira zukuri... and the koshirae beautiful. -John

Photos would help. :D -John edit: oops, looks like you beat me to it by a couple seconds! Sorry about that. Really a nice little blade though.

Bruce, Thanks for the insight, that's very interesting. I still can't imagine paying over $4000 for a mass produced blade, even for a rare varient. That kind of money could get you a nice papered nihonto with gunto mounts. Just a different sort of collector I suppose. John

I was literally about to post this link here. This price seems unreasonable for a mass produced WW2 blade. Are these copper variants noteworthy for any particular reason? Honestly, before today I wouldn't have thought that this sword would be worth even$1000. It seems like it's difficult for even papered nihonto to draw attention on ebay at $4000 plus. John

I would love to have a local club, but really don't think that I have the knowledge base to start one. I only own a few pieces, and fall firmly into the "novice" category when it comes to this hobby. I wouldn't even know where to start. I'll give some thought to possible meeting spaces though. If there's interest in a local club, I'd be glad to help out however I can. John

Thanks a lot for the info. It's a shame about the Philly club. I'll try to make it up to New York sometime. It's a bit of a hike, but the meetings sound great. John

I was wondering if anyone knew of any Philadelphia area clubs that were active. I looked around the internet, but the only reference that I could find to a Philadelphia Token Kai lead me to a dead email address. Does anyone on here know of any more resources in this area? I'm especially interested in clubs that would be amenable to people that are newer to the hobby attending their groups. Thanks for your help, John

I realize after making this post that it may have been more appropriate for the tosogu section, but unfortunately I don't believe I can delete it or move it. I apologise for that oversight. Either way, as always, I do appreciate all insight that you provide. John

Hello, I will likely soon be commisioning a full koshirae for a family blade. I've never had a project like this before, so I was hoping to take advantage of this board's collective knowledge. I have two main questions. First, do you have specific recommendations or considerations regarding craftsmen in the USA? Dr. Thomas Buck at tsukamaki.net appears to do great work for a good price, but I've been unable to find much in the way of reviews of his previous work. Do you have any recommendations? Second, I was looking for advice on choosing fittings for a custom koshirae. I would ideally like to use antique fittings, and of course understand that nakago ana and overall dimentions must be correct, but wanted to ensure that I avoided other mistakes. Any advice on choosing antique fittings for a blade? Again, thank you for your time. John

Hello, just wanted to stop by and introduce myself. Long time forum reader, but never registered. I'm a Philadelphia area enthusiast. I hope to continue reading, and occasionally contribute what I can. Thanks, John G