Katsujinken

Would love to hear your point of view on these numbers given how extensive your research has been.

Just wanted to share my experience. I received a blade from a dealer in Japan the other day. It was shipped using the antiques tariff code and passed through US customs on May 2nd. No tariffs / duties! I honestly had no idea what to expect.

Open to offers!

Excellent. My dojo is also part of ZNTIR, and I had a great time with some of your colleagues in Japan last May. Ping me anytime.

Charlie, where do you train? I am a godan in Toyama Ryu Battodo and am the chief instructor at a dojo here in New York City (same website as the article I shared). If you want to PM me I would be happy to help answer some more questions. I may even know your teacher.

Hi Charlie, If you are set on buying a shinken I recommend you read this article: https://www.brooklynbattodo.com/reading/5-6-2021/how-to-buy-a-real-sword Beyond that, I would suggest with respect that if you are asking these questions you probably should not be buying a shinken just yet, and certainly not a Japanese blade you’ve never held. What style / school do you practice? What is the nature of your tameshigiri curriculum? What kind of targets are you using? What is your plan for sharpening? These questions can have a big impact on what kind of sword is appropriate to buy — in terms of both the materials and the geometry. As for the blade you’ve described: the lack of taper in the kasane is curious and has a significant impact on balance. I would not buy a sword like this sight unseen if I were asking the same questions you are. My guess is this sword will be tip heavy, which is not ideal for real use. 900 grams is also quite light for a sword you want to cut with as Jussi mentioned. 1000-1200 grams is a more appropriate weight for a shinken of that length. You also didn’t mention if it has a bohi or not. At that weight I would expect the sword to bend easily, especially if it has a bohi. In my experience, most practitioners unfortunately end up using blades that are not ideal for one reason or another, so I urge you to take it one step at a time. I’d be happy to answer more questions after you read the article.

Bump for the week :-)

This is offered for sale again.

On hold.

I've consolidated all the photos (and added a few more) here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QxzRdxaV1nF38QL7oTw0S6J73i0Em0M6?usp=sharing

Sure, can't make any promises, but please feel free to DM me.

Shrunk some photos :-)

Hi everyone, I've enjoyed this wakizashi for a few years and as it celebrates its (approximately) 650th birthday, I have decided it's time to move it forward to make room for other things. This elegant blade probably started life as a kodachi, before shortening, and is now a standard wakizashi size, with a nagasa of approximately 50 cm. The blade is in perfect condition and is a great piece for study. The Bizen workmanship is wonderful. This is no run of the mill mumei wakizashi — it will offer someone a high quality Jo-saku Koto blade in an affordable package. The blade comes with NBTHK Hozon papers. In my opinion you're getting the accompanying fittings for free or at an extreme discount. The menuki are Goto school, the Kozuka is Ko-Goto school. The waterwheel tsuba is solid shakudo with a gold rim. The fuchi kashira is signed Issandō Jōi (一蚕堂乗意), but this is surely gimei (although the work is enjoyable). The kogatana is in good condition and is signed Hannyūdō Fūichi saku kore (伴入道風一作之). The tsuka is very high quality, with high grade same and a beautiful silk ito. The saya is basic and is beginning to split at the end. It protects the blade well enough in my climate, but if I were keeping this blade I would look into getting a shirasaya or new saya made. Mike Yamasaki appraised the blade at $7000 USD (a copy of the appraisal can be included with the sale), and I am offering it here at $6000 USD. If sold here, I will make a meaningful contribution to the board. I accept payment via wire transfer. Shipping with insurance will be at the buyer's expense. Local pickup is available at a New York Token Kai meeting if you are so inclined. Most of the photos are too large for the board, so more photos of everything are available here for those who are interested: https://imgur.com/a/w4mIzkA Type: Wakizashi Ubu, Suriage or O-Suriage: Suriage Mei: Mumei Papered: NBTHK Hozon to Osafune Masamitsu Era/Age: Koto Shirasaya, Koshirae or Bare Blade?: Koshirae Nagasa/Blade Length: ~50cm Flaws: None Sword Location: USA Will ship to: Worldwide Payment Methods Accepted: Wire transfer Price and Currency: $6000 USD Thanks for looking!

This is perfectly legitimate. It’s just a later generation Norimitsu, not the “famous” one, and it’s a short blade, hence the lower price. There were many smiths who used this name. Always nice to see a signed and dated piece, though.

NBTHK AB!