b.hennick

Thanks for the upgraded photos. I could not tell from the originals but these leave no doubt. I realy like that style of wrap.

The style of wrap in your picture is quite different. This is a string wrap where as yours seem to be tsuka aito.

Both photos are upside down. Makes reading difficult

Here is a tsuba somewhat similar. Mine looks a little like Mickey mouse hats. I think that they may be drawer pulls.

Can anyone tell me the name of this type of wrapping? Can you recommend someone who can do this type of work? Thanks!

First let me express my thanks to Moriyama san. Thank you for stepping forward where others did not. I did not supply information as I posted to the "translation assistance" section rather than the "Nihonto" section of the MessageBoard. I struggled with this unusual mei and asked for assistance as I was asked by a person whose father got this blade during WWII. I was trying to help him. I have passed the information on to him.

All help will be appreciated. I read the signature as Mitsumoto but could not find the smith.

Hi Brian et al: I think that would make for an interesting article. The JSSUS would publish it in it Newsletter. If you take this on when finished please send it to Grey, me. A new editor is in the process of taking over and I am not sure as to which email address to give you for him. The JSSUS is always looking for articles to publish. It is a great learning experience for you to take a subject and work up an article. You can only benefit from the experience.

Hi Tony: There is one fully qualified polisher Takeo Seki in Vancouver. There are other people who polish who have not undegone full Japanese formal training.

Hi: I sold a daisho to someone who wanted to use Paypal and agreed to pay all fees. Although he has paid the full price for the daisho he has not paid the fees. He made several payments and after each payment I told him what the fees were. He did not complain at any point until near the end. He does not reply to my emails. Can anyone offer a suggestion? I have never had a problem like this before or since. Here is a list of the fees that I paid to end up with U.S. funds in my account. Paypal charged me a fee to receive the payment. Paypal charged me a fee to transfer to my Canadian account My bank charged me a fee to convert the Canadian dollars back to U.S. dollars. Each fee was detailed. They add up to about 6% I no longer ship blades to a purchser until they are paid in full (unless they are well known to me). I guess my main problem is that I am a teacher by profession and not a business man.

Hi: I got the following reply from the President of IGavel. "Dear Mr. Hennick: After reading your email I immedidately spoke with Claudia to find out why the charges were so high. First, I am glad the charges were dropped to $35, although it would have been preferable if we had provided a more accurate quote with our initial invoice. Claudia actually did not speak with me about dropping the charge to this level, dropping the charge was her initiative and I believe was a result of speaking with you and better understanding that the packing needed to get the Tsuba to you safely did not require the type of packing that is needed by most items. Unlike sales on ebay, IGavel offers auctions that occur in large groups more like a traditional auction company. This means that hundreds of items close within a few hours of each other on the same day. Because we do not know where these are to be shipped nor the final sales price, we cannot produce an estimate in advance of shipping charges. A good case in point was this auction where a number of items far exceeded our pre-sale estimates with buyers in many different countries. Because a typical sale of 400-600 lots has about 200-300 buyers, we must get invoices sent out as quickly as possible and have a standard formula for packing and shipping that will ensure the items arrive safely. Most buyers are eager to receive their invoices, want to pay immediately, and want their items sent immediately. When the sale ends and the buyer's name and location are available, we have 48 hours to create invoices and add shipping charges to each invoice based on the price sold and the buyer's location. Shipping quotes are generally based upon the price of the item and the size and weight of the item. All packages are packed with the assumption that the item to be sent is extremely fragile and must be packed to the highest possible standard to avoid breakage. We choose boxes rather than packing envelopes and we use our boxes vs those supplied by the postal service because the grade of cardboard we use is of double thickness and those supplied by USPS or UPS is not. Again, the emphasis in on using the best quality material to ensure that items arrive safely. This process mostly works well and our incidence of breakage is extremely low. However, the downside is that some items, such as your Tsuba, that are not likely to break and do not require as much packing material and care, are packed just as carefully as a similarly sized item in ceramic, glass, or other fragile material. You'll find the same type of procedure is used by Sotheby's or Christie's in their shipping departments. The result is overall higher costs, but much lower rates of damage. In the most recent sale the average lot sold for approximately $5,500 and of these, a large percentage were items that were extremely fragile. Rather than err on the side of offering a lesser service and risk breakage, we expect that buyers of the 10% of items that do not require such a high standard will call or email us as you did after they receive their quote and ask for a different approach. All buyers are of course able to request any type of packing, although in instances where this will compromise the safe arrival of the item, we will ask that a waiver be signed absolving IGavel of responsibility should the item arrived broken. With all that said, however, your intial bill was too high. I asked Claudia about it and in her calculations she had not pro-rated some of the fees. We are always glad to provide an individualized service for packing and shipping, and while we do not try to make a profit on shipping, we do try to cover our costs. In the instance of your shipment, there were two other individuals who had property sent by USPS, and the time required just to stand in line for these three shipments was approximately 2 hours, costing us $40. Even with this consideration, your iniial and subsequent quote was too high and I believe Claudia erred in her calculations. As best as I can determine, the correct fees should have been a figure close to the following: $40 for the fuel surcharge and shipping, $20 for packing, and $13 for handling. This would not have included insurance. The $35 charge you received reflects the saving from using a standard USPS box. Shipping using this type of box is not as secure, but in the instance of your Tsuba, will probably not make a difference. Were someone wanting to ship any item that might possibly break, I would not do so using a USPS or UPS container. Regarding the buyer's premium, I wish this covered our shipping and other expenses, but as is the case with most auctioneers, the buyer's premium is increasingly the larger part of our commission. There is a longterm trend shifting commissions from the seller to the purchaser. Like most auctioneers, after all is said and done, we typically operate with a 5-7% profit margin. This is not a factor for ebay seller's simply because most own their objects, while auctioneers are agents and only receive a commission. Our actual costs to process a lot are around $80, which is very low for the industry. This means that we break even on lots that sell for around $200. At Sotheby's, where I worked for 25 years and where I still consult, costs are closer to $700 per lot and they rely upon unsold fees, minimums, and photography fees to cover their expenses in addition to the buyer's premium. On IGavel, we do not have any of those fees and derive almost all of our income directly from consignment commissions and the buyer's premium. We differ from traditional auctioneers in our approach, and typically do not charge clients a commission, unsold fee, nor photography fees on lots that fail to sell. This approach only gives us a profit if we are successful in marketing and selling the objects that have been entrusted to us. We only succeed when our clients succeed. Again, I apologize for the high initial bill and am glad you requested a restatement. While it did cause an inconvenience to you, the process did work and I am glad Claudia called you back once she better understood the nature of the item and your desire to save on shipping costs. I have spoken with Claudia and instructed her to make sure that in the future she prorates all charges among buyers. Yours sincerely, Lark Mason IGavel, Inc." Interesting take on things. I still can not see $190 for shipping! At least you get to read their side of the story.

Hi: I bought a tsuba and pair of menuki at this auction. The price was reasonable. The 20% buyer's premium not far out of line for many auctions but when I after three email requests received my invoice they wanted $190 for shipping and handling the tsuba and menuki - cost $400 + $80. I flipped! I emailed and asked for an explanation. The reply was that the shipping charge was reduced to $145. I called and spoke to the shipper who gave me a long explanation that included 1. we do not make money on shipping 2. there are surcharges because of gas prices 3. I was also offerered to opportunity to pick up the items in New York or have an agent pick up for me. There would be no handling or shipping charge in that case. I told her that just today I received a package from New York that was about 3'X6"X6" - the shipping was $45. Typical ebay shipping is $10-$20. I also asked for the name of the company president. While writing an email to the president I received a phone call from the shipper. She was appologetic and told me that the President said to charge me $35. In the end my recommendation is to ask for shipping charges before bidding and if you have someone pick up for you remember that you will have to pay New York tax 8.375% I will not be bidding at this auction house again.

Hi: I hada problem with Daimyou54. I bought some menuki from him that turned out to be redproduction. He reluctantly accepted their return. I returned them and he says they never arrived. Many emails and no satisfaction. He is on my bad guy list.

Hi Guys: Let me says up front that I bought something from Christian Chaiffee at the Chicago show. In response to a question on the day of listing he wrote. Q: How tired is this blade? Are there any openings (ware). Do you think it will take a polish, or is there no hamon left? Do you guarantee its' time period (heian)? The kissaki looks broken, fixable? Thanks Mike May-07-08 A: Hi Mike, The blade has only the one area with a more noticable opening, and this is clearly shown in my photos. I have looked at my photos, and I will add a close up of the second much smaller opening tomorrow. blade is out of polish, and there is no clear decernable hamon. Most early blades have been through a lot. Many in the museums have been retempered. Keep in mind the great age of heian blades, and the fact that the few that do survive, have seen twice the history of a typical muromachi katana. I can not guarantee it was made in the heian period, only the recognized experts are qualified to make that final judgement. It is my honest opinion based on the characteristics exibited in the blade itself. The shape, length, small kissaki, fumbari, and ancient nakago, and length of the cutting edge, are all consistant with the characacteristics you would expect to find in a heian era tachi. I do leave the final judgement to the bidders. Regarding the kissaki, it's the first time I ever saw a sword with such a tiny kissaki. Take one of your own swords, and put a quarter next to the kissaki, and compare it to mine. You can clearly see how small it is. I think the kissaki retains it's original form based on where the bohi ends at the kissaki on both sides. If you have any other questions, please ask. I know this blade is an expensive investment, and I want my winning bidder happy. Thanks, Christian I added the bold around "no clear discernable hamon". What more do you want a seller to say? Lifet time summary Lifetime Summary: Positives:3541Negatives:20|Positive Feedback:99.4% IS that sooo bad?

Hi: I have known Christian Chiafee for many years. He has sold lots (100+) swords over the years. He includes his phone number in his Ebay adds. He has this condition report at the bottom of the add. "This is in as found condition, as shown in the photos. There is one grain opening which appears as a dark spot on the blade. This is an ancient relic, so it is being sold as is. I want to share my thoughts on this blade to clarify and relate the condition of this blade properly. I was told by the guy I bought this from, that it does not have a temper line, which is why he was selling it. I felt I could clearly see tempering in some areas, so I purchased it. The blade had not been cleaned or oiled when I got it. I have removed the old gunk and surface accumulations. As you can see in my photos, there does appear to be a clearly defined suguha temper line with a crisp nioiguchi, in some areas, and in other photos, it is not visable. I would assume the temper line is incomplete in some areas, and exists in other areas. This is commonly found on early blades, and today, it is common practice to use polishing techniques to restore the appearance of the temper line to look like it did when it was first made. Many early blades were not properly tempered in the first place, and this may have been in a fire, or may have been polished down so that the temper line has been lost in some areas along the cutting edge. There is a lot of forgiveness for such early blades, as few exist today which retain their length and elegant sugata. This sword is in need of a fresh polish to look it's best, and any good polisher can blend in any areas of missing hamon so the sword looks great. I also want to mention that I believe the original kissaki is for the most part, intact. I mention this because of how the bohi ends at the tip. This blade just needs a good polisher to restore it. " It seems to me that as a seller he is informing the reader of the blades condition. He does tell people that he was told that there is no temper line. I see no problem with his description. It seems to me that people have tarnished his reputation without reading his full ebay add. I think that he is owed an appology by one or more people.

A good friend of mine long ago told me that sword collectors need two things "a thick skin and a thicker wallet". He has been proved correct more times than I can remember. One always has the option of not reading posts of a particular individual. I would like to thank Brian and the moderators for the fine job they are doing. When posts stray far from the listed topic things are brought back on track. I have been collecting samurai swords since 1976. I continue to learn and study. I learn many many things from this bulletin board. Keith Larson's thoughts on yokote lines as a recent example - good information, well thought out. I have spent more on books than a beginning collector spends on his first couple of swords. I think that there is a place for books, for the Internet but most of all hands on study is necessary to make progress with Japanese swords. There is a sword show May 2-4 in Chicago. If you come to that show you will see at least 1,000 swords. There will be at least 10 outstanding swords and another 90 good blades. As you become better known you will get to see more or the top swords. I have 40 years of martial arts experience as well. It is the same there. You may be taught a form, but to learn the true gems in the kata (form) you need to put in the time and effort. They do not show beginners all of the applications of the form. Simon I hope that you take this discussion as both a validation of your thoughts and a way of staying on. I am a high school science teacher. I have learned that you can play with the nice kids and leave the bullies to play with each other. BTW - drop by my table in Chicago and introduce yourself. Not everyone uses a face as their avitar.

Thanks for the contributions. Look forward to a two page article based on the above in the JSSUS Newsletter. For those of you who are not familiar with the JSSUS, (Japanese Sword Society of the United States) http://www.jssus.org, it is the largest sword group outside of Japan. We communicate through a bimonthly Newsletter. We aim to publish scholarly work but will sometimes publish things like the short article I have worked on. We also use our funds to translate and publish works on Japanese swords that will be of interest to collectors. Our latest publication, Kyomono no Ko Meisaku, will be released at the sword show in Chicago in May (if all goes well). Our last publication, a translation or work on Sue Koto blades, was very well received. Members will get a price break on the new book at the show. You can join the JSSUS by sending a cheque to the treasurer or by using Paypal. There is a link on the JSSUS web-site.

Hi Grey: Luckily I have not heard that one yet :D It certainly belongs on the list!

Good one ! :D I'll add it to the list

Japanese sword expressions heard at sword shows and in chats among collectors. A little attempt as sword humour by Barry Hennick Here are 10 things that I have heard at shows and among friends. 1. interesting blade – a piece of junk that needs to find a new home 2. good study piece – a piece of junk that needs to find a new home 3. interesting – I’ll think about it – price is too high – come down if you want a chance of selling it 4. is that your best price – I can’t afford it at that price do something for me 5. the mei is close – it’s gimei but I can’t prove it 6. it has not been submitted for papers – no chance of passing if submitted 7. nice piece – good sword but a little expensive 8. the koshirae need work – just put it in shirasaya 9. good buy – I wish that I saw it first 10. buy books not swords – save your money until you can play with the big boys Please add your own favourites. I would like to work this into a piece for the JSSUS Newsletter.

Can some one please translate this mei for me?

Hi James: There is a database called "Nihonto Database" created by Darcy Brockbank located on the JSSUS (Japanese Sword Society of the United States) web-site http://www.jssus.org Fee free to use it and do consider joining the JSSUS.

Hi Stephen: It certainly looks better than the one I saw. At 10k is may be a steal. Even when the signature is removed it will be a good blade. I can not judge if it is shoshin.

Brian: I stand corrected. In any case there are a lot of fake Kotestu blades.

Thank you both for the effort! When I looked at my references it was obvious that this is indeed a poor gimei. The blade did not have anything of the quality of Kotetsu - now to find the other 10 gimei to make the saying "for every one Kotetsu there are eleven fakes" - much appreciated.