NihontoNewbie

Neat find Jeremiah. Thanks!

Trying to get a grasp on everything in the beginning can be a little intimidating. I keep reading books and study different katana on all the auction sites. Baby steps I guess, there is just so much to learn and the field is vast. Researching specific topics of interest is better than trying to absorb everything at once. I was chasing my tail at first trying to figure out what direction to go in. Taking a deep breath and realizing that this is a lifelong hobby that will take a lifetime, maybe two lifetimes to fully appreciate all the nuances of nihonto collecting. I had to chuckle a couple days ago. I was explaining sword terms and other basic info to a person interested in pursuing WW2 blades. He commented on how much knowledge I had about the swords... I laughed and rolled my eyes. I told him the info I gave him was barely the tip of the iceberg. I didn't want to scare him away, but I also wanted him to understand the complexities of this hobby. Nihonto collecting is just like anything else in life. You get out of it what you put into it.

I received three shipments from Japan within the last couple months. There hasn't been any additional charges from Japan export office. I also didn't receive any import fees here in the US.

Deep purple ????????

Very informative! Thank you

Can someone please translate this nakago? A friend of mine is attending a gun auction tomorrow and this Gunto might go for short money. Any help with the translation or any other relevant information would be much appreciated.

Great links Jeremiah and Barry... thanks!

US has to many weapon? Huh... first I heard of it. Just because my safe is full of guns doesn't mean we don't need more. I stopped counting after I reached 50 firearms. Remember an armed society if a polite society. When guns are outlawed only the outlaws will have them. ???? I have had good luck with EMS. AOI Japan, and three other sellers from the Asia/Europe area have sent me items with zero issues. It gets transferred to standard USPS once EMS has delivered to customs. There should be no tariffs or fees from customs, especially if the sword is over 100 years old.

Don't feel bad, a lot of us got taken in the beginning. I was fooled by a similar looking gunto. I was only out $400 so it was a cheap lesson. Mine had the same acid etched Damascus style blade. Check out AOI website and look at the swords and the steel. Tamahagane is easy to spot once you know what to look for.

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts has a rather nice nihonto collection. Not sure about whether they would be receptive, but they do display some really nice examples.

I hav seen that video more than a few times Jeremiah. You are correct about the cheesy reenactment scenes. I enjoyed the video but found the cut scenes very distracting. I would rather have more time spent on the creation of the katana than the B movie filler scenes.

Little side note about Gen. Pattons son... I met with him when I was young in my home state of Massachusetts. He owned a farm and was pretty good friends with my father. We lived 15 minutes from Pattons farm. My father and I would go to his farm and buy cords of wood for the long cold New England winters. George Patton IV was a very friendly man, although he was a bit eccentric as you can imagine. I can remember his friendly face and warm greeting every time I had a chance to meet with him. He passed on 04, but I will never forget him or the crazy/amazing stories he would share. Here is a little info on the farm http://www.nshoremag.com/November-2016/general-pattons-fields/

Gorgeous!!! Everything blends so nicely.

Full shot...

Thanks for the link.

Thanks for the tip Ken. I appreciate your input. I will take a couple of full pictures and include a picture of the oshigata. Please feel free to point out things I should be doing so I can get it right the 2nd time????????.

He has a sword channel on YouTube. He posts a lot of videos. His name is Mathew Jenson. I have spoke with him many times over the years. He is a practioner... He also has a Koto wakizashi listed for short money. He is a very trustworthy person who would make things right if there ever was an issue. He is a member on this forum but I don't know his screen name. He recommended this forum to me.

More pictures, having issues trying to get them in one post

More pics

Hello all, I would like to share some pictures of my first nihonto katana. I started with a wakizashi and tanto both of which are nice mumei examples, but this katana is my first signed piece. The smith is Musashi Ju Hosei Hujiwara Muneharu. I guess he was a student of the first the first Korekazu under Mitsuhira. It came with NBKHT and full oshigata which was a nice. The sori is nice and graceful being a little deeper. The kissaki is round and long, not an o kissaki, but definitely an extended one. The hamon has a lot of activity and the hada is also very pleasing. The shirasaya is very striking. I tried to photo the tiger striping in the wood. Sometimes photos don't show the detail. I tried to capture the stripes, but the 3D effect and differing color tones of the stripes didn't translate well to photos. Here are some specs and pictures Smith: Musashi Ju Hosei Hujiwara Muneharu (Sekido) Jyo saku ranking. Blade length :69.6cm or 27.4 inches. Sori :1.4cm or 0.55inches. Width at the hamachi :2.89 cm or 1.14inches. Width at the Kissaki : 2.02 cm or 0.8 inches. Kasane : 0.51cm or 0.20inch. Era : Edo period Meireki era. 1655. Jigane :koitame hada well grained with jinie attach and oohada appear. Hamon :Niedeki cyoji midare and active Cyoji midare with ashi and yo work from the monouchi area. Boshi is round shape. special feature: Musashi Ju Hosei Hujiwara Muneharu probably the student of the first generation Korekazu. From Aoi-Art: Muneharu was working at Musashi province Meireki era. I think He was a student of the Korekazu who came from Kisyu Ishido school. The hamon looks like Katayama ichimonji style. Probably he helped his master for making swords during his life. So we can see few swords even right now. The sword looks like first generation Korekazu. On the Jigane, very few utsuri aooear and akso nice Shirasaya (tiger style saya). NBTHK Hozon Paper Aoi Art estimation paper : whole Oshigata.

Great thread and discussion Jeremiah. My sword collection experience mirrors yours in a subtle way. I also started looking into high end Chinese forges, but unlike you I ended up buying many Chinese swords before learning about the allure and quality of true nihonto. I must have two dozen Chinese $1000+ swords. That money could of been spent on nihonto, but my knowledge at the time was lacking. It is still lacking when it comes all things nihonto, but I am learning slowly but surely. There are just so many terms and a long rich history that I am still absorbing. I would like to personally thank Vermithrax for his guidance so far. We are both Bostonians so speak each others language if you know what I mean. We tend to be bit quick thinkers, talkers, and a bit kurtz around here. His patience has been legendary. I was ready to throw money at every affordable nihonto I could find until you wisely steered me in a different direction. Quality not quantity is the path I am currently on. My first nihonto was a Mino school wakizashi mumei with an amazing habaki and polish. I lucked out on that piece because I got it very cheap with full shirasaya and period koshirae. The second piece was a Bizen school mumei tanto which I still need to take pictures of and post. It also came with a great polish and shirasaya. My third nihonto is actually at my local post office now awaiting delivery. Vermithrax/ Jeremiah actually found this little gem for me. It's a Musashi Ju Hosei Hujiwara Muneharu from around 1655. He was a student of the first generation Korekazu. It came with full oshigata and really nice tiger striped shirasaya and Jyo saku ranking. I am now saving up for a truely amazing piece. One or two nice pieces a year beats buying countless lower end pieces. Thank you again Jeremiah for the solid advice and guidance. I will be sure to take some nice hada, nakago, and hamon pictures once I receive it.

Nosyudo actually sent smiths to China to start producing swords. Nosyudo actually emailed me about what happened after I inquired about my tamahagane Chinese made katana. They ran into issues with their partners in he US and had a legal fight. They were making shinkens there and actually sold a few in the states through the swordstore. The Chinese have "tamahagane"... their black sands are similar if not identical to Japan's. I know I know, some don't consider it tamahagane unless it comes out of Japan. If it has the same composition as Japanese made steel and the smelting is done right isn't it the same type of steel? I don't know... I guess there are purest out there which I understand. You can also buy true raw Japanese made tamahagane from multiple sources online. There are probably a few Chinese or Korean smiths that source Japanese tamahagane. https://www.dictum.com/en/materials/steel/steel/719608/Japanese-sword-steel-tamahagane-750-1000-g Chinese and Korean smiths both use "tamahagane". I really think some people are under the impression impression that Chinese smiths make inferior products, nothing could be further from the truth.

Boy you guys good... I guess it's a Kaneie made piece. Nosyudo does supply the fittings and ito. It is made from tamahagane which is water quenched. I guess the katana went for over $3200 new so I didn't do to bad I guess. It's Kaneie's higher end piece. Thanks for all the help guys. I have a couple true nihonto on the way. I am still overall very pleased with my purchase and I won't feel bad actually using the sword. You have to be a practioner to appreciate the Kaneie's feel. I still wish it was a true Japanese made piece, but I can live with my purchase because it was a great learning experience.

???? The In and Out Burger... I hope someone besides me gets the joke. STFU Donny!

Gorgeous naginata I love the overall shape. It's nice when you can find a complete piece.