Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini

500K USD. Milt How about american peso ? :D

The tsuba too suggests a katana mounting. Thanks Lee.

Hi Lee. Just to be sure, can you confirm the blade is signed Katana-mei ? Thanks.

You like "Principe Antonio De Curtis" ? Yeah. Italy in many things is still how he described it, even today.

As regards the description of the goods, if at the border my package get X-rayed and they see there is a sword inside, for default it get confiscated by the police, no matter what the description says. And to free it would be an *Imperial pain in the back* with possible legal implications that might result in the deletion of my Collector's permission or even worse.

Guess that common sense is definitively lost in many parts of the world... :lol:

Posted in the hope it can be refreshing to the ones that feels to import NihonTo in their country is hard. I've been asked to find a cheap Fuchi with the right dimensions for a friend of mine. It costs 22,5 USD, is just a small piece of rounded metal with no artistical value BUT it's labeled (correctly) by the seller as Japanese SWORD PART Really too much for the italian custom, weaponry department, that have blocked it for a week at the border before contacting me and requires import fees plus the hereunder declaration, plus the copy of the payment, plus the copy of my collector's permission (not mentioned in the document but I know that they would ask it later for the age of the item). For a single, cheap Fuchi of no importance in small package. Guess that at the end it'll cost more in custom fees then tag price.

Yes, now I remember. Your tsuka would have been good for publication in the book as well : http://www.bushidojapaneseswords.com/Di ... %20hei.pdf

If the tell-tale about thier origin is right, Kikuchi Takashige led 1000 men as vanguard in battle against 3000 men of Ashikaga Naoyoshi on 11 December 1336, ordering an ambush in bamboo groves with spears made out from bamboo staffs with Tanto on their top. He achieved a great victory. Anyway, both Taiheiki and Umematsu-ron don't report the detail of tanto on bambooo shafts, just the victory against 3000 men using spears, so the shape of this specific yari can be older then the battle. Do you have the original Japanese version of the song "Yari means one-thousand spears" ? "Yari means one-thousand spears. Outside castles eagles gather Raise, raise a shout of victory ! Yari means one thousand spears. In the mountains of Hakone, The pride we have forever For Kikuchi Bushi." :D Tactically, Hakone seems to have had some importance in the evolving of mass-fighting instead of duels between individuals.

Congrats Joe. Are only four years you'r collecting ? When we chatted on SFI for a togi work after you talked with Mishina ? Or weren't you and is just bedtime for me ? :lol: Very good book, by the way.

Thanks for the great pic Morita san. Never seen 4 different length together, even in picture. That should be their origin. Hereunder a drawing about Kikuchi yari types from Knutsen's Book.

Care to share ? :lol:

"A week or so later the vendor learned the full significance of the inscription and was less than pleased but happily took it all in good grace and still speaks to me!" Classic british self-control... :D

...and Steven Seagal one from Shoji. Thanks for the links, Guido.

Might be a shortened Ryo-Shinogi-Omi-Yari. The tickness of the Nakago seems correct for a Sengoku item, but the patina and the lack of a complete Mei (not due to shortening) isn't.

Likely the best source about Japanese polearms in english language. A must have.

Darcy, do you know/remember who have polsihed her ?

She has an "evil touch"... A real beauty.

Well done John. Wish it was mine.

Guess you're talking about the same one. Boso peninsula : http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%94%BB% ... andsat.jpg Awa firstly mentioned by Moriyama San : 阿波国 = Sagami Awa 安房国 is/was the one in Boso Peninsula

Maybe

Hi Joe. AFAIK no reforging happens in Suriage process.

Welcome William.

Brian, I guess you've skipped the smiley at the end of his post... :D

What about ?