raynor

Really starting to wonder about this guy.. he's selling swords off his website so he is clearly alive but he does not respond to emails or the facebook message I know he read nor the inquiry through his website regarding the missing origami. Seems like an honest hardworking individual but if he dropped the ball he should at least own up to it or give an explanation, cause so far I'm out $440 with a shinsa worksheet and a new mekugi to show for it.

$1000 for a hozon katana? Why not just give them away for free on the street if that is the case. Red flag imo.

It does affect balance but not to a detrimental effect in the hands of someone with skill unless you go out of your way to put the biggest katana tsuba you can find on for example a wakizashi. More so then say a European saber, katanas had the point of balance further away from the grip. It's one of the reasons why they were such great cutters together with the thicker blade vs a slimmer spring tempered European Sabre, the slicing motion with the extra niku in the appleseed shape left you in real trouble if cut.

I showed my sword to someone more versed in blades then myself, he liked the sword but was awestruck by the to my fresh eyes quite plain shirasaya. Said it was made by someone with clearly decades of experience. There is clearly an art to it.

I'd be all over a pirate ninja sword. Everybody knows no tougher men sailed the south China seas. If it's a well made t10 blade you have a very good beater, the material surprises me with how durable it is.

This forum is by far one of the best places worldwide to purchase nihonto and fittings outside of physical stores in Japan. Usually offers here are priced well into buyers market territory and you get a free scrutiny service through all the experienced and knowledgeable members here. I bought my first nihonto here through the forum and will most definitively get my second the same way unless something truly unique shows up from left field at the right time. Nice blade and good deal, just a pity people would do such a thing to a sword, I genuinely wonder what goes through some people's head sometimes.

Read first buy after! Definitively glad I went that route..

Congratulations, 80 is a very very good result. Did you receive your origami recently? I'm still waiting, the agent has gone radio silent since October.

Others correct me on this if I am wrong but Shinsa scores does not seem to be an extra hidden layer indicating the quality if an item as much as a number the judges put together to guide wich paper gets issued. Ie. an item getting say 70 or 78pts does not neccessary mean item with 78 is blanket higher quality then item with 70, since apparently NTHK assign points equally to tang and rest if the blade, etc. So one part of an item when judged might rise or drag down the overall score, for example a sword having a very well preserved nakago might rise the number? Might they not also blanket sheets with the passable score only on sheets to avoid such speculations etc, wich could serve to detract from the origami itself?

Glad some people getting their 2019 Tampa origami, I'm still waiting on mine with radio silence since October last year.

I'm off facebook and other social media for near a decade now and can wholly recommend it. I saw Stephen King follow suit today, so by now it should be socially permissible to bow out for everyone Oversimplification and misinformation sprees aside, data (information) overtook oil a year or two ago as the worlds most valuable asset, yet there are still no (effective) legal framework to protect people's rights when it comes to the information we generate and share, any person or company can still (and will) benefit from this in whatever ways they see fit. If you ask to see or have removed your information today you will most likely be ignored, at best told a cordial no. Initially I logged off because I was tired of baby shower photos and petty arguments, I can understand why people chose to read over participating in online fora where internet distance allows a different approach over old times sitting down talking in a cafe or whatever else used to be the public space. Regarding Aoi art, I once bought a tsuba stated to be shakudo but it was very clearly iron. I kept it as I bought it for the work not the supposed material which the price also reflected. Do I think there was mischievous intent involved? Not for a second, and I will shop there again. I was puzzled that the mistake could been made, but they happen. A very wide canyon between a mistake and deliberate misinformation. People would not be able to stay in business for long in this field if they deliberately snuck one under the radar now and then, better to go into the used car market or ebay if that is how you want to do business.

I own the book. A bargain at $350. As a relative newbie in the world of Nihonto I am sure I will appreciate the book even more in the future as my knowledge grows, as with other books like Nagayama. The production effort that went into this publication is as impressive as its contents. I used to think some of my books, like for example a gifted 50th anniversary copy of the Lord of the Rings was nicely made, this blows it out of the water.

Drop it like it's hot. As another newbie - don't buy a sword until you have first seen the real thing live first. Once you have looked at a real one for more then two blinks and paid attention you are able to rule out the vast majority of fakes out there, quality does not lie.

I also see ghosts every time I drink enough beer, the spirit in the fridge is particularly malevolent.

Hi Robert, Yes, my emails and facebook correspondence have been with Moses directly and someone else reading the incoming emails on his site. Radio silence since late October.

Still nothing, I know my email and facebook message have been read. As Mr. Yoshikawa, the head of the NTHK sadly passed away recently and I know he and Moses were friends I am letting this rest for now. Eventually though I would very much like this sorted, a $400 loss for Shinsa and origami is no disaster but it is not very hard to respond to a message or post a letter either. Still, if anyone knows how to reach the NTHK I would be grateful.

When in Miami I started looking for options. For the foreseeable future I am working in Norway, where the nihonto community is non existent. I got myself a copy of Pechalov's book as the next best thing. If you have the opportunity to attend a real meeting with real people and real swords count yourself lucky and jump in..

This is silly. And a katana was made to cut people not paper.. theres a reason why the edge is appleseed not razor shape.. Uneducated buyer and apparently auction house too.

Visually, koto hands down. Functionally, which to me is also an important part of art and why I prefer say nihonto over most paintings, statues etc. I am not sure. Shinshinto swords tho less rich in the jigane were made more uniform (or with lesser skill to some) and with newer steel, thus perhaps more durable in use? Then to counter that argument I've read some suggest utsuri might been a way to strengthen the blades without falling into the trap of tempering the whole blade and thus go to brittle town. Still rowing along on the lake trying to find the sweet spot.

I do believe we have a bullseye.

I'm glad people are getting their origami, I'll give this til over new years before I try contacting the NTHK. Hopefully someone there read English.

I bought my first nihonto here on this forum. Prices are more then fair and more importantly anyone offering items for sale here with more then a handful of posts under their belt will be trustworthy individuals whose ads are placed under the eyes of many knowledgable forum members. Raymond Singer at the moment have some excellent blades up for sale that you should take a look at, even with photos of blades and authentication papers I would be very very careful on ebay around antiques unless you are way past the greenhorn stage.

Very elegant mei....................................

Made my evening, thank you. It is clear that you understand Japanese social workings quite well and that I have no idea how to get my sides back from orbit.

I'm no expert but the nakago looks a bit strange to me. The line where nakago and unblemished blade meet looks splashed rather then an even line natural flow of blade into rusted nakago. The rust to me looks like it was sitting in the sea rather then oxidizing over time.