raynor

What supreme photography skill. Twelve photos, and he manage to make all of them leave something to be desired. I thought it was common knowledge Masamune used parcel tape! I was totally onboard with this, finger hovering over the bid button until I spotted the one chink in the armor: "maker: Masanori"

There was some British envoys in Norway a few weeks back to probe at this and see what they could learn, but I dont think it will end up quite the same. Norway is outside the EU yet have full access to the market, it's a very good deal. Afaik what our government told the English is to not expect the same deal as Brussels, understandably, does not wish to give the impression one can leave the union yet still benefit from its perks.

Brexit was fumbled by the politicians, it should never been put to a vote the way it was rushed. I'm glad I got my planned shipments from the UK sorted last year. Before each vote whether Norway should join the EU, one in the 70s and last one in '94, there was a two year period of information from the authorities so people were somewhat informed when going to the booth beyond mostly populism from both camps.

I confess, I sometimes get my giggles browsing ebay auctions. This one is bad, actual fraud, where as those $80-90.000 Chinese elaborate fakes with terminator steel etc. are just good fun.

Does anyone with previous experience know circa timeframes for shinsa origami to be mailed out? Do they just appear in your mailbox or do you get a tracking g number? I'll be traveling soon and wouldn't want it to be crumpled up inside the mailbox that usps here do no matter what we ask.

Being a mentioned 30 something a location does not have to be trendy to reel me in, I'd travel to the boonies or airport hotels if it means being able to look at good swords in hand. My main hurdle is schedule. Not saying aiming for people who do care more about comfortable traveling and location is a bad idea at all, it certainly is not if a goal is to get new people off the street interested and not just the usual suspects together. I think the main issue is availability. Popular culture can do the majority of advertising, but where do you go from there? Most people will stop after some googling or at best a trip or two to a museum if available. Maybe pickup a book. I'm convinced anyone who sees a genuine Nihonto in hand will not easily forget it. For people who does not actively seek the hobby out, usually coming from other relatable backgrounds, I think that is the best hook. Does not need more then a well lit plexiglass case with a sword and an informative text placed at a good location to captivate someone's attention, can be anything from museums, exhibitions, public buildings et cetera. Getting information out there is easy, getting the best advertisers, the swords, out there is offcourse harder. And I know I would think twice about putting an item like that in such a possibly vulnerable position. I dont have any data, but I would be surprised if the Truman Masamune is not among the most buzzed about attractions at that Presidential library, for example.

Its the weekend.. someone had a sip and REALLY wanted it so they put their max bid as $900

George, Looks like your grandfather might have brought another gift besides fighting for our freedom from tyranny. Hope it turns out great! I am like you much a novice in this field but I have read some of Darcy's posts and his excellent website, I don't think you can easily find someone as qualified and with honest intentions to help you out.

Must have been some sword.

Michael, Just to clarify I'm not looking to buy or sell anything besides maybe a nice pair of menuki, there's other more sensible routes for that should I have questions on buying or selling a sword. I'm having my first go trying to figure out something I probably should have listened to Stephen about and stayed out of the fog. At least there seems to be something people have opinions about on the table, so that's good.

I should have listened to Stephen and ran out of the fog! Thanks for your answers so far all. The numbers in my first post was deliberately on the low side, probably too low but yes, what I had in mind but failed to mention was a blade in shirasaya, no koshirae obviously as theoretically you can have tosogu more valuable then the blade itself. And Chris, those are wise words indeed, but I'm not planning to sell anything, rather insure. I know I did get a _very_ good deal on my first sword tho, thanks to the gentleman John on this forum! I understand a smith and quality is inseparable, and probably a signed blade was a bad example then when judging an item from the work alone and not the associated smith. Most definitively not suggesting there is something wrong with some names carrying a big presence versus others or unknown maker, I know that it is by far most common among us greenhorns to place weight on things such as ratings, names, eras et cetera versus someone with a trained eye and knowledge who can tell almost automatically what they're looking at without thinking.

As a teacher myself, without false modesty knowing I'm rather good at what I do, I know there is no such thing as an unworthy sincere question. Imagine how boring and stagnant it would be anywhere if people did not ask questions out of fear of being shot down or asking unworthy or silly questions. I won't clam this thread is or will be a wellspring of new discussion or ideas but I won't ever be afraid to ask silly or unworthy questions. My mention of a possible Daito for 2-3k shows I apparently should keep asking questions, no? On that note do one really factor in polish price on top of a sword once it's done? If so I had no idea.

Ebay is a good idea in theory, but no, I don't think that is a good idea in practicality. The vast majority of people who shop nihonto on ebay dont know what they are doing, I think many are still looking for the Honjo for $100 outta a garage sale, or that $50000 google translate dragon God super steel sword listing outta China. Under or overpaying. Plus when it comes to selling or giving away antiques I believe I have a responsibility to make sure the item ends up with someone else who will also take good care of it, unless there is literally another zero added to the offer.

Stephen - I very well might be overthinking things. I've zoomed through previous threads on this and left thinking "hm?", so I've tried to simplify things for the sake of learning. As stated, maybe this is a fog/deep water I should avoid for now. I do know there will not be an answer with two lines under, but moving on up from headless chicken status is enough. Jussi - what you are saying does of course make sense, but looking at different sites online there seems to be a lot of different opinions on seemingly similar works, hence why I thought eliminating variables like reputation, era and so made sense, leaving mostly bare the work itself. Peter - you are close, my first sword would be close to what I set up in my first post, I realized that beyond sating curiosity this would be somewhat useful to know as I am changing my insurance plan soon and at the moment have no idea what to think regarding a nihonto in that regard. Things like car, house, TV, computers, statues etc. are easy but when it comes to this I am currently clueless. That was one of the reasons why I sent it to Shinsa, to try make this easier.

So I've reached a stage in my learning where I can tell kissaki from nakago (ok hopefully a little further then that!) and am at the moment skating dangerously close to the big black hole that is trying to understand blade value from who made it and when, and then origami influence, aka professional opinion, on this. I should probably avoid this like the plague for now and move on to other things but I'll try to not fall in too deep, if someone would be so kind as to help me wade into shallow waters here rather then take the plunge. For the sake of argument and trying to eliminate for me at the moment confusing factors such as smith reputation and eras, say we have a signed and dated Shinshinto katana sized blade that is ubu, great polish, no faults or damages. The signature is by a fairly unknown smith with few known works, so the blade would have to be judged on it's own merit rather then against an extensive body of work. The smith is rated in say the Toko Taikan at a low even number between 1-1.5 million yen. I know that for many people here that is not what you collect, I'm just trying to simplify things. What would be a reasonable value for this, a basic, well made well preserved antique samurai sword with no big name or era inflation attached? $2000? $3000 or something else around there? Then said blade passes Shinsa and gets a little bump beyond just "genuine nihonto" so either NTHK kanteisho level, or NBTHK tokubetsu hozon level - one up over each organization's basic level of approval. How would this influence the value now that experts have given their opinion to the blade being good quality rather then just genuine, or even failing? Would a blade like this passing at kanteisho or TBH mean the Toko taikan rating was too low, or do people at the level of Shinsa judging not even consider those things? What I'm trying to find is the value of a good work, not yet adding in factors such as smith reputation or era influence. That's another dance I will wobble through another time.

Very nice blade. My first is also a Shinshinto blade, just also coming through Shinsa. Speaking of oil, any preferences to a blade in good polish? I find that choji oil on a blade with a mirror finish tend to form tiny droplets on the surface, like on a mirror rather then cover it. Any stickier alternatives for that thin coat, rather then droplets or as in this case, overdoing it?

The internet is great for ease of information, but for really learning, no matter what field, nothing beats hands on. Definitively going to try to attend a show soon.

Would you say the items submitted to Shinsa mirrored the overall level of quality of what was on the tables? Anything interesting about the Shinsa this time, rough pass percentage etc.?

Thank you all, that's very helpful

I'd love to go to a show as there are no other opportunities to see different blades in hand. Anything else is shadows and dust..

Hi, I wonder if someone could help me understand these three parts of a Shinsa worksheet? The sword I submitted passed at the recent Tampa show, but not reading kanji I dont quite understand these parts. Thanks!

I read an old interview with the current head of the NTHK who I believe also headed the Shinsa team in Tampa recently and he said that for the US shows when he started over 40 years ago it was mostly Japanese Americans in the crowd. Then as those people passed away over time, mostly European Americans took over and there's been a overall steady decline. It might be the monetary steepness of the hobby that deter new people to actually get hands on with it versus just participating through reading, as well as a lack of interest without something that connects you to the field. Personally I got into this by a mix of practicing martial arts and being very picky when it comes to art, tools for any purpose and quality - nihonto fuses high quality from its workmanship and design evolution into highly evolved functional art and as such hit a lot of buttons for me personally. That it's a well of learning guaranteed to remain deep through a lifetime, like martial arts, also resonates. Plus I'm a sucker for history. That I know is a big field, maybe affiliating with history foras is a way to generate interest and participation beyond dedicated sword or military arenas. I know most people who see and especially hold a good nihonto wont soon forget it, maybe much of the material has over time become less acessible, amassed in fewer hands?

Emoji period.. so probably last two decades, maybe mid to late 90s but those examples are rare.

Just got word that my blade passed to kanteisho. Some interesting info on the sheet, and there is a big cross over the nakago alternatives section and a neat little hand drawing next to it representing the kaga style nakago. Good that the judges are strict with the points, shows they are firm on quality and I guess more important wish to show they don't make everyone happy just cause you pay them money. As it should be since what we pay for is expert opinions, not origami guarantees. Wish I could been there in person, maybe next time. Thanks for correcting my assumption that the salmon failure papers was genuine, I thought those were the so called pink slips, which is an inclusion, not exclusion by the judges. Is this Shinteisho?

Yes thank you all for the info. Does anyone know if results will be available somewhere? I submitted a blade and imagine there is a lot of work to be done by the organizers before mail in results are sent out. Mainly I wish to know if I'll get any worksheet later if it passed or if I should ask for it now after the event.