Brad737

Steve, Thanks for taking the time to weigh in. I suspected that was probably the case. It was my first real katana, and I didn’t pay very much for it, bought before I really understood anything about Nihonto. But while this sword really isn’t representative of what I’m now trying to collect, it’s still a nice sword to have in the collection. Thanks, Brad

Hello, all. I have a couple questions regarding the first Nihonto I bought. It’s a katana by Yasutomo with an old NBTHK Kicho origami. The paper attributes the blade to “Late Generation Aizu Yasutomo”. Do any of you have any idea which Yasutomo this is? Anyone after 5, or probably 7, 8, or 9? I realize without a signature, they were just guessing. Does the sword seem to be stylistically more Shinto or Shinshinto? I have four Sesko books, and he lists a lot of Yasutomos from Sendai, but I didn’t see any Yasutomo entries with anything mentioning Aizu, nor do the Nihonto Club entries mention Aizu. Do you think NBTHK messed up, and should have said Sendai Yasutomo? Can any of you share any information regarding Aizu Yasutomo? Thank you! Brad

Thanks, Brian.

Hello, all. I’ve found a lovely TokuHo wakizashi I’d like to add to my collection. The seller and I have agreed on price, but now he tells me it’s illegal to ship the sword out of Thailand. He says Fedex, DHL, EMS, and UPS have all declined. Can any of you recommend a way to ship the sword? Perhaps you know of a Thai Nihonto dealer who could broker the deal? Many thanks, Brad

Barry, I realize this post is really old. Do you still have this sword?

I appreciate the comments, gents. Would you mind guessing what this blade may be worth? Thanks, Brad

No, it isn’t papered. My first purchase ended up having a rather dubious mei, so I returned it. I told myself after that, I’d only consider signed, papered swords. But for some reason, I really like this one. It’s just different from what I’ve seen so far.

Seller says late Muromachi Period...1500s.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to tell you before long.

I don’t have it yet, Chris. I bought it on eBay, but it just got shipped on Monday. I’ll check it out. Thanks

Thank you, Gents. If I end up buying it, I’m definitely going to send it for shinsa. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks, Brad

Good news. Thanks, Ray. Care to venture a wild guess on the smith? Nobukuni?

Boshi

Tang

Hello friends, Thanks for the info so far. I’ve seen the Nobukuni on Ed’s site, but the hi are reversed, compared to this one. Also, the blade in question is mumei. So skeptic in me thought it may be a Chinese sword, trying to look fancy. I DO like the look a lot. Here are a few more pics. Thanks, Brad

Hello all, I ran across this sword for sale. It’s pretty cool, but I’m really new to Nihonto and therefore a little suspicious. This sword has the regular bohi on each side of the sword. But as you move up the blade, the single bohi stops, and the smith engraved 2 grooves the rest of the way. Like I said, I’m new, so I’ve never seen this before. Is this actually a thing, or is the seller trying to pull a fast one with an unsigned, creatively-engraved-but-newer blade? If this does look legit, any idea which smiths used to do it this way? Thanks, Brad

Thanks, gents. I’ve contacted the seller. I’m going to return it for a refund.

Steve, It definitely needs a polish. I’m VERY new to the hobby, and don’t know how clean a blade should be for shinsa. I certainly don’t mind paying for a nice polish, but I’d like to make sure it’s legit before spending the money. My big concern is the Kami character. It doesn’t look like the kanji I’ve seen online. Thanks, Brad

Dang it!

Hello all, The seller claims this Nihonto was made by Iga No Kami Fujiwara Kinmichi. The mei looks authentic to me, except the kanji for “Kami” looks different then others I’ve seen. Do you think this is authentic? If it doesn’t say “Iga no kami”, can you please tell me what it says? If the consensus is that this is an authentic piece, I plan on submitting to shinsa. I have already spoken to a respected polisher. He says the blade should polish out nicely. I’ll also have a nice shirasaya made for it. I don’t mind spending the money if it seems legit. But if it seems fake, I’ll return it for a refund. Can you folks please help out a newbie? Thanks, Brad