omorik

It's also on Amazon Prime Canada. https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0LY3ZQ7KHE5L1ONBDVBW9VVI75/ref=atv_hm_hom_1_c_8pZiqd_2_1 Omorik

In the description it says the sword was given as a gift to a US Congressman after WWII. I would think that speaks volumes? Omorik

I think it's interesting how similar these two tsuba are. Being sold by 2 different seller in Japan at the same time. 2mm difference in size. http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... K:MEWAX:IT http://cgi.ebay.ca/2135-J-P-sword-Edo-I ... 4cec549c1a What do you think? Omorik

The official press release: http://www.metmuseum.org/Press_Room/ful ... 5730BFA%7D Omorik

Lethal Elegance by Joe Earle, Boston Museum of Fine Arts. New book, still in print and available online. When the Canadian Dollar was puny it was on sale at Chapters.ca for about $25US. Now that the Canadian Dollar has been taking steroids again, it will set you back $33US maybe. http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Let ... gance%2527 Not necessarily the most academic book but I think it is gorgeous and aesthetic appreciation is important to develop too. Very inexpensive for what it is. Omorik

Interesting discussion. I think some of the priciples we have to differentiate between are ethics, law and leverage. Legally, the principle is buyer beware. You bought the sword and unless there is an advertised 90-day warranty/money back guarantee, then it is yours. The seller is under no legal obligation to give you satisfaction. Ethically, it would be wrong to misrepresent an item. If he knew it was a retempered blade, then ethically he would be required to disclose this. The question you are struggling with is whether the seller is an ethical businessman. There is a whole branch of philosophy called "Business Ethics". This exists to redefine what is OK and what is not OK in business, so that there is some sense to a concept which at first blush some dismiss as an obvious oxymoron. You seem to be upset because you were under the impression he was a reputable dealer and have found that he may not be. Leverage. If you give me a lever long enough I can move the world. What is your leverage in this situation? On the basis of what has been discussed previously I suppose I would be more inclined to do business with Aoi Art. Business is about making money. You could contact the dealer and say that: First class people do business with first class people, second class people do business with third class people. There may have been a language barrier in your dealings, but you were under the impression that he was a first class dealer. On an INTERNATIONAL Nihonto discussion group message board you discussed your experience. We are very interested in learning about dealers we should avoid and delighted to learn of dealers we can trust. If he is interested in having satisfied customers that give good recommendations (and don't give bad recommendations), at the very least he can give you a store credit you could use to purchase another sword you would be happier with. It would be good for his business since members of NMB do buy swords. Hopefully you can negotiate a fair outcome that will allow you to endorse this "well known dealer." My 2 cents worth. Best of luck, Omorik

Here is a listing for a sword that was sold by a great seller. I have found him to be reliable and a straight shooter. http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0304108536 The listing is clear that there is hagire and that there is NTHK paper coming. The photos are great and clearly show the hagire. I thought that "paper" meant that a sword was genuine and did not have fatal flaws. I am just curious what does the paper really mean if they will paper swords with fatal flaws? I didn't even bid on this sword because of the hagire but I can't help but wonder what that sword is really worth. Will they paper swords by exceptional smiths even if there are fatal flaws? There is definitely also value in the fittings - do they justify the selling price? Curious, Omorik

Thanks, I think that's the thing I am trying to understand-fake vs. authentic. There are listings that seem like obvious fakes to me and I am trying to reconcile that with a 100% rating and thousand+ transactions. It's a lot of fun figuring out what is fake but I have seen shows on the fake antique business and they are sometimes able to fool museums. I suppose the take home message for me, is not to spend the money unless I would be prepared to spend a similar amount of money on the item if it was new. There seem to be reliable sellers on ebay and I wonder if it would be worthwhile to give those people a positive rating- "NMB score". Something to separate the wheat from the chaff. There seems to be some resistance to influencing the price of ongoing auctions unless there is outright misrepresentation/fraud. Comments on ongoing auctions would be most educational and the buyer beware caveat could be employed before each posting. There was a sword with hagire that sold for $2275 on ebay. Why does NTHK give paper to swords with fatal flaws? Do we not comment on ongoing sales because we don't want to decrease final sale prices on sellers we like? Or is it that buying on ebay is like rolling around in the mud and trying to clean that up is futile? Omorik

http://cgi.ebay.ca/FUCHI-for-KATANA-cop ... dZViewItem I am looking at this item and wondering how accurate the listing is. It looks modern to me because I would expect more oxidation on an edo piece and the style seems funny but my experience/judgement is very limited. The seller has a 100% rating and lists a large number of sales. He appears to be in Japan and has some antique looking pieces but a number of items look new to me. I would appreciate hearing opinions and experience with this seller. Thanks, Omorik

Here's my advice, newbie to newbie. Figure out why you are buying the sword. Don't get wrapped up in the signature. I've read 90% are fake anyway. Whatever your reason to buy a sword is, I'm guessing it isn't to be bamboozled with a gimei. I think it can be interesting to have a fake signature and think about why people fake things even in an honor obsessed culture. Then again sometimes people like having the fake Vuitton bag. The more things change the more they stay the same. Some of the reason's can be: Financial- When the world goes katana-crazy you will be positioned to make a few thousand dollars off your $1000 investment. There is a book called Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay. The title says it all. Originally published in 1852 and documents human nature including tulipomania. Downside is that you will have to part with that sword that you love. The consensus seems to be that in order to make money you have to spend money. Rare desireable swords are more likely to increase in value. Practical- Good to have a nice sword when the zombies rise from the dead. It may be better to have a modern sword or even a machete because they are cheaper and there is no such thing as zombies (though I could be wrong). Some people want a sword with history for martial arts. Iaido for example which doesn't involve contact. I don't think that metal fatigue is an issue but for actual cutting it seems a travesty to use a work of art/history to slice up bamboo mats. There are new swords that are better suited for slicing and cutting. For actual fighting, I have read that some feel that bokken (wooden swords) are superior to metal blades and only cost about $15. Philosophical- If the sword is the spirit of the samurai. It represents dedication, honor, purity, sharpness, etc. When our current times are exemplified by what we see on magazine covers at the grocery checkout, it is understandable that we desire something simpler and symbolic of the better qualities of human nature. I have come to worship at the altar of resilience. It is interesting that Hamon style changed because it was theorized that having an irregular hamon could more effectively arrest a crack travelling through a blade. I think choji looks nice too. Composition of the sword is also intriguing. Hard where it needs to be hard and soft where it needs to be soft. It might be a consideration to choose a style of forging, shape of blade and type of hamon as a criteria besides price. If it takes some time to figure out what blade you want, so much the better. You'll have more money to spend. Supernatural- There is the idea that we don't own the sword, as much as act as custodians to pass the sword down to future generations. The spirits of the past enter into the sword and strengthen each subsequent guardian. We are buying spiritual strength and character. I think it is important to understand why you are buying the sword. My best friend told me to "figure out what you like, then spend the money. You'll never regret it." (Although I personally set a limit that won't cripple me financially.) I have found that advice to be good. When I look at what I really value I tend not to wish I paid less for that treasure. I am either happy with it, or wish I hadn't bought that crappy thing in the first place. It's not the money, it's the object. I have two long swords. I bought one from Kanetoyo and the other from Komonjo/Historian333. They offer a lot of swords and I waited for the swords I wanted and bought them. I bought blades in decent condition because it can cost as much to properly polish a sword as it costs to buy a sword. I was nervous because of how much the swords cost but the Sellers were reliable. One was $1700 and the other a little over $3000. Much more that I planned to spend but I am now ready for zombies. (I think I actually like the $1700 katana a little more than the $3000 papered Tachi. But I wouldn't want to part with either.) The ironic thing about this message board and others like it is that I think they would tend to foster interest in Nihonto and contribute to increasing the price so we can't afford them. So in order to bring balance to the Force, I would suggest that swords are horrible, nasty things and should be sold as quickly and cheaply as possible. Tsuba as well. Best of luck in your search. Enjoy it. G Tu

Komonjo has 2 tanto for sale forged by "Living National Treasure" smiths Sumitani Masamine and Miyairi Akihira. Any opinions about the blades and any guesses about final price? I have dealt with Komonjo in the past and have found him to be excellent. http://cgi.ebay.ca/Japanese-Samurai-Swo ... m153.l1262 http://cgi.ebay.ca/Japanese-Samurai-Swo ... m153.l1262 I think both blades look very interesting. Thanks, Geming

I was wondering what people thought of this Tsuba. I am interested in buying an Omori Teruhide Tsuba. I like this one but the signature feels a little cramped to me. I consider myself a neophyte and hope that more experienced NMB members would be better equipped to judge authenticity. I suspect the price is going to go higher and it would be a big investment. http://cgi.ebay.ca/730-J-P-Sword-Edo-Wa ... dZViewItem Grateful for any opinions. Thanks, G Tu omorik

This is my first post to the message board. I have recently starting collecting swords and bought 2 swords in a fit of excessive enthusiasm. My first sword (USA) arrived with a shattered mekugi and the blade had sliced the shirasaya apart and was hanging out the end. The tip sustained minimal damage. At first I was distraught then decided that if the blade has a soul it is an exhuberant and highly energetic one. My first sword so it'll be a keeper. The seller told me it is not uncommon for blades to cut their way out of packaging and come out the end. We do prize them for their sharpness! He also said he had seen a show that showed how packages were handled by shippers/carriers and boxes were handled very very harshly (can be dropped two stories-airplane height?). He likes to ship blades in bulk in gun cases but not financially feasible for single swords. He has decided to replace antique mekugi with fresh ones that are less likely to break and send the old Mekugi in an envelope in the package. (He had tried tying cord around shirasaya but it damaged the wood and also used metal screws for mekugi but people complained about scratches to mekugiana.) My second sword (Japan) also arrived with a broken mekugi but the blade stayed in the shirasaya. My personal experience is that 100% of blades are packed inadequately for what can happen during shipping. I read the thread where there was shipping damage to another sword and considering how this can create a lot of contention, I thought it would be worthwhile reviewing the adequate packaging of these valuable and dangerous items. Fresh mekugi? Paper or cloth around shirasaya then duct tape over top? bubble wrap? Cork? Thanks, G Tu