francois2605

Interestingly the 2 previous swords are from the same school and this shows in the file marks and the shape of the nakago

Here's a special order blade by Minamoto Moritaka (rated 2 million yen, high to superior gendaito according to Slough). Signed in tachi mei: "Koteki Mu Kotsu Minamoto Moritaka + Kao" / "Oujyu Mitsuda Jirou Shi Saku" / "Kigen Ni Sen Roppyaku Ni Nen Ju Ichi Gatsu" "Our enemy has no backbone" / "Made at the request of Mr. Mitsuda Jirou" / November 1942

I'm not sure that's worth it from an economical point of view. Let's say, you end up buying the lot. Then you need to pay for a new polish and a new shirasaya to preserve your newly polished sword. This is expense. I paid 700 euros for a shirasaya (for a very long and curved gendaito last year). The polish will be even more expensive, the price is variable (depending on who will do the work) but it's probably at least 15-20 euros per cm. Will this cost increase the value of your sword ? A little but you won't be able to get most of your money back. How much are you willing to invest in your wakizashi ? There are usually good offers in the For Sale section here, I'm pretty sure it'll much cheaper to buy from a seller here than going the Drouot route.

Not hitatsura either as per the following definition. Not sure either how to qualify the activity. Nijuba or sudareba don't apply here I think.

Tobiyaki, no. You can see plenty of tobiyaki on this picture.

There is no such swordsmith in the book.

I received my copy this week, the quality of the book is truly astonishing. I couldn't be happier with my purchase.

What was the asking price ? Just curious

Hello Steve, could you please post pictures of the nakago (both sides) ? Thank you

Excellent, thanks for sharing this beauty Marco I have a similar tachi by Seto Yoshihiro forged in 1995, this swordsmith is really talented. The picture below has been heavily edited to see through the hadori.

I personally don't really care about papers but I believe they may increase your chances for reselling as some buyers will only buy papered items and others will find it reassuring to have a paper confirming that a piece is genuine. I sometimes buy from Aoi Arts and I asked them twice to submit a sword to shinsa for me. The cost is modest (around 250 EUR) and since the item is already in Japan, you don't have the hassle of shipping the item overseas, paying an agent for the paperwork. The downside is that you usually need to wait several weeks or months but I'm fine with that.

No idea, Dave, the sword is mumei

Here's a very regular sambonsugi for comparison with visible steel layers.

Congrats Colin and thanks for sharing your story. Will you share some pics ?

3 of the pictures shown in this thread come from this Yakiba's page: https://yakiba.com/kanehide-nakata/. If you look at the Yakiba's sword description, you'll see that the sword comes with a shirasaya, not a koshirae. I'm a bit confused. Are those 6 pictures from the same sword ? I'd say no. Even the paint on the nakago is different:

Have you read this yet ? Exporting a weapon out of Japan is a long and tedious process Buyee doesn't want to be involved in hence the restrictions you're encountering. The usual solution is to use a local agent who will do the paperwork for you but this has a cost (around 20% of the item if memory serves me).

@rematron Have you checked the link to this Google photos album ?

Actually I have another tsuba with a horse, I love the details on this one

You need to use a macro lens (with a minimal focus distance which is key), mine is a 100mm. You can also use tubes like these ones to boost the magnification factor.

Brano, those pictures are gorgeous. You really nailed it

I don't have many kozuka but this one (that I bought from an NMB member) is my favorite

The seller must be in dire straits to sell a katana his grandfather reportedly took from a Japanese soldier. I can't think of any other reason why someone would sell such heirloom. That or the story is fake.

From Swordsmiths of Japan A-Z: Another match for "Fujiwara Nobuie":

FYI Aoi Arts just shipped a katana with EMS without asking me to pay extra shipping fees.

For me, the key to take good pictures of a sword is to avoid any direct source of light and rely on the ambiant light (to prevent reflections). You'll be able to see things you can't see with your own eyes. Those are pictures I shot with a tripod and a macro (100 mm) lens. Ikkansai Shigemasa Minamoto Moritaka Fujiwara Kanefusa 25th Tsukamoto Okimasa