Brano

If you read carefully - Kunitaro-san tells the story of a master from the 60s. The truth is that the art of traditional sashikomi is almost lost There are several reasons People do not have the skill to do this type of polish Extreme lack of quality stones needed to achieve the desired result People's unwillingness to pay for this type of polish because it is more time consuming And also - for many it is visually unattractive. When looking directly in the hand you may feel that the polish is not finished HOWEVER - once you look at the blade at an angle with the reflection of light - my subjective opinion is that it is the best possible. The purity of the steel, the brilliance of both ji-nie and ha-nie A few examples of a direct view of the blade and at an angle Always the same blade polished with traditional sashikomi

I offer Kanzan Oshigata scrolls for sale This is a complete set of the rare and highly sought-after "Kanzan Oshigata" (寒山押形) by Sato Kanichi, a pioneering figure in Japanese sword studies. Numbered out of an exclusive run of only 500 sets published by Ōtsuka Kōgeisha in 1969, this edition is exceptionally hard to find and holds great value for collectors and scholars. Sato Kanichi (1907–1978), a revered expert in Japanese swords, is known for his significant contributions to the preservation and research of Japanese swords. Under the pseudonym Kanzan 寒山, he authored this detailed set of oshigata (rubbings or tracings of sword features), meticulously documenting 317 swords divided across four scrolls, titled "Spring," "Summer," "Autumn," and "Winter." The first three scrolls, covering 233 swords, focus on ancient blades (kotō), while the "Winter" scroll features 84 modern swords (shintō and shinshintō). Each scroll is reproduced in life-size format, offering precise details of the blade shapes, nakago (tang) markings, and other distinguishing features, making this set an invaluable tool for in-depth study of Japanese sword craftsmanship. The scrolls are adorned with gold flecks at the beginning, adding an element of refinement to the presentation. The set includes its original paulownia box. There are light age-related spots and creases on the scrolls, some fading where the ties wrap around them, and minor stains on the instruction sheet and lid of the wooden box. This set is an extraordinary piece of sword literature and a collector's item of immense cultural and academic value. Dimensions of the Box: approx. H 11 cm W 41 cm D 44 cm, approx. 7kg Dimensions of Scroll: approx. H 38 cm W 22 m Diameter 8 cm Price: 1.400 EUR + shipping Shipped from Slovakia

Unfortunately, no information is known about the blade's history or family provenance.

Technically you are right Jacques There is no known blade with the signature "Rai Kuniyuki", only "Kuniyuki" However, for mumei blades the designation "Rai Kuniyuki" is commonly used not only in NBTHK but also in other publications

Something to share to end of this year Rai Kuniyuki is generally considered the founder of the Rai school. He worked at about the same time as Ayanokoji Sadatoshi and due to the similarity of some of their blades it is assumed that these swordsmiths collaborated No dated blade is known and the time of Rai Kuniyuki's work is estimated based on the signed and dated blades of Rai Kuniyoshi, who is believed to be his son The blade is a mumei, slender in shape with a nagasa of 68cm and represents the style of this smith's early work The Jigane is a tight and uniform ko-itame along the entire length of the blade with exquisitely bright ji-nie and delicate chikei throughout. The steel has a bluish color, typical of first-class Yamashiro blades The hardening is mostly deep nioi with fine ko-nie in kakubaru style with karimata pattern, which is well know for this swordsmith The blade has several kirikomi on the mune and muneyaki in the monouchi area The overall style of the blade is very similar to "Sakakibara Kuniyuki" which is a Juyo Bijutsuhin Enjoy

I am offering for sale a very rare type of Yari - Yajiri nari Yari by Yamato Nobusada (around 1630) NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Mei Omote: Yamato no Kami Fujiwara Nobusada Mei Ura: Buzenkokura jū Nagasa: 18.4cm Max. width: 5.58cm Kasane of kera-kubi 1.81cm Blade weight 322.5g with shirasaya Price 4.600 EUR + postage + PP fee Shipped from Slovakia

For sale Futatokoro set by Yoshioka school with Omodaka Mon design 1.600 EUR + postage + PP fee Shipped from Slovakia

The Tsuba construction is exactly as you would expect Between two thin layers of shakudo is a copper core

Tsuba Nr.7 sold

Thank you very much for your help Kyle

Well - Peter, honestly - you're putting me in a bind As I said, my area of interest is blades I'd hate to write nonsense, as my knowledge of Tosogu is very limited

Since I focus on collecting blades, I am offering most of my Tsuba for sale For simplicity, the items are only numbered 1. 77x71 mm / 5 mm ... 950 EUR 2. 93x86 mm/ 4,6 mm, Kicho Tosogu ... 980 EUR 3. 90x90 mm/ 5,3 mm ... 540 EUR 4. 84x84 mm/ 4,7 mm ... 1.100 EUR 5. 82x77 mm/ 5,4 mm ... 390 EUR 6. 77x77 mm/ 4,7 mm ... 420 EUR 7. 84x83 mm/ 4,4 mm ... 350 EUR 8. 82x76 mm/ 4,5 mm, Kicho Tosogu ... 640 EUR 9. 76x76 mmm/ 4,6 mm, Kicho Tosogu ... 850 EUR 10. 96x91 mm/ 5 mm ... 360 EUR 11. 72x67 mm/ 4,5 mm ... 680 EUR 12. 81x80 mm/ 4,6 mm, Kicho Tosogu ... 1.200 EUR 13. 68x64 mm/ 5mm ... 130 EUR Shipped from Slovakia All prices plus shipping + PP fee

To make the offer more attractive, I offer shipping incl. in price to almost all continental EU countries (after a quick check of postage, I am not able to make this offer for Greece, Norway, Sweden)

Jacques - with all due respect to you I agree that chikei has a specular sheen in daylight But when taking photos in a room, chikei does not behave like this For the photo you gave as an example, the lights are positioned so that there is no reflection of light from the surface of the blade I've taken several thousand shots of blades and I've never photographed a chikei like this Different blades and different light conditions

To me, these "white wavy lines" do not seem ji-nie at all Rather, I think that it is an accentuation of the lamination as a result of the togi-shi work where this lamination seems to "open" a little if the stone of the right hardness is not used

Yes - an agreement on the reduction of consumption tax can be reached with private company sellers (also not always for various reasons) But I've never even tried deducting Japanese consumption tax on purchases from Buyee. I have never shopped at Jauce

I think DHL demands to pay import duties and taxes You don't say which country you are from But in general - if you don't want to pay VAT or similar taxes in the country where you buy, then you have to deal with Jauce Honestly - I've always paid full price in Japan and then taxes in my country when importing Only if Japan and your country had a bilateral agreement preventing double taxation - which I doubt - then your complaints are justified

Here you will find a few posts on the subject of how to photograph Nihonto

It is important to realize that most sellers know very well what they are selling If the blade has TH papers and has real potential to get a Juyo then the price will be close to being a Juyo Sellers know how to play this game better than you - unless you have excellent knowledge and experience, don't expect to buy a gem at a price well below market value The papers are just papers, the price is determined by the quality or exceptionality of the blade itself