alant

No, that didn't happen. I might have fallen off a turnip truck, but it wasn't last night. Thanks everyone.

Found a katana in an antique shop and I have my suspicions. If someone could comment as to the possible authenticity that would be of great assistance. More pictures are available. Thanks in advance.

Thank you very much for explaining why the torokusho was not sent with the sword, that is now clear. How unsharp - like a very dull butter knife. I've never handled an unsharpened Iaido blade, but this is what I imagine they would be like. Heavy on the hadori?

Koshirea

Please keep in mind I purchased this as a one-time buy because I wanted a single nihonto, not to start collecting or trading. This was purchased on ebay by daimyou54eb for $590 plus shipping. Blade is unsigned and unsharpened, tsuba is loose. The original certificate / license (Juho-token-rui-torokusho) did not come with the sword, only a photocopy. Is is possible that the last person to pay for polishing wanted to save money by not sharpening? Below is a mix of my photography and some from the seller I down loaded. If more pictures will help I can try and take them. The Koshirea is looks better than the blade.

I saw that sword and others from the same auction house. Maybe the buyers had additional (better) pictures emailed to them or viewed in person.

Walter, thanks for the link to the page explaining torokusho (registration paper)!

To set the record straight I only purchased the first, not the second. It seems by the "good news" that the price was reasonable, that someone else paid for restoration (or did a good preservation job) which would now cost more than the current market would return on such an expense. The "bad news" would only be bad if the blade needed restoration. I'm more than happy with "old polish" and am a very occasional (one time/one item collector in all probability). I do need to learn how to properly maintain this piece and assume it isn't going to be the same as what I do for my modern reproduction katana. Which one might have the hamon running off?

Please elaborate. And here are some pictures from the seller of mine (300217313721).

I bought the first for $590: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=300217313721 The second went for $688. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=300217016974

In this case beauty may be in the eye of the beer can holder, but I don't like Hira-Zukuri as much as some people. Maybe it is an aquired taste?

Please indulge my curiosity with your opinions on these Wakizashi. It may be my lack of knowledge showing, but I prefer the first. The blade geometry looks better. Always open to a better educated opinion however.

I've noticed kofudo auctions on ebay and they don't usually have good photography, not like some of the other regular dealers anyway. Is there a general opinion of kofudo?

Having no ebay sword buying expereince and only now begining to learn about nihonto I'd like to ask for comments/opinions on a couple of items. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330229937959 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEBTOX:IT&item=310042102698

In my twentys? I wish! Retirement is a mere 5 years away now. I have the simple desire to own a genuine period piece, and this would be the only antique anything we own. There is no hurry, these swords have been around a long time, something respectable will come up. This is what I want to spend, not all I could afford.

Hope this is the right place to ask for advice. I want to get a nihonto. Okay, that was the easy part. I am limiting myself to at most $600 (the hard part). As a student of martial arts I'd like something "authentic" from the time of the samurai. I'm not ever going to be a nihonto collector or trader, just want the one item. What I think I can expect: An authentic, but probably not authenticated (papered), antique wakizashi, Katana or tachi in less than the best polish, perhaps with some minor non-fatal flaws. If possible it should be in koshirae. Most definately tamahagane. So please tell me, are my expectations realistic, and if not then what should I expect for not more than $600.