Sansei

Thanks Stephen. I will do that.

I am considering returning a katana to relatives in Japan at some point using an agent. It would be good to know who to use and NOT use for this purpose. Any advice would be appreciated.

"Wonder where it will end." $16k to $20k?....

"I do understand that they likely look similar and were not originally a Daisho, but the price point is what I was looking to spend on one sword......" Jason, I agree with Jean that you should focus on one fine sword in your price range. Lots of puffing by sellers and sometimes outright fraud. Mei can be easily faked and sometimes the faking is so sophisticated that experts can be fooled (at least for a while anyway). Probably best to buy from one of the sellers on this forum.....Brian does a good job screening and monitoring. Btw here is a link to check out from another thread for a higher quality Daisho (no longer available but gives you an idea).....https://bid.igavelau...auction_uid1=6617736 Good hunting! :-)

Ray Singer is right about "restoration" wrt this purchase intent. A restoration would not be appropriate. Here are before and after photos of a current restoration that I am having done and it will include a papering process which is separate from the restoration. In the end, the whole thing will cost thousands $$$$. Much more than the price shown of your Daisho; just to give you an idea. I have also had a different katana papered in its original condition without polishing.

Peter, from the depictions can it be determined who the smiths are? Is it written there?

A "replica" but actually a real firearm? Assume it can fire real amo.

Looks like the seller has another one for sale that has a serial number engraved: https://www.ebay.com...d:g:TwQAAOSw071k3qDc But the number could have been put there just make it appear authentic? Ebay is a little to "risky" for me. Just saw another post here about fraudster on Ebay.

Here are some still photo clips taken from the short videos sent by Rita Benson (burnishing and examination):

Old thread: This is an update on the restoration of this Kiyondo katana. The restoration was done by Bushido (started nearly 4 years ago) and the blade is currently being prepared for submission to the next available Shinsa. Rita Benson is sending photos and short videos of the restoration process (Bob and Nicholas) and will also post them on their Instagram site (I am not on Instagram). Unfortunately, I am unable to upload video files here which are apparently too large for this site? https://instagram.com/bushidojapaneseswords?igshid=ZDc4ODBmNjlmNQ==

"I'd also like to know if the feature works ok..in other words were you successfully directed here when loading the forum and does it work without hiccup?" I was able to navigate to this page by copying and pasting the posted link into my browser.....if this is how it was supposed to work, then yes it did. I could not just click on the link to bring me to the page.

I like to define people as people with no reference to countries of origin. Ken, personally I like to look at the country of origin. It gives me an idea of the international nature of the interest in swords and related items. You can see that the interest is not just in a few countries or a particular region. It is worldwide, no?

This was a good discussion for the forum, Brian. It clears the air, addresses the negativity, and will allow everyone to move forward with confidence.

".....maybe a Gold Membership would be appropriate for someone listing over 100 items here and who has never really supported the forum...." Brian, I agree with your comments.....and "ranting" can be cathartic for both the ranter and the audience. Would it be possible to have a policy where the membership level is tied to the number of listing? That is, LISTINGS and not SALES. For example, if the total number of listings reaches certain levels, the membership level would need to be upgraded? I have received private messages regarding offers for blades that I own. I would definitely not call them "low ball" offers. There will always be some individuals who try to "game" the system for their own benefit. Thanks for doing a great job managing this forum.

And 99.6% positive feedback for this seller? So, iow all of the buyers are happy to be fools? Wow....

Imo, both 3) and 4) are somewhat questionable. If the sword warranted a Juyo it would have probably been passed along for that evaluation prior to this. Depending on the skill of the polisher, the polishing would affect or could "invalidate" the current papering, no? More experienced people in this forum could weigh in on this but those are my thoughts.

Regarding the seller's item description. My father brought back a sword from the Philippines taken from a Japanese officer and the blade portion, at least, looks similar to this one. Cannot tell much for sure without clear detailed photos. I think it deserves a closer look. Better closeup pictures and pictures of both sides of the tang portion as Brian suggests. If the photos are promising, then make a visit if the seller is close by and examine before buying.

Nice looking wakizashi. If the papering is a concern to you, Jonathan, I think you could resubmit it for papering under the new system. Others on the forum could provide more information on this. I believe the cost would be about $500-$600 including shipping to Japan depending on your location. Robert Benson is a good contact person and others can also recommend people. Otherwise, enjoy.

Brian, When I ship a sword by USPS, they provide a tracking number on the receipt. What is a "hidden tracker"?

I'll say. In the fine art world many fakes have existed and have fooled even some top experts. Eventually they get exposed but not before the initial investor gets ripped off. Buyer beware.

Adam, is this an apartment or a house? With all of your Nihonto to display it seems that you need a man cave.

Excellent, Bruce. Thanks for the tip on cropping.

Yes, h. According to his bio, Kiyondo's adopted family name was Saito and was first called Kojuro. In 1852 by introduction through Saito Masamoro he entered the mon of Kiyomaro. Sorry to hear that you missed an opportunity. We have all done this at one time or another.

Sorry, the pic of Robert got rotated during upload. Don't know how to edit this.

Went to the Annual Sword Show in San Francisco last weekend. Touched bases with Robert Benson regarding the restoration of this katana by swordsmith Kiyondo. Previous thread shown above. Robert says it is coming along. He describes it as a "killer blade" possible Juyo when submitted for Shinsa upon completion of polish. Here are some pics of Robert and his crew. Looks like Robert has lost some weight since pre-Covid days.