Nicolas Maestre

My non expert eyes tell me that it's very recent, as there is some very active rust here, and even no rust at all... I don't see yasurime, and by the shape of it I think it could be non-Japanese. But again, no expert, I could be totally wrong 😁

Thanks for your input. Indeed, the ito used is thin, making for smaller diamonds. I personally like it this way though. But anyways, since this thread has gone way off topic, this is my last comment on this one.

Agree regarding the forging. But regarding new koshirae, I thought and still do, that he has all the legitimacy to do that. The guy has spent almost 20 years learning on his own, from books and trials and errors, and has achieved very good quality of craftsmanship. Woodworking, lacquering, and tsukamaki is all I was talking about here, and on the post where I show my new koshirae for my Unokubi Zukuri Sukesada blade. Come on, no need to say that...

Agree with you Jean, impeccable 😁. Not easy to do, but here is a view of the sword, full-length.

Has to be distortion due to the smartphone lens... I can assure you that he's done an awesome job in that regard. Don't understand why you are being so harsh on Michaël. I have had in hand several swords from him and they were of top quality... And I couldn't be happier with my koshirae. I think I am nitpicking with this question around menuki's animal faces. As a matter of fact, a 10min search on Aoi or other websites got me several instances where faces would not be entirely visible under the ito (and those were made by Japanese skilled craftsman I assume). Go check here and please tell me what is so bad with his work:

Forgot to tell that everything is super tight, seamless, and blade fits in saya to a point that I have never felt before with the several iaïto that I have owned...

Was able to take some decent pictures of my new koshirae, so I'm posting them here. Just in case someone is interested, it was made by French smith Michaël Sabatier. Very, very pleased with it... He did it all, just keeping original kanagu, minus the seppa because they were crappy... so those copper seppa are made by him. Love them 😍.

Oh ok. And based on your experience, is the topic of this thread considered a 'fault'? Or is it down to preference, necessity during wrapping because of proportion, etc.?

Michaël Sabatier 😉. The koshirae is just amazing in my opinion... (Will post pictures when I can get decent lighting). Was just wondering about that detail. What do you think?

Hi all, Very quick question regarding one "rule" that I have read about, on menuki. I just got a new koshirae made for my nihonto, and there is one thing I'm not 100% satisfied with, it's the fact that the "face" of the dragon is partly hidden by the ito... I like that the menuki is well centered across the diamonds, and that we can see it across its entire length. But is the face being hidden an absolute "no" in your mind? Is this considered a fault from the craftsman? Or is it something more of a personal preference? I think the craftsman did it because on the other (ura) side, menuki is well centered, full length is visible, and face is also visible. So both of them are positioned the exact same way, which is nice when you look at the tsuka as a whole. Could also be because he made the dragon's pearl being visible a priority over the face? 🤔 Anyways, what do you guys think? 🤔

I'd say it's precisely the nioiguchi, which is named like that since it's almost always made of nioi particles, even in nie deki.

Oh I missed that… Let me ask you some questions… What about the “desire” to own then ? What about the desire to collect, amass even? Is it not the most selfish thing to do? Have you not succumbed to your desires when you took all these “art” swords out of Japan? Is this not, in itself, a significant threat posed with respect to preservation? I mean, what will happen to all these master pieces you guys seem to possess, when you die?? Would they not be better off with the Japanese, where it’s much more likely that they can find knowledgeable owners or caretakers? I personally think that in the rest of the world, there is a very high probability that our swords will end up badly after we die. And even if say, you write a testament to instruct that all your blades go to a museum after your passing, there is absolutely no guarantee that they will be treated well and that they will not end up rusting in the basement… I, for one, decided to just get an authentic, genuine sword from a period of Japanese history that I find fascinating. That’s it. It will stop there. And it happens to be closer to kazuuchi mono than it is chumon uchi. I hope that you guys realize that I’m playing devil’s advocate here… and that I do not think that everyone here owning art swords, Juyo token and what not, are dumb or should be ashamed for putting these treasures at risk. But I also feel like for a lot of people it’s much, much easier, to question others’ opinions and views than their own…

You just summed up how I feel about this, and you said it better than I was able to... Thanks 🙏

Thanks for sharing your thoughts guys. Valid points there. To make it clear, performing battodo with my nihonto did not even cross my mind! If we are talking about risk, this would be on a whole another level compared to iaï. I have practiced batto, and yes the word damaging is well suited there 😁. So nope, never will.

See, that is very insightful, and the kind of views I had hoped this kind of debate would foster. Never thought about it this way. Thank you.

Now I'm the one that will be offended if you consider careful iaï practice with years of experience the same as chopping wood 😜

Thanks, it's indeed a very interesting take on the subject 🙏 I think I understand how "damaging" iaïdo practice is seen. And I honestly did not think it would be viewed this way. Sure I know it's not going to do any good, but to me it would almost be insignificant. Like you would not be able to tell with your naked eye. But again, I can be wrong, and I can totally accept it and even reconsider my intent of using my nihonto for iaï... (Getting it back Saturday so that was some thinking ahead here...). I'd like to add, related to the "why", that a good analogy I think is why millions of people go to museums to see art in person... I mean, take da Vinci's Mona Lisa for instance. Why do so many people want to see the real thing when you have thousands of pictures of it online, in books, etc. What's the point then???? Well, because there is spiritual connection, feelings and emotions going through your body, it transports you... Exact same thing with using a koto blade I think... At least to me. But again, I might reconsider it, really.

See, this is where I'm not sure I understand. Well I can see why one would think this way if they have in mind a blade that is in full, perfect polish. In this case then yes, nukitsuke and noto will add minor scratches of course. But when the blade is already full of these so to speak, I'm not sure of the actual impact practice would have on it ☹️. Maybe I'm biased because of my 15+ years of training, and the fact that I do not see (literally) the damages I have done to my blades. But I can totally be wrong, and maybe I'm not seeing the damages I have done ☹️

It was not my intentions... I'm sorry if this is perceived that way... I thought not everyone would look at nihonto the same way as you guys are, and I was wrong it seems. Apologies, if silly and out of place, happy to see this thread locked.

To... discuss? Debate? Like you know, what we do on a forum like this? But I apologize if this topic is so irrelevant, so much so that it's not worth debating at all. To add to the subject, I thought that from a philosophical standpoint, it would be nice to think that items like that could still be used for what they were designed for, just in a different way since our time is so different... And I like to think that whoever forged it would be pleased to see his blade used by someone who deeply respects Japanese culture and traditions, almost 500 years in the future...

Oh I was not asking for advice, but I thought it could be an interesting topic... To be clear my intentions were not to trigger anyone, in a provoking way or anything. I was genuinely curious about how the community would feel about it. But since you are opposing "a tradition of 1000 years old", I feel like using a sword like that would be considered offensive. I, on the other hand, thought that taking good care of it, while trying to perpetuate Japanese swordsmanship with it, to the best I can, could be seen as respectful, and certainly not incompatible with the appreciation of this tradition, or the Japanese culture. I see your point regarding repeated polishing. Not sure how much cleaning the blade with microfiber would visibly alter it's polish though, to the point that several polishes would be necessary during the time I'll be the owner of this sword.

I sure don't have to, but what do we "have to do" in life, other than breathing and eating? To answer though, because it is extremely pleasant to use such a beautiful item, it's great to have a connection to the sword other than looking at it, and what a great feeling to wield it, in a respectful way, and feel like it's alive again... Honestly I could go on and on.

Hi everyone, Just wanted to share my thoughts, and confront them with y’all, on what I think is a touchy subject 😃 I bought my first and only nihonto 2.5 years ago, and it will probably remain the only one I’ve got for a while. The reason is that I had not the intention of collecting, but more to get the most authentic piece of Japanese sword I could, meaning a nihonto, preferably koto, from the Muromachi era which I find fascinating. I was able to find one within my budget, but unfortunately the koshirae left a lot to be desired. While the tosogu was really nice, saya was definitely subpar, of poor quality and not even fitting the blade properly. Tsuka had been modified, in the inside, to roughly fit the nakago. To the point where I am convinced the koshirae was not made for this blade… Anyway, as I hate the idea of having something that cannot serve its purpose, even just in theory (in life, in general I mean) I was kind of annoyed by that. So I decided to get a full koshirae be made by a French smith not so far from where I live, to give this blade the mountings it deserves, and to have a nice package. But then I started to think that since it will now have a brand-new - most importantly “safe” - koshirae, why not use it ???? I mean, I have been studying iaïdo since 2006 now, have practiced with a shinken (Chinese, not shinsakuto) and I am very serious about it. The steel iaïto I’m currently using is as good as new, and I have been practicing with it weekly for years. Not a scratch I would notice that was not there before. Compared to my steel iaito, my nihonto’s polish looks similar. Absolutely not “in full polish”, but I would say it’s OK, and definitely a lot of minor scratches. So how would you guys see the fact of actually give a nihonto a purpose, a use, other than looking at it in a once-a-month-while -re-oiling-it fashion? Do you feel it will hinder its preservation? Do you feel this is nonsense and a disrespectful behavior? Get your stones and sticks ready (not your swords!), I'm here 😁😜

For what it's worth, I have been practicing iaïdo with a steel blade for almost 15 years, stored of course in its koshirae, and it's absolutely like new... It's always oiled and taken care of since I use it weekly for training though. Also I have read that some folks here do not even oil their blades. I guess it really depends on how bad humidity is in your country/area ? 🤔 So I don't really understand why koshirae would be worse than shirasaya? (genuinely asking!)

Yes, also visible here at the bottom of the picture: The thing is that I have never seen these large dots grouped together like that anywhere else so... 🤔