Justin

Hey Milt - isn't that the new po.edo (possservice?) I think his negative feedback got so bad that he needed a new identity.

That's a great display! I'm only a newbie to the sword world, but aren't those blades around the wrong way? I thought the tsuka was always to the left. Please forgive me if this is a naive question.

Hi Eric, That certainly doesn't sound good. Yes, I just email them directly and make sure to include the item number and make the message very clear. Do you have their direct email address? Maybe address the email to Takako-san and see how you go. Regards Justin

I believe Takako-san is his daughter. She basically runs the business. Her English is pretty good. The father (Takeshi) is well know in armour circles - I believe he was past president of one of the big armour societies in Japan. I'm not defending them, just saying that I have had no problems. I purchased something from them privately a few months ago and saw it listed on eBay a few days after. I was also worried, so I emailed them and they admitted it was an error on their behalf. They explained that due to the volume of items sold on eBay they have employed some extra people to help out and I think that sometimes there is a lack of communication. Not a good situation, but I don't think they are dishonest. The shipping costs are sometimes expensive, but they are there to see on eBay. I always check these before making a bid. Swords and fittings are quite good, but armour and other heavy items are reasonably expensive. I think that's just a factor of the Japan postal system.

Hi everyone, I have purchased many items from Takeshi Hanamoto (Daimyou54) and have never had a problem. In fact, I purchased some of the first items he ever posted on eBay. Shipping is always very fast (by EMS anyway) and everything is as described. In my view he never says something is definately antique, just that it looks old. Armour is their area of speciality, anything else may be a bit of a gamble. In my opinion, the photos are always very clear and it is easy to pick the bad stuff. I notice that he has a lot of junk on eBay lately, so maybe his focus has changed. I think the slow replies and miscommunication may be because he sells so much on eBay. If you have a problem, then I would persist and you should be able to sort it out. Just my 2 cents anyway. Regards Justin

That clears it up. Thank you Martin and Koichi-san for your comments. I have been a member of the NCJSC for some time now, but haven't seen that page on the website - thanks for pointing it out Martin. Best regards Justin

Thanks very much for your responses. I appreciate your assistance. Moriyama-san, I understand what you're saying about looking at the shape of the blade and making a judgement, however I sometimes stll have trouble with ko-kissaki. In your diagram I can clearly see that the image at the top left is chu-kissaki, however to me the top right image could be also be chu-kissaki as the blade width seems less than the top left image. That is why I am looking for a rough definition to help pick the difference. I apologise in advance if this seems like a novice question.

I sometimes have trouble distinguishing between ko-kissaki and chu-kissaki. Are there any specific definitions of ko-kissaki available (eg. width at the kissaki as a percentage of other measurements)?

Just wondering if there is any interest in a Japanese Armour forum (in addition to nihonto and tosogu). I collect a bit of samurai armour and accourtments and would like to be able to speak to other collectors. This might help to broaden the scope of the message board. I think most collectors of nihonto also have some interest in armour and related items. Any thoughts ?

This is from one of my swords. It's not exactly the same as yours, but a similiar theme.

Does anyone have mei examples of any of the Kanemori smiths from Yamato (Tegai or Senjuin groups)? Thanks for any assistance. Regards Justin