Bazza

Very nice indeed. Thanks for sharing. Just by-the-by and for my edumakayshon, Chinese music???? BaZZa.

Marco said: Dragons nose is 1.2mm on full length Wonderful detail indeed. Worse case of inverse acne I've ever seen!! If the nose were red instead of gold I'm sure we would be looking at the local reprobate!!! BaZZa. PS - having a 60mm macro lens I'm reading up on stacked images...

And your mouse hand matey... BaZZa.

As already said Dave, this is a fake, undoubtedly Chinese. Definitely not Japanese. BaZZa.

Well, I know nothing as a certain camp guard once said, so let me demonstrate it. If I'm to be cut down at the knees let it be quick... The theme is big-eared rabbits and it looks very, very good to me. I go so far as to suggest Momoyama yamagane and a piece well worth repair at the hands of Ford or an acolyte - if Ford so thinks!! BaZZa.

Hi Daniel, I hope you have a tsunagi in the original (Shingunto??) koshirae ... BaZZa.

And please don't forget the koshirae - we would LOVE to see it. The tang looks excellent and the habaki, as said, is very good and I'm guessing solid silver?? Robert S said: > ... the cutting edge of that blade is somewhere between 17 and 22 inches, which would make it a wakizashi Might I suggest, if closer to 22 inches it could be a katateuchi, therefore in its day considered a katana?? BaZZa.

IMHO - run away... Get thee to a sword show. Politeness in lieu of the words I should not speak!! BaZZa.

Ahhhhhhh - my question exactly. Aluminium is impossible to solder because of the instant formation of an oxide layer. Welding is equally difficult, having to be done with an inert atmosphere surrounding the weld, eg., argon arc. It has always puzzled me how the aluminum saya were made. In all likelihood they were drawn and formed from seamless tube. BaZZa.

Hey Bob, that's great news and good to see follow up news outcome from the Shinsa. Congratulations. Its obviously a katana, but what's the length now given it is suriage??? BaZZa.

FWIW I think the F/K are a unified theme - Daruma and a whisk of some sort?? The patina, metals and gilt finish all seem to underscore a unified pair - but exactly what I'm not sure. Overall, indeed a nice antique koshirae. Can we see the blade, please?? BaZZa.

HAHAHAHA - Robin, I was once congratulated by a MIT Graduate for my "useless knowledge". He said "Barry, you have the most extensive amount of useless knowledge of anyone I know. Interesting, definitely, but useless". So, here is my contribution to the thread - a mumei fuchigashira of Shishi pups playing with tea-bag cords. BaZZa.

Without going to the books this stamp 南 is NAN - "south" - is it not?? Any significance in that meaning, or is it "just a stamp"?? BaZZa.

Anyone have any comment on the book "Misui the Samurai"?? I haven't read it as yet, but it is on my bucket list... BaZZa. https://www.amazon.com/Musuis-Story-Autobiography-Tokugawa-Samurai/dp/0816512566 A series of picaresque adventures set against the backdrop of a Japan still closed off from the rest of the world, Musui's Story recounts the escapades of samurai Katsu Kokichi. As it depicts Katsu stealing, brawling, indulging in the pleasure quarters, and getting the better of authorities, it also provides a refreshing perspective on Japanese society, customs, economy, and human relationships. From childhood, Katsu was given to mischief. He ran away from home, once at thirteen, making his way as a beggar on the great trunk road between Edo and Kyoto, and again at twenty, posing as the emissary of a feudal lord. He eventually married and had children but never obtained official preferment and was forced to supplement a meager stipend by dealing in swords, selling protection to shopkeepers, and generally using his muscle and wits. Katsu's descriptions of loyalty and kindness, greed and deception, vanity and superstition offer an intimate view of daily life in nineteenth-century Japan unavailable in standard history books. Musui's Story will delight not only students of Japan's past but also general readers who will be entranced by Katsu's candor and boundless zest for life.

It would be interesting to know what the successful bidder thought he was buying. IMHO this is far from an art sword by any definition. It serves to show more than ever the importance of Shows and seeing many swords in hand and reading selected books before buying one's first sword, advice that is bound to be ignored in droves... BaZZa.

BRAVO!!! BaZZa.

Rare to see it swimming all over the place!!! BaZZa.

Agree with Ray. The flaw is longitudinal and not transverse so I doubt very much that it would adversely affect the design function of the sword or present any danger of broken pieces flying off if mis-used. BaZZa.

Sergei, My goodness, what a wonderful study. I have one more to add that I bought from Evan Worley nearly a year ago. The thread is http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/22905-wonderful-early-iron-tsuba. For the sake of the thread I'll put here just two pictures from Evan's sale notice - I haven't taken any of my own photos yet. This tsuba is similar to Fig. 3 and Fig. 15 in Sergei's study. Best regards, Barry Thomas aka BaZZa.

Darcy has excelled himself - pubically. Someone closer than me should let him know... BaZZa (ROTFLMAO)

Hello James, Well, I find myself between a rock and a hard place and feeling like a moth that has been pinned to a specimen board!! Here's hoping I don't make a goose of myself - please tell if it is so... Ko-itame hada with ji-nie does seem a good descriptor of Hizen hada, yet Hizen hada is so-called because it is - well - Hizen hada. The difference is subtle. I have a 2nd gen. Hizen katana as well as the Nagashige, but find myself lost to find the right words to describe the difference in hada. Maybe I'm just tired today, or thinking too much about dinner and the red wine I'm going to have with it. Anyone else care to have a bash??? Ray, Paul, anyone... BaZZa (feeling a cold wind blowing)

Its a good idea and I support it wholeheartedly. Leave prices in is my vote. We are all (??) mature enough to know that prices move up as time moves on. Perhaps a poll might capture the wider view of the greater number of Forum members?? BaZZa.

Dave P, Interesting. The photo you attached clearly shows a brittle fracture structure in the steel shaft sitting within the brass handle. I surmise there was a domed nut holding the handle on and when "someone" tried to undo it the threaded shaft snapped clean off. The handle may be able to be removed, but I doubt there is any advantage in doing so as unlike a Japanese sword there will be no markings on the tang within the handle. Best regards, BaZZa.

Gday Sergei, A worthwhile venture and your essay will be worth looking forward to. Here is a tsuba I bought from Steve Waszak quite sometime ago. Here is the link: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/22748-yamakichibei-tsuba/ I quite love this little tsuba - thanks again for offering it up Steve. Here is a photo I took recently: BTW, if you put yamakichibei into the search field for the forums you will find quite a lot of topics. Bestests, BaZZa.

This is absolutely fascinating as I have a Sendai Nagashige katana dated 1862 and named to a patron. My sword is also in a "sort of" mix of kaishou that I can read and another sort of script I cannot - the latter also gave Japanese people a lot of trouble. Andrew Ickeringill polished this katana and it can be seen here with his translation: https://touken-togishi.com/hyakuryushi-nagashige/ I had this sword for 40 years waiting for it to be polished by a top togishi. It was rusted but savable and Andrew did a fantastic job of restoring it to its full glory. I hope people will refresh their appreciation of Andrew's skill by exploring his website: https://touken-togishi.com/ and also visit his Facebookpage: http://www.facebook.com/toukentogishi Best regards, BaZZa aka Barry Thomas (Melbourne, Australia)