Bazza

SORRY - but I meant to add Barry that your two sets of fuchigashira both look as if they have been lacquered. The surface has an appearance that to me suggests clear lacquer rather than aged and mellow iron. Regards, Barry Thomas.

Barry, very, very nice pieces (slobber). I can't be any real help here (a blade man!), but let me pass on a story. Twenty or more years ago I sent a wakizashi and tsuka to Japan, the blade for polish and the tsuka for rebinding. I had the menuki and an iron fuchi of a shishi (pretty much like yours Barry, and unsigned), but no kashira so I had a horn one made. The fuchi had that dry-looking, almost powdery (but stable) rust and the "man in Japan" said the fuchi needed cleaning and re-lacquering - it was the done thing. I said yes and when it returned it did indeed look much better. To continue this a little further, even longer ago I had a Shinshinto katana with plain iron tosogu incised with branches and with traces of red lacquer. Being in my early years the tsuba had something on it that to me looked like household varnish. I tried a number of solvents to get it off, but nothing shifted it. A few years later I realised it was urushi and it was no wonder nothing touched it. Regards, Barry Thomas.

Henry, Arrrrr, gee, it's tough when people aren't honest. Sorry to read of it. You wrote "...most likely get your fingers burnt,though now you can see why really good forgeries of Nihontô are so difficult to get hold of..." Actually, if I correctly read that you want to get hold of a Nihontô copy I can highly recommend Hanwei copies. My eldest daughter's boyfriend has a mate who works for one of these companies (http://www.globalgear.com.au/) that sell reproduction swords of all types. He rang me one day and said he had something he wanted to show me. It was a "katana", and as I looked at I was amazed to see more than a semblance of hada, certainly a real hamon with some character, and most importantly of all the polish was "pretty good" for such a piece. And in a halfway decent looking koshirae. All for AUD$500. For anyone who wanted a "samurai lookalike" sword IMHO this was good value for money. It was well done indeed, and I'm used to looking at good stuff!! As for Daniel Fox, no one amongst my sword collecting mates has heard of him (that says something!!), but one friend commented "I have never heard of him either. Although, there is/was an antique dealer in Canberra that goes by the name of Fox Antiques and I believe he dabbles(d) in Japanese swords". Might or might not be the same bloke. He is listed as ANTIQUE DEALERS, 25 Jardine St, Kingston, ACT 2604, phone/fax +61 +2 6232 6366, mobile 0409 009 994 (International +61 +409 009 994), http://www.foxantiques.com.au/setup.htm Regards, Barry Thomas.

OK - I notice better colour in your recent set. Could be a white balance issue. Nice to see a lacquered saya. The hi going into the koshinogi suggests Koto as well. Regards, Barry Thomas.

Hardrada (?) - the nakago looks like it has had a hard time. The colour and appearance suggest to me that it has been cleaned with a proprietary rust cleaner, one with phosphoric acid that converts the rust to a phosphate??? Regards Barry Thomas.

OH DEAR - I have done something incredibly stupid. I deleted the images from ImageShack. Can't image why, must have been a Southern Hemisphere mind warp - I won't even attempt to explain what went on in my mind - BUT - here they are again. Of course the links are new because I've had to upload them again. My apologies to all who dare venture here... Barry Thomas.

Piers, If at all possible I would appreciate a good, very hi-rez pic of both sides of your Namban tsuba, the one with gilt and beaded rim. You can send them direct to me at warlord@iinet.net.au or post them here in a thumbnail (as I have just learnt to do - thanks again Brian) linked to a hi-rez ImageShack file. Here are links to my tsuba that has an old Tokubetsu Kicho (green) paper: Let's hope I've got it right this time... Regards, Barry Thomas.

Oh, sorry, yes, it went to war. I got it from the brother of the returned vet (deceased) who said they still had four trunks full of his brother's souvenirs... I shoulda followed up!!! Barry Thomas.

Brian, Thanks mate. It appears I do not need to include direct links because the thumbnails link to the hi-rez images... Now I know what I am doing I'll see what else I can contribute. Best regards, Barry Thomas.

Having just introduced myself and begun trawling this vast and wondrous website, it's time to offer something back and this KIRIHA thread offers an opportunity. Now, I'm going to embed some links that should give thumbnails of my Echizen Shimosaka Kiriha katana (thinking here of download limited dialup connections) and also give ImageShack links to higher rez images. I pray I don't stuffup. First the thumbnails, if I read ImageShack correctly and NMB is a FORUM and not a WEBSITE: My understanding is that the above are thumbnails. If by misunderstanding they are full rez links I'd be grateful if someone could tell me how to do it properly, aside from downsizing my own images myself. Now here are the hi-rez direct links that shouldn't pop a picture in here: http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/6382 ... roppu1.jpg http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/3233 ... ropcv2.jpg http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/433/ ... ropia4.jpg http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/3571 ... e40hq8.jpg Many people have thought this sword is suriage mumei, but I believe it was made "as is" to be a copy of a Sadamune around Keichou era. Certainly it is similar to the KIRIHA SADAMUNE in "nihonto1001"s link above, but I have heard that there is an o-suriage mumei sword called the ATAKI SADAMUNE, but I have never been able to find an image of it. I had this sword for 25 years before I was game enough to get it polished. In the wrong hands it would have been a disaster, such as some polishes that can be seen from time-to-time here... As I got it was bent, rusted and very slightly chipped. It came with a saya, habaki and tsuka, everything else being stripped and lost including kozuka and kogai. It had been in a leather covered saya as the gunto-style hanger was still on the saya. It has a mukansa level sashikomi polish and an NBTHK Hozon paper. OK - let's see if this flies. Regards, Barry Thomas (Melbourne, Australia)

OK Stephen Oyabun san, my apologies to you. Sigh, failing memory failing more. My family reckon I'm nursing home fodder already!! When my middle daughter was 18 she asked me "How much is that sword worth Daddy?". I told her, and she fluttered her eyelashes at me and said coyly "Would you sell it and buy me a car??" That's what the family think of my Nihonto Love Affaire... Bestests, Barry Thomas.

Hello Stephen Oyabun san, much known to me already. Only Rich Turner can answer this, but I believe the good Dr Stein has his eminent and most excellent top-of-the-tree website that was no doubt an inspiration to Richard Turner - BUT - I believe Rich Turner's NMB creation is his very own from scratch and NOT a hand-me-down from Dr Stein. Rich???? Bestest, Barry THomas. PS - Herr General FeldMarschall Brian - were you there????? It seems but only yesterday...

Dear All, I hardly know where to begin!!! Although I started collecting life in my teenage years as a gun collector, in the course of that I discovered the Japanese sword and have been enamoured for 45 years now - presently about to turn 65. When I started here in Australia there was no one who was interested in Nihonto, let alone any books apart from John Yumoto or Basil Robinson. It took me 10 years to begin to understand what swords were all about and 15 years before I found my first recognisably good katana - a nidai Tadahiro with choji midare hamon in Shingunto koshirae. In the absence of sensei I had to teach myself about quality and what made a good sword - still learning!! Polish is another vexatious subject - still learning there too. I first got to know NMB when my good mate Rich Turner started it some years ago. I never did have much free time to visit, then it went to Brian's custodianship. I've spent all day today browsing and I have A LOT of work to do to read every thread. My, my, a lot of people have been very active. I've joined because I believe it is the proper thing to do and I have always enjoyed sharing and making friends in Nihonto. Without friends in collecting one may as well give it all away. Also, I believe I can contribute to some threads and thought an introduction was the way to go. I will be well known to some of you, faintly recognisable to others, and a total nonentity to some. I look forward to getting to know more of you - and, BTW, I do recognise many names here. My collecting interests are eclectic and run the whole gamut of blades, tosogu, koshirae including lacquer. Oh, and teppo. I have three of those short, heavy barrelled Kunitomo guns that I have managed to find over the years. So, here's a Happy New Year to you all and let's raise our glasses to Nihonto. Best regards, Barry Thomas (Melbourne, Australia).

Henry, I have never heard of this bloke, but http://www.uts.edu.au/ is the University of Technology in Sydney, New South Wales. As the academic year has closed and it is holidays here he may be a student and 'offline', or away in some student Nirvana. I'll ask around my mates here and see what pops up. Best regards, Barry Thomas (Melbourne, Australia) - introduction posted soon.