John C

I've posted this on another thread (cultural refreshments) with a little more explanation, however I thought I would add a pic on this thread as well. A suzuri-bako I built to match an old door I bought. John C.

Teodor: Geraint brings up the best reason not to do it - the woodworking involved is minimal and quite simple, HOWEVER the urushi would crack and split during the process and would be a nightmare to make look nice again. John C.

The sword is most likely fake, however can we get a picture of the kozuka (small knife with handle). John C.

Charles: Just as additional confirmation, it is indeed a fake. Whoever wrote the note on the scabbard was mistaken. As others have said, it isn't one small detail but rather many points that are indicative of a fake. In addition to points listed above, the tsuba is wrong (missing the flat section around the middle), the sarute (tassle attachment loop) is wrong, But most importantly, these fakes are well documented on our site. To us, it's like a seller labeling a Volkswagen Beetle a Ferrari. Very obviously incorrect to folks who know cars. If purchased,hopefully you can get a refund. Regards, John C.

Well...suzuri-bako is finally finished. Refreshing the old door with a new box. The project was quite challenging in one respect - trying to match the color, grain, finish, and most of all the age of the original door. My wife is not a fan of the "distressed" aesthetic so trying to match the age (tone, damage, repairs, finish, etc) without it looking like it fell off of the back of a truck was challenging. In addition, the original door was not square so the box had to be slightly out of square. It's way easier to make something perfect than to make it look legitimately old. To match the color and grain I used cherry veneer with solid cherry facings. The drawers are a complimentary birdseye maple veneer with solid maple edging. Maple ply for the sides and bottom. All of the hardware was made from patinated copper, embossed with "flowers" with the single exception of the top handle (an original cast iron handle purveyed from ebay). I think I matched the iron look fairly well. The construction was traditional with large lapped tenons and dowel pins on the "ears." The whole box was sealed with shellac followed by a thin coat of satin lacquer, sanded to take some of the shine off. John C. p.s. the color of the box matches the door much better in person than in the pics.

Along the same lines, I'm curious how many were working in the shadows. We know that smiths went into variousl other forms of metal work (kanagu, yatate, netsuke, etc.) and far more probably continued to make things like tools (kanna blades specifically), kitchen knives, scissors, work knives, eating utensils, which had always been their bread-and-butter for income. Maybe there were plenty of smiths ready to transition back into sword making when called upon. John C.

Mauro: I agree with filing a case with the postal inspector and the local LAPD. The theft is both grand theft and a federal crime. LAPD investigators and postal inspectors should be able to interview employees, which at least will make the culprit nervous. Maybe the swords just "shows up." John C.

In the modern era, there have been multiple people in the UK that have turned down a CBE (Bowie, Lennon, Lawson, etc.), usually citing that they didn't feel they earned it. And in the US, several actors have turned down oscars for various objections to causes. I suspect we will never know if a smith were offered an award and turned it down for the same reasons. John C.

Interesting. According to wikipedia (insert grain of salt here), they were used in both the Boshin war and the Satsuma rebellion. John C.

Bruce: I have this one reference in my files. It's from a post war assessment by Gen. Gardner. This is all that is mentioned in the doc, however Hiroshima was the location of Chugoko Branch HQ and seems to have been command and control; listed as a branch of Osaka arsenal. John C.

@Bruce Pennington Just adding this to "naval stamps" for your information and research. Note the variety of anchor marks. John C.

I have several that I use regularly (with 10 or 12 different blades), which do an amazing job. The rub for me, however, is how finicky they are. It usually takes me multiple tries to set each one exactly where I want it (based on the grain direction, etc.). One tiny tap on the blade - not cutting enough. One more tiny tap - now cutting too much. Darn. Need to pull the blade and chip breaker and start again! I find card and cabinet scrapers (stanley #80) way easier to "sharpen" (obtain a burr) and use for finishing at least. John C.

And yet, the late model wooden tsuka version is worth a lot less. But I suppose it's the same with everything. With comparable production numbers at the beginning and end of a product's run, the first are almost always worth more than the last. John C.

Being sold straight from China for 150 dollars. Must be fairly cheap to produce of they can make a profit at 150 dollars. Wonder how many scammers order it for resale. John C.

Raphael: I think it's dated showa 48 (1973) and looks a bit like the type of "authentication" you might get from the shop where it was originally purchased. Seems to have much of the same information as a torokusho. John C.