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John C

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Everything posted by John C

  1. John C
    Fear not. Gimei is common. If the blade is nice, then you did well. John C.
  2. John C
    Need the pics, Steve. John C.
  3. John C
    @Bruce Pennington Not sure if you are following this, however this Hirashige kao could be added to the stamps doc if you are collecting these. John C.
  4. John C
    What is the third kanji? The first could also be Taira (a title) so just wondering if his name is Shige something? John C.
  5. John C
    I'm looking to replace some silk kumihimo cords on some inro and yatate. I was looking at a company called Atelier Miyagi in Japan (they sell through Etsy), however the whole customs thing has me reticent to purchase. Does anyone have experience with this? Were there any customs fees? John C.
  6. John C
    Sam: Looks like a good find regardless of age. In one pic, the right side of the center panel looks like it might be peeling a bit. If it is old plywood, that could narrow down the time frame a little. If it is veneer, it could be much older. John C.
  7. John C
    Dom: There are file reducing apps on line, however I use a simple method - take a screen shot of the original picture, check the size there. Go to tools or whatever app you have to manage the screenshot and under pixels (should say 144) change to 124 or 114 to reduce the size. 3megs goes to 750kb pretty quickly. John C.
  8. John C
    Kyle: Not sure if you have this already, but this page lists which flaws are fatal and which are normal. http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/kizu.htm John C.
  9. John C
    I see chrysanthemum, bamboo leaf, and plum flower. What is the one on the bottom right? John C.
  10. John C
    Interestingly, the mekugiana closest to the guard would be the original one and looks empty, while the one closest to the pommel seems to have a mekugi in it. Could possibly mean the nakago was re-drilled for a repair or something. John C.
  11. John C
    J: Not saying it's a fake Japanese sword, just that there may be some other reason he's selling it (crack, tired blade, gimei, or whatever). Because of that, however, you can find some good prices with him if you are willing to own a blade that isn't perfect and has some flaws. John C.
  12. John C
    @SteveM Steve: With this much information, how much luck would a Japanese speaker have in possibly finding the relatives of Lt. Abe? (was the hint too subtle?) John C.
  13. John C
    Looks as if there are some scratched areas in the paint. Under a loupe, can you see any evidence of an original color around the edges? John C.
  14. John C
    Thank you both very much! Now for some more research... John C.
  15. John C
    Hello: On the back of a tabako-ire kanagu, there are 4 tiny stamps. I think these pertain to the treasures brought by the 7 lucky Gods. I think I have identified the inexhaustible purse and the cloak of fairy feathers (hat of invisibility?) on the left side, but what are the ones on the right? They seem similar to the ones I have marked on Kokusai's chart (just as a reference), however I do not know what they represent. Any ideas? Thank you, John C.
  16. John C
    @Bruce Pennington I think you saw it here: John C.
  17. John C
    Reworked - that's interesting. Could explain the variation in how the roman numbers were written. John C.
  18. John C
    I was just throwing out the idea of it being for a lady but as you note, that's probably wrong. What about something simple like the smith didn't have enough steel to make a thicker blade? Could be any number of reasons. John C.
  19. John C
    I just realized I do have two Japanese kitchen knives - they are Kyocera Black Kyotop Ceramic (more expensive than regular because they are fired twice or at a higher temperature and are harder). You can send them back to Kyocera at any time to be re-sharpened but after 15 years I haven't had to!! John C.
  20. John C
    I don't think the length is an issue. Not very wide but could have been made for a lady??? John C.
  21. John C
    Steve: Agree with Chandler that the description is too much salesmanship. "the secret of the sword"????? In addition, it appears in the last picture that the nakago has been cleaned but could be lighting. If so, that's another red flag. Also, they mention an inscription on the tsuba? Did they show it?? John C.
  22. John C
    Thank you for the confirmation, Steve. The bun character was written differently enough from my other example that I wasn't sure. Much appreciated as always. John C.
  23. John C
    Tried to narrow this down, however it doesn't look like my examples of Ryuun-do or Ryubun-do but more similar to Ryunbun-do. Thank you, John C.
  24. John C
    The tsuba is a little concerning. The middle should be flat and not peaked like that; corners seem too sharp as well. But maybe it's a variation I haven't seen before. John C.
  25. John C
    All of my kitchen knives are German, however I like baking so I bought this Gude (7431/32) 13 inch bread knife with olive wood handle. It's a beast but doesn't flex at all when going through the toughest crust. John C.
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