FrenchBreadPrime

It's still heartbreaking to be reminded of his passing, the man was a genius. You deserve the utmost respect for being with him during all this time. If he named you his successor, then his spirit and skill are not lost. He still lives through you, and through the work you will keep on doing. Thank you for sharing all of this.

That's incredible, especially for Saika style, their Kabuto feel like they'd belong to paintings of deities thanks to the unique rivets and fittings shapes. I'm eager to see how yours will turn out, there's so much potential. Are you learning as an uchideshi ? The community is in a strange state right now, I feel like it's also due to recent losses of people, or others retiring. Until recently, I thought only Zenon Vandamme still practiced outside of Japan (and to be fair, I'm not even sure he still does), it would be nice to see more news about Katchu-shi. In a way I'm a little envious of how Nihonto are treated and followed, it would be wonderful if armors had the same treatment. Most schools seem to have their trade secrets and (understandably so) wish to keep them, is this one of the cause for these feuds ?

Hello Andrew, I didn't expect my post to cause such a detailed answer (and one from a student of Miura, no less!) but I'm thankful it has, as information on armors and armormaking is scarce. In all honesty, I'm quite jealous indeed as I'd absolutely love to learn as an uchideshi in Japan, but I thought it wasn't possible anymore to learn the skills of a katchu-shi due to so many of them dying or retiring these last years; so it's really great to know that some are still thriving, and even better to know that you can live through your work ! I find it sad that Yoroi aren't as preserved as Nihonto are, and thought that this generation of Katchu-shi would sadly be the last. This may be a naive question but, are there any katchushi that would take uchideshi, nowadays ?

I didn't know there were katchushi still operating other than Kouji Kadoya, let alone foreign ones, and even apprentices ! That's incredible news! This hachi looks great, too; what made you start working on it ?

Thanks ! The blade has indeed a few rusty spots and would benefit from a polish, I'll be keeping it safe until then as I don't think I'll be winning the lottery quite soon haha I'd really be interested in knowing if the mei is genuine as Terushige has a good rating by Fujishiro (or at least the three that use that exact same mei) but it doesn't seem like a name that'd attract a huge crowd either.

I finally received the blade, it was really quick but I had the time to read a few books during the wait. Here are some more pictures of everything, as expected with Daimyo, the blade looks better in hand than in the auction pics. The Hamon is visible on some of them but not on every pic, it's easier to see in person, it looks like it's gunome midare. It looks like the hada pattern is Itame ? I'm still uncertain as I have a hard time telling if it's really hada or just my eyes toying with me. Tsuba is cleaner than expected too, on the auction pics it looked fully rusted. I really love the saya, too, and the Koshirae really fits tightly which is nice, I expected it to be loose or unfit. I applied some camellia oil with a tissue to clean the blade after handling then wiped it.

I was thinking of Mongolia too as the saddle is reminding of some of their designs, but the Mongols didn't really use Hanzi characters. After reflection, these characters look like Hanzi/Kanji but I don't think they are. Could these characters be Khitan script ? If the saddle is Khitan it'd be a little older than the mongol Empire.

This feels a little bulky for a Kura, I'd say it's Chinese too though it reminds me of Tibetan saddles.

That's very fair. Outside of asking him directly from LinkedIn for his email or phone number, it's going to be harder. If I'm not mistaken, some of the older members in here know him personally, so you will probably get your answers one way or another.

Hello Simon, your best bet is on LinkedIn, he still has an account there, though his whereabouts are a little unknown. A lot of armor restorers have diverted from it these last years, but perhaps he hasn't. As for blade restoration he's most likely still active.

Thank you, Jean ! I have ordered a bottle. I will post more pictures of the blade and koshirae once I have it in hand.

Oh I'm a damn idiot. I mistake tsuba and tsuka a lot, I'm very sorry hahaha ! I'll get my hands on a better oil, I was nearly out of stock anyways and my armors will probably appreciate a better suited oil too ! Thank you for your answers !

Yeah, I will keep an eye on the forum. I'm just expecting them to be less expensive than say Shaduko fittings. I did mean the Tsuka, since I feel it's very rusty on the picture, though I'm also uneasy if the Nakago happens to have red rust and I feel like it might be the case from the pictures but it might also just be due to the lighting. I'll try to see if I can get my hands on Japanese oil, otherwise I have Ballistol that I've been using on my armors (On a Greek bronze bell cuirass mostly) that worked well but I'd rather be careful with using that kind of oil with a Nihonto. Camellia oil doesn't seem that expensive either. Thank you for the informations ! It feels like one of the few not-trash pieces that Daimyou occasionally sells. Fingers crossed for it not having a fatal flaw.

Thanks for your reply, Jean ! That's what I was suspecting for the Kojiri, it felt too clean to be a broken saya. I'll try to take measurements and stay on the lookout for antique kojiri once I get it. Luckily I shouldn't be ruined if it's sentoku fittings. Would it be advisable to coat the Tsuka in oil (as well as the blade) for a few weeks to get rid of the red rust ?

Thanks for your answer ! I sure hope it's the case. Indeed, with the blade's length, restoration wouldn't be economically viable, or in the best case scenario it'd be a breakeven. Still, I might save up for it for later. As for the general condition, I'm unsure about what to expect. Went in expecting the worst but I am optimistic.

I won a Wakizashi at an auction a few days ago. Seller was Daimyou54eb and it was on Catawiki of all places. I trust Daimyou as a seller because of their (and their father's) experience with armors though I know blades aren't their specialty, and if they're selling overseas it means those blades aren't usually worth it to a Japanese market. I still wanted to bid on a Wakizashi as it seems like an alright one to me -though I am a novice- and ended up getting it under my budget (under 500 bucks). I really like the unflattering picture offered by Daimyou, and since it's from Japan and registered there's no doubt flying whether it's nihonto or not. The thing I'm confused about though is that it's signed 武州下原住照重, Bushu Shitahara Ju Terushige, and three Terushige used that signature, and while they appear to have good Fujishiro ratings, it doesn't seem like a name that'd get faked on a signature. I know Daimyou usually sells Mumei or Gimei, but is there a chance for the mei to be real ? Full Length 85.4 cm Nagasa 54.2 cm Sori 1.6 cm Motohaba 2.8 cm Weighs about 950 grams, said to be late Muromachi but I take the dating with a pinch of salt when it's from a seller. I can see a Hamon and I know Daimyou's products look better in hand than in pictures so I'm expecting it to be more visible once in hand. I've seen a few rusty spots and notches alond the blade but nothing that appears too dire to me, the ha-machi is still visible but the mune-machi seems really small, could this be a tired blade ? I like the Koshirae, it has seen better days and I feel like the broken tip of the saya is where a Kojiri could have been. The Tsuba feels old but maybe I'm just being swayed by the rust. Feel free to tell me if I have been spewing bullshit as I'm still a newbie when it comes to blade. Tidiane.

It's surprising how many blades have been damaged by bullets during WW2, it makes me wonder, are there any pictures of older blades damaged by Teppo ?

This is a great Kabuto, I'm impressed by the state it's in, the lacquer has been holding on really well!

I finally received it. Don't know if the pics I managed to take are of a better quality, but here they are anyways. It does feel like the scratches are a voluntary design, especially when compared to the other smaller scratches and bumps that are due to actual damage. The metal is remarkably thin, most of the other kiseru I've seen were twice as thick on the bowl and mouth part, and there is no solid silver mark. I tried to put a magnet on it, and it doesn't seem magnetized, so I can rule out stainless steel and nickel. My guess is either chrome or silver plated brass ? As I said previously, I don't know much about chrome in general especially when it isn't brand new. Had a smoke with it, it works well. Yes, the design is really fun, there's a lot of variety with different length and width, some are heavily decorated and others are even usable as weapons. This one has a rather normal design, but you can find some vermilion lacquered ones that will really give off that party popper feel

Wasn't that O-Yoroi even more expensive ? 50-100k USD sounds more in line with traditionally made European full plate armors (be it Gothic or Italian), price-wise. On the other hand, I wouldn't be surprised to see something go for 500k either depending on what is being done due to the toxicity of Urushi and the techniques needed for reinforcing the armor with steel and iron. I feel like a traditionally made and tested Tameshi Gusoku would get expensive too. I don't follow much of the huge auctions, what explains the huge rise in price for these sets, was it the Historical value or were there still overvalued ?

Coincidentally, I happened to contact David Thatcher that very morning, I've always been impressed by his work and have been planning on visiting his museum as I'll have to stay in the UK for a few weeks for my studies, there are questions that I'd like to ask him in person, including the concept of accurate Gendai armors. I wonder if he's ever been commissionned to craft one from scratch. Buying old and restoring seems like the best compromise overall, though if I ever become obscenely rich, I'll try having a full set made. I hadn't thought about buying an already made modern set, though, as that sounds like a good compromise too, though I can't imagine it to be the same price as antiques if the cost of making is so high. I mainly hope that more armorers will learn those skills in the future, as it feels like we're at a point where it could be lost to History since traditional katchushi are so few nowadays. Thank you for your answer !

Sorry, I added my first name (I'm often uneasy about since it's an uncommon one so I get found out easily) I hope, as others said, it's not Miura Hiromichi since he died, but then again it seems that even in Japan, Katchushi are really scarce. As for the 500k, I suppose it's in USD rather than in yen, but at least I know how much I'll need to set aside if I win it big at some point. Contacting the Ministry sounds like an interesting path to follow. I've seen Yabusame riders wearing O-Yoroi, and some Tosei Gusoku outside of the usual outfit, do we know who made them ? Thank you for your answer !

Yes, the photos aren't really hi-res, I'll try to get better ones once I receive it. I'm unsure about Chrome as I've only seen brand-new ones made with Chrome (so I'm unsure about the feel when it's an used one). Solid silver would be cool but for the price, it'd be too good to be true and I haven't been able to see markings indicating it. At best I feel like it's plated silver ? The patterns are what have been making me scratch my head, here's a better picture for the mouthpiece. Some of it feels like scratches but also feels like design, indentations are very regular in size and width but some of the stuff also feels like peeling. I paid about 60 bucks for it (without taking shipping into account) which isn't that expensive for an antique one though I've seen cheaper too. The rau is the bamboo part of it, and Kiseru made with a bamboo tube and metal fittings can be called "rau-kiseru" Also that's awesome ! I've rarely seen people actually smoke those, but I find it to be better than smoking cigarettes, and more practical too. Thanks for your answer !

Hello, I just bought an Antique Kiseru, I was looking for another one as the one I use is hell to clean, and I found one that appears old yet functional. I figured I'd take it, as I really liked the pattern and look of it, but I have a hard time figuring its age. It's a rau kiseru, and the metal feels old (I have another one that's quite old, and the metal has the same kind of texture, but the bamboo rau has lots of splits making it unusable), but the rau on this one appears to be in a really good state. I also have a hard time figuring what the metal is, though my main guess is that it's brass or bronze, plated with something else. The overall appearance is giving me a hard time figuring how old it would be. Here are a few pics as I'd be interest in others' opinions.

That's so strange though. Strangest thing is that you can get an Antique set and have it restored for less than some innacurate Gendai sets. Or sometimes, even really well preserved (like pristine condition) sets go on auctions for less than the average price of a Marutake set. I have a hard time wrapping my head around that fact.