MJS

Thanks everyone! I had not expected so many replies in such a short time. There are several good ideas (though I'll skip the aquarium for now), so hopefully I'll be more successful tomorrow.

Thanks Ted. This afternoon I saw the use of an atekizuchi in a video by Moses Becerra. He uses it while holding the tsuka in a vertical position, but putting the naginata on a bed is a great idea! Now I'm off to find myself a suitable wooden hammer.

Hi all, Today I tried to remove a naginata blade from its tsuka for maintenance, but it is quite stuck. I am very reluctant to use any force. The blade is sharp on both sides (see the image, is this called otoshi zukuri? What kind?). We've had an extended dry period here in The Netherlands, with a bit of rain only the last few days. Is it possible that the dryness is causing this problem? If so, what is the safest way to add enough humidity so that the blade can be removed again? Thanks, Mark

For Holland: I am a newbie, so I called Customs. They said I would have to pay regular BTW (19%? Strange, we'll see!), no import duties and that I should mention code 9706.0000.90. I'll let you know how it goes and ::edit:: the post! Mark

Hello everyone, My name is Mark Stoutjesdijk, I live in The Netherlands with my wife and two young sons. I'm a few months shy of 40 years old. I developed an interest in nihonto in a rather indirect way, so let me try to explain in a few words. I've been practicing martial arts on and off for about two decades. During the late 90's and for the last year, I've been studying the bujinkan of soke Masaaki Hatsumi. Through an interest in the history of ninjutsu and its place in the Japanese society of days long past, I inevitably came to read about the samurai and their way of life. The subject of their famous blades was of course just a small step further. As I am sure the members of this Board will understand, I was immediately hooked on the incredible beauty, historical value and powerful presence of these weapons. At this moment, my collection consists of only one tsuba (but a beautiful one, for sure -- thanks Martin, it arrived today ). I'm interested mostly in weapons (and fittings!) that have a relation to the Bujinkan, which unfortunately is pretty much anything. I will have to find a way to narrow it down a bit, but have no doubt that time will show me the way. I'm very happy to have found this board, and am very impressed by the knowledge and friendliness that is found all over! Cheers, Mark

Thank you Henry and Paul. I have been looking into local meetings etc, and so far I have found the Dutch society which is mentioned in the links section of this great message board. It looks like I just missed their last meeting. Mark

Hello everyone, I've just started to read up on Japanese swords and other weapons. It's a fascinating subject to read about. So many beautiful pictures, and so many interesting histories. One of the more difficult things for me to understand is the large volume of fittings that are traded. I get a feeling that during the life span of many a blade, some or all of the fittings were changed once or even more times. I would like to understand what that means from a collector's point of view. Could someone point me in the right direction? How does a change of tsuba affect the value (in the broadest sense of the word) of a blade, for example? Or, if I would acquire just a blade, what to look for next? Could I choose any shirasaya from about the same time period that I like, or.... So many questions! :? Thanks! Mark