Tohagi

With a very humble opinion on this topic, If you will only pratice iaï, you should choose a lite sword with good balance (some funbari and 7mm at the moto-kasane vs 4.5mm saki-kasane) à bohi will give a lite, fast, and whistleling blade. For tameshigiri you will probably search for speed at the mono-uchi. A heavy blade is hell for the shoulders after some years of pratice... A Japanese shinken is an expensive choice...

Another point was... there was no artificial light to "observe" utsuri. Most token teachers had to wait for proper light (dawn? ) once a day. Still utsuri seems to have been à well mastered process in Bizen...

A usefull tip to evaluate normalisation tempreature is hearing the snap when touching with wet fingers in various parts of the blade. Very impressive when à traditional smith do so... Eric VD

IMHO: a Shingon prier ... In Vajrayana, Aizen Myoo is the irritated version of Vairocana, the great sun of wisdom... Kokuzo bosatsu is also à great bodhisatva from vajrayana, Seishi bosatsu is, with Amithaba, one of the 3 great saints of Ouest, from the "pure earth" (ground) buddhism. The full moon and crescent moon is a direct allusion of Shigon doctrine of the "Shape of the mind (spirit)" being allways full moon even if showing crescent or hidden by clouds... You often see this symbolic at Koya San... Same for the habaki, beautifull by the way... Best regards, Eric

First bonji: Dainichinyorai The great sun of Buddha Second: kokuuzou bosatsu Third: seishi bosatsu Ura: Aizen Myouoh

Very unusual mounting (for Ken shaped) and fantastic tanto! Are you sure it's not a Yari? Congratulations !

... I've heard about short swords intended to be used indoor and quite straight to stab the oponent in tsuki mode... Apparently a myth so...

Hopes the Iga and Koga will do something about this My question about ninjato "papered" Hozon was half serious. Any one heard or see (or posses ) such a blade ?

Hello Charles, You probably mean Sanscrit (bonji), the automatic corrector is making mess on me too... Welcome on NMB Best regards, Eric

I use to do so (with cooking paper) when i put a decent tsuba on a pratice sword to avoïd the wear off... not very orthodoxe thow. Best regards, Eric

Is there any authentique Ninjato registred by NBTHK? And by the way, could be nihonto token considered as a religion?

...Old Sokaku Takeda was known (and feared) for throwing metalic chopsticks with great accuracy (sometimes even to his pupills during the meal). But I agree kozuka are terrible throwing weapons...

This is a terrible news for anyone cherrishing Japanese art. I didn't had the opportunity to cross his path...and it is a loss for me. Usually you can see a man by the way he lived...and die. He died as a fighter on bove feets, waiting for what he had search part of his life. That's a gentleman ! Rest in peace Sir Jeremiah.

Hello, As stated above, The scratch being paralel to the mune, it's probably a drawing issue with a hard dust in the scabbard. That scratch is thick and dark, did anyone use sandpaper to adjust the saya? Could come from that...

In Europe you could add 2 Togishi: - Massicot Rossi (Italy) - Zenon Vandamme (Belgium) They are often overbooked, but is a good thing if they can have a look and give an advise... For tosogu : Roman Urban (Tchecoslovaquia) many very good people in GB too... Best regards, Eric

Difficult to say: In full polish, without flaws and daito length but without paper, maybe some 4k With papers, i will depend of the attribution...

Hello, Just finish reading and ... very found of this approach! Instructive, funny, really catching ! You are a fantastic story teller and teacher. I will enjoy reading more. Thank you very much, Eric

...for that money, pay the other side and keep this nice little sword.

Yes it's a pitty to have left this blade uncared! Please do not try to clean it up and show it to somebody who knows. Best regards, Eric

Nice tsuba and good mountings, are you sure this is a "bring back"? Looks quite modern to me ...

Very nice. The left one reminds me a Mito ushikoshi tsuba I have: same shape, shakudo and delicate composition.

With a very carefull guess, I think you still have half a mm of hamon at the tip. I though it completely run out. It is clearly a broken reshaped kissaki but maybe not a fatal flaw. You have a very nice and interesting blade with some issues.

Could you post definitive dates and place? Thank you, Eric

Really a beautifull blade, I think it could be earlier than shinto to... I did find the fukure, where is it ?

very sorry...