Hello all. Age 26. Long time lurker here (about 5 years). Have been holding my foolish tongue and reading pretty much everything I can digest on Japanese swords and their fittings in that time. Started from complete ignorance and have moved up to a proud current state of mostly ignorant.
My research has consisted mainly of reading and reffing the 'must have' sword books (nagayama et al) and a small collection of auction house catalogues of swords and their fittings I have been acquiring...also reading related posts/articles on this and 'other' online sword based messageboards...
Always watching the auction sites and recording results of work I enjoy. Currently employed in one of the auction houses I collect catalogues from - although we no longer deal in Japanese... (notice has been handed in...lol)
Got into all this through an inexplicable interest in far eastern art and culture from a very young age, which led me to study Japanese martial arts (shotokan and aikido mainly) and then mandarin chinese language at university. Held my first nihonto in an aikido class aged about 17 but then forgot about them (put them out of my mind) for a good 5 years. Not sure exactly what brought the bug on proper, but it 'got me good' and now i think im too far gone...suspect it will be a chronic affliction.
I want to thank everyone who has contributed (and continues to contribute) so much to this website from which I have learned a great deal. It stands as a true example of the greatness of collective expertise and could be a posterboy of why the 'interwebz' are a good thing. Such specialist knowledge is extremely hard to come by and greatly appreciated - thank you all in advance for annoying questions I will pose to the forum. One day I hope to be able to contribute something useful to this community.
Photos and queries to come shortly.
Regards,
