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Aoi have a dedicated iaido section. Here is one without koshirae - http://www.aoijapan.com/katana-omiya-ju ... -tsukuruno but for the price difference you could have a set fitted.

Such an elegant looking sugata and hamon. It probably isn't Kamakura and Rai but looks at least like a nod in that direction as more knowledgeable than I have said. I cant add much to the discussion other than to say on looking at the pics Kamakura and Rai were the first things that popped into my head. What a beauty. If goes to shinsa please post results!

This is great. Thanks Gabriel

Thanks Clem for the YouTube link and everyone else for their interesting insights into this documentary. Would have been good to see some live action shots of you in there Andrew, but congratulations on fatherhood! Regards,

Wishing you a timely recovery, Paul. Best,

Scare stories abound - but since they pretty much gave up on enforcing that toothless legislation which bans "curved blades over 50cm" (gave up because the existing exemptions can be applied to just about any curved blade ever made) I think things are pretty safe; at least until the next knee jerk government response..

Held my breath when I read this and clicked the pic but you did well shizuo, I hate to be a nag but please sign your posts according for forum guidelines.

Good sword and horimono there... congrats on your first buy Aleksandr, very nice choice

Judging by the signature the maker was a zen pun artist with a sense of humor. Either that or I'm projecting.

Gorgeous, goes together a treat! Congrats Jean

Thanks for the upload! That purple same wrap is quite something...with those chartreuse highlights! Wow. Wonder if that is acrylic I really like that other tsuka as well, with the three skin types used. Is that blue same I see in there? '

Saran wrap and mineral oil worked well for me in the past.

Thanks! This is great.... Clem, I believe this water is for the benefit of the wood and lacquer work under those hot lights to prevent them from drying out too much.

That is such a cracking blade Jean

Thanks Brian! Great thread I would love to find a partner (fuchi) for this lovely katana sized Higo kashira. If anyone sees a suitable mate please let me know, I'm willing to offer a reward to the "matchmaker" Regards Edit: Apologies for lack of ruler/exact measurements but this size is for daito mount.

Looks like it would be very good for field dressing deer/boar or cleaning medium sized tuna. I want one.

Vern, that looks like a very nice blade. In order for us to get a scale of its size could you possibly provide measurements? Of most interest would be total length of the blade and tang, then the length of the sharpened edge (this is measured from tip of the blade to base of habaki in a straight line). Thickness and width would be interesting also! Real, and original for sure, should be very nice indeed after professional restoration.

Any chance of some more detailed shots of the blade? Best,

Tsunami ito (fake leather) has been good to me and has lasted quite a few seasons now.

Beautiful tanto. Nice find!

Dear All, Thanks for the replies. I thought I would leave it a bit before I elaborated on what I personally think this would be best for... Habaki have been mentioned...I can't comment on tolerances here. I was initially thinking more along the lines of say, a blade that required a new tsuka, one could scan the nakago with the habaki in place and voila - one has a "blank" for shipping around with minimal weight, cost/insurance and worry. I then got to thinking that perhaps a nakago would not be enough blade for a sayashi to work with, in which case a whole mock blade could be sent, but obviously the best situation would be where we could simply email a 3D model of our blade directly to craftsmen who have their own printers. Chris get your guys on the case!

Hi Peter, I have always taken his to be the closest succinct description (conveniently found on Wikipedia): What I have extrapolated from this is: aikuchi are without tsuba in order for them to be worn closer to the body. This can be desirable for the wearer in certain situations with or without armour. The aikuchi "style" and its development are linked to both use of armour and court fashion. Reading between the lines, it may be easier to quickly draw an aikuchi mounted blade when worn close to the body by virtue of the fact that it has no guard to catch on loose clothing, armor, or nearby objects. Swords like this are also marginally easier to conceal under clothing.

Dear Sirs, forgive me if this is a repeat. I have used the search function and despite adding a + can not get the system to search the term "3D scanner". My idea is as follows, there are now readily available for hire or purchase, hand held 3D scanners capable of producing scans accurate to within 0.1mm, as well as 3D printers capable of reproducing these scans in a tough plastic resin. (There is also a plethora of 3d image editing software for edits to the models etc... ) Does this mean we can now print copies of our swords (or simply the 3d scans themselves) and send them off to have koshirae made without the worry/cost/hassle/lack of control entailed in mailing valuable blades all over the world? If not today then very soon? Just a happy thought Has anyone experimented with this yet?

I believe a rice paper wrap is often used to stop sweat and oils messing up the Ho wood finish on shirasaya. It looks like a diagonal wrap, like a napkin rolled around a french loaf :D Im not sure how the Japanese did it exactly but you could make a rudimentary one which could be fastened discreetly with a small amount of sellotape. How it looks in the end will depend on the level of your freestyle wrapping skills I like Barry's suggestion too.

I think it is always interesting to hear the personal reasons people have for wanting work by a specific smith. They are not always obvious, there are often nuances and the topic often strays into the very personal and subjective opinions of the collector. For me that's rather fascinating.