Jump to content

Good evening all, just joined up!

h1st0ryhunter
 Share

Recommended Posts

h1st0ryhunter Apprentice

h1st0ryhunter

Posted
Posted

Hi everyone, just joined this site because having viewed several posts as a guest, I felt that this was the place to be to find friendly information regarding the collecting, understanding and appreciation of Japanese swords. I have absolutely zero interest in the financial value of a blade. I only wish to further my grossly inadequate knowledge in order to make informed purchasing decisions in the future.

 

Brief history: I have learned (probably to my cost), that buying a Japanese blade as a beginner is rather like placing your hand in a pool of piranha fish and hoping they've already been fed! There is a wealth of information to be found on the web, but its still easy to be caught out by those who feed on people such as myself who are, or have been, keen to buy but slow to learn.

I do have a few swords which I have purchased over the years (more on that later), but have decided to go back to the beginning and start all over again by reading books and taking advice from genuine and sincere collectors who can offer honest advice.

 

I did belong to the Token Society of Great Britain (yes, I'm a Brit but I'm sure you'll accommodate that), but felt like a minnow amongst whales due to my inexperience. I intend to re-join the society, but only once I have gained sufficient knowledge to stand my ground. It is my humble opinion that there is no such thing as a stupid question when learning. If you don't ask....you won't learn. If some of the questions I may ask on this forum appear silly, please bear with me because I wish to learn, and learning is best achieved when you have confidence in your teachers.

 

Having been a professional photographer for over 14 years, it gives me immeasurable joy to be able to take a complete novice and encourage them to ask any question they like and give them an answer which not only improves their photography, but leaves them feeling that they were comfortable asking. Treating people in this manner has made them ask more, experiment more and produce constantly improving results. Hopefully they will go on to become far better photographers than me and then use their knowledge to instill in others a similar desire to learn and confidence to ask.

 

One of my greatest concerns has been the understanding and translating of NBTKH/NTHK papers. I have asked assistance from many sources in the past and received zero response. After much searching I have now found a wonderful gentleman/collector/author in Europe who has helped me enormously with not only translating the one and only NTHK paper that I have, but also answering my questions about swordsmiths. He will always have my gratitude.

 

So, back to the swords I mentioned earlier that I already own. I have four Katana and one Waki. Of the 4 Katana, one is mumei, attributed to Ishido Teruhide by the NTHK and is a relatively modern 20th C blade. The blade is wonderful and I seriously enjoy looking at it, but the fittings are mismatched so I discount them. The remaining 3 Katana are, I believe, Gunto, but I will post pictures and ask opinions as I believe the blades are machine made, but require confirmation.

 

My Waki is signed San Jo Yoshi Nori, but I think its probably gimei, as I understand so many are! The Nakago has been cleaned (not by me), and that's not a good sign. I got the signature by trawling through Hawleys vol 1 and 2. I was pointed in the right direction but I'm still not sure of its authenticity. Blade is not papered.

 

So there you have it. I really hope to enjoy being part of this forum and learning as much as I can. All I ask is your assistance.

With kindest regards

David

Dr Fox Mentor

Dr Fox

Posted
Posted

Welcome to you David from Wales.

I encourage you to rejoin the Token, Mr Clive Sinclair has been of great help to me and always ready to assist.

h1st0ryhunter Apprentice

h1st0ryhunter

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Welcome David. There are a lot of decent helpful members here and all are ready to help.

I'm sure you will learn lots and have fun,

 

Thank-you George. Yes, I can see that this is a very helpful forum and I will be posting a few bits very soon. Glad to be aboard! :D

Pete Klein Grand Master

Pete Klein

Posted
Posted

Welcome David. I hope you stay the course as it can be a most difficult study but becomes quite rewarding with time. I never regret my getting involved -- except, possibly financially! LOL

 

One thing I will advise:

 

I intend to re-join the society, but only once I have gained sufficient knowledge to stand my ground.

 

Please, don't wait. It's better to learn from scratch from knowledgeable practitioners than to have to re-learn due to incorrect information. Something I learned from my lengthy educational process was that every four years I became a 'Freshman' again...! LOL

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one, unless your post is really relevant and adds to the topic..

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...