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Posted

Sorry if this sounds offensive, but judging a polish from looking at pictures is like learning brain surgery from watching a couple of episodes of House, MD. I, too, thought I figured it all out, but now I have a hard time disposing of the bodies ...

Posted
Sorry if this sounds offensive, but judging a polish from looking at pictures is like learning brain surgery from watching a couple of episodes of House, MD. I, too, thought I figured it all out, but now I have a hard time disposing of the bodies ...

 

 

I too have made this point here many times, though my explanations have lacked the impact of a graphic analogy....well said.... :beer:

Posted

True, but, some photographers can really show the activities well. It has a lot to do with their skill too. For some, those pics will be as close as they come. The above pics although not showing to the ultimate advantage do indeed show characteristics that are illustrative. John

Posted

Does not sound offensive at all.

 

Of course you can better judge any polish with the sword in your own hands and with your own eyes under good lighting.

 

However, not all of us have that chance.

 

I for one am happy that I can view and enjoy both his work as well as that of Yoshihiko Usuki sensei online.

 

And compared with others (both good but sadly also many hacks) in the field in our region and the US of A I think that not much more really needs to be said about what you cannot see. We all know that difference on here.

 

KM

Posted
However, not all of us have that chance.

 

I for one am happy that I can view and enjoy ... online.

You could have the chance to look in hand at many first rate swords on a regular basis by joining the European branch of the NBTHK. Leiden isn't that far from Bonn where most meetings take place.
Posted
You could have the chance to look in hand at many first rate swords on a regular basis by joining the European branch of the NBTHK

 

My nihonto journey didn't truly begin until 21 years ago when a short enthusiastic Chinese fellow sitting behind a Japanese sword club display table talked me into and in fact insisted that I should attend a nihonto study club meeting that evening. The meeting as it turned out was a kantei session with half a dozen swords displayed of which a number were in excellent polish. Never again does one look at Japanese swords the same way after seeing nihonto in excellent, excellent, polish, first hand.

 

Although there is much that cannot be seen and judged in images of polished swords, it is still always interesting (and appreciated), to see or at least get an impression of a particular sword polisher's interpretation of a sword. It is just as important to be able to begin to judge a sword's polish as the sword itself. Part of this has also been to see how an individual sword polisher's polish changes over time.

 

A reminder that it is only muneyaki if it runs beyond the monouchi, otherwise it is considered just long turn back.

Posted
Right Guido, but it depends if one can afford it, it represents several hundred Euro per year...

 

 

I'm with Guido on this - 1st year it's 220 euro - after that it's only 120 yearly:

 

http://www.nbthk.net/NBTHKe/Membership.html

 

The level of tsuba that was presented last time was astonishing (8 tsuba from the NBTHK book Markus is selling), also every time Juyo or better quality blades to look at. And Herr Hagenbusch is very forthcoming and always willing to help explain the finer points and differences. I've only been there 3-4 times now, but my learning and understanding has taken leaps forward.

Posted

Yes, Guido is right about joining a sword society like the NBTHK or even the Dutch To-Ken society.

 

All true.

 

But some of us just are not there yet financially, me included.

 

Anyway, that is not what this topic was about. It was meant to give a good polisher some attention on here.

 

KM

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