Bazza Posted April 23, 2015 Report Posted April 23, 2015 37 years ago I acquired a Shinshinto katana with a distressed, though original handachi koshirae. The blade had an overcoat of rust and the edge had several chips, however I was convinced there was potential hidden underneath all this. I feel that my patience and careful study have now been rewarded after all these years holding onto this sword. It’s finally been polished and I'm deeply impressed with what has been revealed, I wanted to share it with everyone here on the board. It was polished by Andrew Ickeringill, whose hard years training in Japan have obviously paid off, he did a tremendous job. Andrew also photographed the sword and gave it a write-up on his website, here's the direct link: http://touken-togishi.com/hyakuryushi-nagashige/ Enjoy! Best regards, Barry Thomas aka BaZZa. Quote
Brian Posted April 23, 2015 Report Posted April 23, 2015 Congrats Bazza, a fine looking sword! What a beautiful polishing job! Andrew is a heck of an asset to Australian collectors. Those are a perfect example to compare with some of the hack jobs being done by people who frequent facebook and eBay and think they can polish. Stunning. I think you should post that nakago in the translation section, as I am pretty sure Morita san can give you a definitive translation. Thanks for sharing and well done to Andrew. Brian Quote
BIG Posted April 23, 2015 Report Posted April 23, 2015 Hi Barry, Fine masterwork by a Not so well known Smith ! Isn't it a torture waiting centuries and finally find treasures ? Best Regards Quote
Kronos Posted April 23, 2015 Report Posted April 23, 2015 Thanks for sharing, that is a wonderful polish that really brings out the qualities of a fine sword. I can easily see Andrew becoming the first western mukansa before too long. Just out of interest do you know what his waiting times are like, or were when you arranged the polish? Quote
Rich Thomas Posted April 23, 2015 Report Posted April 23, 2015 Hey Bazza, Sooooo, when Andrew stopped in at Al's on the way back to Melbourne he had this sword with him...he allowed us a quick look, as rightly so he was really proud of this polish, and pretty much blown away by the sword. It's beautiful. This is the best shinshinto I've seen in hand. Congratulations mate stunning. The polish is first class, the lines perfect, he is a real talent. cheers RichT 1 Quote
cisco-san Posted April 23, 2015 Report Posted April 23, 2015 Dear Barry, wow - really nice blade and polish seems great too!! kind Regards fomr Austria Klaus Quote
Toryu2020 Posted April 23, 2015 Report Posted April 23, 2015 always said you were a lucky old Bazza! any other before shots? the results there are wonderful, -t Quote
Jim P Posted April 24, 2015 Report Posted April 24, 2015 Hi Bazza, 37 years now that's perseverance ! When I had a look at this sword in hand a few weeks ago, I was thinking nice sword! but looking at Andrew's photos its a lot better than nice I don't know about some of the other guys but my eyes are not what they used to be and sometimes I need photos so I can really see, this was one of those times Congratulations to you and Andrew, I think Brian and RichT said it all and things can only get better Quote
paulb Posted April 24, 2015 Report Posted April 24, 2015 Well done Barry and especially Andrew. It realy is a beautiful piece and the polish looks fantastic you are rightly proud of it. When I met Andrew in Japan last October we discussed the merit of sending swords from Europe to Australia as an alternative to getting tied up in the logisitical and communication issues some have experienced in Japan. The evidence of this work makes it look like a very real alternative I look forward to seeing more examples of your work in the future Best regards Paul Quote
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