A Second Look, Regrets?

[Alex A]

Anyone ever dismiss a sword (or tosogu) when you were less experienced, but then years later wish you could take a second look?

 

Every so often I think about a katana I had in my possession for a brief moment, dismissed it, mainly because I became obsessed with owning a blade with hozen papers.

 

Looking back though, may have been a very interesting blade indeed, signed Koto, nice Edo koshirae with a wonderful tsuba. 

 

I do wonder.

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Nobody has no regrets ...

[Alex A]

True, me thinking out loud, as usual.

 

Was hoping some of the long term collectors may have a few tales to tell, or regrets, as you state.

 

Maybe "regrets" was a more fitting title.

[Jamie]

 

Yeah sure. A few really nice blades have slipped through my fingers. However I just recently picked up a daito from my favorite school in my favorite style. Had I bought the others I'm referring to, I wouldn't have been able to commit to this one when it came available.

[SteveM]

Regrets in both directions....

 

I should not have bought the mediocre pieces that I bought when I was first starting out, but I had more money than sense at the time and convinced myself (easily) they were good purchases. I enjoyed them in my newbiedom, but now I look at them with more experienced eyes and wished I would have had more knowledge or wisdom or patience when I was an early student of these things. 

 

Recently, I kind of regret not buying the exquisite tsuba I saw at the DTI. 

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Many,many years ago I was offered of two blades. A short Shinto Wakizashi by a Chusaku, Shoshin (Noshu no Seki Kanekado) but a little tired nothwithstanding was not so ancient., and a Shinshinto Tanto as Gimei as possible. This Tanto had a fantastic Horimono, the five poets on one side and a poetry in sosho on the other side. The blade was too shiny but quiet well forged with suguha and activities, ubuha. Both blades in Shirasaya. I decided for the tired but shoshin wakizashi. Now every time I read the good old Stephen's mantra "buy the blade, not the signature", I regret of my choice.

[Brian]

One of the most beautiful naginatas I have ever seen. Bought it off "Mackstar" on eBay, and it has the cleanest and most perfect lines I have ever seen.
Traded it to someone while blinded by a fairly average horimono on a likely wartime gendai Sadakatsu gimei.
My aim is still to find one with such perfect lines and perfectly cut hi. Still kicking myself. Roger, I want it back!

[Jamie]

I have a nambokucho naginata naoshi with very good lines and good hi. the hi are slightly polished into but it's in remarkable shape for such an old blade.

[Surfson]

I had a chance to buy a big, mounted katana signed Kawachi no Kami Kunisuke - naka Kawachi, the big guy.  Apparently everybody at the show had passed on it saying it was gimei.  I wanted to buy it but it would have depleted my funds completely at $10K.  The  guy who bought it sent it to Japan and it papered.   He sold it for $135K as I recall.  Big regret!

[cuttingedge59]

regrets no but if things could be different 

Then I would not have brought the mounted papered tachi with poorly done new mounts by a certain American polisher ( used only as a description not fact ) who turned out to be a fraud.

 

I would have brought the mounted katana that the e-bay dealer had when I brought his listed wakizashi in new polish fully mounted in matched mounts .

The wakizashi turned out to be very good as I suspect was his Jumyo katana.

 

Chris NZ

[Pete Klein]

Well, sometimes it all works out.  Many years ago, there was a kozuka I wanted at Ginza Choshuya but as I had a lot of irons in the fire at the time I procrastinated until a friend ended up purchasing it.  It went far away and I figured it was gone for good as the new owner pretty much said he was never going to sell it.  I asked him if he 'EVER' decided to let it go to please ask me first.  Well, all these years later, I received an e-mail last weekend and today, Christmas Eve, I received that kozuka all the way from Australia, the best Christmas present ever:

 

[Stephen]

I love them warm fuzzy Christmas stories, wiping a eye. Congrats Pete!!

[Jean]

Yes, I love these stories. My last purchase, a yoroi doshi, went through French customs Friday think that thank to USPS, it went from a town in Minnesota to Philadelphia then to France before departing to Ireland then back to Philadelphia and back to France to pass Customs on Christmas eve

[Stephen]

Jean LOL what a story it could tell

[Jean]

It was forged under a wandering star (not unlike Lee Marvin)

[Pete Klein]

Mercury???

[Gokaden]

Mine would be a 30 inch katana by Kanemachi (a lesser Mino smith) but the sword just flew by my hands and later on I regret not keeping it! I remember it had a large fukure on one

side.

 

I love the Mino aspect where blades can be a little "dirty" but they are still weapons and wery effective in man-to-man combat where a Taima or Ichimonji heirloom would never be used, these where swords used to be made to be "dirty"....

 

http://www.sho-shin.com/zenjo.html

[Stephen]

not a regret other than i wish i had found this when active, one of the nicer bone saya tanto iv seen of late. 

 

http://www.collect-sell.com/product/bone-tanto/

[Brian]

not a regret other than i wish i had found this when active, one of the nicer bone saya tanto iv seen of late. 

 

http://www.collect-sell.com/product/bone-tanto/

Are you trying to make me depressed?

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Not depressed at new year's eve ...

[Pete Klein]

ROFLMAO!!!