Tokubetsu Curiosity

[Ooitame]

Hi everyone, I have read a few things about shinsa and what makes a blade worthy of each level. However, most items regarding the topic are very general. I am wondering what this community thinks or has expereinced relating to what will lift a blade to Tokubetsu?

 

Eric

[Fuuten]

As far as the subjectivity of personal viewing of these items, i thought the requirements for at least the NBTHK were pretty straightforward (with some exceptions as to every rule). The text is in a bunch of different places but for instance here: http://nbthk-ab.org/Standards.html

 

It would be easier judging on a case by case basis, if you have an item in mind.

[Ooitame]

Hi Alex, I thought for 2017 the rules changed? That is a fair point. Here is an item I recently purchased and am on the fence about submitting at this level http://www.sword-auction.jp/en/content/as17539-脇差：奥州会津住三善政長3代-wakizashi-ousyu-aizu-jyu-miyoshi-masanaga-3rd-generation

[Fuuten]

Hi Alex, I thought for 2017 the rules changed? That is a fair point. Here is an item I recently purchased and am on the fence about submitting at this level http://www.sword-auction.jp/en/content/as17539-脇差：奥州会津住三善政長3代-wakizashi-ousyu-aizu-jyu-miyoshi-masanaga-3rd-generation

 

Hi Eric,

 

That's quite a pleasing looking hada! Something that definitely speaks to me.

 

I would accept the guarantee on Hozon Aoi offers. On Tokubetsu hozon I can't really offer any help as i'm not experienced with dealing with the NBTHK. Also i wasn't aware of any specific changes for 2017. Sorry

[Ooitame]

That's quite a pleasing looking hada! Something that definitely speaks to me

I agree, it did to me as well; one of the bigger reasons for the purchase.

I would accept the guarantee on Hozon Aoi offers. On Tokubetsu hozon I can't really offer any help as i'm not experienced with dealing with the NBTHK. 

I have accepted his word and submitted for hozon. Who are you experienced in dealing with?

 

I am trying to get others wisdom in this area and gague whether or not to have it submitted at a higher level. Of course with just pictures it may be impossible, but worth the ask...

[Guest Rayhan]

Hi Eric

 

Your Wakizashi is ubu and zaimei, looks to be in good polish with healthy measurements. It is a good candidate for Tokubetsu Hozon as long as there are no major ware.

 

The saya looks to be modern but if it is Edo period then would also be a Hozon candidate (this is a gamble for koshirae but yours looks good as long as it of the Shinto or shinshinto). It is however missing a kozuka which would impact that decision a bit.

 

Give the blade a go at Tokubetsu

 

Ray

[Vermithrax16]

If Aoi is submitting for Hozon, you can double send for TH for an added cost. They may advise you as to the swords chances if you ask them.

[TheGermanBastard]

should get tbh ... BUT not sure if it is worth the extra $$$ ... i think tbh used to be rather superficial as hozon would give you the same attributiion / validation as tbh ... but now itb is needed if wanting to go for juyo ... in my oppinion a mean to simply generate more profit without reason

[J Reid]

As far as I understand, in order to pass tokubetsu hozon, the blade needs to be an above average work along with all of the general requirements. This is a nice blade, but to be honest, I see the hada has some somewhat slag-ish areas and the polish is good, but also -average. The polishers overall skill is detected by his burnishing marks under the habaki. Could affect the outcome. imo.

[Guido]

 ... in my oppinion a mean to simply generate more profit without reason

 

What's wrong with generating profit? Do *you* work for free? Besides, it's not a privately owned business but an educational institution, the profit doesn't make the president richer or pays for a luxury lifestyle of the NBTHK officers, the money is used

 

to preserve all Japanese Art Swords, as well as to educate those who are interested in learning about these special blades and their mountings.

 

 

Going through tbh first also acts as a buffer for jūyō shinsa - you just have to look around on this board to realize how many people have no idea about judging the quality of a blade or fitting, assuming jūyō is some kind of lottery with a (barely achieved) hozon paper as the entry ticket.

 

[J Reid]

Going through tbh first also acts as a buffer for jūyō shinsa .

Agreed. IMO.. The blade must be good enough for juyo submission to even be considered good enough for submitting for tokubetsu hozon. However, once it passes tokubetsu hozon its a whole new ball game for juyo. Darcy has gone in depth about passing juyo many times before.

[TheGermanBastard]

> What's wrong with generating profit? Do *you* work for free?

 

No I do not work for free. Atleast not if your are talking to me as a professional in my field of expertice. Then you are talking to me business.

 

> Besides, it's not a privately owned business but an educational institution, the profit doesn't make the president richer or pays for a luxury lifestyle of the NBTHK officers, the money is used

 

So we have an educational organizations that tries to generate profit. As per your posting.

 

This is absolutely fine with me as an educational organization which is not atleast breaking even will run out of "business" and thus become disfunctional ... I would love to see Amnesty Interational or Docotors without Frontiers generate huge profits - to fund their good doings ... but if the organization operates so well based on its fees that it commulates profit, one may ask if it is still an organization or a business .. or something in between? I do not know the anually reports of the NBTHK and what they spend their money on. I just know their fees and the time consumed for a Shinsa ... and that they are not Amnesty.

 

I wrote in a different post that I do believe information will often have its price and that for example books on Nihonto like from Markus Sesko and many other enthusiasts are rather cheaply priced given the time and effort.

 

So if I look up the hourly salary of a university professor for a lecture I would like to think the fees of that educational organization called NBTHK are not on the bottom but rather on the top ... for whatever purpose they may serve.

 

Don't get me wrong I am just the unpleasent jerk who is doubtull about everything ... and whenever an institution asks money for some oppinion one has the right to ask questions.

 

> ... assuming jūyō is some kind of lottery with a (barely achieved) hozon paper as the entry ticket.

 

Maybe things have changed so correct me if I am wrong ... from what I remember a Hozon paper used to be an entry "ticket" but prices have risen recently as you now need a more ring side ticket that they call TBH and that is about twice that expensive to get ready to rumble. While we shall not call it a lottery we call it a competition ... everybody throws in his stuff for the great battle royal and depending on which competitor show up on that day you may be more or less competative with your ticket - the unknowledgeable ignoarant guy blantly would call this luck ... and if he is not having a  lucky day it is common knowledge that he is adviced to try again next time, and maybe some more.  Depending on his fortune (sorry I don't find any better word - eventhough I tried hard) he may stand better chances then and win the great price: a highly educational certificate (since this is only about education and not business).

 

I think the TBH roundtrip for a blade is currenty around 750.00 - 1000.00 for a Gaijin, counting in fees, postage and agent handling fee ... Gosh, you can get some pretty entertainings stuff spending close to 1k! I am rather in for the food and drinks!

 

So let's get ready to rumble.

[Guido]

 

 

[TheGermanBastard]

If one has no idea it sometimes helps to think harder Sometimes.

 

But I'd take the pancake anyway. I do love pancakes. Thank you.

 

Anyway, back on the original topic ...

 

@ Ooitame: Please let us know about the Shinsa result also case you decide to go at TBH ... again cosinder how many pancakes the additional shinsa cost would buy you and if they will be again on the table when sellig the sword with the eventually updated TBH paper.

 

Good luck and look forward to hearing about the results.

[Jean]

Look at Darcy’s blog. There is a circle diagram related to the kanteisho. There is a huge range of TH blades, from the ones which barely pass to the ones which are Juyo level but won’t pass because not submitted....

[paulb]

We do seem to rumble round this topic regularly and here we are at the start of the year and it surfaces again. 

The submission rules did change a couple of years ago and it was no longer possible to go directly from Hozon to Juyo submission without first being passed tokubetsu Hozon.

At the time there was muttering about it being a money making scheme and trying to take advantage of foreigners etc. I think the reality was as Guido states in his post that it created a much needed buffer between Hozon and Juyo.

Over recent years there has been a considerable increase in the number of swords being submitted for shinsa. Without being rude it is also true, I think, that the level of knowledge about swords and the understanding of the shinsa process has decreased. There has also been an increase in dependency on papers when buying (how many people here need a sword to be papered before considering buying?) which has resulted in a huge increase in overseas submissions. This combination of higher volume and direct route from Hozon to Juyo created an unsustainable situation so there needed to be a filter. Requiring TH prior to Juyo submission was a simple and effective way to do it.

Since this change it has been suggested that it is now more difficult to obtain Tokubetsu Hozon but easier to go from TH to Juyo. I am not sure if either of these points are true but I am guessing that if the filtering is effective a higher proportion of those being considered for Juyo would pass.

 

I know I have a very biased view on this. I have been a member of the NBTHK for many years and still believe them to be the greatest positive influence in our learning in this field. Do they need to make money? Yes if they are to continues to support education and research as they do. But I believe they are driven first and foremost by their commitment to the sword and teaching people to appreciate its importance and artistic merit. Their decisions and aimed at improving  understanding and offering an efficient service not some cynical attempt to improve profitability.

Nor do I believe Juyo submission to be a lottery. It is the best measure of quality available to us at present and should be valued as such.

 

 

[Guest Rayhan]

The resulting change in parameters for Hozon to TH before Juyo is as Paul says a great buffer but as mentioned many times there are varying levels in each designation. There are poor Hozon candidates and promising ones, the same goes for every level of papering. Going back to the actual request for information on this blade, the chances are promising, is it a juyo level wakizashi (we know Juyo to be difficult for Waki in general) no it is probably not a Juyo candidate now. I say now because age and smith reputation play a critical role in Shinsa so you can have a famous Shinshinto smith hit TH or even Juyo and have a Mumei Hozon Koto blade sit at Hozon forever and not progress any further. I disagree that we are less knowledgeable about the parameters of succession in Shinsa, there is plenty of information and one should study the pass fail candidates yearly to get a good overview of what the outcomes will be in the future and how swords are grouped into pass or fail and promising or simply that's all she wrote. The process of papering up in Shinsa is an intricate one and without judgement to foreigner or not, it is about the sword, Koshirae, etc. 

 

Eric, give it a go or you will never know and you will always ask why. With regards to the additional cost, yes it is included but only if you pass. If it fails your loss was time and this is a game of patience. That is not to say it will not pass at a later date and contrary to what so many say here if you have a good papered sword it hold value, the only barrier to realizing this value is how desperate one is to sell the item, that I cannot comment on but patience is the key to any gain so don't do things outside of your budgets (i know not what that is) and you will always come out on top. Over reach and any endeavour is a loss. 

[TheGermanBastard]

@ Rayhan:

 

You wrote:

 

> if you have a good papered sword it hold value

 

I agree to this but we must then define what is a good sword and what is a good papered sword.

 

The sword in this very post is in my humble oppion is a good but and an average sword at the same time. It is a solid and enjoyable blade (given there is no issue with dropping Hamon as I had originally considered due to the akward lackluster drawing). There are so many good swords out there that may not be a by a famous smith but that are just quality pieces. Then due to this great amount of blades in this kind of quality rooster it makes them also average blades. Blades that are in great numbers.

 

... and that is what arouses a problem in terms of value. if you type in Japanese sword on google or eBay you will be flooded with blades in the average range. Which one to buy then? Well, I'd say theone you like and YOU are fine. But if its gets to re-selling you will need someone who likes this sword just as much or you can only make it more attractive by lowering the price tag.

 

This sword having TBH will make it a bigger investment but at the same time the quality of the blade does not improve. I doubt this investment would be easy to resurface when dropping it again.

 

Just a couple of days ago a Oiya Kunisada TBH in most pristine polish, new Shirasaya, new gold foil Habaki sold for 4600 USD.

 

This sword in the post is currently a 330.000 Yen blade. Upgrading it to TBH you will move it more towards a tier of blades that may be in the same price range but are significantly better in terms or qualiyt and scarceness.

 

So if you pimp up your VW Golf literally putting it in the investment range of a Porsche 911 you will likely have a hard time to retain that value while the Porsche does much easier as it is juts a dfferent type of quality. getting the most expensive sound system in your 20 year old Golf will not put it ahead of all the other 20 year old Golf cars.

 

It is like with many of the 100 - 200 USD Tsuba that you see offered at 400 - 500 USD because they have a Kanteisho. Will they thus remain their value? No, they don't they remain being wirth 100 - 200 USD.

 

I agvree to much what Paul has said ... and yes, there is a growing demand in papers where it makes no sense. You do want to get your painting from a great master confirmed while you enjoy your average landscape painting for what it is ... taht is whaty ou see and like.

[Guest Rayhan]

Dear Luis

 

Hello sir! we must agree that there is a mark difference in what constitutes good and average and the two descriptions are far apart, moreover, they are dependant as you say on the person looking at them. You use the analogy of a VW Golf and the money going into them but we must also consider depreciation and mileage, etc. A good sword will always hold its value if it has Hozon or no Hozon or TH or no Juyo, it is a good Sword and an average sword is just that in the same light.

 

It is never a good idea in my opinion to buy swords on the internet because you like them unless you have seen hundreds of them in hand, since I have then seen so many run to the NMB to complain about why they don't like it after it arrived and was in hand, it happens right. If one truly wants to consider the quality of a sword then get as much information and as many real view pictures in HD and also cycle the scanned images through filters to make an online determination. Yes, much work, but we spend a lot of money on these items. i am sure even after collecting many I will make a few blob mistakes and I have even made mistakes with swords in hand when I was a beginner. 

 

The value of anything with provenance will be higher than that with no provenance and that fact will never change. So unless we are looking at the sword in hand the paper serves its purpose in giving us an indication of the quality. In may cases I have also seen swords with Juyo in the hands of amature collectors (who have means) that have been left to rust, fingerprinted or just not appreciated and so, Juyo no more. 

 

This is not a clear cut cycle, it is about the sword and that is the only thing that matters, papers second. This Waki in question in my heart o hearts I feel is a good candidate, I give it a thumbs up for a try on TH. In 200 years from now if in similar condition will it maybe pass Juyo, who knows, we won't know anyway. Will it sell well with a patient owner who can wait for the right buyer with means to come along in 20 years or 10 years, yes it will. But then again, buy so you can keep not to flip, this is art and antiques, not real estate or vehicles. 

 

This is an Aizu blade with a rich lineage and 1st generation has ties to great teachers, it is almost falls into katana length and healthy measurements, barring any detrimental issue including the judges on the day of TH being in a bad mood what is to say it isn't a good candidate? In the end it is about the other 3rd gen Masanaga that came before it and that won't be many as he is a relatively rare smith that does not crop up often. 

[TheGermanBastard]

Hello Rayhan,

 

first of all I said that I consider this blades to be likely to received TBH and to be a good, solid blade. BUT I offered the question wheter it makes sense to get TBH for this blade. Everybody is to have his own oppinion on this. I would vote against it since I do not think it is an economically wise decision. What other purpose whoever should the paper serve than an economic poibnt of sales argument? If it is just for enjoying the blade you do not need any paper at all. If you need to confirm it is healthy and the signature is legit then Hozon or a NTHK Kanteisho is all it takes. As far as the signature goes I see no reason to question it.

 

However I do not agree to you in some other aspects. A good sword will not necessarily hold its value. An excellent sword more likely does.

 

Masamune and Kiyomara are most probably the two highest selling smithes and will likely always be.

 

But talk again to some guys who bought some pretty good Juyo class blades in th 40 - 50k range back when the Japanese market was not open to Westeners like it is these days and the very same swords would now be 25k - 30k. so did these way above average swords hold their value? No they did not. There are always ups and downs in the Antiques / Art market.

 

While here again I have to clearly say that an average Japanese sword is not to be confused with the concept of ART. It is more of an antique than a piece of Art.

 

This may satisfy you. I am a sociologist and having a hard time predicting what is likely going to happen tomorrow. If you enjoy predicting what might happen in 200 years then that's fine. I am more the person who likes to consider what is today and thinks hard what might be tomorrow. What happens after I pass I don't care but for enviormental issues. Hence I am a greenpeace member and not one of the NBTHK.

 

Today I see hardly any Juyo token level Wakizashi. Especially not from Muromachi periode or later.  Today I think that an average sword is just hard to sell as there are so many average blades available - otherwise it would not be called average.

 

Aside from that, and it is just my personal oppinion, I can not follow up on your advice to get literally thousands of HD images of a blade and cycle the images through Photoshop. If somebody is too gunshy and can't stand the heat in the kitchen then it is just not the right place for him. If a seller wants to disguise a flaw there is quite simple mean to beat Photoshopo filters: Use them. So in the end it all depends on trust and honesty. Therefore a Kanteisho can help clsoe the distance gap in online sales and probably has more demand therefore these days.

 

Again core device is not trying to power up things through papers where you just burn your money.

[Ooitame]

Hello everyone, and thank you for your replies as I learn alot from these honest discussions. I see my question has raised many good points about shinsa, oragami swords vs quality and price, and interesting points as to my blade. I will try to keep this post small as there are many replies and I do not want to disrupt the disccusion flow too much. 

 

I see the hada has some somewhat slag-ish areas

Josh - I am not familiar with what your are refering as to the somewhat slagish areas, can you explain what this means or point to a resource?

The polishers overall skill is detected by his burnishing marks under the habaki.

Also, thanks for pointing out the burnishing marks. I had no idea about this until you said something, prompting research. http://www.nihontoantiques.com/archive/polishing,%20step%20by%20step.htm

are you saying this as the lines are not as straight as an arrow? Also could these marks be used to help identify the polisher?

 

I personally do not have a issue with the current payment and tiered approach. It makes sense to have to work your way up the ladder and this will definitely create a buffer given the increasing volume. But, this does add to the price and will leave many good blades paperless as a result. As pointed out by a few in this thread, this will not improve quality, but rather confirm it. Of course I have seen blades that make me wonder how they got to that level, there are always exceptions I guess; plus I am very early in this area and by no means an expert as those at NBTHK. There was a interesting comment about timing and competition when submitting. As well as, submitting at a latter time.

 

I personally believe this sword to be a 2.5/4 (wishful thinking maybe), if we use the 4 tiered system. Glad to see others confirm this, at least a 2/4, with the good and average quality in this blade. Furthermore, the family lineage and blades produced gen.s 1-4 also add to the rating; not to say all are the same. I believe this maker is also ranked as ryo-wazamano, can anyone confirm this?

 

I have a feeling this is a solid candidate for TBH, and it is looking more and more like I should submit... much to consider from this thread.

 

P.S.

Here are some links I believe point to or discuss this maker, any others or comments are very very welcome!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wazamono#cite_note-nagayama-2

http://www.nihontocraft.com/Three_Shinto_Cutters.html

https://books.google.com/books?id=Ho8_DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA122&lpg=PA122&dq=Miyoshi+Masanaga+wazamono&source=bl&ots=eQYGtlMShb&sig=yDlSQdlos1TRcRUAaxC7g-XImTA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjClfL39p3YAhXL4CYKHfSfD_YQ6AEISjAJ#v=onepage&q=Miyoshi%20Masanaga%20wazamono&f=false

https://books.google.com/books?id=46IYtI0nkiEC&pg=PA357&lpg=PA357&dq=Miyoshi+Masanaga+wazamono&source=bl&ots=BRCc38WXMs&sig=-ii-mI6Ra5_bqY6-hKXaOh4ezQw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiezYXH8Z3YAhWJKiYKHSYlAIoQ6AEIPTAG#v=onepage&q=Miyoshi%20Masanaga%20wazamono&f=false

[b.hennick]

Several years ago, at a sword show a vendor had two Enjyu swords for sale. One had hozon papers the other tokubetsu hozon. I bought the one with hozon because it was a better sword. "Buy the sword not the paper" is a good policy when buying. But when selling the higher the paper the easier the sale.

[TheGermanBastard]

Hello Barry,

 

well said.

 

Let's not forget that Enjyu is for a Daito is likely in the 1 Million + Yen range so the cost of adding a TBH paper is smaller in relation then when considerinf a 300.000 + Yen blade.

 

Best regards

[vajo]

Hi Barry,

 

i think you are right but it depends all on the price. I'm not the art collector. I collect what i like and what fits in my pocket. A pure art collector would only buy art and did not hunting around. He would spare his money for the seldom big shots without looking deeply on the price.

 

You can't have a big collection of true nihonto art if you have no big pockets. But you can have a nice collection of nihonto with a normal income. Every collector must find his own place. 

[Gakusee]

Just to add a dose of soberness to the OP.

While this is a decent sword, I would caution against raising one’s hopes that it is a 2.5 out of 4 on the four-tier scale (where I presume 1 indicates Hozon and 4 - TokuJu). A rating of 2.5 is hopeful of at least some chance at Juyo as 2.5 sits between 2 (TH) and 3 (Juyo).

 

What works against this sword for hope of rating 3 (Juyo) is that it is Shinto (relatively young) and wakizashi, with some coarseness in the jigane. These work against you, unfortunately, in the Juyo shinsa. Also, if we analyse which Masanaga has got Juyo, then we see that there are only two Juyo Masanaga blades and those two are both katana and both Nidai (so a generation older than this Sandai) and by the way both over 70cm in length.

[Guest Rayhan]

Luis,

 

allow me to clarify, yes i agree with the candidacy for TH. An average sword will hold its price in that bracket, a good sword in a higher bracket and an excellent sword in an even higher bracket as long as they remain in that initial condition at the time of purchase and are cared for. Papers are a base line indication of the overall quality and provenance but do not determine if a sword is excellent or not, only the collector determines that for themselves and for the sake of their bank accounts, and the wrath of their wives....

 

NTHK...hmmm not so great. I fall on NBTHK as i favour them, just a personal preference.

 

I think you are way wrong on Masamune and Kiyomaro. Not only are both smiths shrouded in legend and honestly ambiguity but they were also producing bad swords and incredible swords. Their market price has a lot to do with provenance and legend albeit confirmed legendary. You could come across a heavily damaged Masamune with excellent provenance and it would command a great deal of money even in battered condition. You could also come across a battered Kiyomaro and it would be affordable if that is your go to pinnacle. You are dismissing the likes of Awataguchi, Fukuoka Ichimonji, the great Yamashiro lines, Bitchu, etc. 

 

There are a few Juyo level Wakizashi and even great Tokuju Waki 

 

You make a harsh statement about being "gunshy" since the inevitable way of collecting will be online and so methods of determination must also evolve for a digital age. Will someone come up with image tech to help, maybe one day when it is viable. 

 

You cannot compare a katana to a wakizashi and should look at them separately as measurements play a key role. But I believe what most believe buy the sword first, get papers second.

 

As an Engineer and not a sociologist i do see art in the construction of Nihonto, art is in the eye of the beholder afterall. But they are antiques and some not antiques but still beautiful in their own right. 

[TheGermanBastard]

Hello,

 

how many Shinto Wakizashi by a smith of that rating level do exist?

 

Without looking it up here is my here's my blant bet: Is close to ZERO

 

Even Kotetsu or Shinkei Wakizashi are not a safe call on Juyo.

 

Here is my next bet: in 200 years there will be either 0 or 100.000 Juyo blades as they all do match the qualiyt of the above blade / criteria. I bet again on ZERO.

 

The original topic starter thinks what he likes to think. I don't blame that. It is just human. We like to accept the information that is favorable and we reject the one that isn't.

 

This sword IS NOOOOOOOOOOO 2.5. It has not the FAINTEST chance of getting Juyo even if the posters grows a biblic 200 years old ... okay, to be serious the chances are ~0.1% ... putting it to 0.0% would be poor empiric measuring.

 

Next thing someone tells him he should get the dealer set up Koshirae papered which would be a total waste of money.

 

Regarding Masamune and Kiyomara: Ask some Japanese dealers what blades they like best because as they can put up the hightes price tag on them. Evem a bad Masamune would fetch a good price. It is legends that sell. Hence also Muramasa and some more will do great.

 

I do not make a harsh statement. I make a realistic statement. You buy online from a reputable source and you are safe or you buy from a random soure and you take the risk and possible gain. You shou should always buy based on knowledge. If the other party wants to defraud you they will do anyway.

 

And finally this sword has been sold as unpapared 300.000+ Yen blade on AOI ART with a cheap setup Koshirae - and some people now evaluate its chances at Juyo Shinsa both in these days and 200 years in the future.

 

Come down to earth. That is Utopia.

[Ooitame]

Hello rayhan and gakusee, you both mentioned looking at what has passed and failed, is there a site for this?

 

Barry and rayhan, I agree buy the sword not the paper, which was what I did... all be it a little above what I would have prefered. But for this smith and the style are unique and rare combination from my understanding.

 

I have no desire or illsusion of Juyo for this blade, in my lifetime anyway.

[Guest Rayhan]

Hi Eric

 

As the Juyo takes place only once a year and the Tokuju once every two years the NBTHK will print what is called a Zufu book which will have all the new passes in it. If you visit Grey Doffin's site ( then he might be able to track some down for you and they are valuable resources if you can read Japanese or are willing to have them translated. Paul Martin and Markus Sesko will charge a fee for translations but it is a way to see what goes and what doesn't go through. 

 

Because Hozon or TH happen more frequently the results are in report cards for each candidate but sometimes you can get the pass fail results (not as detailed as a Zufu) in full from Japan, I think Paul Martin may help there but you would have to ask him from his site (

 

Another way it to study criteria and relate that on the Aoi web sites like the www.aoijapan.net site which has a digital record of swords. 

 

Luis,

 

You're obviously a staunch optimist sir. No one mentioned Juyo it was just a remark that no one knows what will happen. I am not sure how a 1-4 rating applies but Shinsa is far too intricate to be placed in a simple scale like that so we should not do that either way. I have very similar Koshirae that is Hozon rated so as I said if the age checks out and the Kozuka can be replaced it is worth a try from my experience but it needs research. Calm, calm it is just a discussion.

[Guest Rayhan]

sorry Paul Martins site is here: http://www.thejapanesesword.com/

 

Grey Doffin http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/