Thoughts On This Sword?

[Hiroshi]

Hi all,

Recently started down this rabbit hole of a hobby.  I realize ebay is an absolute minefield, and having an admittedly dangerously small amount of knowledge, I was hoping to appeal to some of you to help me navigate a potential purchase.  Any thoughts on this piece would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Body-Cutting-Tested-Sword-Yr1781-Japanese-Samurai-Katana-by-KANETOMO-66-7cm/282605565370?hash=item41cc9ab5ba:g:2gAAAOSwn5RZi~2C

[Ray Singer]

Welcome Hiroshi. As far as this sword, the state of polish is horrifically bad, the ji is filled with coarse steel and many kitae-ware, and there are no papers to authenticate the signature and inscription. At this price level I would strongly recommend purchasing a healthy sword with kanteisho. Ebay is not the best avenue to make a purchase of this type.

[Hiroshi]

Thanks for your feedback!  Would you be able to point me in the direction of a reputable dealer?

Thanks!

[Ken-Hawaii]

Are you just looking for your first blade, or do you have at least one of the Gokaden in mind?

[Ray Singer]

Hiroshi, I can recommend great book dealer who can help you locate some excellent references. You may want to get more familiarized with the field to make an informed first purchase.

[Ray Singer]

http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/

[Hiroshi]

Hi Ken,

More or less, I am looking for my first purchase.  My interest has been spurred by a blade I rescued fairly recently from being discarded.  After some initial research, and then sending off requested images to a collector in California I was referred to, he came back with a fairly positive evaluation. That being said, my knowledge is definitely superficial, and while I wish I had more direction, I'm still in the "figuring out what style I like" phase.

 

Thanks for the reference Ray! I'll definitely look into it.

[seattle1]

Hello:

 I love the lead in Hiroshi. I don't comment on things offered for sale, particualrly if there is a critical reason, for if things are seen out of hand it just seems not right, however you got some fast and great advice. Some of the folks on the NMB are into dealing and those I know of are reliable. Check the Links, ask around, by all means do some homework which means reading authoritative sources so that things seem to fit into place when encountered.

 Welcome and good luck.

 Arnold F.

[PNSSHOGUN]

There are decent swords on ebay these days, mostly Shin Gunto, sometimes at good prices. Once you've trained your eye you can pick out what to avoid and focus on the decent ones. Of course buying from a trusted dealer is always the best way forward, especially when starting your collection journey. Alot of us have been burned on ebay or via other unscrupulous methods early on simply due to not puttong in the time into researching and studying what makes a good Japanese sword worth the money and time.

[peter k]

  On 6/24/2018 at 7:45 PM, Hiroshi said:

Hi all,

Recently started down this rabbit hole of a hobby.  I realize ebay is an absolute minefield, and having an admittedly dangerously small amount of knowledge, I was hoping to appeal to some of you to help me navigate a potential purchase.  Any thoughts on this piece would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Body-Cutting-Tested-Sword-Yr1781-Japanese-Samurai-Katana-by-KANETOMO-66-7cm/282605565370?hash=item41cc9ab5ba:g:2gAAAOSwn5RZi~2C

 

for that amount of money you can find much better swords at aoi art or nihonto.com

i believe they offer returns within certain periods.

[Hiroshi]

You have all been awesome help. All your advice has been much appreciated! I’ll keep soaking in the info and looking around. Thanks!