Seeking a set (part2)

[Lawrencevanrijn]

Hi,

 

First i am curious why my topic got locked. Did i say something wrong?

 

I 'studied' Kenjitsu, and i want to start to study Iaido.

I did also attent classes on how to use knives (army past).

Hence the interest in those three blades. I did also Fence for a long time. The combination had left me with a life long interest in the art of swords and swordmaking. Not just Japanese, but also the Spanish, Venezian and English blades.

 

I have always wanted to get a real set, especially as i want to start with Iaido (which will require a Katana, as my Shinai and bokken will no longer suffice). I have a decent income now, and i would prefer not buying some cheap fake feeding the 'real Japanese katana fakes' frenzy.

 

I just believe in having quality equipment at some point.

 

This is also why i was looking at the modern smiths, as i think that i don't thjink it is right to use a historical blade to that effect.

 

Cheers,

 

Lawrence

[Gabriel L]

Hi Lawrence,

 

I wouldn't presume to speak for the NMB moderators; you can PM one of them to ask directly if you are worried. However, and this is just my personal opinion, I suspect that your posts were not the reason the thread was locked.

 

Some people use lesser quality antiques for forms; Aoi Art sells these as swords for iaido. I don't have strong opinions against that myself. I agree that using a finer/rarer antique is not something the vast majority of people should ever consider, out of respect and for the sake of preservation (especially as there are plenty of excellent modern alternatives).

 

Regarding your statement of "a real set" - that's just the thing, a "real" set in Japanese historical context would not consist of three blades. Either of the following pairs would make far more sense: [a katana + (wakizashi or tanto)], or [a tachi + tanto].

 

Now, there's nothing wrong with wanting to own a number of blades, even more than 2 blades by the same smith or 3 blades mounted as a set. If that's what you want, go ahead and try for it. But 3 blades mounted as a single set isn't "real" by the strictest definition.

 

If I were you, I'd do a little reading before spending (always good advice no matter the interest). Your desire for "real" and "quality equipment" is laudable and obtainable, but slightly at odds with your first stated goal. If you are going to start iaido soon you may want to begin with whatever your instructor recommends; an decent alloy iaito such as those Tozando sells (as one example) should be more than sufficient for any art that does not require tameshigiri. Later, when you've hung around here and absorbed a bit more, you can decide what makes the most sense for your dollar.

 

Anyway, that's my advice for the moment. I'd go into more detail about the many options that you have in obtaining a high quality modern blade (check out http://moderntosho.com for example) but I have work of my own that needs doing.

 

Cheers, and welcome to the NMB,

-GLL

[Brian]

Lawrence,

 

Yep, the thread wasn't locked due to anything you said, it was just that it went off in a different direction that was too off topic, and there wasn't anything we could add to the discussion of the 3 swordset, as we showed that they didn't really exist. So there wasn't much more that could be said.

You would need to let us know what you intend using the swords for. Remember that a modern traditional daisho is going to cost you probably upwards of $25K, and you can commission one from any of the modern smiths. Finding an older daisho set would cost at least that too. Is this what you are after? If so..they are going to be for study and collection, I don't know anyone who will spend upwards of $25K to "use them" for any purpose. Give us a bit more info, and we will try and assist further.

 

Regards,

Brian

[Jean]

Here is one at 26k$ :

 

http://www.sanmei.com/shop_e/enter.html ... lang=en-us