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What blades are Members interested in buying?

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Gabriel L Experienced

Gabriel L

Posted
Posted

The gulf between what I want vs what I am actually willing to spend seems to perpetually result in my buying… nothing at all.

In ~20 years of interest in this field I have purchased about a dozen items (besides books). Many of which I later sold. Doesn't help that my standards have constantly risen faster than my income. I can now easily buy items that 15-year-old me would have been ecstatic over, but now I would think "bleh, no point."

 

Always looking though…

  • Like 2
Vermithrax16 Grand Master

Vermithrax16

Posted
Posted

Actually surprised this does not come up more, good general ask Greg.

 

Capital is always an issue, decisions have to be made. Things always seem to change on a dime when events happen. But for me:

1. A katana, wakizashi, or tanto made by Shodai Norikatsu in the 1860's 

2. Shodai, 2nd, or 3rd gen Sendai Kunikane katana

3. Yamato Hosho katana or tanto

4. Ko Uda katana

5. Soshu Tametsugu

  • Like 1
Surfson Grand Master

Surfson

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Posted

After years of collecting shinto and shinshinto blades, I have turned my interest more to blades of Nambokucho or earlier.  Let me tell you though, the kantei is much more difficult, and I fear that I will never get really good at it.

GARY WORTHAM Collaborator

GARY WORTHAM

Posted
Posted

A little time to waste !

 

After 20+ years of study and collecting; I focus on !!!!

 

Mounted Soshu koto,papered, awesome blades with koshire to match.

 

But !! I do buy all over the board if the blade and fittings are "out of site " !!

 

One's taste evolve with the exposure of the current times.

 

What you know and love today, changes as your knowledge evolves.

16k Grand Master

16k

Posted
Posted

Okay, so I suppose I’ll let aside finances and focus on dreams...

 

- a Kotetsu katana

- a pre-Muromachi katana

- a Mantetsu katana

 

In a perfect world, I’d like a katana from at least each sword period.

george trotter Grand Master

george trotter

Posted
Posted
  On 4/5/2019 at 4:27 AM, Alex A said:

I look for interesting.

Me too,  and as John said, Shin Gunto. So, I buy what I like, generally within the period 1926-1945.

I started out collecting koto/shinto/shinshinto/gendaito in 1970....by 1998 I had narrowed my focus to gendaito/shingunto.

The reasons: I want swords that were

a. made for fighting

b. by men who were alive in both my father's time and in mine.

c. that are hand-made gendaito/RJT/gunto.

d. that are good quality swords.

e. that are still in their field mounts and original polish (prefer sashi-komi).

 

I don't mind what other collectors think of this area of collecting, I know most show the same respect for Showa period gendai blades as we "WWII-ists" show them and their pre-WWII choices.

Having declared my tastes, may I add that sometimes I "stray"....I have a very good late shin-shinto / early gendaito copy of a greatly shortened Nambokucho sword and I have a koto uchigatana slightly shortened to o-wakizashi...I have these as both were military issue in WWII, so both qualify as battlefield use swords.

So that's me...I have had all types, but have settled into gendai/shingunto..

Regards,

  • Like 2
Hoshi Experienced

Hoshi

Posted
Posted

No money issue? A collection that traces the great Soshu experiment. It starts with Gotoba's smiths that went to Kamakura, then goes to Shintogo, then moves to mainline Soshu, before branching out to Shizu in Mino and Chogi in Bizen in Nambokucho and then fades off in the obscurity of Muromachi with its hitatsura death rattle.

 

For me this is the most epic story to tell in Nihonto. All compressed into a hundred and fifty years of peak art and influence, and then dies down in the dark ages never to resurface again. 

 

Now realistically. I take what I can get which has high emotional dividends and comparatively low rent. I have the Soshu and Awataguchi bug. Worst of all, I put a big premium on storied pieces with honami attributions and tasteful Koshirae.

 

This ultimately means I need to spend less time on the forum and more time making money. Perhaps my tastes have evolved beyond the point where I will not be able to afford anything anymore in the future. I accept it. 

  • Like 2
paulb Grand Master

paulb

Posted
Posted
  Quote

 

Perhaps my tastes have evolved beyond the point where I will not be able to afford anything anymore in the future. I accept it.

Chris

This is the destiny for most collectors and students. The more you study the more you understand what makes great swords great and the further out of reach (for most of us) they become. 

Catching the Awataguchi and Soshu bug and then to compound it wanting them in good koshirae means you have a lot of money making time ahead  :)

  • Like 2
Curran Grand Master

Curran

Posted
Posted
  On 4/5/2019 at 8:38 AM, paulb said:

Chris

This is the destiny for most collectors and students. The more you study the more you understand what makes great swords great and the further out of reach (for most of us) they become. 

Catching the Awataguchi and Soshu bug and then to compound it wanting them in good koshirae means you have a lot of money making time ahead  :)

 

Then, Soshu Sadamune tanto.

paulb Grand Master

paulb

Posted
Posted

The blade I still dream about was a Yukimitsu tanto orginally seen in Dr. Compton sale and then later with Michael Hagenbusch. I didn't believe you could see so much beauty in a few inches of steel.

  • Like 4
raynor Proficient

raynor

Posted
Posted

Currently only looking for some decent menuki, but my next sword will hopefully be a good koto piece so I can learn what they were trying to revive with shinshinto blades, which is the only ones I've seen in hand so far.

Jussi Ekholm Grand Master

Jussi Ekholm

Posted
Posted

I've noticed the most important thing to me recently has been the shape when looking at the sword. I must immidiately like the shape as that is the number 1 priority for me, school, condition, signature everything comes afterwards.

 

I'm in nothing at all train too as it seems I do not have finances for any purchases in a long while. There seems to be few that catch my attention usually when they pop up for sale, works by Hōjū and big suriage swords from Sa school.

  • Like 1
Lingonberry Collaborator

Lingonberry

Posted
Posted

Yamato Hosho daito

Ubu koto naginata (probably Dotanuki since they seem the most common, but I've seen a Muromachi Soshu as well)

Chidori Jumonji Yari

Nice Yoroi Doshi, even though 99% are shinshinto

Collection of the various yari shapes

Nambokucho or older hirazukiri wakizashi

ubu nagamaki

obiwanknabbe Proficient

obiwanknabbe

Posted
Posted

want.. many things.. can afford.. meh... not so much..  

1) Would love to get my hands on a presentation Matetsu tachi.. 

2) Clean.. pre 1600s Hitatsura Nagamaki katana.. 

3) Kogarasu Katana. (there was a gassan school one that belonged to the emperor Hirohito's brother on Ninoto.ca a few years back that haunts my dreams)

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