KIYONOBU Jr. backscratcher

[tokashikibob]

Gents,  I fall into the category of picker/treasure hunter sword buyer.   I am drawn to tattered tsukamaki and rusty blades.  The hope and disappointment roller cooster is exciting and sometimes you win.    Anyway,  recently I shifted gears and bought a blade that had all the work completed.   It was a different feeling,  more of a feeling of investment or value.     There was another Kiyonobu there that was a wakizashi and I did not win the bid on that one.   Shifting through the deceased owners papers afterwards I saw that they were both labeled as a Daishou.    However,  looking at mei's the wak was made by the father and the katana the son.  

  Not sure if Daishou are put together like that?

Anyway,  I still expect to hunt the backroads but buying a nice blade right off sure takes a lot of variables off the table that cause worry and loss of money.

Best regards,

 Bob

[Stephen]

Well done Bobby!!

[Peter Bleed]

The satisfaction of owning a sword you like and know is "good" is undeniable.

BUT for many of us poor vulgarians there is also a great deal of satisfaction to be realized in "finding" a sword, "cleaning it up", "researching" it, discussing it with a crew, investing a lot of dough in it, and waiting for the system to poop out a result. That can be the hobby.

Peter

[French nihonto]

Looking for dirty old blades is still very much alive, because behind the dirt there is sometimes gold. In terms of knowledge, an old rusty blade or a blade with a perfect polish makes us progress just as much, but differently. We will be attracted by different details on one or the other, because of the good readability of one, unlike the other. 
Personally I alternate my purchases between blades in good condition and tired blades.

[Bugyotsuji]

Well done Bob.  I am finding that a good blade can warp my sense of allowable budget. What was totally unthinkable suddenly becomes a no-brainer.