So what's a weird deal-breaker for you?

[Brian]

Just for fun. What's an odd deal breaker for you when looking at a sword or fittings or related items?
Not the usual hagire or out of polish or suriage...
What is something that just turns you off or you can't deal with when you buy something new?
For example, for me...I LOVE naginata. But it has to have a well cut hi ending in that narrowed section that I'll post a pic of below.
If it has just a regular round ended hi....I am not interested.
No real reason, it's just a deal breaker for me.

 

I know some here won't take a sword with kesho polish. Maybe some refuse a certain school, or fittings with a certain theme.
Maybe there are collectors who are fussy about shapes or styles or way they are mounted.
Just wanted to see if anyone has anything to share.

[WellsFargo]

Well, even though I've never seen them for sale, but koshirae that features swastikas would be a deal breaker for me. 

Not a real problem, because the ones I've seen in literature would most likely be WAY above my budget. 

They would of course have no connection whatsoever with that horrible period in history, but it would just not sit well with me......

[Alex A]

Anything out of polish,

 

Anything overpriced

 

Anything that is being sold by someone that dont like answering questions or providing more images.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mark]

Jan-Wouter Thijssen  ----   a manji symbol and a swastika  are different, they are reversed.  But i understand if someone has strong feeling they look similar at a glance

 

i don't like short (under 15") shinogizukuri wakizashi, at shorter lengths i like hirazukuri. not sure it is a deal breaker but not something i like.  Same for shinogizukuri tanto

[paulb]

Long list but main turn offs

Cutting tests

Contrived sanban sugi hamon

Fittings with either dragons or shishi

 

[Steve Waszak]

Since I'm more of a fittings guy, I'll mention that for tsuba, a deal-breaker is human-figure subjects.  So, Soten guards have zero appeal.  Dragons are another big turn-off.  But the biggest NO for me is Namban tsuba, whose busyness and Chinese sensibilities are like a repellant.  There are others, but these top the list.  

[ckaiserca]

I don't have enough experience in the hobby to be completely turned off by anything yet, but there are a few things that I am actively avoiding:

 

Green papers

Gimei 

eBay

[Shugyosha]

37 minutes ago, Steve Waszak said:

Since I'm more of a fittings guy, I'll mention that for tsuba, a deal-breaker is human-figure subjects.  So, Soten guards have zero appeal.  Dragons are another big turn-off.  But the biggest NO for me is Namban tsuba, whose busyness and Chinese sensibilities are like a repellant.  There are others, but these top the list.  

Absolutely this for fittings - dragons are tolerable if done well but, as Steve says, anything depicting a human figure or Namban style tsuba is a cold shower - 1,000 monkey tsuba too. 

[Alex A]

Oh, sorry, weird, missed that.

 

Maybe not weird, but dont like tsuka wrapped in certain colours, like blue and purple.

 

Not keen on brass/gold, Gordy fittings or saya done in stripes lol

 

Deal breakers though, depends.

[Bugyotsuji]

Might come back to visit this post as I am shooting off the top of my head, but anything with a Tokugawa Mon on it is instantly suspect as there were minute changes with each generation, and so many were later faked. (Having said that I do have a couple of objects bearing said Mon/Kamon.)

[Vermithrax16]

Chipped Hamachi notch is a reject for me automatic.

[Brian]

Loving these so far. This is not a thread to contradict anyone or try convince them otherwise. Let's just have fun reading what others say. So far everyone has been amazing. Well done guys.

[Peter Bleed]

I get to do so few "deals" these days, it is hard for me to think of a 'deal breaker.' I see every opportunity as a discovery. I tend to move toward swords that might be interesting research problems, and away from blades that will easily turn out to be ordinary. Adventure is the key.

Peter

[ROKUJURO]

If I had the means to buy blades, I have some styles I like and others less - no real deal breaker.

 

I don't like EDO JIDAI straight blades as in KANBUN

I would not buy a blade with a pronounced SAKI ZORI

Fancy or coloured KOSHIRAE are not to my liking, I am more of a TENSHO man

 

[ChrisW]

1 hour ago, Vermithrax16 said:

Chipped Hamachi notch is a reject for me automatic.

This and I avoid any blades that have a fuchi but a missing kashira. I am not into playing matchmaker! WWII blades with bullet damage, while neat, are automatic rejections for me. I got offered two a month back at the Countryside Military Show, was a hard pass for me.

[waljamada]

Some of my...."not lovin it"s....

 

Horimono wise: In general I second the -not that into dragons- thing but the semi-standard dragon horimonos like you see on guntos.  Horimono with faces that look kinda silly.  

 

Blade wise: too skinny of blades, not a big fan of straighter blades.  Post WWII made blades.  

 

Koshirae: Bad tsuka ito wrapping job.  Most swan/crane tsubas..most dragon tsubas.   

[MHC]

While not directly blade related, but proper conversation during the purchase process is very important.

 

So when I receive any written conversation {text, PM, Email, etc.}, if there is "Millennial speak" occurring {i.e. no capitalization, no punctuation, non-existent sentence syntax, spelling errors, etc.} they get a very hard pass.

 

Petty, probably...but very annoying and in my mind, instantly eliminates any credibility regarding the seller.

 

Mark

 

[Ken-Hawaii]

Like Mark, I'm completely turned off by sellers who can't communicate in at least eighth-grade English. I'd also rather have a mumei blade, than one that is obviously gimei. Peter's post on "adventure" rings a bell with me. Delving into the details of a new acquisition brings me a lot of pleasure. Umegane are a turn-off; even when well-done, they keep catching my eye, & stop me from enjoying its other features. Nakago with ana that go through the mei is another no-no.

[Curran]

13 hours ago, WellsFargo said:

Well, even though I've never seen them for sale, but koshirae that features swastikas would be a deal breaker for me. 

Not a real problem, because the ones I've seen in literature would most likely be WAY above my budget. 

They would of course have no connection whatsoever with that horrible period in history, but it would just not sit well with me......

 

Just for you:

https://www.samuraishokai.jp/sword/22309.html

 

Like the blade. Hate the koshirae.

 

[Utopianarian]

Shinto blades. Usually 99.9% of the time when that word is mentioned when one purchases a sword means it will be passed off to another buyer like a counterfeit bill that nobody really wants. Swords that are plentiful and manufactured  in a time of relative peace are of no interest to me. Usually when the word Shinto is mentioned on this board is synonymous with bad news to a new buyer. Ornaments with a very select few of significance 

[Bugyotsuji]

Approaching this from the other end, anything less than an ubu Yoshifusa, or a beautiful hamon chō-Mei ubu Yosozaemon no Jo Sukesada.

(But I might just accept an ubu Nagamitsu with interesting hamon.)

 

Anything else, the deal is off.

[DMNK]

Anything unsigned post muromachi, naoshis, non-traditionally made blades. I don't know why. They just don't attract me.

[drbvac]

Any thing with a leather wrapping on the Tsuka or colours other than black or white - don't mind unsigned blades.  Had several gendaito but no longer interested and not crazy about very complex hamon - suguha is just fine and age is everything. Not interested in sending anything for polish or kantei - too much trouble and rarely worth the cost . Thats enough !!!!

 

[george trotter]

 

While I once collected koto/shinto/shinshinto blades, in my later years I have concentrated on RJT/gendaito of WWII.

Among any of these swords from all periods I will not ever consider buying a sword that has been polished/repolished in hadori/kessho.

I do not find much attraction in suguba so I do not buy them, (I have passed up about 4 Yasukunito because of this)...if it has some small portion of irregularity in the hamon, then OK.

Mountings condition is not a major concern to me as I expect field wear or damage in RJT/gendaito WWII mounts....it is always the blade I buy.

Of these blades, some are a bit dirty of have minor chips or scratching but all are in "good" or perfect condotion. I don't have them repolished but my swords are all capable of being repolished, so are all 'treasures' (IMHO) for some later generation.

 

Hope this helps,

[Ooitame]

A badly done or weirdly placed mei. Also nakago shape and yasurime have to be well done and proportional.

[shakudo]

Hi all,

One thing I really loathe/hate/ game changer is a lack of fumbari - unless suriage. To see a blade that is ubu and basically has no hamachi is a 'no deal'!!! Sadly I have an ubu blade that now- repeat now has basically no hamachi after a full polish- now thats one hell of a game changer!

Cheers

Mike

[swordnoob]

Hmm... Aside from price (unfortunately, most things are out of my budget), probably gunto, hagire, and chips in the blade

[b.hennick]

I'm surprised that no one mentioned shinai (wrinkles) that form when a bent blade is straightened. I always check to see if a blade is bent and our had been straightened.

[Baba Yaga]

On 8/25/2022 at 11:05 AM, ChrisW said:

This and I avoid any blades that have a fuchi but a missing kashira. I am not into playing matchmaker! WWII blades with bullet damage, while neat, are automatic rejections for me. I got offered two a month back at the Countryside Military Show, was a hard pass for me.

 

Missing fittings use to be a red flag. It meant the blade has been around the block a few times. Wasn't worthy and fittings sold off to pay for the mistake of purchase. There many exceptions to this rule like everything else Nihonto.  

[ChrisW]

2 hours ago, Baba Yaga said:

 

Missing fittings use to be a red flag. It meant the blade has been around the block a few times. Wasn't worthy and fittings sold off to pay for the mistake of purchase. There many exceptions to this rule like everything else Nihonto.  

Yup that seems to be the likely case! I've only made exceptions where I've bought a blade directly from a veteran's estate or from the veteran themself.