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Posted (edited)

Hey guys, Henry here.

 

I am completely new to the topic, and a total amateur at that. However, this type of history fascinates me, and it's much more complex than I have thought!

 

 

Mainly here to understand better the NTHK and the NBTHK certifications; I did my own searches but it has not been too fruitful. I wanted to get a Hozon Sword (any kind really, on a budget here) as something first to collect but then I am faced with fake certifications, lack of Japanese knowledge (I can't tell if the paper is genuine/what it is saying), and if the price is correct.

 

I know I am completely out of my depth when I read some threads where someone joked about an ebay listing saying it's a scam, whereas I have no idea what was out of place with that listing.

 

Are there newbie guides/rules that I should know about? I am planning to just post in the "buy" forums asking for guidance and perhaps simply buying a sword from a member on this site. Of course, I want to learn more about Japanese swords but I have no idea where to start; I already read the beginner guides listed in the "giveaway" thread.

 

Pleasure to meet you guys on this forum, and a privilege to be here!

 

 

Henry

Edited by metamon
Posted

Welcome Henry ,

 

Sounds a bit simular as me , Some While ago.

I bought , without any knowledge ,from a member .

Thank god , i did that ........

I was looking for a papered katana and found it in france ........with Florian .

You can check his website : nihontofrance

 

More than a year later now , i now a little bit more about nihonto and realize that it was a good decission to buy trough this forum .

 

Good advice : buy books and read read read .......

 

Good Luck !

 

Joo

  • Like 1
Posted

Hey Joo,

 

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely check it out!

 

Edit: Sadly your website seems to have most of their stuff sold out, and the rest is out of my budget range :(

Posted

Hi Henry and welcome.

 

Its a very vood idea to buy your first sword here and as Barry said ask questions.

Make sure you spend as mu h time as you can looking through this forum and purchase as many books as you can.

Its worth looking at member Grey Doffins site (Japanese sword books and tsuba) for great deals.

Good luck and enjoy your journey.

 

Greg

  • Like 1
Posted

Welcome, Henry. Please find your signature, & add your first name at the bottom of each message, per Brian's rules.

 

Everyone is anxious to buy their first sword - been there, done that. But please take the advice to buy some books & study, so you have at least some idea of what you're looking for.

 

You say that you want a Hozon sword, but how old? Which school? Which smith? What length? Full koshirae or just shirasaya? There are an estimated 2 milion blades out there, Henry, & of course those that are papered are much fewer, but there are still many. The right way, of course, is for you to study until you have a basis to choose, but few newbies do that. A quick NMB search will give you a list of books that you can buy on Amazon for less than $100, & will make you much more knowledgeable. Choosing the right one when you are just getting started makes you dependent on the seller to give you the right information, as you don't yet have the background to to evaluate a sword yourself.

 

So, please check out the blades in the For Sale section, & check out some of the sellers who are NMB members. Ed Marshall runs http://yakiba.com, Ray Singer runs http://swordsofjapan.com, & Nick Ricupero runs http://nihontoart.com, to name just a few of our trustworthy sellers.

  • Like 1
Posted

Welcome Henry. There is a lot to learn. Ask questions when in doubt. You should probably read the FAQ first.

 

Thank you, I will!

 

Hi Henry and welcome.

 

Its a very vood idea to buy your first sword here and as Barry said ask questions.

Make sure you spend as mu h time as you can looking through this forum and purchase as many books as you can.

Its worth looking at member Grey Doffins site (Japanese sword books and tsuba) for great deals.

Good luck and enjoy your journey.

 

Greg

 

That's the plan now. I plan to either buy it in the forums or from a forum member's website!

I will, I realized how little I know about this topic so I will be reading a lot more on this!

You hit the nail on precisely the website I was trying to look for because it was one of the websites that had prices within my budget range with the criteria I was looking for.

 

Thanks again Greg!

 

Welcome, Henry. Please find your signature, & add your first name at the bottom of each message, per Brian's rules.

 

Everyone is anxious to buy their first sword - been there, done that. But please take the advice to buy some books & study, so you have at least some idea of what you're looking for.

 

You say that you want a Hozon sword, but how old? Which school? Which smith? What length? Full koshirae or just shirasaya? There are an estimated 2 milion blades out there, Henry, & of course those that are papered are much fewer, but there are still many. The right way, of course, is for you to study until you have a basis to choose, but few newbies do that. A quick NMB search will give you a list of books that you can buy on Amazon for less than $100, & will make you much more knowledgeable. Choosing the right one when you are just getting started makes you dependent on the seller to give you the right information, as you don't yet have the background to to evaluate a sword yourself.

 

So, please check out the blades in the For Sale section, & check out some of the sellers who are NMB members. Ed Marshall runs http://yakiba.com, Ray Singer runs http://swordsofjapan.com, & Nick Ricupero runs http://nihontoart.com, to name just a few of our trustworthy sellers.

 

Thanks once again in putting so much effort in replying to my posts, and thank you for the warm welcome Ken.

 

Yes, I will be doing some more studying now before doing a major purchase decision, with the only exception being if I am buying a sword from a reputable member here at a price I cannot refuse.

 

Your questions are a great starting point for me to jump in, as while I do have some of the answers to your questions, they are not detailed enough that I know that I need to do more research. I completely agree with you that as of right now, I am fully dependent on the forum member's opinions and honesty as I have literally no knowledge to judge for myself. I will continue my studies while browsing the forums' sales posts at the same time.

 

Thank you for your suggestions, along with Grey Doffins site, those are the websites I have been already perusing (along with the sale forums). 

 

One worry I do have though, is that as I continue my studies, I would be yearning for a sword that is way above my budget, hence why I'm trying to keep things basic to try to get a good starter sword on a budget!

 

 

Henry

  • Like 1
  • 5 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Hi guys,

 

The name is Jean Pierre, but everyone calls me JP.

 

I've been in love with Japan and all things Japanese for more than two decades now. Yet I'm 49 and have never set foot in Japan. My love for swords came in a weird way. In my late teens, I used to play RPGs and discovered a game about Samurai. I was hooked and my love for them has never dwindled ever since.

 

Now, I'm a lowly teacher with a very average income so sword collecting is more a dream than a reality. I own a Showato (maybe from a bit earlier than 1937 or one that escaped branding), a Genroku Shinto katana (from a Hizen Meikan-More smith that I suspect was actually from Bungo) and a mumei Muromachi Soshu den (I think!) Katana is on the way.

 

I've read a lot of books on the subject and consider myself a novice plus when it concerns theory, because my biggest issue is practice. You don't encounter Japanese swords everyday in France, much less in the small forsken village where I live. So, to sum up, my theory is rather solid but my practice is near non existent. I actually love Nobuo Nakahara's unconventional viewpoints and share a lot of his ideas

 

For the moment, my budget limits me to below average swords but my goal, if I live long enough, is to get at least one signed Koto sword and one signed Shinto kambun sword.

 

There, I get you have the rundown on who I am and hope to find a home there even if clearly, I don't have that much to contribute since there are so much more knowledgeable people around here.

 

JP

  • Like 4
Posted

Welcome JP! We do have members from France and other French-speaking countries. I'm Canadian and can get by with my high school French at least in oral communication. One of our moderators  - Jean - is French. I too am a teacher - now a retired High School Science teacher.

Posted

Hi Barry,

 

I teach English in France to unruly and uninterested children.

 

Yes, I've seen that there are several French members here. Especially Jean who seems to have an endless knowledge about sword. And you know what? I don't know him but a few days ago I was reading again one of the few French books about Koto swords (Sabres Koto, by Serge Degorre) and in the list of name of the people who helped financing the book, I found a Jean whose family name starts with L. Pretty sure that's him!

 

Anyway, thanks for the welcome! :)

Posted

Could be JP, could be... :)

 

Welcome on board anyway and feel free to ask any question, there are very knowlegeable and kind people here... you’ll feel at home

  • Like 1
Posted

Merci

Thank you,

Danke schon

Grazie

Gracias

Domo

 

... For this great and heartwarming welcome. Well, as I said, not many people in my area. Maybe I could start a group with cows. At least, I know I'm more knowledgeable than them! :lol

 

Anyway, thanks again. I know that pictures aren't like the real deal but at least, that's a way to study and forge (pun intended) an opinion. I've been lurking for quite some time before signing in, but in the end, I couldn't resist and am eager to be taught what I don't know. One of the most frustrating thing about theory is the more you learn, the less you feel you know and I guess than in the 20 years+ I've been reading, I end up with more uncertainties than firm answers I'm afraid...

  • Like 3
Posted

hello to all.  my name is Mario  new member. new to nihontos only been studying for couple years always looking to learn more. seems this site can definitely teach me a lot. thank you 
Mario

Posted

Hi, Mario - hope you're not freezing anything off. Please set up your signature so all of your messages show at least your first name, per Brian's rules.

 

Anything particular about Nihonto (that word is singular & plural) that interests you?

Posted

hello to all members. my name is Mario. I am an electrical contractor by trade. and part time Nihonto enthusiast /collector I am very new to the game. I've been studying Nihonto  for two years in my  spare  time.my passion for Nihonto grows with every bit of info I learn. I have a lot to learn and very excited I found this forum. 

I see there's plenty of very knowledgeable people  on this forum. I look forward to learning a lot  from the members and getting to know new people who can share their passion for Nihonto. 

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