Looks so odd.

[bone]

Please anyone, tell me why this blade looks like this? And any opnions just from the pics that it's worth buying?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... ink:top:en

 

Thanks!

 

Steven B

[Mark Green]

Old and used. Hard to say if it can be saved. The pics tell it all.

In all, quite a mess.

It would be very risky at best.

Mark G

[bone]

Thanks Mark!

[watsonmil]

Dear Steven,

I would concur with Mark, .... a tired old man. The amount of metal you would lose in straightening out and sharpening the lines I should think would make a new polish impossible. It is obviously a very old sword, ... but not really even a study piece any longer. That would be my opinion. ... Ron Watson

[bone]

Thank you Ron. I do most of my hunting from the links on this site now. I do love old things so Koto always makes me itch to buy something. Glad there are sites like this to bring me back to earth.

 

Steven B

[outlier48]

Hi Steven - I think Mark is actually being generous (nothing against the seller). Even if this blade can be polished, you would be looking at quite an expense to have that done, not to mention the time it would take. There is a great deal of information you might find of value in FAQ area. A lot of work went into it and newbies like me really learn a great deal there. If you have not done so, you might want to check it out. Also, some advice I received from members here went I first became interested in nihonto was to buy books first and learn as much as one can. Finally, joining a local nihonto club and attending shows will allow you the opportunity to see and hold quality swords, an invaluable experience.

 

Good luck in your explorations through the highly addictive world of all things nihonto!

 

Charlie Brashear

[bone]

Great suggestions all, Charlie. I have read the faqs and I'm working on the books. Have the Samuarai Sword Handbook. Been researching the one sword I have... *sigh* it truly is a fascinating and addicting field. But I'm having fun even as I

[outlier48]

Steven, I know what you mean. I have spent - off and on - over 18 months reading books on nihonto and studying my one and only wakizashi. And it seems like just when I think I have found out everything one could possibly know about this sword, someone on this forum adds to my "knowledge base" about it and sends me off in a new direction where fresh discoveries await. NMB and its members have been an invaluable gift. I just wish I had more $$$ to feed my nihonto addiction.

 

Charlie Brashear

[rkg]

Stephen,

 

Now that the auction is over, I can comment...

 

Two words: Metal Tsunagi...

 

While good polishers have a lot of tricks to save pretty far gone pieces, between the pitting, loss of shape, etc, I really doubt this is salvageable... Too bad the seller pulled the images.

 

While fleabay is great fun to look at, Hopefully you aren't seriously shopping for pieces there until you've done some

more study - While everybody knows somebody who's pulled something off of fleabay that went Juyo, between

the often awful photos, mediocre pieces (there's usually a reason the piece is on fleabay), and um, "optimistic"

descriptions, its a minefield for the novice collector...

 

Save your pennies and pick up some of the legitimate bargains out there...

 

Best,

 

rkg

(Richard George)

[bone]

Thanks Richard! On a side-note have you ever searched google for tsunagi? *chuckle* The results were less than helpful. I sure didn't bid on that one. It's sad to see one reduced to that state.

[Jamie]

Pics were deleted I think.

Tsunagi is basicly a wood copy of the blade -made to hold all the sword fittings.

 

 

http://sayashi.com/project%20pages/tsunagi.htm

[bone]

Ah, I get it. So at this point the sword is just a place-holder. Thanks guys.