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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2009 15:12:38 GMT
I was wondering if anyone knows where I could find some good pictures of Nihonto from the more famous smiths like Muramasa and Masamune? I got a little information from sites like nihonto.ca, but google reveals more about ridiculous swords from games or cheap flea stuff than actual information.
I presume such swords are national treasures and owned by the Japanese state and various museums rather than private collections, but surely there are some pictures of them out there?
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Post by randomnobody on Jun 24, 2009 16:44:26 GMT
I've seen a few in various books, but I think most are locked up pretty tight in various museums, most of which don't tend to allow photos... I do have a story I wish I could tell but I've yet to receive confirmation and permission from the other parties... Your best bet is a flight to Japan.
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Post by tajima on Jun 24, 2009 21:39:19 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2009 22:08:18 GMT
Thanks for the links, I'd say 19 000$ is a hell of alot cheaper than I though. I had heard that antiques usually went for 10-30 000$, though I've now seen you can get some bad/unidentified ones for 2-6 000$, and would think the work of the swordsmith considered a rival and pretty much equal to the greatest smith, Masamune, to be virtually priceless. Then again, it's a tanto in recession.
It was mostly just Muramasa I got glimpse at along with a sword by a student of Masamune, albeit one with a straight hamon, in large part because they're the smiths I know of at the top of my head. The history of the Muramasa blades is quite interesting too, they being called cursed and Muramasa being known as violent and utilitarian seems to fit more with instruments of war than the seemingly more peaceful philosophy employed by Masamune and his Buddhist ilk.
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