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Post by I Frammenti Di Fede on Jan 29, 2012 18:55:34 GMT
Wow really nice looking o-kissaki and hamon on this blade, is it possible to purchase a bare blade of one of these ricky?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2012 13:24:15 GMT
Thanks, Marc... ...I agree about the tsuka -- even from the photos, you can tell it has issues with size, proportion and fit. Since the tsuka affects how one handles the sword, it needs to be done with meticulous attention to detail.
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Post by Student of Sword on Jan 31, 2012 0:48:32 GMT
I am a tsuka snob. But for the quoted price, I would not be complained too much about the tsuka. That is one killer of a deal. However, I would rather pay more and improve the tsuka, as well as having steel fittings.
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Post by chrisperoni on Jan 31, 2012 1:12:30 GMT
I fully agree. I think we are all just jawing about the tsuka while we wait for the blades. I figure I will either make my own or get FTB to do one for me anyway. I also like the idea of making my own fuchi,kashira,menuki-- maybe habaki but I hear that is a lot harder to do right.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2012 5:10:29 GMT
It's about perception, cultural and historical. In American and other Occidental cultures, collectors of Japanese styled swords tend to gravitate toward the concept of 'battle-ready' weapons, even as they spend exorbitant sums of money and time on colorful silk ito & sageo, jewelry-quality fuchi, kashira, menuki, habaki, tsuba, etc. During the Muromachi and Momoyama periods, iron and steel hilt furniture were more ubiquitous because they were strong, and cheap to produce. The relative peace of the Edo period(s) allowed for the use of more decorative but weaker metals. Even iron and steel tsuba evolved into more decorative forms, mixing with design elements made from gold, silver, copper, etc. Generally speaking, I have observed the Chinese are not shy about pimped-out bling. Americans want bling too, but in some sort of 'battle-ready' context that appeases their inner samurai.
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Post by Vue on Jan 31, 2012 8:01:25 GMT
Ricky, the design/ themes is really hard to pick out for a production sword as everyone has their own preferences. If I was picking fittings for a production design I would go for something that is neutral in design/theme, such as the fittings you see on Kris Cutlery Katana's. IMO KC they pretty much nailed it with those plain iron/ steel fittings, they have just the right balance between the blades and the fully functional but neutral fittings.
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Post by Student of Sword on Jan 31, 2012 17:03:50 GMT
Ricky,
Speaking from a strictly aesthetic point of view, copper fittings are great, if it is done right. Copper, as a raw material, is more expensive than steel or iron. However, it is also difficult to make it look good. Mostly, the difficulty is the details of the casting pieces. Fittings from China made from copper tend to be a copy of a copy of a copy -- 2nd or 3rd generations at best. The details are blur and lack the crispness associated with the original piece. Therefore the fittings look "cheesy" or "gaudy."
If you look at the pieces from Hyper Cafe or Tozando, they are copper-based pieces as well. But the details are a lot crisper and clearer. They are 1st generation copy, a direct casting of the original mold. But they are much more expensive as well.
With iron or steel fittings, a sword can look great in an understated minimalist way. A plain Higo style fuchi and kashirae and a sukashi tsuba looks great.
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Jan 31, 2012 17:41:59 GMT
i really like the looks of plain iron and steel fittings, theres some kind of a beautiful simplicity to it
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2012 17:52:21 GMT
I don't think it's necessary to incorporate too much detail into cast parts for a production run. Sometimes an interesting texture has greater effect than elaborate artwork. Flat copper blanks can be given texture with a ball-peen hammer - the small round dents spread evenly across the surface can look very nice. Here is a link to some other designs: www.ourmanintokyo.net/copper-tsuba/.
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Marc Kaden Ridgeway
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Awful lot of leaving and joining going on here for me .... And gosh I can't recall doing a bit of i
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Post by Marc Kaden Ridgeway on Jan 31, 2012 18:04:06 GMT
Yep.... simplicity is the key , elegant under-statement goes well with katana , IMHO .
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Jan 31, 2012 21:44:13 GMT
I'll agree with simplicity 100%. The photos that student of sword posted of the wrought iron fittings were spectacular. Subtle sophistication is so much more attractive for me than the over the top, over done dragons,tigers etc.etc.etc. one of the things that attracted me to this buy was the selection of simple fittings.
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Post by Vue on Feb 1, 2012 5:16:24 GMT
Ricky - If by using copper or brass it would make it easier for the forge to produce the fittings then you should have a look at Ford Hallam's work here plus.google.com/photos/10292032 ... banner=pwa Some of Mr. Hallam's work looks very simple but its far from it, his plain pieces seems to sums up the Japanese aesthetics nicely 'Understated elegance'. The overall organic patina and form is something I've always admired about those pieces, some of them even look edible at times :lol:
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Post by Tcasella on Jan 24, 2013 1:03:31 GMT
I love that hammon, is this blade currently available?
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Post by Elheru Aran on Jan 24, 2013 19:51:14 GMT
Best way to check on that is to contact dadaochen/Ricky and ask directly.
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Post by Tcasella on Jan 25, 2013 4:52:49 GMT
Thanks!
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