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Gemei?
Jun 27, 2018 0:16:36 GMT
Post by vermithrax on Jun 27, 2018 0:16:36 GMT
You're looking for "gimei" which means, basically, artificial signature. Could be a smith forging another smith's signature to try to make their swords look/sell better, could be a later attribution carved by an appraiser, could be anything. What it means, though, is either the signature has not been/cannot be verified, or has been proven to be a forgery. That's not to say the blade in question is necessarily a bad or poorly-made blade, but it's like if I splashed some paint on a canvas and copied the signature of a famous abstract artist, then tried to pass it off as their work. Some might argue the painting itself has its own value, but it's not nearly as valuable as a painting actually by that artist, and actually loses value by virtue of being a fraud. Or maybe I painted something and a hundred years later an art historian mistakenly attributes it to Salvador Dali and adds a copy of his signature in an effort to mark their attribution. They're wrong, but maybe they don't know that. Up to you whether these swords have any value. At the least, they're still nihonto. They're just not Masamune, despite the signature saying so. Edit: Haven't read the full article, but this seems like a fair break-down. yuhindo.com/ha/gimei/This is correct. That seller does have reasonable modern blades for reasonable prices though. They are not antique.
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Post by vermithrax on May 20, 2018 23:58:57 GMT
I have sold my 2 nihonto swords. Not to worry though, a new addition will arrive in a few weeks
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Post by vermithrax on May 17, 2018 23:28:42 GMT
Kaneie Guardians are awesome! Nice collection sir!
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Post by vermithrax on May 17, 2018 23:27:21 GMT
Thank you! I'm really happy about how it eventually turned out. There was a time I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get it straightened enough to be happy, and thinking I might have to just eat the cost of the remount and see if I could get get something back by selling the blade and original mounts to a WW2 collector but it all worked out after a few tries. It's hard to describe how relieved I was when it came back, especially with how quickly Wally Hostetter was able to turn it around. I think it took longer to get to him than the repairs. Great guy, eminently professional, and to top it off he did a fantastic butterfly knot on the sword bag. Little details stand out. I'd recommend him in a heart beat. Came out great! Wally does great work, happy everything went well.
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Post by vermithrax on May 6, 2018 0:23:14 GMT
Looks great my friend!
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Post by vermithrax on Jan 19, 2018 3:17:48 GMT
Probably shouldn't have bought antiques into the thread my bad. Just my opinion that I don't like collecting antique fittings for swords I know everyone does it. Here's what I should be asking: who are Craftsmen in the US that do good katana mounting. Josh (cottontail customs) Brian Tschernega does good habaki work and I think other tosogu (I plan to have him do a habaki for me) Fred Lohman is known for it Josiah Boomershine. You also have some others that don’t like to publicize. PM me if you want those names. There are also great international ones like Roman Urban and Hans Koga. But you want US only. Brian T is the man.
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Post by vermithrax on Jan 13, 2018 4:13:04 GMT
I want a Count Dooku/ Darth Bane Makashi hilt.
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Post by vermithrax on Jan 4, 2018 23:59:36 GMT
They are wonderful in hand, better than the pictures. Remind me of masame hada on swords.
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Post by vermithrax on Jan 4, 2018 23:56:23 GMT
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Post by vermithrax on Jan 2, 2018 1:23:38 GMT
As Richard is a practical user with long experience with cutting blades, I would give weight and credence to what he says in reviews and comments. Thanks for the information Richard.
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Post by vermithrax on Jan 2, 2018 1:19:13 GMT
Excellent!
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Post by vermithrax on Dec 31, 2017 1:16:57 GMT
Soda cans and a pillow sack:
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Post by vermithrax on Dec 31, 2017 1:08:08 GMT
For that much money I'd get a ticket to Tokyo and look around. I just checked on round trip airline tickets from U.S. to Japan. Cheaper than I thought (approx $500 to $700). What an adventure that would be. Meet up with a sword expert and go to the shops and see and feel before buying. Tour sword sites/forges. Mega sake....this is going on my bucket list!!!! Well certainly an option, but better if you had a base of knowledge first!
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Post by vermithrax on Dec 25, 2017 23:21:19 GMT
You WON Christmas man, great gift idea!
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Post by vermithrax on Dec 23, 2017 1:31:30 GMT
That's my biggest fear about nihonto. Flaws. I know given the age of nihonto that is inevitable. But it comes with the territory. I'm not educated enough to know if a $5000+ nihonto pictured on a website is actually worth $5000+ after its purchased. Kinda risky but folks on here are more educated than me on the subject and are a big help. The Tiger Elite just might be the one. I just need to find a suitable wakizashi to go with it. I've got about a month to make up my mind. I'm in no rush. Getting the Guardian just pushed my standards up a lot I think. I could definitely see a Guardian raising the bar. ☺️. If you DO decide to look for a Nihonto, I am happy to help you find one that sings to you. I can help too
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Post by vermithrax on Dec 22, 2017 1:53:54 GMT
Get this book and know, they could have gone this way:
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Post by vermithrax on Dec 22, 2017 1:40:36 GMT
Spoiler: The last film and this one killed Star Wars for me. All done.
Now, they could have made a film about Darth Bane and his destruction of the Brotherhood of Darkness to make the Rule of Two, but no. They did this.
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Post by vermithrax on Dec 22, 2017 1:02:10 GMT
Haha! That's just my problem. The Guardian is the best, imho. So it's going to be hard to find something that beats it. My budget is $9000 but I have other toys I want to buy too. There's a certain DelTin I want, an Arms n Armor, a Kimber, a new dining room set for the wife, etc. Can't forget the wife lol. Getting something outside the US is a no go. Unfortunately. Ooo. What Kimber? I love love LOVE my Eclipse Pro II and want a TLE II at some point.☺️ Verm is right though. Some decent Nihonto for $4k. Are you planning to cut with it? (I personally find cutting with Nihonto distasteful but shinsakuto or gendaito or unpaperable... sure). You want to avoid eBay but could look at a Komonjo “special” as a bare blade and mounts and still come under $4k too... Kotetsu... also a good choice. Given Kaneie Guardian already sits in your inventory, i personally would do a Komonjo and custom mounts or a Kotetsu as my next ones if it were me. Or a legit Nihonto which you CAN get for $4k, if you look. Excellent advice as usual from Verity.
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Post by vermithrax on Dec 22, 2017 1:00:22 GMT
This is a very well run and behaved forum, but good reminder.
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Post by vermithrax on Dec 22, 2017 0:24:58 GMT
Hahaha ^^^^^^^^^^^
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