Subject: Re: Japanese Sword Stuff

From: [email-masked] (Carl Mork)
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 1994 20:10:00 GMT

-=> Quoting Robert M Van Rens to All <=-

 RMVR> At any rate, a sword not made by these methods is not really a
 RMVR> Japanese sword, and is not worth the price you would pay for a true
 RMVR> tachi.  It was suggested that you should expect to pay upwards of $1000
 RMVR> dollars for a good tachi.  I personally acquired a short blade
 RMVR> (wakizashi) as a gift from one of the smiths I spoke to concerning the
 RMVR> research project I did.  It was appraised by the Japanese government's
 RMVR> Ministry of Culture at around $2500, and it is considered a mediocre
 RMVR> quality blade at best.  It is phenomonally difficult to acquire a
 RMVR> full-length katana outside of Japan; if it is the work of a true master
 RMVR> of the craft, which it must be to be sold, it will easly run $10,000 or
 RMVR> more.  If you can find one. 
     Interesting.  Now what can you tell us about the markings on the hilt?
     I'm told that my katana which I got from my father which he got from his
     brother who took it off the pile of turned in swords at the surrender has
     the "Imperial Crysanthenum" on it.  The blade itself is dated as made in
     1929, the hilt and scabbard are estimated at around 300 years.  And that's
     the sum total of my knowledge.

... Who me?  I'm still using papyrus, and you're asking me?
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12

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From: [email-masked] (Robert M Van Rens)
Date: 21 Oct 1994 14:28:22 GMT

I am afraid that I do not read kanji over the Net, so I have absolutely no
idea what the markings on the hilt mean...however, if it is really an
Imperial Chrysanthymum (five lobed petals, I think, or was it seven?  I
forget, and don't have the book right here), then it quite possibly belonged
to a member of the Imperial Family, or a favorite of them...but I do not
claim to know all, or even close to all, about the markings...I am a
blacksmith, not an appraiser.  I do know that if the hilt is stamped, then
it is the work of an acknowledged master.  Gendaito (New Style Swords),
pre-WWII, are fairly valuable, but nobody knew this at the time of the
surrender.  That is why there are a fair number in collections in the USA.
They are still exceedingly difficult to acquire.  BTW, the porices I quoted
are for newly-forged ones, not antiques, which are hideously more expensive
and even more difficult to acquire.

Robert Van Rens