naginata blade please help

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by ariel

Eric,

Please notice multiple pittings, some of which are quite deep . Thus, perfect polish will remove at least 1-2, maybe more, mm from each side of the entire blade. Whatever “damascus” picture was present, will likely be removed or significantly distorted. No serious Nihonto buff will be impressed by the final result.

We easily accept virtually any “Islamic” blade with superficial defects, patches of discoloration, occasional forging flaws etc, but the attitude of the guy from Lee’s story is typical for serious Nihonto collectors. Their acceptability criteria are just different. They are a breed apart.

The only other type of collectors who are somewhat approaching this level of perfectionism are “ wootz” collectors: witness Fiegel’s sorrowful comments on occasional microscopic slag inclusions:-)

Ariel, this blade is atypical, highly unusual, maybe it was in a fire or??? No one would have this polished without first getting the opinion of an experienced polisher who has trained in Japan and knows the traditional methods passed down from generation to generation. No good polisher would recommend polishing a Japanese blade that they thought should not be polished, the finished work would not reflect well on their reputation.

I am not sure what a "serious nihonto collector" is, there are many types, some are perfectionists some are not, it is not good to over generalize. Many people buy what they like and you can also find polished Japanese swords for a good price, often way less that the price of the polish alone.

I have a few naginata, some polished in varying degrees, some highly flawed....so do you really believe that the ones which are not "perfect" are "worthless"?

[ariel]

Originally Posted by estcrh

I have a few naginata, some polished in varying degrees, some highly flawed....so do you really believe that the ones which are not "perfect" are "worthless"?

No, but just by the breadth of the examples from your collection and your comments on a wide range of bladed weapons from all over the world I think you are not a “serious Nihonto collector”.

I have several Nihonto blades, but would not dare call my interest “ serious” and so, I am sure, many other Forumites. But the guy from Lee’s story was a “serious” one. Figiel was a serious Indo-Persian collector ( see his auction catalogue), Jens is a serious katars collector and often admits his lack of expertise in case of other Indian weapons.

Serious collectors concentrate on a very narrow area, but 99% of us are eclectic and have much more relaxed standards. But many, if not most of our cherished things are “worthless” in the eyes of “serious” collectors. We cherish them for their age and kisses of time, they reject them for the very same reasons.Nothing wrong with it: there are as many collections as there are collectors.

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by ariel

the guy from Lee’s story was a “serious” one.

Ariel, from this statement you know that the guy who did not buy Lee's yari was a "serious collector"..... "He asked the dealer the price and then observed in response that, from losses to the engravings, it was already a bit too tired from repeated polishings".....this proves nothing, maybe the guy was just cheap, or not really interested, or....fill in the blank. So if someone collects other weapons besides Japanese blades they are disqualified from being a "serious collector"? Someone can not be a "serious collector" of both Japanese weapons and Indo-Persian weapons....I never heard that before, sounds a bit elitist to me

[ariel]

Originally Posted by estcrh

I never heard that before, sounds a bit elitist to me

Well, you are entitled to your opinion, just as I am to mine.
I am a subscriber to Sir Isaiah Berlin’s fox and hedgehog theory.

[Pieje]

I asked a friend for a translation of the mei/signature.

The mei reads "Katsukuni" (Darani school), a Shinto smith who lived in Kaga (Ishikawa Prefecture). Thus dating from the period 1600-1764.

[mariusgmioc]

Originally Posted by Pieje

I asked a friend for a translation of the mei/signature.

The mei reads "Katsukuni" (Darani school), a Shinto smith who lived in Kaga (Ishikawa Prefecture). Thus dating from the period 1600-1764.

The characters of the signature are quite crude and I suspect it is a gimei.

[weapons 27]

Originally Posted by Pieje

I asked a friend for a translation of the mei/signature.

The mei reads "Katsukuni" (Darani school), a Shinto smith who lived in Kaga (Ishikawa Prefecture). Thus dating from the period 1600-1764.

hi pieje
thank you for the translation of the signature