14 Jun 2022 4:31 am
No, it's not the one.Skans » 13 Jun 2022, 12:50 pm » wrote: ↑ WOW - very nice. I'm going to have to pass on that. I honestly wish I knew more about the Katana. Is the one in that photo really 200 years old? I really would like to hear more about it if you buy it.
In this swordsshop + swordsmithing lab they don't allow anyone to take pictures.
Most serious ones don't.
They're all very secretive about how they forge their stuff.
And their forms . . . which vary greately !
In fact in this kind of places there are not TWO katanas that are the same
They don't need to publicize their stuff either.
Serious potential buyers find their way for sure.
Not many customers . . . but they sure come from far & wide !
Mostly older, affluent Japanese . . . not your average 9 to 5 guys.
And they look with suspicion to a foreigner entering the premises.
I know this joint through my wife's father, during my first travel to Japan, to introduce me to her parents, prior to our marriage, who introduced me to them so I'm kind of accepted.
Especially after I flash out the visiting card they offered me with the handwritten name on it of one of their dynasty's swordsmiths . . . that is no more.
That happened over 40 years ago.
That is when all the ****-shimasu starts . . . long and deep bowing with the face . . . well . . . facing the tatami floor.
Before I buy it, though, I'll look some more to find out where the hell my wife's father kept his two . . . they were two of the finest.
Wife said after his demise her mom threw all his belongings in a garbage dump.
But I find it hard to believe she would do this with his katanas !
Plus she kept all his Kimonos and Hakamas (official uniform for Kendo competitions, where he was very skilled in) . . .
So the extensive search is still on !
LoL
Shops selling the worthless ones to tourists do allow pictures to be taken.