SHIBUI SWORDS
Welcome to SHIBUI SWORDS, my name is Elliott Long and I have been
involved with Antique Japanese Swords (Nihon-To) since 2004. For me, there are two different reasons for collecting Japanese swords: to appreciate a unique facet of fine art, and through this medium gaining an understanding of Japanese history, culture, language and crafts; and to collect weapons of Japanese origin - regardless of their artistic merit - because of the romantic idea that the "Soul of the Samurai" invokes in me.
I am currently a student of
the Japanese sword, which has meant buying and reading copious books. I maintain
an interest to broaden my knowledge by learning to speak and read the Japanese
language. This study has instilled in me a great appreciation for things I had
little knowledge of when I started, i.e. Japanese history, literature, art and
religion.
Japanese swords and Tsuba are not only
functional but represent an art form made by people in the pursuit of perfection
who did not accept limitations. This kind of desire to produce the best possible
object is something I respect and admire.
Every sword has something to teach;
a good sword is like a library, no matter how many books you read there
is no substitute for a sword which displays what the books can only reference.
Yet, on the other hand you may not understand a good sword without reference
material or the teaching of someone with knowledge of that sword. It makes learning the basics even more important in order to stay clear of the self-proclaimed "experts" who have an answer to everything and true knowledge of nothing.
I wish to share my thoughts and concerns about "authenticity". Because Nihon-to is a collectible work of art, well-preserved antique blades by reputable smiths are extremely valuable. With an increased number of enthusiasts, the two most serious concerns of novice collectors of antique Nihon-to blades are a)the authenticity of the blade made by a reputable smith that they are interested in purchasing; and b)affordablility of the blade they 'can't live without'. The concern of affordability must be dealt with by the individual collector at a different level.
The concern of the authenticity of the given antique blade can be reduced or minimized if the collector is purchasing from a reputable art dealer. And, if the antique Nihon-to is accompanied with a legitimate certificate of authenticity by an established organization such as NBTHK or NTHK.
I am neither an 'appraiser' nor a 'connoisseur' qualified to determine the authenticity of any potentially valuable antique Nihon-to. As a novice Nihon-to collector, I have learned a basic outline of how the screening process is normally performed. This process of determining authenticity involves careful examinations of attributes in several different areas. The following four areas are what I use to determine attributes.
1) Structural attributes peculiar to a smith's work: sugata (shape of the blade), nakago (tang shape), forging/construction method, and hada (surface texture).
2) Attributes peculiar to the smith's work: hamon, nie/nioi, and hataraki.
3) Smith's personal attributes (mei): mei itself as an authenticating signature, and how the mei is 'usually' written (how the mei is carved with a chisel).
4) Chronological attributes based on the time frame the smith is known to have been working: inclusions with the mei (art names, titles, residence, etc.) and the color/patina on the nakago.
Finally, it is my fond hope that this web-site may prove as stimulating to the viewer as it's production was to me, especially when I studied the multiform landscape of an ancient culture and the often tragic but brave attempts of its subjects to cope with the demands of a harsh reality. Confronted as we are today with social and political turbulence, living under the moment-to-moment threat of catastrophe, all studies of man's experience in the art of violent confrontation have acquired a particular relevancy. Almost everyone seems to agree that we must attempt to determine whether man will be forever trapped by his apparently constitutional inclination to employ any method, however lethal, to ensure his dominance over his fellow man, or whether he may be capable of ritualizing and then ultimately, transforming that pattern. In this endeavor, thoughtful studies of man's past, with all its pitfalls and bloody errors, may prove to be a necessary and valuable factor in the final equation.
Study, as I have, the great Unifier's of Japan.
SHIBUI SWORDS web site is continously updated. Check back often.
ShibuiSword Art Gallery
Swords and more
A History of Nihonto by Sato Kanzan
The Development of the Japanese Samurai Sword
Excellant Books about Sword & Tsuba
LIST of
CATALOG's
Handmade Sword Koshirae, Tsuba and Hand Bag Catalog
Nihonto, Gendaito, Shinken, Iaito
Swords Catalog
See Gallery for Tea Set and Tea Bowls
History of Japan, prior to 1900
Pre 1900 Kamakura Japan
Knowledge Base and Study Guide
Includes other educational web-sites. Articles, papers, essay's and descriptions of Nihon-to, Tsuba, and other subjects are included on the respective web pages.
"It is said that true beauty is to be found when a person completes in his or her own mind that which is incomplete". "When one considers that action is an expression of spirit, then the way to bring one's actions to a peak of perfection is to refine the heart that lies within".
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