Sword Update
I got a call from the man who's working on my katana. It was interesting to talk to a guy who obviously knew what he was talking about. A professional sword enthusiast! On top of that, he was just a really polite and friendly guy.
He asked me where I got the fuchi kashira, because...he made them! He was like, "yeah, those are some of my pieces I made for a client years ago." I told him I got them on Ebay over a year ago, and he just chuckled, saying it was interesting how things pass from hand to hand. If I had been more alert, I would have then complimented on what a great job he did. ;) It was just cool, because he could tell where I had gotten almost every little piece just by looking at it; he knew the blade was from India and modern, the fuchi and kashira were made by him, that the seppa were old and from Japan (probably WWII kai gunto), and that the habaki was also old and from Japan. The only thing he wasn't sure about was the tsuba, so I explained where that came from.
Then came the bad part that I knew was coming. He said the seppa and the tsuba didn't quite match due to the tsuba's design. The tsuba is really cool, and has a tiger perched on a rock with deer below. The tiger is sort of raised above the tsuba (very 3-D). So, the seppa were a little too big to place over the tsuba. He said he could throw in some smaller seppa for free, so that was cool.
Alas, as I had feared, the habaki just would not fit. He was really impressed with it, and knew it to be both an original and beautiful. It just wouldn't fit the blade, and so couldn't be used. So that was the bad thing I knew I might have to do--get an entirely new habaki from him...for $250! EEk! I know its neccessary, and there's no other way around it. I also know that his silver habaki would probably look a lot better with the damascus steel of the blade as compared to the brass and copper habaki I provided. I also know the habaki is a very vital part of the sword. Its just that wow, that's expensive! I could get two good swords for that! But ah well, check's in the mail today! Maybe I should, like the Sheriff of Nottingham said, "...cancel Christmas!" ;P
He asked me where I got the fuchi kashira, because...he made them! He was like, "yeah, those are some of my pieces I made for a client years ago." I told him I got them on Ebay over a year ago, and he just chuckled, saying it was interesting how things pass from hand to hand. If I had been more alert, I would have then complimented on what a great job he did. ;) It was just cool, because he could tell where I had gotten almost every little piece just by looking at it; he knew the blade was from India and modern, the fuchi and kashira were made by him, that the seppa were old and from Japan (probably WWII kai gunto), and that the habaki was also old and from Japan. The only thing he wasn't sure about was the tsuba, so I explained where that came from.
Then came the bad part that I knew was coming. He said the seppa and the tsuba didn't quite match due to the tsuba's design. The tsuba is really cool, and has a tiger perched on a rock with deer below. The tiger is sort of raised above the tsuba (very 3-D). So, the seppa were a little too big to place over the tsuba. He said he could throw in some smaller seppa for free, so that was cool.
Alas, as I had feared, the habaki just would not fit. He was really impressed with it, and knew it to be both an original and beautiful. It just wouldn't fit the blade, and so couldn't be used. So that was the bad thing I knew I might have to do--get an entirely new habaki from him...for $250! EEk! I know its neccessary, and there's no other way around it. I also know that his silver habaki would probably look a lot better with the damascus steel of the blade as compared to the brass and copper habaki I provided. I also know the habaki is a very vital part of the sword. Its just that wow, that's expensive! I could get two good swords for that! But ah well, check's in the mail today! Maybe I should, like the Sheriff of Nottingham said, "...cancel Christmas!" ;P