A big Thank you to Peter the owner of swords.co.uk for firstly giving us plebs in the UK an actual high end option along with other new swords they offer, secondly for getting it in so quickly and thirdly for delivering it personally to me this morning to make sure it got here safe.

This is the 1st Citadel to come into the country in who knows how long, I've never ever seen one before in person. So when they actually became available here I contacted the owner and ordered the most gorgeous one they offered as soon as he got back to me.
I've always wanted a high end modern made sword and if anything the reality is surpassing the dream. This sword feels, looks and moves better than anything else I own.

My only gripe is it came with a plain black sageo and the shitodome are so small it's going to limit my options when getting a new one from Japan.

I've searched it 3 times and the only flaw I can find is the transition on the kashira isn't quite perfect on one small part, I can't feel it when holding it, I failed to capture it on camera to the point it had more wondering I was seeing things, but if you get the angle just right you can see a tiny little ledge.

She's 28 inches, 2 pounds 2 ounces and the sharpness is consistent along the entire blade. Very little distil taper and the balance is... I give up trying to describe how good it is.
I'd probably be less impressed with the hamon and polish if I wasn't so happy to have something that looks so different from everything I already own.

The saya feels super thin, I totally failed to capture how beautiful it is and as a nice surprise, no binding.
I'd prepared myself for the worst on that, so very pleased it just glides in and out.

The just under 12" tsuka is a joy to hold, good consistent diamonds (not something I'm used to lol), rock hard wrap and a shape that's a joy to hold.

The hand carved iron fittings were a big part of the appeal of a Citadel. They feel as good as they look. One thing to note, the Dragon's face on the tsuba looks roughly the same skill level as the one on the Citadel pictures. I think honestly their ambition exceeded their skill level when it comes to the fine level of detail this required. Thankfully mine looks so confused I actually find it funny instead of a turn-off. The poor guy looks like he just woke up.
I don't normally care overly about menuki, but these are gorgeous.

Citadel have always been top of my list of swords I'd love to own and everything Matthew Jensen says in his reviews makes sense now I've got one.

As for the price, £3500. By UK standards that's more than fair, It goes for over £4000 in mainland Europe so I am as happy with the price as I am with the product and service in the end.
I'll definitely be buying more.

Want something that I could actually use if I need to. Mixed reviews from everybody so I can’t choose. Was between hauwei and ronin dojo pro. 1060, 1065 or spring steel are ideal for this.

Hello everyone!

Yesterday I took part in a traditional swordsmith photo opportunity. Professional photographers from across the region came to take pictures, which will be entered into a contest and used in magazines and promotional materials.

I always get copies of the pictures, and thought you might appreciate what historic sword forging looks like! Enjoy!

Recently, I bought this from a 78 year old who was cleaning out a trunk of his father. This trunk had been sitting at his aunts house since the 1970s. He reported that his father liked to collect weapons and was stationed in Okinawa in the mid 1940s.

previously posted my gunto but I didn’t have pictures at hand just videos, I would take off the handle but it doesn’t look easy without damaging it as the screw/pin isnt wood and the chord is wrapped tight, my best guess is its just a sorta late war sword hence the lack of rayskin and the wrap material, id appreciate if anyone could give any insight to what the marks might mean and if its a shin or kai gunto, everything is tight and correctly assembled, no post war refit as far as im aware, so im happy enough with it better to be authentic then pretty, fun sword

Original deleted as requested with better pictures.

This modern katana was a gift from a late friend and holds great sentimental value. It was likely made around 2000, imported fro Australia via Japan in 2001, and included a cleaning kit with Japanese instructions. A friend sent it to me as a gift along with a book in japaneese who later passed away.

It sat in storage for years befor getting cooked in a fire from another storage unit and bringing it to my attention.

I know its not worth anything as its modern. Every thing got smoked so I cant read the paperwork now. There was japanese paperwork and a certificate But I dont know where this came from honestly.

Despite its modern origin, it has a surprisingly good steel hada, it is defintly folded steels, not etched. and the maker's mark is engraved directly onto the blade above the habaki rather than in the usual location.

Likely to be tourist-grade, but the handle had featured genuine ray skin, not plastic and the steel quality looks decent, its also a live blade which surprices me and basically has me puzzled.

Definitely modern. Just wondering who by and where to get this repaired in Europe.

I have the Tsuba and all the metal parts. Nothing organic or fabrics.

Bought this sword a while ago, was trying to see if anyone could translate the characters and maybe tell me more about the sword like age, style or maybe even region/school it was made. Thanks!

I've been looking for a good one for a long time and i honestly have no clue where to start any ideas a helpful

Oque acharam das minhas espadas ? Katana e tanto seda genuína japonesa com t10 polimento hazuya , iaito de alumínio

I am building a display for my house. In the middle will be the do, the torso piece of armor with the arms and a kabuto. Mounted above will be my tanegashima. At the base in front of the armor will be the katana. I am getting ready to mount the armor. I have only seen the outside of it up till now and it looks stable. Unfortunately, as I look at the inside for the first time, it does not look so stable. What should I be doing to this before mounting to prevent any further degradation? What I have read was use a soft bristle brush to remove loose flakes and cover with renaissance oil. My fear is this isn’t going to be enough. What advice would you guys give? I know this isn’t a katana, but this is the most knowledgeable group I have come across so any help would be appreciated.

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Hello everyone, postes It on nihonto board but I would ask here too for more opinions

I'm researching contemporary Japanese swordsmiths for a potential future commission, although I'm not currently in a position to place an order.

I've been in contact with a European intermediary regarding Kawachi Kunihira, and they have also recommended Kawashima Kazuki, particularly because of his work inspired by Bizen-den, Fukuoka Ichimonji and the Yamatorige (Sanchōmō).

My artistic preferences lean towards an expressive, flamboyant chōji-midare, abundant hataraki, interesting jihada, and a relatively substantial tachi sugata.

I understand that Kunihira has an exceptional reputation as a mukansa swordsmith, while Kawashima appears to offer a more affordable commission closely aligned with my preferred style.

For collectors familiar with their actual work, I'd be interested in hearing how you would compare their craftsmanship, artistic qualities and value for money, particularly when it comes to Bizen-inspired swords.

I'm not looking for an investment recommendation based solely on resale value. My priority would be artistic appreciation and long-term ownership.

Any firsthand experience, detailed photographs or references to exhibited works would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Good morning all,

A couple months back, I requested advise on getting my sword a new mount after its experienced decades of environmental wear:

Original Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Katanas/s/KcNABeoyex

After research and talking to a few people, I sent the blade off to Wally Hostetter from https://shiningmoon13.com/ to get it mounted in a traditional shirasaya mount. Communication was great and the quality is better than i could have hoped for.

Thank you all for the support and advice.

Hi Friends,

Who are the front runners for production cutters in the 1-1.5k range these days? I have a couple dojo beaters, a nice iaito and an Edo-period Nihonto I'm not willing to cut with.

I've been shifting away from a primary HEMA focus the last 15 years back towards JSA, so I'm out of touch on where the market is now.

I've been practicing Omi-ha Muto Ryu and Kendo the last couple years, but neither school does any cutting, so sensei advice is slim.

I've been looking at Bugei and a few others.

Thanks!

I shot this last December and finally got around to editing it.

Edit: sorry guys I pasted the wrong link...

https://youtu.be/jGBesxlNNT0?si=g5nMV-Neck0lIwSs