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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Yoshindo Yoshihara and other swordsmiths
- Thread starter Beowulf
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2002
- Messages
- 400
If you've got the money, here's a good site for finding and commissioning a shinsakuto: http://www.lostdays.org/shinsakuto/Default.asp
The Articles section has a partial listing of smiths, and the directory has a few brokers you can go to.
This site is run by Keith Larman and Ted Tenold, and has two really, really nice katanas by Yoshimitsu - one shobu zukuri and one tachi. Both are incredible:
www.moderntosho.com
If you're hoping for Yoshihara, or other Mukansa smiths, good luck. At that level of quality, if you can afford it, you really take whatever you can get. With their status, and Japanese sword restrictions in general, they can afford to laugh at commissions. If you've got 30 grand lying around, I so envy you...
(Here's some Yoshihara eye-candy: a set comprising a katana, tanto, and kogatana by Yoshindo and Kuniiye Yoshihara: http://www.legacyswords.com/Yoshiharanihonto.htm
Sorry if you've seen it before, I just used this as an excuse to put up the site...)
The Articles section has a partial listing of smiths, and the directory has a few brokers you can go to.
This site is run by Keith Larman and Ted Tenold, and has two really, really nice katanas by Yoshimitsu - one shobu zukuri and one tachi. Both are incredible:
www.moderntosho.com
If you're hoping for Yoshihara, or other Mukansa smiths, good luck. At that level of quality, if you can afford it, you really take whatever you can get. With their status, and Japanese sword restrictions in general, they can afford to laugh at commissions. If you've got 30 grand lying around, I so envy you...
(Here's some Yoshihara eye-candy: a set comprising a katana, tanto, and kogatana by Yoshindo and Kuniiye Yoshihara: http://www.legacyswords.com/Yoshiharanihonto.htm
Sorry if you've seen it before, I just used this as an excuse to put up the site...)
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2005
- Messages
- 622
I collect Japanese blades so here's a list of respected American smiths to rival any Japanese smith. I'd have to say Clark, Bell, Barrett and Dicristofano are a slight cut above the rest even though the other smiths i've listed make fine Japanese blades. I think it's because they aren't as much in the limelight as they don't offer Japanese blades exclusively. Bell's son Gabriel should be someone to watch as well in the future.
As for Japanese smiths, you've already mentioned one and I know Keith Larman and Ted Tenold will be accessing more Japanese smiths via that site above. Usagaya http://www.ksky.ne.jp./~sumie99/ can deal directly with swordsmiths in Japan for whatever project you have in mind if you email them your project.
Here are the smiths. They aren't cheap...
Howard Clark - http://www.mvforge.com/
Michael Bell - http://www.dragonflyforge.com/
Rick Barrett - http://www.barrettcustomknives.com/
Anthony Dicristofano - http://www.namahagesword.com/home
Jason Dingledine - http://tigerclawforge.net/home
John Lundemo - http://www.odinblades.com/
Don Fogg - http://www.dfoggknives.com/
Bailey Bradshaw - http://www.bradshawcutlery.com/index.html
Mark Morrow - http://www.swordsmith.net/
Louis Mills - http://www.dfoggknives.com/LouisMills.htm
Scott Slobidan - http://www.slobodianswords.com/
James Raw - http://www.rawblades.com/
David Goldberg - http://www.goldmountainforge.com/
Randall Graham - http://www.rhgraham.com/
Joe Walters - http://www.moonlitforge.com/ (not sure he's still making as he was sick recently)
Whatever you do don't ever deal with Fred Lohman to mount a blade or to do anything else for that matter (many have had bad dealings including myself). If you want to know who's in the market to polish and mount a custom blade, then email me from the email in my profile and I'll give you a list. Among the best in the business for this just happens to be Keith Larman, Ted Tenold, Robin Ramirez (Tenold apprentice), Brandon Thell, etc.
-Eric
As for Japanese smiths, you've already mentioned one and I know Keith Larman and Ted Tenold will be accessing more Japanese smiths via that site above. Usagaya http://www.ksky.ne.jp./~sumie99/ can deal directly with swordsmiths in Japan for whatever project you have in mind if you email them your project.
Here are the smiths. They aren't cheap...
Howard Clark - http://www.mvforge.com/
Michael Bell - http://www.dragonflyforge.com/
Rick Barrett - http://www.barrettcustomknives.com/
Anthony Dicristofano - http://www.namahagesword.com/home
Jason Dingledine - http://tigerclawforge.net/home
John Lundemo - http://www.odinblades.com/
Don Fogg - http://www.dfoggknives.com/
Bailey Bradshaw - http://www.bradshawcutlery.com/index.html
Mark Morrow - http://www.swordsmith.net/
Louis Mills - http://www.dfoggknives.com/LouisMills.htm
Scott Slobidan - http://www.slobodianswords.com/
James Raw - http://www.rawblades.com/
David Goldberg - http://www.goldmountainforge.com/
Randall Graham - http://www.rhgraham.com/
Joe Walters - http://www.moonlitforge.com/ (not sure he's still making as he was sick recently)
Whatever you do don't ever deal with Fred Lohman to mount a blade or to do anything else for that matter (many have had bad dealings including myself). If you want to know who's in the market to polish and mount a custom blade, then email me from the email in my profile and I'll give you a list. Among the best in the business for this just happens to be Keith Larman, Ted Tenold, Robin Ramirez (Tenold apprentice), Brandon Thell, etc.
-Eric
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2002
- Messages
- 400
Usagiya is great - I think they deal mainly with Keiun Naohiro (whose stuff is really nice, btw) for new swords. They won't take commissions, but they'll see about having a sword made within your parameters that'll still sell if you don't like it.
If we're going into American smiths...
I think Joe Walters is still a bit out of the game, as far as new stuff, and I know Howard Clark isn't taking orders for a long while (though his available page is updated now and again).
I have two Randal Graham blades - I'd put them up against anything else, but that's just me. Plus, he's still "getting back in the game," as he says, so he's very cheap, considering his skills.
Just to add someone whose stuff is affordable and still pretty nice and very custom, check out Walter Sorrells: http://www.waltersorrells.com/blades/
Steve Schwarzer is also making some good stuff, fitted out by Wally Hostetter: http://www.steveschwarzer.com/schwarzer-hostetter-1.htm
David Schlueter has also made some interesting stuff, though he's not taking commissions and only selling completed works now: http://oddfrogforge.com/
If we're going into American smiths...
I think Joe Walters is still a bit out of the game, as far as new stuff, and I know Howard Clark isn't taking orders for a long while (though his available page is updated now and again).
I have two Randal Graham blades - I'd put them up against anything else, but that's just me. Plus, he's still "getting back in the game," as he says, so he's very cheap, considering his skills.
Just to add someone whose stuff is affordable and still pretty nice and very custom, check out Walter Sorrells: http://www.waltersorrells.com/blades/
Steve Schwarzer is also making some good stuff, fitted out by Wally Hostetter: http://www.steveschwarzer.com/schwarzer-hostetter-1.htm
David Schlueter has also made some interesting stuff, though he's not taking commissions and only selling completed works now: http://oddfrogforge.com/