Links

Swords

Andy Quirt This site has some very fine blades.

Aoi Art usually stocks well priced low end pieces, but also has high end swords.

Bladeshark is an excellent source for learning to read kanji characters on swords.

T L Buck PhD. Tsuka-maki, The Art of Japanese Sword Restoration. A must read for anyone who contemplates rewrapping a tsuka. I wish that it had been around when I was learning. However, that was back in the days before the internet, and I had to make do with slowly dissecting the knots, and drawing illustrations of their construction.

T L Buck PhD, Saya Lacquering How to put on a mirror finish. Another splendid article from T L Buck. Personally I usually use cashew lacquer rather than shellac, but the principles are the same.

Fred Lohman. Supplies sword fittings and offers restoration work. Very recommended.

Fred Weissberg. There are some excellent articles on this site, as well as items for sale.

The Japanese Sword Index. Rich Stein's online Nihonto Bible. This is the most comprehensive site on the Japanese sword.

The Japanese Sword Society of the United States.

Jesus Hernandez. An extremely talented US smith who works with tamahagane.

Japan Sword An absolutely wonderful Japanese site.

Modern Tosho A commercial site showcasing and selling high end work by modern Japanese swordsmiths working in traditional styles.

Moses Beccera A sword polisher and dealer in New York.

NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kai): The Society for Preservation of Japanese Art Swords.

NTHK: The Japanese Sword Preservation Society.

Nihonto Kanji Pages. An excellent reference on kanji used for swords and tosogu. Recommended for anyone who wants to learn to read tang inscriptions.

Nihonto Message Board A discussion board on all matters concerning Nihonto.

Robert Benson is a sword polisher and dealer in Hawaii. I haven't yet dealt with him personally, but his good reputation precedes him.

Samurai Kanetoyo. A sword shop in Japan run by Ping and Hiroshi Nakamura.

Token Society of Great Britain.

Walter Sorrells is an American smith working in the forefront of Japanese-style swords. He has recently started to work with tamahagane.

For US citizens only:

Executive Gun Runners is a gun broker offering a large selection of top brand handguns, rifles, pistols, and shotguns.