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More photos of Kim's
sword for the curious:
 Photo showing the curve of the blade and tang, along with the fittings, the hilt is made traditionally, it's put together traditionally, and at the top left corner of the tsuba you can see a shim that goes beside the tsuba to stop it from rotating. Did I say these were made for iaido? The price is low because they don't take 2 years to make. They don't take two hours either! These shims are why you shouldn't take your blades apart out of curiosity. Do it only if something becomes loose and pay attention to the shims! No the tsuka is not glued to the nakago.  Closer view of the fittings. Yes the tsuka is wood, not plastic. After a year of use the wrap is as tight as the day I got it. That has a lot to do with the way I handle it of course, I don't wiggle my fingers around.  This shot shows the filing on the tang. You'll also note perhaps, how dirty this blade is. This one is mine, I've used it for about a year now and don't pull the thing apart to clean it. On the other side is a signature, it says "joe made this" or something similar. No I'm not showing it to you, it's not a famous Muromachi era smith, trust me.  Here's the tsuka kashira end of the hilt. Note the shim.  Here's the tip with all the nice bits and pieces showing... along with some dust. Did I mention I don't clean my blades religiously? There is pit rust along the mune of this blade so yes it's carbon steel and yes you have to clean and oil them religiously.  Here's the other end, where it fits into the hilt. This is one of the first blades we received, they are actually even more nicely made now. We are trying to get as many as we can so please email if you're interested in buying one and we can tell you what we've got in stock. Price: $729 US plus shipping and applicable taxes. Email us to check on available stock and to buy.
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