Swords available for purchase
Please contact AAS if you are interested in these swords, or in placing a custom order.
MTS (1075) katana No. 2 [Link to detailed images]
Sugata: Robust shoshu-den in shinogi zukuri
Nagasa: 28.18” (2-3-6)
Kissaki: 1.75”
Motohaba: 1.28”
Sakihaba: 0.94”
Sori: 0.63”
Hamon: Notare with triplet gunome midare clusters and a ton of ashi. Unusually for Rick, the boshi is midare, not suguha.
Motokasane: 0.28”
Sakikasane: 0.20”
Nakago: 10.38” futsu gata with kurijiri and kesho yasurimei.
Weight: 1 lb. 15 oz. (~890 g)
Additional Notes: The blade has a high shinogi giving it a more diamond shaped cross section and a very lively feel. The single piece habaki is in copper with horizontal file marks (yoko-yasuri) and a fine rokusho patina. The granular structure of the steel is clearly visible, especially in the shinogi-ji, giving the appearance of a very fine ko-itame hada. Signed “Toshi Hisa Saku, dated a day in August, 22nd year of Heisei (August, 2010)”.
Price: $5200
MTS (1075) katana No. 4 (RB) [Link to detailed images]
Sugata: Robust soshu-den in shinogi zukuri
Nagasa: 29.53” (2-4-7.5)
Kissaki: 1.52”
Motohaba: 1.28”
Sakihaba: 0.93”
Sori: 0.83”
Hamon: Suguha in the yaki dashi. Very deep gunome/ko-gunome midare in nio deki with abundant ashi and some yō. Utsuri is present above the entire length of the hamon. The boshi is ko-maru sagari.
Motokasane: 0.25”
Sakikasane: 0.21”
Nakago: 9.19” futsu gata with kurijiri and kesho yasurimei.
Weight: ~2 lb. (940 g)
Additional Notes: There are small islands of mune-yaki directly on the mune that do not extend to the shinogi-ji. In addition, quite a bit of utsuri is present. The granular structure of the steel is clearly visible, especially in the shinogi-ji, giving the appearance of a very fine ko-itame hada. This is a very attractive and exceedingly well balanced sword that would be ideal for iaido while still being more than durable enough for tameshigiri. A habaki has been made for this sword. Signed “Toshi Hisa Saku, but not yet dated.
This sword has been sent to Randy Black for mounting. Although the plans for finishing it off have not been finalized, the fittings have been and were made by Josiah Boomershine as a set specifically for this sword. The tsuba is copper with a shakudo pine needle inlay and is very attractive (see picture below). The fuchi/kashira and menuki are also copper and continue the pine needle theme. If you get your payment in soon enough you can decide on the saya finish etc., otherwise I will commit
to something. In any case, the sword is no longer available alone.
Price: $7500 fully mounted.
MTS (1075) katana No. 5
Sugata: Soshu-den in shinogi zukuri
Nagasa: 28.5” (2-3-9)
Kissaki: 1.3”
Motohaba: 1.26”
Sakihaba: 0.87”
Sori: 0.9”
Hamon: Very deep sakichoji/midare. The boshi is ko-maru sagari that turns back so far it forms a nearly full length mune yaki, which is very cool.
Motokasane: 0.21”
Sakikasane: 0.18”
Nakago: 10.13” futsu gata with kurijiri and kesho yasurimei.
Weight: ~1.85 lb. (839.6 g)
Additional Notes: This is a relatively light, extremely well-balanced sword with a great hamon and a strong fumbari. It will make an outstanding iai blade, without compromise regarding cutting performance. I fell for it immediately. Once fully polished it will be a stunner. Signed “Toshi Hisa Saku”, and dated XXX.
Currently, the plan is to have this sword fully mounted. Josiah Boomershine will make the habaki and Randy Black will construct the koshirae. I have a fuchi/kashira set with pine needle theme reserved for this sword that was made by Patrick Hastings. In addition, the tsuba (pictured below) was also made by Patrick Hastings. The menuki that I have in mind are antique gold over shakudo with bird and arrow theme. Up until the time that Randy actually starts work, however, it is possible to snag this sword up for your own designs.
Price: $7500
Note about photos: AAS makes every effort to show the honest face of each blade, and we are not afraid to post extremely high resolution photos. Obtaining quality photos of reflective metallic objects is, however, quite challenging. As time goes on the artistic and technical merits of our photographs will improve. Please note that the harsh lighting required to reveal details in the hamon is very unforgiving; the brutal lighting would make even Christie Brinkley look like a zombie. In addition, shooting with a 200 mm lens three feet away from a sword using a DX camera can uncover details not obvious to the naked eye. Seemingly small things such as dust falling on the sword creates little reflective mountains that can ruin a shot. So, please be patient as our photography skills progress. Prospective customers may also request additional photos of a particular sword. Finally, we welcome any comments and suggestions about our swords and or photos (especially for improving the shots). Thanks for looking!
