Talk:Nihonto

Merger with Katana

Do not merge it because nihonto refers to true Japanese made katana and blades katana section is just describing the weapon itself

It should be merged becuase they really talk about the same thing Japanese Katana or Nihonto

It should not be merged because it is talking about japanese blades not only katana it could include wakizashi, as well as tanto.

Do you fellows mind signing your comments? The articles should be merged because katana has overflowed into Nihonto, rather than the other way around. It is not possible to speak about a katana purely within context of the katana and have the subject understood. The katana article actually has more Nihonto information than the Nihonto article which is not much more than a stub. Mars11 15:08, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

Online Stores

The reference links on this page should not contain online stores, these are "links normally to be avoided" by Wikipedia policy. More incorrectly: the first was cited as the "Official Nihonto Site", and there is no such thing. That's like saying that some website out there is the "Official Sculpture Page." I have removed the links and will be putting in place links to some Nihonto related organizations with publications. Mars11 15:08, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

The links I put up are all links to organizations or sites that are non-commercial and have useful reference information on their sites for people looking for in-depth information about Nihonto. If you have any issues with any of the links, please discuss here about what criteria you are using to determine "useful." I have been studying Nihonto for around nine years now and I find these links useful in doing my research. Mars11 04:46, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

The info given with the links didn't explains why they were useful, someone who hasn't been studying for 9 years might not find them as useful, or know where to start. I removed the link to a local club as that is pretty much advertising. Could you read WP:EL and review them, ideally integrating them as sources (see WP:Cite for how) if possible. --Nate1481( ^t/_c) 10:07, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Those links are reguarly provided by people who study Japanese swords as sources for additional information to enthusiasts of all levels of study, including those with no knowledge. In particular, you deleted Dr. Richard Stein's non-commercial website on the first go around which is the #1 English site on the internet for additional information and links to resources related to Nihonto. So it makes me question if you have the background to be deciding for this article what is an useful link or not. If you have no familiarity with Nihonto then you should probably not be making these decisions...

The NCJSC is not a "local" club, but has worldwide membership. It is non-profit, and devotes itself to providing information about Japanese swords for its members and everyone else. There is a virtual glossary on the site here which is extremely useful: [1] amongst other things. I am not a member of the organization but I use the information they provide and so do other people. They also host the largest annual showing of Japanese Swords outside of Japan (it is in San Francisco) which attracts collectors and enthusiasts from everywhere in the world... I have attended twice. There are a million Japanese swords in the USA brought back by veterans, and the NCJSC and their show provide people who find these swords or inherit them a place to go to have them evaluated on hand to get an idea what to do with them.

Since they are a non-profit incorporated entity with worldwide reach, I don't think that placing a link to their website is "advertising." I would suggest to put the link back, unless of course there is a policy against linking non-profits. Anyone looking to understand what sword terms are, or get in depth information is going to be able to go through the links and get extra information out of it, it's not just people who already have knowledge.

Even if it is more advanced than what a neophyte may be able to use, all the more reason actually to link it to provide more information. In terms of Japanese Swords, it is very hard to come by good information and these organizations are one of the few legitimate sources.

I am not signing up to enhance this article further as I believe it should be merged with katana. While this is up for discussion, it's not very useful to do a lot of work other than to correct what is already here.

I reviewed the criteria, and I don't see why these would not be acceptable as external links. Surely it would be better to integrate them as sources, but it takes enough time fighting with people who want to revert your work as is. 70.55.145.207 01:08, 1 August 2007 (UTC)