Recently a post asked, "Where can I get antique sai?" This made me think of the old adage, buyer beware. One or two responses stated that they owned antique sai but I have my doubts. I am not saying there are none or that this person has or does not have antiques but I have my doubts. Is it actually an antique?
If I were to venture a guess it would depend on the age of manufacturer. I would not consider any sai from the 1900's as antique. I would consider some of the kobudo weaponry seen at the Hawaii Okinawan Karate museum as possible antique. Let me say that according to sources on the definition of antique:
It must belong to the past, not modern; it dates from a period long ago; it shall be in the fashion, tradition, or style of an earlier period; old-fashioned; of or belong to the ancient Okinawans (referring to thier antiquities); it must be of a work of art, piece of furnature, decorative object, or the like, created or produced in a former period, or, according to U.S. customs laws, 100 years before date of purchase; it must be of an antique style, usually Greek or Roman, especially in art.
As a noun it is considered a collectable object because of its considerable age; as an adjective is must be of high value because of considerable age; as a verb it must resemble an antique by artificial means; and the synonyms describing an antique are "ancient - old - old-fashioned - antiquated - obsolete."
As can be determined by this and the acceptability of the whole there could not be sai or any kobudo weaponry that meets the standard of antique. In addition as to age and value that also depends greatly for value upon who, how, where, when and what amount of value is placed on an item as to its desirability, i.e. if you put one on some antique site and auctioned it off it would bring about a considerable amount of return, i.e. money, money, money. This actually defines antique, in my view, since as most here would experience when the sticker shock tells you just how much this antique would receive.
As to someone just saying they own antiques is always debatable and questionable without all the above considered, provable and validated by experts in this field. Just cause you say or believe it is does not make it so.
Most of the perceived antiquities that would speak to Asian weaponry similar or historically linked to the modern I have viewed, on line and in books from China, etc., are in museums and not available or not available since they are kept in foreign countries like Japan, China and Okinawa, i.e. for sai or sai's sources, etc., are just not available to the general masses so in my view there are no antique sai, tuifa, bo, or any other kobudo weaponry.
Now, if you desire to get kobudo weaponry that may have some intrinsic value then seek out weaponry that can be proven as owned by say Tatsuo-san or other earlier masters of the art like Taira Shinken sensei. Now, finding his weaponry available as a collector item would be cool but verifying and validating authenticity is very, very questionable and I would say impossible. Also it would be kept as family heirlooms by that master's family.
Look at it like trying to find valuable antique katana in Japan. It is possible and you can expect to spend a good deal of money, if it were possible a non-Japanese could even get access to one to purchase.
The old saying, buyer beware, applies here. If someones shows you sai that appears old and says it is antique then beware - especially if they insinuate that it is possible for sale if the price is right.
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