All Activity

Just for a moment there Jean, I thought I saw a spot of rust…

Hello Uwe, Thank you for your feedback. Yes, very nice armor. Probably belong to a high ranking bakufu official or a super super wealthy Samurai. From the picture, I cannot see any family crest. The nice color variation reminds me of the Munechika armor in the Leiden museum. Will try to ask the Edo museum if they have more informations about the history of this armor. (Provenance, etc.) There is probably also a more precise date mentioned inside the Kabuto. Comment of the picture only mention the year. Interesting search. Will see where it will lead. Many thanks

Hanayakana Nihonto Bizen Ichimonji now 100 euros shipping included worldwide

Bump

dicounted 350,00 Euro shipping worldwide 35,00 Euro Germany shipping free

Hey Dale! Thanks for your swift reply and information! Mauro's Tsuba looks like a copy of my Tsuba, but his looks like it's made of iron, and mine is some type of alloy. I was told what it was before, but I forgot, but maybe Yamagane or Copper Alloy. That would be an incredible coincidence if his Tsuba was the one I saw at the SF Token Kai about five years ago and some how at ended up with Mauro after it was for sale at the show I saw it at! I wish I had taken a photo of the book I saw the Tsuba that looks like Mauro's and mine, to see if either of them was the Tsuba in the book or not! Interesting that this Tsuba design was replicated, and I wonder which came first, mine or his, and if it was from the same maker or if one was a copy of the other from two different Tsuba makers at two different periods?

Unless your first name actually happens to be Forest/Forrest, in which case please update your name field to reflect that

We REQUIRE at least a first name. No-one wants to address you as either Mr Ninja, or just Forest. If you wish to ignore that rule, then my advice is run Forest, run.

Agreed. It is mostly used for verification and to determine the particular period during which a smith made it, as they often have various titles throughout their career.

I think you are giving the whole title thing too much status. They weren't a real title, and came with no privileges. Often a smith was "lord" of an area he didn't even live in. There was no qualification required and I don't think he submitted any sword for evaluation. They are not seen as any real form of status or quality. Just look at home many were given out https://www.sho-shin.com/titles.htm I don't think a title is ever really considered by a collector when looking at the quality of a sword

My Tsuba looks very similar to yours, but mine is an alloy like copper or something like that and yours looks like iron. What book is your Tsuba pictured in? I thought I saw my Tsuba in a book, but maybe it was your Tsuba in a book? I showed my Tsuba to Robert Haynes and he said he thought it was Northern Shoami... It came to me via Goran Glucina, who told me it was once in the collection of his Shotokan Karate instructor, Abe Shien. The first image is the truest representation of the color of the Tsuba, as it was taken in sunlight. Dealers at the San Francisco Token Kai told me to take it in the sunlight and I could see the truest representation of the color, and they weren't wrong.

Guess it is “安親作” (Yasuchika saku)…

Steve, Thank you very much for the information. Very helpful. The research I had done previously to our discussion had placed the title he received as something of historical importance. A shinshinto masterpiece of sorts. Based on the information I have received in the past couple of days seems to paint a much different (still extremely interesting) story about the history as it was, not as it reads. This is why I love history though. It has many twists and turns. So to clarify, even if it did represent his Nagato no Kami submission piece, to history it is just one of Ozaki Suketakas best examples? Is there a book I can get that has all this information in it? Thanks again.

Seems the same was done to the tsuba. There are the remnants of something under the scratches. John C.

Both Shioda and Shiota are common readings of this family name 塩田. I have a friend who says ‘Shiota’.

Date on the sword is Kansei 10, August. Bear in mind, in the shintō period the dates inscribed are almost always either August or February (well, strictly speaking its "Eighth Month" and "Second Month" - there is a discrepancy between the traditional Japanese months and those of the Gregorian calendar). These two months are used regardless (almost) of when the sword was actually forged. So best not to take that date too literally. I wouldn't place too much significance on the title, or the privileges it conferred, or the deference paid to the swordsmith upon receiving the title. It's not representative of admission into the nobility. "Lord" or "Governor", "Protector", etc. are just honorific titles, so the smith isn't in any kind of professional limbo until he receives the paperwork. The title just allows him to inscribe his swords with that title, and of course it is an honor for him to do so, but otherwise his life and status doesn't change. Maybe it allows him to increase the prices of his swords slightly. Also the granting of titles was, to some extent, a revenue-generating scheme for the bakufu. So the standards for granting of titles may fluctuate depending on the finances of the bakufu and/or those of the officers in charge of granting titles.

My guess is 安秋作　（Made by Yasuaki). But I can find no such metalworker in the Wakayama index.

Thank you, Jan. I forgot the alternate pronunciation of ta as da. Much appreciated Chandler and Jan - and Sam for moving the thread. John C.

塩田 (Shioda) is a valid Japanese last name. https://myoji-yurai.net/searchResult.htm?myojiKanji=塩田

oil went 50% up in a month. Whatever you have to ship do it now.

嶋田 - Shimada? Its an alternate spelling of Shimada but IDK if that's it.

Oops. Just realized I put this in the wrong forum. Could this be moved please? John C. @Scogg

Don't feel bad for it.

Hi Daniel! The tatami dou is the only part I have of that particular armor so I can only guess what the other parts would look like. A karuta zhukin for head piece in the same colours and regarding the sanghu it is hard to tell. Unfortunately I can not send any other picture at the moment since I am on Aruba for vaccation. Regards, Anthony

Why is it that every Forum has a person being a fkhead? Signed FOREST NINJA