All Activity

dear admin, please delete

Hello everyone, Thank you very much for your valuable insights. Regarding the tsuka, I also appreciate the information about Kabazaiku and its history. That was very interesting to learn. I will try to take and share clearer photos of the nakago and kissaki area, in case there are still details (such as a possible faint boshi or file marks) that could help in further identification. Thanks again for your time and advice!

Hi all, I missed my flight back home from Japan because of the customs (apparently the export license from the Bunkacho is not enough and I needed a second export permit from the ministry of industry and commerce), and to make a long and frustrating story short, I had to send it to a friend in Japan to keep it and then get all the rest of the formalities and send it via him. Now that I know getting the missing permit should be doeable (if someone knows more details I'd be glad to hear), but the largest hurdle after calling all shipping companies that came to my mind (DHL, UPS, FedEx, Japan Post) and all said they would not ship the Hinawaju would be to find a carrier who is ok with transporting a matchlock. Does anyone know who does? Kind regards, Florian

Type: katana Ubu, Suriage or O-Suriage : Ubu Mei : (Mumei, Signature) : Papered or not and by whom? : Era/Age : 1944 Shirasaya, Koshirae or Bare Blade? : Type 3 Nagasa/Blade Length : 26 1/4 inches Sword Location : USA Will ship to : USA Payment Methods Accepted : PayPal Price and Currency : $5000 USD Other Info and Full Description : Up for sale a star stamped Gendaito signed Ôsaka Rikugun Zôheishô Minamoto Sadashige Saku kore dated 1944 in Type 3 mounts. The blade is in excellent condition. In original wartime polish with Ubu ha. No Flaws, no openings, no chips (some stains and minor scratches due to age). The Type 3 koshirae is all original and also in great condition with minor ships on saya to be expected. Kawano Sadashige is rated 1 Million yen in Slough’s An Oshigata Book of Modern Japanese Swordsmiths 1868-1945. His real name is Kawano Jûtarô, and he was born in 1912. He was a student of Gassan Sadakatsu. Sadashige became a Jumei Tôshô of the Arms Administration Headquarters in 1942. He made medium to high grade Gendaitô. If you need any more pictures feel free to ask pics in link: https://imgur.com/a/ANrPYec

I don’t think it’s a tool. I feel like it’s a broken blade cut down, but it’s in shirasaya for storage, which means whoever repurposed it found it valuable. I was assuming it would be some broken gunto blade, but why would he value it like that then? It’s a very curious object. It also creeps me out a little as it seems much more personal of an item than an original gunto. D

Japan also, made some Sabre's for the Australian Light Horse, in WW1. These Sabre's have become as rare as hens teeth.

As it have 3 mekugi ana being in use [tsuka have all 3] could this be some tool?

Hi everyone. I found this in my grandfather’s attic earlier in the year. He served in the US Navy during WWII. He was in the Pacific Theater, taking part in the campaigns of Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands. I know it’s Japanese, but not much else. The blade has obviously been machined and cut from a longer blade, but I don’t know what the original could have been? The steel seems lightly pitted and corroded but relatively smooth. I see a niji-mei, “小鍛” kokaji? If anyone has any idea about this blade I’d greatly appreciate your input! I’m assuming it has little value and might try polishing or restoring it myself. Dom

I should have

酒向兼茂作 = made by Sakō Kaneshige

Pm sent.

I think its a great collection, too. And apologies for always zooming in on the kanji, but I do love the challenge of deciphering these - even though my success rate is probably 50/50.

Hi Steve, With all respect, why don't you ever put these in the 'Translation Needed' or 'Japanese Military Swords' sections? You would get a faster response from the right people and it would save the admin's extra work having to move your posts.

Up next from my friend's collection is an NBTHK-papered Heianjo-zogan iron tsuba. It features high-relief brass inlay depicting an active landscape scene, with dragons as a chief component. A lot going on in this composition. The hitsu-ana are irregularly shaped, and are plugged with what looks to be textured shakudo. The tsuba is in very good condition, and measures 7.6cm x 7.8cm x 4mm. $185.00 plus shipping.

It looks older by the signature Anyone know who signed it? or any info about it

My pleasure, gentlemen. The Tetsugyu is a museum-quality masterpiece previously in the Genshin Collection, published in "The Art of Zen" by Stephen Addiss. It pretty much dominates a room filled with other masterpieces. The translation is given as "Self Revealed," but the kanji is not provided by Prof. Addiss. I just acquired the Yamaoka Tesshu, but without translation. My wife thought the kanji might be 徳露 and with resemblance in meaning to Tetsugyu's work. The strength of the calligraphy in and of itself sealed the deal for me. A bargain at JPY 3,300. However, it does appear that they are not the same. The top character of Tetsugyu's work appears to be the corresponding character of the first character on the right of Yamaoka's (reading right to left). The second characters don't seem to be identical, but I find it hard to interpret these very idiosyncratic styles.

Some may already be aware of the interesting brief article by Jim Dickson that just appeared in the last issue of Man at Arms , but it deserves notice by this community. In three pages, “The Japanese Type 32 Ko Cavalry Saber” shows a couple saber hilts. Two types are noted but not really defined, and there is brief allusion to their history and performance, There are no references. Slam-bam, thank you, mam. Is anybody paying attention to these swords? Are they part of Japanese sword history? I’ll bet they are extremely rare in Japan so that if they are going to be addressed, it will have to be based on swords that have survived because they ended up in foreign collections. Should we be treating these cavalry sabers with more respect and attention? Peter

Unfortunately gimei, the ji Seki is engraved in a wrong maner

Top one I think is 独露 (same meaning). 徳 seems like a typo. (In Japanese, the phrase is 万象之中独露身) The bottom one, I'm not sure of, but it doesn't seem like 独露. I'll wrestle with it a bit. Maybe someone can confirm or deny while I'm chewing on it.

Although this one is a replica, this style of painted and brass really only goes with the Army Type 98, in my opinion.

Incredible! Thanks for sharing.

Hello, I think the clasped hands or all brass style would be appropriate, as well as the braided silk cord. What would look odd is having the brass and painted style sarute, commonly found on Type 98 Army swords. PG-

Uwe, thanks for the reference, I will add it to the others I have.

Dear Nathaniel. I believe this is Echizen no kami Nobuyoshi,(but I had to turn the picture the right way up to read!) All the best.