SWORDSOFJAPAN.COM Latest Topics

New sword & fitting book arrivals

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 02:29:37 +0000

I am in taking a large collection of books focused on swords, fittings, kabuto and armour. I will follow up on this initial post with details on the books that I received, however if anyone sees a reference that they have been looking for here, please reach out to the email below and I will get back to you quickly with further information and pricing.

Raymondsinger@gmail.com

Best regards,

Ray

Swords of Japan - YouTube channel

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 14:04:14 +0000

Happy New Year everyone, I just wanted to share an update that I have started to post new video content after taking a long break from filming. Please do check my channels below in the coming days for updates and new videos.

https://youtube.com/@swordsofjapan

https://www.instagram.com/swordsofjapan

Please email me with any questions, or for videos you might like to see in the future.

Best regards,

Ray

New Arrivals - Swords of Japan

Sun, 04 May 2025 17:57:38 +0000

Hello all,

I am in the process of listing a number of newly received swords to my website, including several juyo katana in koshirae, and wanted to share a few recent highlights from my current consignment offerings, now live across both of my platforms: Swords of Japan and Nihon Art.

A few standouts now available:

Ashū Yokoyama Sukeyoshi kinnōtō
An impressive example of later Yokoyama work in kinnōtō form with long nagasa, wide mibaba and shallow sori with kanteisho and sayagaki.
🔗 https://nihonart.com/portfolio/ashu-sukeyoshi-kinnoto/
Bizen Osafune Yukikage Wakizashi – Tokubetsu Hozon
Beautiful ubu signed and dated early Muromachi wakizashi, with Tokubetsu Hozon, published in Fujishiro.
🔗 https://swordsofjapan.com/product/tokubetsu-hozon-bizen-osafune-yukikage-wakizashi/
Zaimei Kodai Kaneuji Wakizashi - Tokubetsu Hozon
Ubu signed ko-wakizashi by a later generation from the Mino Kaneuji lineage.
🔗 https://swordsofjapan.com/product/kodai-kaneuji-wakizashi/
Gakumei Oei Nobukuni Wakizashi – NBTHK Kanteisho & Tanobe Sayagaki
A masterful Yamashiro-den wakizashi with gakumei (inlaid signature) by Joshu (Oei) Nobukuni, featuring both NBTHK papers and Tanobe-sensei’s sayagaki.
🔗 https://swordsofjapan.com/product/joshu-nobukuni-wakizashi/

Additional pieces, including a Hosho Sadaoki, several Kasama Ikkansai + Horii school blades, and others are being added in the coming days. I’m always available to provide detailed photos, remote viewings, or further discussion on request. Feel free to reach out directly if you'd like to discuss any of these blades.

Warm regards,
Ray Singer
swordsofjapan.com | nihonart.com

Japanese language kanji flashcards (names, places and time periods)

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 14:44:36 +0000

https://swordsofjapan.com/product.../supplies/flashcards/

For anyone who might be interested in learning how to read Japanese sword inscriptions, and have not seen my earlier posts, I created several educational sets in the form of flashcards, with the intention of teaching both how to read kanji, and also to provide study material related to the Japanese sword: schools, time periods, smith's mei, terminology, etc.

Set 1: Commonly seen kanji for swordsmith mei, with an average of 4 examples using that kanji
Set 2: Provinces, with information on each and including some representative swordsmiths and schools
Set 3: Time periods from late Heian to present, with material on each era

Each set is US25 + shipping & PP. If you would like to order, please message or email me directly with your name, shipping address, email address and which set you would like. Examples of each type are attached here.

New videos added - Honjo Masamune

Thu, 05 Jan 2023 02:18:26 +0000

Sharing a two-part video with a bit of information on the Honjo Masamune. Credit to Guido Schiller, Jim Kurrasch and Markus Sesko.

Part I

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnA6ecejQx7/?igshid=OGQ2MjdiOTE=

Part II

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnA7iTKPI1-/?igshid=OGQ2MjdiOTE=

Kanji flashcards - mei (names), nengo (time periods) and kuni (provinces)

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 15:20:53 +0000

Hi everyone, I have been working on a flashcard-based tool for learning kanji for a while and this week I am launching the cards. The first sets of cards will be in three categories:

Mei (names) - the more commonly seen kanji used in swordsmith's mei, including examples of mei containing that the featured kanji - 152 cards
Kuni (provinces) - the reading of the Japanese province names, with information about the provinces and some reference information on related schools and representative smiths - 90 cards
Nengo (time periods) - the kanji for time periods from the late Heian period to the present, with reference information on each time period - 144 cards

My hope with these is that everyone who uses the cards can have a better understanding of the fundamentals of reading Japanese sword inscriptions and kanteisho, and this will unlock access to Japanese language references for the study of Japanese swords.

These cards are now available for $25 each plus shipping. Please email me at raymondsinger@gmail.com if you would like to order a set. And if you learned about the cards through this post and place an order, I will donate 5% of each sale back to the NMB.

Best regards,

Ray

Introduction (Ray Singer & Swords of Japan)

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 17:55:59 +0000

Hi everyone,

I wanted to give a quick introduction as this new dealer page is set up (and appreciation to Brian for creating this new area and all he does to manage this board). Some of you know me from discussions here on the NMB, as well as Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. I have been collecting and studying Japanese swords now for 32 years. As a collector, I primarily focus on koto blades (with a preference for Soshu and Yamashiro) but all time periods are interesting to me and one of the reasons that I branched out into sales is that I enjoy handling a large number of swords to research, study and learn from. My swords sales are almost exclusively consigned from other collectors (most from our community here), and I am happy to consider new pieces to receive for consignment. I also enjoy assisting with research & translation requests. I am no Markus Sesko, but I do my best. Here are a few links to my pages online.

Website: http://www.swordsofjapan.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@swordsofjapan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swordsofjapan

Please feel free to reach out any time there is something I can help with, either through NMB messenger or (preferred) by email at raymondsinger@gmail.com.

Best regards,

Ray

Orlando show acquisitions

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 19:25:20 +0000

Just now returning home from Orlando, which was a wonderful show. I received a large collection of swords and fittings on consignment, which I will be posting for sale here in the coming days. If you are looking for anything specific, please send me a note at raymondsinger@gmail.com.

Best regards,

Ray

Translating Japanese sword inscriptions

Sat, 14 Jan 2023 11:42:38 +0000

I am starting a series of videos on my channel where I talk about the process of translating Japanese sword inscriptions and the tools available to facilitate this process.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnYKv6oLNiQ/?igshid=OGQ2MjdiOTE=

Giving TikTok another chance

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 23:07:03 +0000

Apologies in advance for the audio and background noise, I promise to have 100% less parrots the next time I am filming. I put this together after some recent questions on the FB groups and by email about swords with multiple kanteisho.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRbfo8qt/

Two good results

Fri, 30 Dec 2022 20:49:53 +0000

I just wanted to share some happy news from a friend and board member who purchased the two swords below, a katana previously papered to Hidekage and a wakizashi with old attributions to Naoe Shizu / Sa Kunihiro. In both cases I felt strongly that the swords were Nanbokucho period and advised the new owner to share with Tanobe-sensei for his assessment. He did so, and received a very favorable outcome on both swords. Tanobe reviewed the sayagaki for the wakizashi to Sa Kunihiro and said it was a reasonable attribution but he placed it to Sekishu Sadatsuna (Nanbokuchi jidai). The katana he placed with Omiya Morikage, late Nanbokucho. My congratulations to the owner, it is very nice to finish off the year with great news like this.

Best regards,
Ray

Swordsofjapan.com status updates

Sun, 24 Jan 2021 03:54:56 +0000

Opening this thread for updates related to upcoming sales. I went to central Florida today to pick up an new collection for consignment. Pieces included Hizen Tadayoshi (rokudai), Yamato Tegai (Nanbokucho), Sagami (no) kami Masatsune, Magoroku Kanemoto, shodai Kawachi (no) kami Kunisuke, Ujifusa, and others. Please check back for new items to be posted for sale here soon.

Best regards,

Ray

69.4cm Early gendaito by Heianjo Masatsugu in partial Iida latch koshirae

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 23:09:50 +0000

Listing a nice, early gendaito by Heianjo Masatsugu dated Showa 14 (a lucky day in February, 1939). The blade is a long gendaito measuring 69.4cm, with very nice workmanship. The jihada is ko-itame, and the hamon is suguha-based ko-choji. The sword is mounted in a rare example of an Iida latch gunto koshirae, which what I believe is a field replacement saya. The kabutogane of the gunto tsuka has a silver attachment with what appears to be the surname Kumatani (熊谷 - thank you for the correction SteveM). The blade is in Japanese polish with gold foil habaki, and shirasaya with a tsunagi for the koshirae.

Mei: 百錬平安城正次作 - Hyakuren Heianjo Masatsugu saku (possibly this smith: https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/MAS1161)

Nengo: 昭和十四七年二月吉日 - A lucky day in the 2nd month of 1939

Nagasa 69.4cm

Moto-haba 30mm

Saki-haba 19mm

Kasane 6.5mm

$5,500 (plus shipping & PayPal).

Best regards,

Ray

Gendaito in So-den Bizen by Tamura Tomeji Akitaka

Tue, 11 May 2021 14:37:06 +0000

I just received this gendaito by the rikugun jumei toshi smith Akitaka. This smith was born Tamura Tomeji in Niigata prefecture, 1902 and worked as a RJT smith during the war. This is a very nice example, done in So-den Bizen with a gonome-chogji hamon in nie-deki. There are areas of ara-nie, sunagashi and small chikei, with the hamon containing deep ashi which run to the edge. The hamon is wide throughout the blade and continues the gonome-choji into the boshi. The kissaki likewise contains a lot of nie and hataraki. The jihada is itame with ji-nie. The blade has a perfect nakago and a gold wash/plated habaki. In shirasaya. NTHK kanteisho.

Mei: Echigo no kuni Aishinsai Akitaka kore o saku

Nengo: A lucky day in January, 1945

Nagasa 66.2cm
Moto-haba 31mm
Saki-haba 22mm
Kasane 7mm

$3,600 (plus shipping & PayPal)

Wide wakizashi by Matsubara Hidemune

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 14:42:40 +0000

This is a very large and wide hirazukuri wakizashi by the gendai smith Matsubara Hidemune. He was born Matsubara Ryuhei in 1930 and likes in Gifu, Japan. This blade is a beautiful piece of work with a very wide o-gonome hamon with ashi and thick kinsuji running throughout. The mihada is wide and the blade has a solid silver habaki in a koke-style. Jihada is a very fine ko-itame with ji-nie. The Hidemune is in shirasaya and very nice polish which is almost perfectly intact, except for one spot in which is looks like someone has cleaned a stain with uchiko (shown in the photos).

$3,500 (plus shipping & PayPal)

Best regards,

Ray

Nihonto Photography Gallery

Sat, 02 Jan 2021 01:28:54 +0000

I will be using this post to share some recent photos. In general these will not be swords that I am offering for sale, but instead will be coming from my collection and those of other collectors who have given approval to share the photos. I have also recently started photographing swords and fittings for auction houses, and some images may come from that source as well.