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I'd like to announce and thank our members who are going to be assisting us with moderating certain sections. I think it will benefit us all to have more eyes on the forum, and these people have graciously offered to assist with this task. I'll still be looking for one or 2 people to assist with the Izakaya, but finding impartial and fair people who won't take a side is understandably difficult. It's also not something I wish on anyone, but we do need one or 2 people there. Jean will continue to moderate over all sections as before, being the main moderator. The following sections will be assisted with moderation by the following members: General Nihonto Related Discussion: @Scogg (Sam) Translation Assistance: @Ray Singer and @Bugyotsuji (Piers) Auctions and Online Sales: @Scogg Nihonto: @Scogg Tosogu: @Curran Katchu: @uwe Military Swords: @Bruce Pennington and @Scogg Tanegashima: @Bugyotsuji Other Japanese Arts: @Bugyotsuji Sword Shows and Community News: @Mark For Sale/WTB: @Scogg Izakaya: TBA Thanks to these members, please grant them respect, thanks and best wishes.

Hello - On September 16, 1945, the Japanese armed forces in Hong Kong surrendered and Major-General OKADA Umekichi handed over his shin gunto to the British naval officer Sir Cecil Harcourt. https://gwulo.com/node/59733/photos-of-person In 2012 I found it in the wonderful National Maritime Museum Greenwich and took the following photographs. It's rare to see a shin gunto (+sword knot!) where a general can be clearly and credibly proven as the owner. Michael

Indeed, AFU translations as well as other translated publications do have mistranslations. And it worked in both directions where somebody's Japanese wasn't quite right or somebody's English wasn't quite right, ending with something getting lost in translation. That, on top of the fact that the study of nihonto is difficult to begin with and translators are sometimes not advanced in their knowledge of nihonto. This is one reason why it is essential to double and even triple check your findings with multiple sources. p.s. this lesson of mistranslations I learned the hard way when it was pointed out by non other than Han Bing Siong in response to a JSS article I had written. A most humbling early experience that taught me to make sure that all the facts were correct, as well as the importance of having a good nihonto library being invaluable.

I'm sorry it took so long to let you know. I was reluctant to speak up for Jean; hoping he would address the inquiries about his wellbeing directly, or publicly. After a couple days of not hearing anything, I felt it was time to let you know - because I didn't want you or other members to continue to worry. You will always have my respect Stephen. Sorry things played out the way they did. -Sam

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.

All excellent choices.

@SouTex Curtis, as noted your mei looks to read "Noshu Seki ju nin Kanemitsu Saku" ( 濃州関住入兼光作) (made by Kanemitsu a person living in Seki in Mino (Gifu)). (The kanji read "seki" looks odd, and more like "warai" 笑 which does not make sense to me, but it was read that way by F&G in 1983). Kanemitsu is a common smith name with at least seven in wartime Seki, but of these only three have this kanji 兼光 and one (Yamada Kanemitsu 1877-1935) died pre-war . Most likely yours is one of these, but probably is Goto who produced some very good work. (examples given). KANEMITSU (兼光) real name Gotō Shōzō (also read as Matsuzo) (後藤 松蔵), student of Kanenaga (兼永), born Meiji 20 (1887) July 20. Registered as Seki smith in early period on Showa 14 (1939) October 26. He became a rikugun-jumei-tōshō and in 1942 Banzuke was ranked as Joko no Retsu (5/7). He died in Showa 32 (1957) March 18. KANEMITSU (兼光) real name Ogawa Mitsuo (小川 光雄), born Taisho 10 (1921) January 20, registered as a Seki smith in Showa 17 (1942) July 3. Worked as a guntō smith. In 1942 Banzuke he was ranked as Ryōkō no Jōi (6/7). He enlisted or was drafted into army and KIA in Showa 19 (1944) July 8 (age 23). Very little info on him.

Here's my example of Rats, Menuki showing Rats and Mochi. One showing the gold rat with the Mochi and the other showing the rat next to the tree stump where they made the mochi. Mochi are traditionaly eaten at Japanese New Year and the Rat is depicting the year of the Rat as per the 12 animals on the Chinese zodiac.

The center of my tanto tsuba netsuke has a very similar attachment, though overall not as nice as your example. John C.

Resuscitating this old thread... Is there a particular theme name or motif name for mice/rats posing as members of the castle (I assume)? John C.

Sometimes we see tosogu fashioned into other things. This is a fuchi, covered with a badly scratched silver or shibuichi (?) kashira top plate. The fuchi is inlaid with gold, silver and shakudo flowers and leaves. The nakago ana has been plugged in silver, and the Netsuke is fitted there with a ring and chrysanthemum seat. The copper top plate of the fuchi itself is inscribed with 後藤光照 Goto Mitsuteru + kao. This is apparently one of the alternative names used by the 11th Goto Honke Master, 通乗 Tsujo in early mid-Edo.

Bart I think Jacques is thinking bit like myself, I am usually very hesitant to state anything, however Jacques has guts to say things straight. I think one thing to consider is that smiths that earned titles are mostly recorded to my understanding. And there isn't Ujishige smith to be found with this title but there is an Ujikumo smith with the title. So I think more research would be needed to judge the authencity. As a collector I am extremely small collector with tiny collection. Maybe that is reason why I keep good care of things. I cannot understand how someone would lose a certificate etc. I would expect in this modern world people would have pictures of the certificates saved on computers and phones, I know I have taken pictures of every one I have ever owned. So it would be very easy to present a picture of the lost certificate. The unfortunate thing is that there are lots of bad things happening in this hobby and I don't want to say anything negative as I do not know who the dealers have been for this sword or how the transactions have been. In general the buyer needs to beware when doing deals. Trust is a difficult thing, it can amount a lot in this hobby but it can be difficult to know who to trust.

Thank you all for the kind words! It is a great feeling to read the positive comments.

This sword is sold. Donation goes to NMB.

鎮 can be read Shige or Shizu

武州住兼永 - Bushū ju Kanenaga https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/KAN1661 https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/KAN1662 https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/KAN1663

Oops...sorry Fixed

Glad we can help you, Brian, you've been doing so much for us all for many years. Now, we can return the favor a little. On a minor note, you listed Bugs as a military monitor. You might have meant me. I'd fix it, but I don't have Monitor duty on this forum, Ha!

Can’t find anything similar on eBay which is a good sign! Usually if fake they crop up multiple times.

Marzio, We don't know for sure, so all answers are speculation. However, some blades with 3-6 digit painted numbers were certainly war surplus. We have some, also, that are signed and have well-finished nakago that could be surplus. The blades, like yours, that are unsigned and show heat blackened ends with unfinished, squared nakago jiri, plus 4 digit numbers, to me are most likely manufactured by Tenshozan after the war. But that's just my view.

You should look at the "Your favorite yasurime" threat at Général section. According to Brian, gyaku takanoha could possibly be early shinto Seki... upper the community is pointing to Kaga school. If I correctly understand.

Yasurime are yasurime. I do own a sword with gyaku takanoha which is pretty rare but it leaves me cold; having said that, as it's a suriage and mumei blade, it helped me find the blacksmith.

Bruno, to me it looks clearly Japanese, but as the SEPPA-DAI does not have a smooth surface, it might be a copy. As a soft metal TSUBA, the blanks are usually cast and then reworked, so it is difficult to say. Motif is SHISHI/lion dog (FOO dog in China) so it is indeed also a famous Chinese motif.

Tricky but I’d go Japanese.

Brian will know based on the associated IP address. There is a legitmate Mustafa Umut Sarac with that gmail account in Istanbul.

Relisted, 1 hr to go and only 951k yen. I guess the word has got out. Update: Auction cancelled....quelle surprise.

Here’s an unusual one of mine. Little mice/rats on what I think might be corn; or more likely millet. Can’t see their tails for ID. Hard to tell in the photos, but one is blackened, the other is brassy. Nothing spectacular, but something I can contribute -Sam

Check out the Nezumi no Yomeiri story. ネズミの嫁入り This fable first appeared in the 沙石集 Shasekishu, late 1200s, apparently.

I do wonder if she is pretty...

No one saw the tokuho, unlike Taira Shigemori's hozon

Thank You for the information Bruce.

Thank You for the information. I appreciate the help.

The tape on the bottom I think says PFC Beatty 4th Platoon. Probable the GI that captured it.

Thank y’all for the insight. All of the help and information you have all made available here is the only way someone can learn to start navigating in this minefield of collecting. I have no idea why I love collecting these things so much, but they are, without a doubt, a piece of history.

I was about to write same thing as Jacques above. It is sometimes difficult as the romanization can feature lots of various names. I also think the English translation of Fujishiro possibly has a mistranslation in this case, I believe the smith 鎮盛 is read as Shizumori as swordsmith name. Blade that Lex posted is Shigemori 重盛 - however while I cannot find that particular smith anywhere I think the name is plausible as both 盛 Mori and 重 Shige are very common in Bungo signatures. I have lots of books including the Bungo book & Nihontō Meikan, however this particular Shigemori is not found in either.

Not the same kanji Shige (鎮)

A swordsmith who signed Taira Shigemori is listed in my translation of FUJISHIRO KOTO HEN book. Does anyone who has a copy and can speak Japanese confirm? I only have the translation and it does not include oshigata. Page 502 SHIGEMORI TAIRA [MEIÔ 1492 BUNGO] SUEKOTÔ CHÛSAKU Signature: TAIRA SHIGEMORI Index SHIGEMORI TAIRA [MEIO 1492 BUNGO 221

Your fittings are the contingency model, or rinji seishiki in Japanese, often called the Type 3, Type 44, Type 100, Type 0, Marine Landing sword, etc. It is an Army officer sword. Would you mind posting some photos of the blade and full fittings for the files? You can read about it's development and release here: Unveiling the Rinji-seishiki Sword 1940; Nick Komiya, Warrelics and here The Development of the Sword commonly called The Type 3 version; Nick Komiya, Warrelics

Curtis, I'm not knowledgable of the smith ratings, but there were 2 Yoshimitsu, that signed with 吉光, that were RJT qualified, so they both likely made good blades. I do not have one, yet, in my files with a star stamp. Could you remove the brass collar, habaki, and check near the top of the nakago (tang) for a stamped star? Here are the two listed in Sesko's book, that were RJT rated: YOSHIMITSU (吉光), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Nagano – “Shinshū Inadani-jū Yoshimitsu saku” (信州伊那谷住吉光作), “Shinshū-jū Yoshimitsu” (信州住吉光), “Yoshimitsu” (吉光), “Tanaka Yoshimitsu” (田中吉光), real name Tanaka Shōkichi (田中庄吉), born 1901, he studied in Niigata under Amata Sadayoshi (天田貞吉) and Miyairi Akihira (宮入昭平) and worked as rikugun-jumei-tōshō, jōkō no retsu (Akihide), Fourth Seat at the 6th Shinsaku Nihontō Denrankai (新作日本刀展覧会, 1941) (see picture right) YOSHIMITSU (吉光), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Iwate – “Ōshū Gose-jū Yasumoto Yoshimitsu” (奥州御所住 安本吉光), “Minamoto Yoshimitsu” (源吉光), “Gose Yasumoto Yoshimitsu” (御所安本吉光), real name Yasumoto Noriharu (安本徳治), born 1904, he studied under Yoshihara Kuniie (吉原国家), Katō Sanekuni (加藤真国), and Miyairi Akihira (宮入昭平), and also worked as rikugun-jumei-tōshō The stamped serial number at the end, with a katakana - ク - in your case, is only seen (with few exceptions) on blades made by RJT smiths. This kana was used in the Gunma prefecture, which neighbors the Nagano prefecture of Tanaka Yoshimitsu, so I suspect your smith was the first one.

Frankly, I'll always wonder how anyone could spend more than $18,000 on something we never seen other than through photos.

五三桐紋 Gosan no Kiri mon kirigane on top of butt behind dōgané band.

Generally, the ashes are put in an urn. There is a space to store the urn under the tomb. The constructions of tombs are varied. The attached image shows some examples. You might need a mason to open/close the tomb and to waterproof.

Having seen several ‘homemade’ shirasaya, Simon, yours looks the best so far.

A beautiful tribute @Kotetsu1959 This is what matters, in the end, friendships, sharing, learning and memories that live on. Paul has left a big mark on our field. This auction is a tribute to a lifetime of passion, discovery and careful curation. I wish for this auction to be a big success.

Relief!!!! All is ok, I have confirmation it is a case of severe technical issues!! @Spartancrest will be back in due course!! My mind is at ease, really been missing Dale!!

I don't think the Tsuba in question portrays a woman at all (Sorry to say on International Women's Day! ). IMHO the motif depicts Kanzan and Jittoku, two chinese Zen monks alleged living in the 7th century. While Jittoku is holding his typical broom, Kanzan is not shown but represented by the scroll (rusumoyo). Frequently broom and scroll alone symbolize this unique pair.

Mustafa wrote: "This idea is copyrighted worldwide and others can not patent the ideas here." Well, Mustafa, I don't intend to steal your ideas. I think nobody does. What you don't understand is: Producing replicas on the basis of new technologies is of no interest here. Your rude and highly aggressive attitude has a suicidal touch, as far as this board is concerned. Reminds me of a character kicked of this board not so long ago. But maybe that is what you want. Anyway, I am a chess-player and it seems you don't understand basics. reinhard

Ok, enough of this. For the record, I asked no-one for any information about anyone. The idea that I "prompted" anyone to ask for info is just a flat out lie. This forum requires people to use a real first name, and we accept that people are who they say they are. Of course there are many posting under pseudonyms. Many with second accounts for various reasons, some of them valid, some for deception. The software tells me most of these duplicate accounts, and most I leave unless there is an issue. No...using a VPN won't fool the software, there are 4 methods it checks. Anyways, people are entitled to their opinions. But those that cause disruption here usually don't last long. Some we tolerate, some reach my limit and are removed. I've been more than tolerant with some insults I've been sent. This thread is a train wreck, and not worth continuing. So another one for the lock. If anyone does care...do I think "Dee" is who she says she is? Not a chance. Do I think "she's a she?" Nope. But I can live with that. Do I think "she" is in the USA? The software says no. Are there other accounts linked to this one...yip. In fact, the software says "she's" in Japan. Go figure. Take that as you wish.