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Because of the size that cellphones are now taking pics, (we really don't need 24 meg pics) and the number of people trying to post straight from their phones, we constantly get people asking how they can resize their pics. There are far better ways than screenshoting your pics. So I have added an extra menu item at the top, next to donations. There you will find a number of websites that either do it online for free, or some free apps (iOs and Android) that you can download to resize and edit a bit. You can go through them and see which you like. Please refer people to them if they ask, and I can add more if there are suggestions. Brian

While surfing a firearms auction - my main interest - I noticed that starting with lot 165 until lot 177 there are a little bit more than 20 blades in this auction. Maybe of interest to some that otherwise would not search there. I can't tell much about the auction company since I have not dealt with them in the past, nor do I know anyone there (for being from the other side of the world). https://auctions.militarylane.com.au/#!/auctions/d7c99452-dfd4-4454-a76a-8ea06e1f9ebf?ic=90&page=2

I am going to add a crane to the mix. Nice larger tsuba roughly 8.2cm in diameter. I believe Nick from Nihonto art sold a very similar piece earlier this year from what appears to be the same school.

Here is the favourite bird-themed tosogu from my collection: a tsuba by Watanaba Issei. It depicts the southward migration of geese in the autumn months and their return to Japan in the eighth lunar month known as “Kanaraigetsu”. As the geese migrate south from their summer visit to Siberia they inspire thoughts of the coming winter, but also give a strong feeling towards the Japanese spirit. I fully appreciate how especially during times of change and uncertainly that this yearly event brings a sense of unity and national pride. The importance of geese in Japanese art was further secured by stories of several military heroes who had achieved victory in battle when a sudden breaking of ranks by flying geese signaled an ambush. This protective role of the birds led to their frequent use in decorating tosogu. I particularly like the detailed carving of the geese on the omote and the snow on the reeds; you can see them buckle under the weight. On the ura the imprints of the geese's feet in the snow are very charming, as well as the sekigane which is made to look like snowfall, a lovely touch.

Book overview" Ritter des Reiches in Ehre und Treue "knight of the Empire in honor and loyality" with foreword by Heinrich Himmler relation between Germany and Japan during WWII German Nazi dictatorship Perhaps somebody here knows about this rare booklet?

Hi Leonidas! I'm a little late to the discussion. You can read about the use of the Showa and large Seki stamps by the Seki Cutlery Manufacturers Association in the beginning pages of my http://Stamps of the Japanese Sword article. I don't have the direct links to the only two pieces of actual documentation that we have, but when time is available, I'll try to provide them for you. One comes from the Seki City website, which states that the association was inspecting and stamping "all swords" made in the area, but doesn't state which stamp was used. The "all swords" makes it sound as if both showato and gendaito blades were stamped. However, Ohmura has a page depicting a tally of inspected blades by the association, and a side note to the chart states that the total does not include gendaito as "they were not inspected." So, I suspect the statement in the Seki City website is a generalization and not precise. We also have an article from 1940, found by Nick Komiya at Warrelics, that clearly states the stamp being used by the Cutlery association was the Showa stamp. Observational evidence in my ongoing stamp survey confirms the Showa stamp was the first to be used, starting in 1935. Ohmura's statement about the Seki stamp is partially true, in that the association, for an unknown reason, changed over from the Showa stamp to the Seki stamp starting in 1940. There was an overlap - Showa stamp use: 1935-1942; Seki stamp use: 1940-1945. The association drastically tapered off the Seki stamp in '43 after the Nagoya arsenal started using the small Seki stamp. Lots of information, but I appreciate your inclination to dig deep and research things. It's is what I enjoy doing, as well.

19 year old on this forum. Started last year, but learned a lot since then!

Leonidas, Trust me, in the 19 years that we have existed, there has been a ton of research, including original production instructions and procedures etc etc. on what exactly those stamps mean. If you search the forum you'll find hundreds of pages about it. The fact is, over the past few years, it is widely accepted everywhere that the sho and Seki stamp are on blades not fully Gendaito. And by Gendaito we of course mean the collector-assigned meaning, and not the true meaning which is just an era. To collectors worldwide, a Sho stamp means it is not fully traditionally made. That doesn't mean it can't be a high level forged and folded blade, but something about it isn't fully traditional. Doesn't really matter how the NTHK or NBTHK regard them, they only really became interested in wartime swords the past few years, and we have already demonstrated that with the right contacts or circumstances, full Showato will sometimes slip through the cracks and get papers. Doesn't change the facts. This is a nice one though. But I wouldn't call it a Gendaito.

Just blame the English, it is too complicated for us poor convicts in OZ

The Sho stamp indicates some part of the manufacture was not traditional, I would hesitate at calling this Gendaito and would think more along the lines of higher quality Showato.

Jason, It's very easy. If you want to quote an entire post, just click the Quote at the bottom of their post, and it will auto fill that in at the reply area at the bottom in a block. You just type your response underneath that. If you want to just quote a certain section of someone's post (or even do multiple quotes from their post, or even from different people in a thread, just highlight the area you want to quote using the mouse or select feature on your cell. That will pop up a small block saying 'Quote Selection'. Hit that, and that section is added below to your post. Then hit enter for a line break between them (so you can come back and enter your reply) and go up the thread and do the same for other parts you want to quote. Highlight/select the text,hit quote that pops up. And so on...

Nakahara Nantenbo (1839-1925), Buddhist name Toju Zenchu (Complete Devotion), was in the last 17 years of his life the Exalted Master of the main temple of Moyoshin-ji of the Rinzai sect. A painting theme brushed extensively by Nantenbo is the "wall-facing Daruma" or "menpeki Daruma 面壁達磨," referring to the ancient First Patriarch's nine years of meditation facing a wall. As early as the fourteenth century in Japan, Zen artists playfully depicted the sage's silhouette by means of a sing, meandering outline in a technique known as ippitsuga (one-stroke painting). Nantenbo's conception of the menpeki theme is even more abbreviated than those of his predecessor's. By eliminating the distinction between the head and shoulders, he further distilled the silhouette of the First Patriarch. A simple inverted U-shape is used to connote Daruma's body, and a horizontal ellipse is meant to imply his knees beneath monkish robes. The abstract nature of the figure only accentuates the quality of the ink, applied in a single sweeping stroke of great energy. The calligraphy exhibits Nantenbo's legendary Zen humor. 面壁乃祖師の姿者 山城能八幡野 者たの宇里可 茄子比釆 The shape of Daruma facing the wall, is it like a melon or an eggplant from the fields of Hachiman in Yamashiro? Was Nantenbō simply inept at pictorial representation, or was he a visionary who pushed Zen painting further into a realm of dynamic epigraphs and emblems? The inscription on his menpeki painting offers a playful acknowledgment of the image's ambiguous nature. It is likely, in fact, that Nantenbō intentionally challenges people's rigid preconceptions about the nature of Daruma. In his autobiography he notes that while he receives many requests for paintings of Daruma, his images are often criticized for looking like owls or octopi. "Very interesting," the old priest observes. "People talk as if they have seen Daruma, but who has seen the original Daruma?" Provenance: Nagaragawa Gallery (Tokyo). Personal collection.

Hello, I_Kendo_It / E.N, Interesting sword! Just a quick reminder, as part of our forum guidelines, we ask that all members sign their posts with at least a first name. It helps keep the community friendly and personal. https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/27534-welcome-to-the-forum-please-read-here-first-before-posting/#comment-277750 Welcome to the forum, and thanks for sharing your sword with us! All the best, -Sam

The subject of traditionally made and guild stamps can get confusing at times. Sunagashi

Late Edo kinko.

Small Tanto Tsuba.

Hi, I have a mysterious "shin-gunto" here. It has all the elements of a type 98 when stored in its sheath. But it turns out it's not that simple. The blade resembles that of a type 95. However, this one isn't numbered and doesn't have an arsenal stamp. According to Google Lens, the characters on the tang are Chinese characters (I hope Google Lens is wrong). If I combine two of the three characters, it would say (in Chinese) "made in the workshop." I can't decipher the middle character. The tsuba and seppa are all numbered "10." One of the menuki was removed at some point. The sarute is made of leather!?! The saya is of the type 98 but with a coarse texture. In a post by Butch on July 16th of last year, I see a similar type but without the three characters.

Never seen anything like it. Unusual construction?

25, started 2 years ago but interested in nihonto close to a decade

Yeah, that is what i thought, mainly because of how the material was worked, filed down, etc..., I can see that but was not sure if this is modern modern or something from last century. You learn something new every day Thanks But i assume that this is probably something better than averge cast replicas of today.

Hi Martin, My opinion is that the tsuba looks modern and fairly recently made to me. But hey, if you like it that is all that matters! 40 euros is a fair price for a modern tsuba (again, my opinion!). Onward!

I recently picked up a sword, that similarly has what appears to be an intentionally/selectively removed menuki. I suspect Bruce is correct, especially if the missing menuki had the family mon on it (in my case, a possibility). Which would increase its perceived value. Just a theory about missing menuki. -Sam

造兵廠 zōheishō How much should I spend?

Thanks guys, I am off and running!!!!! Jason

I will have to walk this back a little, I did learn two things from my calls: 1, there was a habaki issue which they had to fix, and that the timeline was "mou chotto" 2, my wife, a native Japanese speaker, didn't know what a habaki or many other sword terms were.

See? Just like this. I only highlighted a part of your post, and hit quote. Now let's do one from another post... Just like this. Yip...there are a LOT of features we aren't even using yet :-)

To summarize: 1) it’s definitely Ono no Komachi in old age rather than a Shojo. 2) The characters appear to be the ones identified by Piers, but the signature is not included in any list of netsuke carvers. 3) the top-down hole is not what you would expect in a netsuke, but the item seems too large for an ojime (i.e., the bead that is positioned on the cord between the netsuke and the object that hangs from it). So this piece remains a bit of an enigma to me. Based on these pictures I would generically place it in the 19th century, but I can’t say exactly what it is or whether it has been tampered with at a later stage.

I’m afraid it’s something more permanent, it appears to have formed a thin film. It’s like some kind of furniture oil. There are also a few tiny blisters where the film separated from the surface:

Just goes to show that you learn something new every day.

My opinion might not be popular one but I think often the bit rougher or plainer mumei blades just get an attribution thrown at them as they need to do it fast in shinsa session. I think Yamamura is an unfortunate attribution that for me personally feels that NBTHK sees the sword as lower quality in overall. I tend to think that even the school founder Masanobu is not seen as high quality smith, and very few signed works remain. One funny thing that supports the attribution bucket a bit is that I don't think I have ever seen a long sword with Yamamura attribution, they are always short swords. Good thing about Yamamura attributed blades is that you can touch late Nanbokuchō to early Muromachi blades for relatively low price. Sure they don't win any beauty contests but like this particular one we are only talking about 400,000 yen. As the prices have gone up a bit, it is getting harder to find anything decent and that old for affordable price. It is getting difficult finding anything interesting under 500,000 yen nowdays. I understand the appeal for these hira-zukuri blades of relatively long length, as I too am liking them.

I have made some changes to those titles, especially the higher tiers. I may adjust them as I learn what the caste system involved. Just a bit of fun.\ Unfortunately Gold member takeup is still very slow and although I am looking at other things, I have to give more incentive to upgrade. Private message storage limit for regular members is now down from 150 to 100 conversations. Gold members are allowed 500. I think 100 conversations is more than enough for most people, and if people clean up their inbox they should be fine. But if anyone needs more, Gold membership is a vast increase. I am going to fine tune a few other things. Upload limit/size is already much higher for Gold members. So the 3 meg per post limit is easily increased if people need it by taking Gold.

Hi Luca, It seems your experience is similar to John's, i.e. give time and space and good things can happen. Thanks for sharing. Best, Alexi

Yes - the Sue-Aoe terminology was probably confusing Because Sue-Aoe generally begins around the mid-14th century I generally thought the decline of the Aoe school was at the end of the Nanbokucho or the beginning of the Muromachi Also, Jussi's extensive database does not contain AOE blades younger than early Muromachi The blades you are talking about are papered for Aoe and a period younger than the beginning of the Muromachi??

Very very poor Chinese wallhanger/decorative piece unfortunately. The symbols etc are petty meaningless and pointless to try and give them meaning as this was just made as a trinket/fake.

Ah, similar feeling, but now that dragon is katchushi, not tosho.

Ran across the second book at a bookstore this month. Seemed interesting so I thought I would pass it along. I did a NMB search and did not find any mention of either book. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MSFQNCR?binding=hardcover&searchxofy=true&qid=1757980878&sr=8-3

The paperwork describes the surface of yours as Tsuchimé-ji, so would that not indicate that it is the original treatment? This one may be later (?) but offered just for comparison. And the reverse

A boar's eye habaki worth posting. On a sword for sale by @matthewbrice, posted HERE. It's larger that most I've seen, and I like the coloration design:

I own a modest Tsuba with Tanabata festival motif. It depicts several papers with inscriptions hung in bamboo trees. Note the shape of the one upper right (upper left on the ura). I wonder if such paper (used for what? Uchiwa fans?) is the origin of the sukashi in question.

Funny thing, I have not seen kogarasumaru style blade (except the original, and its dating is also an interesting story) which predated shinshinto, and most are Showa. This is Showa with dense jigane and very bland hamon, with nakago that someone worked for days to age.

I have a brass-inlaid Heianjo tsuba with very similar shaped hitsu.

Very likely Ko-shoami [Ko just means "early"] the texture of your piece would certainly give the impression of an early or old piece. I just found this one as well https://japanesesword.com/archived-pages/2017/9/22/shoami-tsuba Just described as Shoami - but it looks ancient to me! It is very close to yours in size. Hey they never made just one!

I just thought the large hitsu/riohitsu are a major design feature, exactly what they may represent can be difficult to work out. I found this one in one of my Japanese books "TSUBA KANSHOKI" - page 96 - the design says "Bag", sukashi. Koshoami .

For future reference. https://ebay.us/m/u3vG48

A sword in the collection came with ersatz leather over a plain wood Saya, unfortunately it disintegrated during shipping with only the end cap remaining in one piece.

Thanks for the menpo ‘Hideshige’ Mei example, Uwe. Here is the map. I have a final printed version of this, but not here at the moment. See 1. the whole of Japan, then 2. the Kanto section and finally 3. the block of names attached to Tokyo/Musashi/ Bushū. Your smith is between the points of the caliper. PS 函人 ‘Kanjin’ is an old word for an armourer. Notice this unusual Kanji is used in the description 武陽函師 Buyo Kanshi master armourer, under the bell photo above. 1630 seems reasonable to me. 1. 2. 3.

I watched the video, but I didn't see any evidence apart from his own opinion that the longer type of mei actually differentiated between Emura and his students? Also, how much did that sword sell for?

Wow, Alex, I had completely forgotten about this issue and the fact that I have an ersatz saya cover of compressed paper! In the discussion, below, Shamsy posted one that is of some sort of imitation leather, too: A couple of photos from the thread: My compressed paper saya cover Steve's ersatz leather:

We do see these kind of tanto periodically. Without actual provenance, we are just making educated guesses as to it's origins. There is photo of a Japanese soldier holding broken sword. We know there were repair teams in the field fixing broken swords. So, we know it is possible that this blade came from a broken sword, and someone possibly used the end to craft a tanto.

Hi Sam! You've done some good research already. Shimada was his first name, not a location: "YOSHISUKE (義助), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Yoshisuke” (義助), real name Shimada Ruisuke (島田類助), he was a Seki-based guntō smith" The larger Seki stamp, like yours, was a civilian inspection/acceptance stamp of the Seki Cutlery Manufacturers Association. It was used from 1940 to 1944, with most dated blades made in 1942. So that is your date range. I've personally found that blades with the stamp were very well made, with attractive hamon (temper pattern), but not traditionally made. Marcin's estimated value is probably pretty close to the current market pricing.