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Moving video here:

Ever rule has an example where someone has broken it. https://www.catawiki.com/en/l/98651298-masterwork-tsuba-signed-with-nbthk-hozon-certificate-copper-gold-silver-iron-Japan-edo-period-1600-1868

Just sharing another great work by Woody Hall on a TokuHo Ko-Kongo Hyoe blade This blade was important to me and I was very skeptical if this would be worth a shiage with how rough it came from Aoi but he has again exceeded all expectaions above an beyond. Cannot recommend him enough to anyone on the fence about restoring their blade. Pretty wild what a great togishi can do with minimal work.

Horii Toshihide was a very good Gendai smith, there is plenty of information about him on the board and online if you search his name. You would want closer pictures of the Mei and date for comparison to authentic examples.

$50 donated. Thanks to Brian and everyone!

Sword is sold! Please archive, thanks to everyone! I will be donating $50 to the board.

Fuchi kashira with design of Ink Bamboo

Hi, I would appreciate some more advice if that's okay? I have very simple tsuba where either the (unknown) mei is on the ura side rather than the omote or the hitsu-ana are the wrong way round. With the mei facing upward, the kogai hitsu-ana is on the left and the kozuka hitsu-ana is on the right - a mirror position to the norm, I believe? So, could the mei have been positioned underneath on some occasions? Thanks. Hector C

I have my first opportunity to attend a sword club meeting, this one in Sacramento. It will be Tuesday, 18 Nov, at 7pm. Meeting is at the Sacramento Asian Community Center; 7334 Park City Dr., Sacramento CA 95831. Hope to see somebody there from NMB, but I don't know if we have anyone else here.

I cannot help other than to eliminate a possibility. I once owned a showato signed by Osawa Kanehisa, and the mei appears very different to my eye. From Marcus Sesko's book, Japanese Swordsmiths: KANEHISA (兼久), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Kanehisa” (兼久), real name Ōsawa Kan´ichi (大沢勘一), born January 2nd 1915, student of Kojima Kanemichi (小島兼道), he worked as a guntō smith and died July 7th 1945, ryōkō no retsu. Best, -Sam

Here's a snip from that site (Robert Benson's site, by the way). If I'm not mistaken, this information is a few years old, and this page was made when Woody was still working under Bob Benson's guidance. Woody since branched out on his own and was working in the Las Vegas area, but he's now back in Hawaii. I don't know the exact details, but I believe he is helping Bob out (now as a peer, instead of an apprentice, but "peer" may be a word that Woody might not agree with). Anyway, I do not know either men personally, so my info comes 2nd and 3rd hand. Woody is well-known in the States, so I'm slightly surprised Axel has never heard of him, but no doubt he will be seeing Woody's name pop up more often now.

Thanks John, Don't know why I put showa 20 down, Old age setting in That will teach me not to try and multitask Edited

Hi Mark, I can't tell you much other than the date is the 18th year of showa: 十八 - Ju hachi nen so 1943?

I doubt that you will get a clear view of the jihada as it looks as though the blade has had a recent polish judging by the very shiny finish. The owner has posted a message about this sale here on the board under 'Auctions and Online Sales',see 'upcoming auction' by Mike Noel,you might contact him for further information on this sword. Regards, charles.

Thanks, Paul! Looks like it was part of the stamping practice of the Shōheikan Military Uniform Co., Ltd, then. Might be able to move this small star out of the "Unknown" category. I'll have to do some digging first to see if seen only/always on Shōheikan fittings.

It’s dated 二千六百二年 - 1942.

The characters in the mei are incorrect for Horii Toshihide. A possible Showa smith using this mei is Toshihide (敏秀), real name Asai Kazue. Here is the excerpt from Markus Sesko’s Swordsmiths of Japan: TOSHIHIDE (敏秀), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Toshihide” (敏秀), real name Asai Kazue (浅井一衛), born October 18th 1916, son of Toshimasa (敏正), he worked as guntō smith and died November 5th 1952

Usually it is the most decorated side faces the tsuka and thus is on display the most. Your guard has hitsu that are only slightly different in shape so I don't think it is a big issue - there are a lot of guards with identically shaped hitsu either side and I often wonder how you can tell which way to mount them especially if the guard is fairly plain? I guess if you can find any tagane-ato punch marks around the nakago-ana that may help a lot.

Axel Woody Hall is a Hawaii based Togishi who apprenticed under Robert Benson. Robert Benson apprenticed under Living National Treasure Kokei Ono and has the distinction of being the 1st foreign polisher to win an NBTHK award. Woody Hall has also won an NBTHK award

Moving video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xowKMJlYlE

IDK if it's just me but it seems that just in the last few months the quality of the photos on Eirakudo's site are compressed and blurry where they used to seem more crisp and clear. I wonder if they just got this blade or if they were holding it back from DTI. There weren't a lot of Kunitoshi or Kunimitsu daito at DTI this year that I saw. Lots of tanto for both makers and 1 or 2 Kuniyuki so an item like this would've stood out at their booth.

Some very nice, big name blades hitting the dealer sites now that the DTI is over for another year. Take this Rai Kunitoshi with a 83cm nagasa for example. https://eirakudo.shop/893683?fbclid=IwY2xjawN8o41leHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeLQq1a5LF0_auFK8Lfzf8ISvUcl-l-IbEOqlzlAbPNdLOLAkEdhB4DXdNaBw_aem_BP-p-U1Dmg9Vtxt31T2kTA

Wonderful koshirae Bruce, thank you for sharing. The method of fixing the mei on the menuki is called tanzaku and is not that uncommon. All the best.

Not my forte, but thought you guys might appreciate this. Made by 菊岡 Kikuoka I thought it was interesting to see a habaki designed with the inner lining fitted to the bohi. Also, his method for attaching his name to the back of the menugi seemed unique.

Second row left - sukashi. Myoga ginger plant 茗荷 鍔 slightly more elaborate designs.

I am skeptical on these other tsuba as well. The open carving is very crude and the plates do not look well made. Color is often misleading in pics, but these all look similar and it looks off to me. Here is an example of one from my collection. Let me know if you can see any differences as to what I have mentioned. This theme I believe is a cherry blossom with snow on top. Your pieces also look very flat where many seem to be slightly concave. Jason

Got this from a friend.

Gents Dore and Reese an auction house in the uk has an auction of swords and fittings on the 15th of November there are over 100 pieces for sale. Even if you are not in the market to buy anything you could do worse than spend a pleasant hour looking at the items for sale. This link will take you to the auction the swords and fittings start at lot 701 https://auctions.doreandrees.com/catalogue/81A7582615F99A2E3774098876CAACFC/AD74375B82A358E6EEF0CE537DEF266D/fine-Japanese-art-including-the-eva-aubrey-sweet-collect/ Regards Mike

I was just thinking about this, and wondering if it would be a good plan to get rid of them. I am not a fan of the stickers, but you raise an excellent point about provenance. I will keep them on…

A friend bought this since it was way too expensive for me! But I directed him to it after I looked at it.. The surface is wild. john twineham

Yamakichibei, generation inconclusive - needs more study but either Meijin Shodai or early Nidai. Nademaru gata, Nata and Chrysanthemum sukashi, 7.3 x 7.0cm, Momoyama.

And a better pic of the kashira...

The last idiot hasnt been born yet!