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@Gerry Position 12529. Nice piece. Longest ubu amongst katana with this atribution.

Another pair of gold-plated cufflinks. https://www.ebay.com/itm/205728882692? John C.

From the Urushi Kogei Jiten - Tagaysan Nuri ~ a type of kawari-nuri that brings out the wood grain with a finished look like Ironwood. Mokume-nuri - common in the middle-ages, red lacquer on top of black lacquer creating a woodgrain pattern. Mokume Arai dash-nuri - a type of sabi-nuri where the lacquer is manipulated by fingers, awls and spatula to create the wood grain. Sabi-nuri - urushi mixed with paper powder (Kami no ko) is then manipulated to build up patterns like Matsu-kawa and sakura-gawa...

Yes, that is a very nice example of a Sakai muzzle surround with silver zogan inlay. See this photo of four examples from the region. The pan lid has 38 beautifully incised on it, suggesting that this may have been on a gun as part of a multiple order. The number is often repeated on other parts, so if you do not see it elsewhere this strengthens the possibility that it was drafted in as a replacement cover. The pin may also be a replacement as they were usually a hollow cylinder for insertion of a particular wire to support a small protective rain box. 三 八 (三八 Sanju hachi, thirty eight) From the Sakai (Osaka) section of Sawada Taira’s ‘Nihon no Furujū’ (Old guns of Japan)

You can't. And you shouldn't.

Take a piece of weak wood and a rubber hammer. And do it very gently. You handle with a sharp blade. Keep in mind that is dangerous.

Dear Craig. Just to add to Brian's assessment the very slender and poorly formed 'habaki' are someone's half hearted attempt at DIY. Both blades are Japanese but I think both have been cobbled together with assorted fittings to run them into complete swords. Your photographs don't allow a detailed response but the shape of the tsuka and the wrap on the second look suspect. However if my sons had done this for me I would be very happy so don't let anything spoil that. All the best.

No, they are real. Just in poor condition. I believe the one is fitted with half a double habaki and you'll want to get that sorted sometime.

Hi Gerry, the registration number is on the NBTHK hozon papers

Bruce, Here are some photos for your records.

Just throwing this Namban tsuba in this thread - Namban not Hizen, you can plainly see the hitsu have been cut in after the guard was made. Someone has not looked after the poor thing! Lissenden would not be pleased. Interesting to see the indented/recessed "seppa-dai" on the ura. https://www.jauce.com/auction/v1212875887

Thanks Michael, delighted to see this. Gives me a chance to show my latest find, a TERUKADO wakizashi (50.0 cm) in Edo period koshirae. It is said he signed TERUKANE in the earlier part of his career and TERUKADO after he was given TAMBA no KAMI in 1659, dying in 1584 (?). A google search finds much more information including on this Board. Regards, BaZZa. aka Barry Thomas.

I've added some new pictures, there seem to be some characters on the bottom of the pan cover and noting that the pin is solid. Also a detailed shot of the poppy at the barrel muzzle. This is all very interesting and great background for my new Teppo. Thanks, Jay

Once again a big thank you! I dived into this collectors field with absolutely no knowledge. Guess that the collector this items came from during a period also lacked knowledge. That reflects the diversity in quality among my five first items. Really had a lot of fun with my little "picnic box" transformed to a 17th century powder flask!! When examined by me now so obvious!!!! This last item, when explained by you, is 100 % made out of......plastic!!!!!! But not recently. Guess 1960-70 plastic. A true souvenier item. Not as the more "falsification" produced powder box from the picnic water thing. Very much appreciate your gentle way to lead me forward. Remember when I bought a few netsuke from a local auction (of course chinese newly made tourist object) and asked about them on an esteemed internet forum. My mistake. ........ Next time similar items will emerge I am gonna be MUCH more prepared. Have some Japanese matchlock weapons to present. Hopefully real deal....but you never know.....

Next is this bamboo container wirh a leather pouch attached. Still some blackpowder left inside. The plug also works to measure right amount for loading. Bamboo powderflask 34 cm long. Any info on this item welcomed!

Just wanted to share my latest purchase. This is another Tanba no Kami Terukado blade. I bought this one at auction, and had it sent to shinsha - slightly worried as the mei had some corrosion, so I was only 80% confident. Anyways, it passed Tokubetsu Hozon, and I'd say the hamon is actually finer than some of the long sword examples I have. So very happy. Looking for a good ko-wakizashi or tanto next. 💪

Hello, I'm brand new to the forum and I am interested about learning more about my newest addition to my collection. Most of my collection are antique European fire arms. This is my first matchlock. It seems to be complete and functional however the bore is pretty bad at the moment. The barrel is 106 cm long with a bore of about 11.9mm with a poppy muzzle. The stock is in decent shape with some cracks but stable. I got it all apart to clean up and to check to see if it is signed under the barrel. I'm also trying to get the bison out gently and address the rust under the stock. A translation of the Mei would be much appreciated. So far I have the following pictures. Thank you, Jay

Once again, I'm asking a question in order to learn. Currently on Yahoo, this wakizashi has (to me) a strange hamon. It starts as suguha near the ha-machi, turns into a very uniform gunome (under the hadori), then suddenly goes crazy around the monouchi on both sides and then settles back down again as it approaches the boshi. I really don't know what I'm looking at here. To my inexperienced eye, it just looks like part of the clay has fallen off the monouchi during yakiire - am I missing some advanced technique by the smith? I've read on this board that a Japanese swordsmith can control virtually all the activity in a hamon - so is this deliberate and, if so, what do you call it? Thanks for looking. Best, Hector

I often pop into little, old antique shops to see if they have anything sword related (such as tsuba). One of these is not far from where I live so I've previously let the owner know what I'm interested in - and it seems to have paid off today. 😃 I still haven't found a sword I like (and can afford) but he let me have all these WWII items today for a very cheap price. So, maybe I should start looking for a gunto? 🤔

Hi all , new here I've recently purchased these two wakizashi one is signed apparently from the sue-koto period tang has been over cleaned in the past has a couple of flaws , the other isnt signed don't know any thing about it , i purchased these as a Christmas gift for my father and I just want to see if any one could tell me any more information on them before I give them to him , please see the pictures and any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Greetings everyone! Can anyone help me identifying this style of koshirae? All i know it is an Aikuchi, but i have no clue about the finishing style... First from Victoria and Albert museum. Second, i do not remenber. Can anyone provide a propper, complete and correct english/Japanese classification? How is it made? Is the wood texture achieved by carving the lacquer? Or, is the wood carved and then lacquered? Thank you!

Given that the "wild" part of the hamon is in the same place on both sides of the blade, it's unlikely that it's an accident. It does look like someone was experimenting with sugaha fading into hitatsura - sort of "quoting" the Soshu Hiromitsu hamon without doing it full on. Curious.

I cannot speak to the legitimacy of the signature, but it reads Sagami no Kuni Tsunahiro. There are many generations of Sōshū Tsunahiro smiths.

Obligatory disclaimer: Only a highly qualified togishi should be tasked with polishing genuine Japanese swords. Any attempt to polish yourself at home, will likely cause more harm than good. It's better to leave them in poor condition, then it is to attempt any unqualified polishing. I agree with Chris (Vajo), that tsuba looks promising. -Sam

Real swords as Brian said. But avoid to make pictures with flash. I think that is a nice tsuba. The swords are in bad condition. Try to make better pictures without flashlight on a neutral background maybe in sunlight. I think they will look different then.

Thank you for the responses so far, I did suspect they had been put together to make full swords , thia can be rectified over time , and yes condition is not the greatest and I am debating on polishing both blades , picture wise if you need better detailed pictures then let me know .

Thanks again Piers, It's a little like peeling back the layers of an onion. I want to add that the holes for the mekugi pins seemed to line up pretty good. I made some tapered pins from brass rod to put it all together. I didn't have luck removing the bison, just didn't want to damage anything. I'll add pictures as I move along. Jay

@Kristin also to help with your sale he is: YOSHITSUGU 吉次: real name Yoshida Jinrō (吉田任郎). Born Meiji 43 (1910) December 16. Reg. Showa 16 (1941) May 6 (age 30). (“Yoshitsugu” “1944”), (“Yoshida Yoshitsugu”), (“Noshi Seki ju Yoshida Yoshitsugu saku”). see Slough p.202 also see Naval Swords Part 2, in the NMB Downloads (at top of page), other examples.

4MM

Mal, Thank you for the information on this smith, I found a Yukimune in both Sloughs and Hawley (YUK 317) but did think this was the same smith.

Julien, Thanks for the news Jon is doing well. A very long time ago he did a beautiful polish on a godai TADAYOSHI wakizashi that I still have and admire. Barry Thomas Melbourne, Australia.

Well, thank you all for such a wealth of knowledge! Before now I did not even know such a thing existed so thank you!

John, a rather interesting observation I must say. Many thanks for sharing.

It's described here as "lacquerwork" which implies the lacquer is either carved or applied to give it that texture. https://www.mandarinmansion.com/item/aikuchi-snakes-and-centipedes You can see other types of texture/patterns created with lacquer, some of them quite striking, in this thread:

That's good to know. The reason I asked is that the pan cover/lid is of an enclosed type which is usually associated with the Tazuke, Sakai and Tabuse schools of gunnery. There are no other Ryu-ha indications on your gun to these schools, so it seems likely that the cover has been changed at some point. This led me to wonder if the barrel and the stock might be a later match, but if everything lines up then possibly it's just a question of a replaced pan lid, i.e. no big deal! (Sometimes old barrels were refurbished with new stocks, and your stock and butt look in very good condition for such an old barrel.)

The project to compile a short collection of transcriptions of hakogaki by Satō Kanzan has grown larger than I originally intended. It now comprises 86 hakogaki (although at least three are likely forgeries, but I digress…). There are still missing kanji and transcriptions that need to be confirmed, so I kindly ask for your help. Thank you in advance. HGK04 Only one kanji is missing (but I am unable to identify it). 葵形 鉄地 ＊ aoi-gata tetsu-ji ★鐔 透 ＊ ??? sukashi 馬面序政(花押) ＊ Bamen Tsunemasa (kaō) 珍也 ＊ chin nari 昭和卅六年春 ＊ Shōwa 36-nen haru [1961, spring 寒山 ＊ Kanzan HGK05 There are quite a few gaps here: 軍扇透鐔★ ＊ gunsen sukashi tsuba ??? 木瓜形 鉄地★ ＊ mokkō-gata tetsu-ji ??? ★★ ★地 小透 打 ＊ ??? ko-sukashi uchi 返耳 ★★★★ ＊ kaeshi-mimi ??? 信家 尾張也 ＊ Nobuie Owari nari 昭和卅六年春 ＊ Shōwa 36-nen haru [1961, spring] 寒山 ＊ Kanzan HGK13 One kanji is missing (could be 芝, but what does il mean?). 丸形 山金地 ★覆 ＊ maru-gata yamagane-ji ??? fuku- 輪 小田原之 ＊ rin Odawara no kore 無銘 彦三 ＊ mumei Hikozō 昭和乙巳歳春 ＊ Shōwa kinoto-mi no toshi haru [1965, spring] 寒山 ＊ Kanzan

Here's a late war kaigunto I posted on a Warrelics thread Late War Kaigunto Discussion

Matt, Still searching, but I have these 3 already: Posted by @Tonyatm HERE. He doesn't show it seperately, but you can see it's one piece: When he shows the tsuba/seppa set, there is only 1 small seppa: This one is on an Army Type 98, found at an auction site, with a zohieto blade: This one is on an upgraded kaigunto with a 1943 Masanao blade: It's a little blurry in zoom, but you can see the edge of the seppa sticking out:

Rob: The term stands for Post Exchange. Army posts all have a store, which varies in size depending on the size of the post (or fort if it's larger; depot if it's smaller), that sells everything from basic necessitites in smaller posts up to full-on big box stores in some of the larger forts. John C.

Thank you Brian can only confirm, that Kotani san was a kind and polite person and as we all know by now a great swordsmith! I was happy and proud to have been in good contact with him until his passing on March 1. 2003 a on nd special thanks to his granddaughter, who kindlydid all the translations between us. Once again, congratulations on your new Taketoku, we've already talked about it. An extremely rare signed example crafted by the great Kajiyama Yasutoku.

I believe our own @Volker62 has a very charming and personal history with Yasunori :-)

@NotANinja Rob, PX is a store/retail outlet/supplier for US troops near their bases. They had them for occupation troops in Japan. Immediate post war, 1946, the PX stores were seliing "souvenir" swords that were made of arsenal parts left over. The blades were mostly naval arsenal with anchor stamps or anchor/circle, the tsuba mosly black plain iron ovals shape, and the tsuka bound but often with canvas underlay. The Fuchi/kashira were often mixed army/navy. Bruce has been compiling info on this....its confusing.

Hi Lars, thanks for posting your nice collection. Western powder flasks usually had a better measuring system incorporated into their necks or spouts! We have a thread running on accessories for the Tanegashima, but I will post some typical Japanese powder flasks here if you like. (If you can find a copy of 'The Ogawa Collection', it will show you a large variety of them. He donated his collection to the Meirin Gakusha Museum in Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture.) https://www.city.hagi.lg.jp/site/meiringakusha/ The black leather covered copper box above looks increasingly like a water canteen from a Nobento travelling picnic set. The hole at the corner is an indication, and the central hole would be to allow air in as you pour out the water. The bone/antler plugs are a later creation. Dealers will often sell these as 'powder flasks'. See for example: https://auctions.afimg.jp/m415446915/ya/image/m415446915.3.jpg

Thank you very much for your comments. I appreciate it. The tsuba was cheap and I take it home 😀

I realise the attraction has worn off on this design but another example has turned up that should keep people on their toes to avoid. https://www.jauce.com/auction/u164746706 PS. Vitaly the auction - https://www.jauce.com/auction/o1083741877 was likely 'pulled" at the last second by the seller as it shows it has ended but had no bids [obviously it did have bids as it had a starting price much lower than the one it ended with] - sellers on some sites can stop their auctions from continuing if they don't think they are getting the right amount they want - it will likely be relisted at a later date or on another site - we can only guess what starting price the seller will set next time. [Makes getting a bargain just that much more difficult!]

Vitaly, you asked for advice but of course you do as you like! There are many ways to happiness!

Vitaly, why not try before you buy! https://archive.org/details/legendinjapanese00jolyuoft/page/n3/mode/2up Free PDF and a little quicker to find subjects. Daikoku and Ebisu / Yebisu two of the Seven "Gods of Luck."

I could fill a two hundred page book simply with this design of tsuba - so many of them my eye tends to skip them altogether in searches - not one of my favourites. I do agree stay away from any of the iron versions they tend to be much worse than the various soft metal ones - Perhaps you would like a papered one? https://www.jauce.com/auction/o1082423157 Why it was awarded papers is beyond me - no signature and not particularly good work, I think they will paper anything these days. NO surprise they have many for sale on Japanese auction sites. https://www.jauce.com/auction/k1082422224 https://www.jauce.com/auction/k1082420831 https://www.jauce.com/auction/m1082350136 https://www.jauce.com/auction/h1080028678