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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/07/2020 in all areas

  1. I know we’re not supposed to comment on items for sale any more, but I’m so sorry that you have to sell all those marvels Alex. It must feel terrible and I wanted to say that I sympathize with your situation. If I had money, I would buy it just to sell it back to you later when things get better. I hope they do soon. Hang in there buddy!
    5 points
  2. Hi John, i posted some pictures on show us your high class gunto's last year i'm not sure how to show the link so i have posted them again. made by shigetsugu 1938 on the 8 month at the estate of Toyama Mitsuru, as its his grass script mei its a daisaku work would love to no which one of his students forged it as i love the hamon. cheers Chris
    5 points
  3. Hi Adam, Nanazu zu fuchigashira. Mumei, ko kinko. Shakudo, ishime ji. Taka hori, kin iroe. Catfish design unsigned ko kinko fuchigashira done with a shakudo ishime ground, high relief and gold iroe work.
    3 points
  4. I think it is a field-made sword, done in whatever occupied territory the owner was in at the time. Definitely not traditionally made. Occupied territory sword, maybe from a jeep spring etc
    3 points
  5. Finance has nothing to do with it. It was a once off very small plugin purchase...inconsequential. And minimal data or any other effect. I normally never follow Japan news, and yet this has had me click multiple links for the first time...so it is working for me.
    3 points
  6. It says 島津氏佩刀-Sword weared by Shimatsu,or Shimatsu's sword.
    3 points
  7. Hoping to sell this one with a gentleman's agreement in that if it sells then the buyer offer me the first chance to buy it back, should they ever sell. Tanto by Mukansa smith Enomoto Sadayoshi, dated Heisei 7th, 1995. He won many NBTHK competitions and since 1981 was highly regarded and treated as such. He was awarded top level title of Mukansa in 8th year of Heisei 1996 . To attain Mukansa one would have to win many competitions over many years. He was known for making swords well into old age and sadly died in 2001 at the age of 91. The blade is in Soshu tradition with Mitsu-mune and a hamon with beautiful Nie which he was known for. The blade is in shirasaya and there is sayagaki by Sadahito Sadayoshi, his son. Sentimental to me, and also for me, far better than any shinsa papers. Gold foil Habaki. Thanks to Chris Bowen for his assistance. I wont go on, loads on the internet and dont want to get accused of exaggerating sales. Not one i ever intended to sell and will be sad to see it go, should it sell. If anyone wants more pics or info, pm me. £3500.
    2 points
  8. As long as it is Paul's koto part I had that. Hosho Sadamune: quasi-mythical, the one Jubi item is gimei. No hosho smith signed with the word Hosho in the mei. This one is jubi but widely regarded as unreliable. Hosho mei are either complicated with Takagi-gun in there or else are shorter with Fujiwara and often just niji mei. How they got the name Hosho is up to research as they didn't use Hosho in their own works.
    2 points
  9. Thanks Jp, appreciated, very much Just had an unbelievably kind offer from a gentleman offering just that, without conditions. I gratefully declined as it is not his field of collecting, but shows what wonderful people are out there in this niche community. Im sure it will sell eventually, thanks for the kind words.
    2 points
  10. Hi Pete, I have shipped hundreds, maybe a thousand packages overseas with my website. I have never once written a weight on a customs form; the postal clerk writes the weight of the package and that is sufficient. If a customer asks for a lower than actual value on the customs form I explain that I am limited by that value for the insurance I can buy and it will be the customer's risk of loss. I have never once had a package refused by any customs. And to figuring out which is the city and which is the province, if there is any confusion (doesn't seem likely to be the case) it doesn't matter. USPS will send it to the proper country and the postal employees in that country will know which is which. You can use any shipping service you like, nothing to me, but you're making shipping with the postal service far more complicated than necessary. Grey
    2 points
  11. Agreed. Just a slight discoloration, with no intrinsic problem. You must be young, Tony, as my eyes would have skipped right over it.
    2 points
  12. For you kind comments please.... I have a tsuba which shows at least two specific characteristics: 1- Original Histsu Ana have a very funny shape looking similar to a "chinese hat" (Kantei point ?) 2- Then, they have been plugged with a very high quality shakudo (strong bkack one) which should have been expensive 3- Finnaly, one of the hitsu ana as been cut to become a kogai ana As a natural conclusion this tsuba has been used in different koshirae styles but any other explanation are more than welcome.
    1 point
  13. Maybe a strange question, but something I was wondering about for quite some time now and I couldn't really find any good information about this subject in the books, internet and here at nmb. Perhaps someone here know the 'true' meaning? Why did some (RJT)smiths use their personal seal on certain blades? And no kao on other blades they crafted? I know this usage goes back centuries, however, what is the reason to put a personal seal on a gendaito blade that they created? In my mind it would be something to use when I would be proud on the specific crafted blade, a finished product to cherish. Basically a 'personal seal of approval'. Did I just answer my own question? I could be totally wrong here, but I wonder if there just is a logical reason behind it?
    1 point
  14. Nice! All the examples you show have the SUI, (the S) flowing water, open ended. Especially the Shrine and official Navy insignia. A minor detail I know, but maybe a guide to identifying poor reproductions?
    1 point
  15. Hi Steve when i was researching Shigetsugu on nmb i came across this threadhttps://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/10576-exhibited-shigetsugu-Japanese-sword-katana-sale-ebay/?do=findComment&comment=108373 Cheers Chris
    1 point
  16. A kind and generous man, had myself and my girlfriend over to his house. He did oshigata for future series of books I've had on hold a while. A gentleman all the way and loved swords enthusiastically. A huge loss. I had been meaning to call him for a while and it's a lesson to not let some things slip.
    1 point
  17. 鯰図縁頭 - Namazu theme fuchi & kashira - Mumei 古金工 (Ko-Kinkō) 赤銅石目地 高彫 金色絵 - Shakudō ishime-ji takabori [Kin iroe??]
    1 point
  18. If you search "Island Sword" in the search bar it will bring up a fair bit of information on these.
    1 point
  19. That is a really exceptional sword, might be worth going through the lists of high rank Japanese officers with that last name and see what turns up.
    1 point
  20. Really nice tsuba that at various times, someone spent a lot of money altering. Must have been greatly appreciated to spend that on customizing. I like it a lot.
    1 point
  21. Dear Bruno. Well I really like your tsuba! Hitsu ana are easy to cinsider as a functional part of the design but they are also very much part of the design in some cases. These large hitsu ana tend to appear in Higo/Edo Higo schools, I will leave it to the experts to steer that thought. However it is also the case that sometimes hitsu ana are included in the design but fitted with plugs from the start, It seems to happen more often in later work from what I have seen. Often the size is diminished so that the hitsu would not fit standard implements. It is possible that this tsuba was so fitted from the beginning. I am interested that Patrice can tell hat the existing hitsu is cut on the side for the kogatana, I am not sure I can see that and would have assumed that it was for a kogai on the usual side. All the best.
    1 point
  22. Hi Mike. Well. First off, the length of swords is measured from the kissaki, (tip) to the machi, (notches where the habaki sits). Extrapolating from your tape measure I am estimating this as about 9"? Nice gold foiled seppa, silver foiled habaki and copper tsuba with a shakudo fukurin. Shakudo fuch kahira which I think show tea ceremony utensils. All in all nice thing. Are you missing one menuki? If so then finding a new pair and getting this re wrapped would be good and easy. Grey has a few pairs at the moment, https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/Tsuba-&-Kodogu You will probably also want to get a kodzuka and kogatana to round off the package. Take some advice on this regarding the theme, keeping up the tea ceremony idea would be good. As for the blade, well you know it needs a polish and it is really hard to judge what damage there is from photos. Given the shape and state of the nakago I don't think it's any earlier than Shinto and I would guess Shinshinto. None the less a nice package. I would be tempted to restore this one, once again monetary returns are not the consideration. Most of all enjoy this little chap. All the best.
    1 point
  23. This forum has multiple threads on the GSP and issues people had. I was personally charged $115 shipping for a small item that would have been $20. And then charged import duties, vat and clearance. And yes...multiple cases of them refusing "weapons" No..I will never buy from someone using the program.
    1 point
  24. the diameter also has been reduced. What is strange is the actual hitsu ana is on the kogatana side, I saw most of the waki have the kogatana handle on the inner side on the belt. Should it be a katana tsuba, reduced and modified to become a wakizashi tsuba? I read about a law late XVIII, for blade lenght, tsuba size, under 9,5cm for katana, and prohibited knifes in the katana sheat. I try to find informations about tsuba without hitsu ana, because this is the theme I try to collect.
    1 point
  25. Nice tanto, and continuity of the nie along the hamon is quite special.
    1 point
  26. Excellent tanto Alex, sorry you have to sell but hopefully it will be back in your collection one day.
    1 point
  27. Anything is possible, Pete, but enough of us have been bitten by GSP that we just bypass any sale item, unless the seller is willing to change. Not trying to change your mind. Just be aware.
    1 point
  28. It’s an old practice, from way back. I have never read an explanation on who started it or why. Around here, though, the man who asked the question gets assigned the research! Let us know what you find out! Ha! Edit: After re-reading your post, I realize I misunderstood your question. I remember it being discussed years ago, and while no one knew, the predominant theory was the same as yours. It would take some research into blades made by smiths who used kao to see if non-traditionally made blades got the kao or not.
    1 point
  29. Hello Tony, I think you are obsessing over this spot, when it literally is nothing to worry about. It's just a dark spot. It's not a kizu, not a ware, not any kind of fatal flaw or any other defect that would cause anyone to take pause. You have a beautiful tantō, and you should enjoy it for what it is. It is a handmade work of art, made from the rawest of materials. The shape, the hamon, the horimono, the jihada, the bōshi, the tip, all look lovely.
    1 point
  30. Tony, KITAE is the inner structure of a blade. KITAE WARE is a visible defect in the welding of the steel components which can show in different forms, often longitudinal fissures. You do not want a 'mirror polish' in that place, you want to see the HADA.
    1 point
  31. The rest 正長以後二代目、 After Shōchō (1428) the works are from the 2nd generation. 帽子先が尖がる特徴 The pointed bōshi is characteristic. 室町初-備前国 Muromachi onward. Bizen.
    1 point
  32. It's the cover sheet to a compilation of prints. Historical Drawings of Yōsai Reduced drawings by Fukui Gassai Copyright owned Aoki Sūzandō Publishing Yōsai is the artist Kikuchi Yōsai. This compilation was produced in mid Meiji, 1894. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kikuchi_Yōsai
    1 point
  33. These are intriguing mismatches. Not pretending to be an expert, but as personal point: Ko-Mihara vs. Sue-Bizen I would check kissaki size and kasane vs. mihaba, as well as whether ha has distinctive masame (strong point for mihara) or more itame based with ashi (Sue-Bizen). Motomitsu vs. Hokke - same point, is there masame in shinogi ji and ha? Yes tilts towards Hokke. Everything school from Kamakura period can be very close to one another. If the measurements are well within expected for mid-kamakura, then ko-Bizen vs. Aoe vs. Ayanokoji vs. even Rai can be a single feature-based distinction. For the polish, unless its a very high level attribution if kantei features are visible, especially if signed, good to do. Kirill R.
    1 point
  34. I haven’t submitted many blades for shinsa so my experience is limited. I think the decision about submitting for shinsa before or after polish might need to consider how close of a call the evaluation might be. I think the shinsa judges are more likely to make an attribution to the lesser of two possibilities when the blade is not in polish. I have heard of instances when a blade was submitted out of polish and was given a call of”gimi.” The signature was removed and the blade polished before resubmitting it. The next evaluation gave an attribution that matched the original signature. I don’t think there is much inclination for a shinsa team to stick their neck out on a blade out of polish. I also don’t believe all gimi calls are correct. The fact that different organizations can come to different conclusion sort of reinforces the fact that it’s just an opinion, although it’s certainly better than most of us will ever be capable of. If you are new to this you should study what you have and get feedback from more knowledgeable people to decide which approach to take. I spent six years studying my first blade before I sent it for polish and then shinsa.
    1 point
  35. GSP uses Pitney Bowes iirc. And they are ultra-anti weapons or anything remotely weapon like. They will not ship any edged weapons, and destroy them. This was discussed on FB a while ago I think. Do NOT use the GSP and don't support sellers who do. Btw, your sword will be destroyed.
    1 point
  36. 1 point
  37. Rich, your photography really does bring out the best in these tsuba. Closest thing I can think of to having them in hand.
    1 point
  38. Mike, I second Geraint's suggestion to buy a pair of menuki and have the handle rewrapped. You can ask David McDonald to do it. He does good work with a decent turnaround.
    1 point
  39. Krill, Your analysis and suggestions are very sound and reasonable. I’m not in any hurry and I’ve been known to think about something for years before deciding on action. I would like to try NTHK-NPO shinsa sometime but I’m not sure this one is in good enough polish. I doubt the blade would be worth more after polish than the polish would cost but I’m not basing a decision on economics. I’m not a dealer in swords. I study Japanese swords and collect a few. I will try to preserve the ones I can afford for the next generations and just enjoy the ones that pass my way while I’m here. I still need to find a way to get my Ichimonji tachi to you for photographs. I will eventually work that out. I need to visit my daughter in Oakland.
    1 point
  40. Collectors that look down on other collectors don't end up being looked up to
    1 point
  41. It's a name 松浦安? Matsuura Yasu-? Family name of Matsuura, given name of Yasu-something. Maybe Yasueimon 安右衛門 using abbreviated forms of the last two kanji. Matsuura is a fairly common last name, found all over Japan. Maybe slightly more prevalent in the west, around Hiroshima.
    1 point
  42. Third choice: Doesn't matter to me either way. "check"
    1 point
  43. I can attest, Ted’s packages are wonders
    1 point
  44. According to Clive Sinclair's article, The story of the different scripts, was told to him by Shigemasa. According to John Slough, Shigemasa left Shigetsugu's forge in 1932. I have a Shigetsugu with Soshu script, made in 1938. This sword recieved NTHK Kanteisho origami.
    1 point
  45. Guys, much more damage than we realize here. Luckily, I’m in the market for unsightly blades such as this, perhaps you’d like to sell this quickly before it gets any worse 😆! Ha, Nice blade, Doug
    0 points
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