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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/07/2021 in all areas

  1. Hello, I wanted to show you my Habaki. I have never seen one before like this and the special thing is that the habaki is made of iron.
    4 points
  2. Teikai Naotane -englisch – Kopie PDF.pdf
    3 points
  3. A couple of years ago I sent off a Mumei wakizashi to the NBTHK. It came back with Sue So-Shu, which was nice to have confirmed, plus a suggestion that it might be the work of a particular smith. Now, I did not take that as a cast-iron guarantee, but as a sign that someone on the NBTHK Shinsa committee knows enough about the work of individual So-Shu smiths to be confident in attributing the blade to him. Although the blade is unsigned, it now has an opinion to go with it. Likewise, I sent off a Mumei blade that everyone around me said was guaranteed to get papered to Yosozaemon no Jo Sukesada. It did not go that far, however. The Hozon paperwork stated that it was the work of Sue Bizen Sukesada, without narrowing down the field any further. So now I have paperwork pointing to around Eisho, 1504-21 and one of that close-knit Sukesada group. I was a little disappointed, but not too badly. I can leave it like that, or resubmit it, or get other opinions if I want to take it forward. (In fact my sword Sensei kindly wrote an accompanying letter that gives me more information than the laconic NBTHK committee did.) (Of course, paperwork pointing at a certain smith encourages me to focus on that smith and having done some research, to decide for myself if I agree with their attribution.)
    3 points
  4. I think its probably 友光 Tomomitsu
    3 points
  5. Gordan, that could be KANESADA.
    3 points
  6. These sorts of threads are endlessly circular discourses! John, you really have to get away from google and actually hold swords in your hand. Find a sword club, or two, or three near you and get hands on experience. Spend more time looking at swords before even thinking about buying a sword, even years. The inevitability of sword collecting is after you gain more knowledge and appreciation you will say "Why did I ever think that was a good sword to buy!!" The other thing is to get away from the idea that swords are an "investment". Wrong mindset IMHO. Oh, and never spend money that you can't afford to lose outright is a good guide to buying... BaZZa. (Still "at it" after 55 years...)
    3 points
  7. Hi All! Thought I'd show my collection of gunto with mon. Some of them are more well known and others that I cant find anywhere to try and research them. Hope you like them as much as I do. Gethin
    3 points
  8. Excellently put. Next level: think of attributions as a global maxima on multidimensional probability density distribution. Rarely is a mumei sword a slam dunk. You often have multiple good ideas coexisting together, with one taking over the others as more likely which then constitutes your attribution. In reality you need to accept uncertainty and part of studying the sword is to understand where it fits in the great interconnected web of plausible candidates. Think of all the smiths as an interconnected web - a graph - where the thickness of the links represents proximity in their work. If you end up right in between two or three nods you'll have a case for "Den" Attributions also capture uncertainty, and not just via Den. When you go down the less reputed schools and the work lacks differentiability, attribution to these schools on a mumei sword may be an admittance of uncertainty in the judgement. More important than the top idea that comes up on the paper is all the other ideas that have been put aside with high certainty. A sword that comes back as Bungo Takeda or Ko-Udo can be a number of things around these waters, but Ichimonji it is not, etc. On less highly rated school, these attributions are the fruit of a process of elimination when you go down quality ladders.
    2 points
  9. An older sword with a quick and dirty "going to war" alteration to the Saya! Also a very bad job of rebinding the Tsuka. There is potential there for both triumph and disappointment.
    2 points
  10. Hello, It’s a genuine Japanese civilian sword blade remounted ( two holes in tang ) for use during the latter part of the war...not in the best of shape but would probably be presentable with a sympathetic clean and tidy up.. Regards, Paul..
    2 points
  11. Could it be 芳光 Yoshimitsu? There seem to be several Meiji-period bronze artists signing with that name, although the first kanji looks a bit different in each of the signatures:
    2 points
  12. Ron 2, The signature may read TOMOMITSU, and it could be a traditionally made blade from the SAMURAI era. Originally, it has been longer and was shortened a long while ago. If possible at all, have an expert look at it (we certainly have members in Michigan), but do not try to "improve" or clean it! The mounting seems to be military, but is not in good condition. The handle binding is probably a repair attempt. It is not unusual that authentic older blades were adapted and carried as WWII weapons. If the blade is in good condition and has no great damage, it may be worth a restoration, but that is quite expensive. First rules: Do not touch the blade with bare hands, protect it from moisture, and put a very thin layer of oil on it. Wipe the oil almost completely off with a household or cosmetic paper before re-sheathing the KATANA, so no oil gets into the sheath. Probably a good find!
    2 points
  13. Mei is Taka/Yoshi Mitsu. Canvas saya cover, difficult to find surviving in good condition.
    2 points
  14. Toshichika 敏周 (The image of the mei is inverted.) May 1944 昭和19年5月  I think what is written on the saya is not a name but a numbering. He was active in Seki city Gifu prefecture
    2 points
  15. no. It is looking over its shoulder - breaking the parental rule, "Never look back!" Peter
    2 points
  16. Chikugo kami Fujiwara Kunifusa.
    2 points
  17. Hi guys, I just took in 6 boxes of books (5 were large; 1 weighed 90 pounds) and have listed those not already spoken for on my site. Some very useful references, a couple I've never had before, and a few in immaculate condition (pretty amazing for 40 year old books). Check them out at the top of the list on my books page: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/Books Cheers, Grey
    1 point
  18. Dear Gordon. What can you tell us about the boshi? I think I can see higaki yasurime which would accord with Mino den. Does what you see confirm that this is a Mino den wakizashi? The mei does not look very well done and for all the work of putting this through shinsa you might only end up with, at best a certificate that confirms it as signed by Kanesada. What will that tell you? I am sure others will make suggestions but in this case I don't think I would trouble. All the best.
    1 point
  19. Fredd, as I pointed out on another thread, Markus sesko has done a bang-up job explaining the kantei process: https://markussesko.com/kantei/ This is a free, university-level approach, & if you will dig in, you'll find that identifying a specific smith from back in the 1600s isn't guesswork, at all.
    1 point
  20. Wondered if anyone can tell me anything else or any more of the mei inscription? I've bought these thinking they were made by someone else then got told they are tomoyoshi!😁 So hopefully a good buy Ray very kindly deciphered the mei to Matsugetsudo Tomoyoshi + Kao but I was wondering.. is that all the characters? Or is there any more to learn from it? Or does anyone have any information about the Smith? (asking as my Japanese reading ability is about 0% and I don't want to bug ray..😆) Thank you!
    1 point
  21. I think this sword came to russia with one of soviet soldiers who fought in Japan in 1945. So many people like these swords, even soviet soldiers did. That thing attracts you like a magnet, and if you hold it, you cannot release it from your hands
    1 point
  22. Should be OK...It isn't the first time an item has appeared on multiple auction sites, as you noted. Nice piece, by the way. Good luck with it.
    1 point
  23. If you are looking for a naoe shizu blade and you find one mumei attributed to naoe shizu but it does not look like what you expect from naoe shizu you shouldnt buy it. There is no reason to believe an attribution if you think its not good, but that can mean you have to learn more or the attribution is bad.
    1 point
  24. When a mumei blade is given an attribution to a school or even a particular smith what you have is a statement of relative quality and importance within a system of consistent measurement over time. So a Naoe Shizu attribution means the sword is better than Mihara but not good enough to be called Kaneuji. Brian is 100% correct, Freddie—with study and training kantei is nearly a science. Nearly. But you also recognize that no one has a time machine. Darcy Brockbank has written a lot about this (much of it on this board in the past). That you are asking these questions is not a bad thing. It just means it’s time for you to put real effort into serious study if you truly want to understand the answers.
    1 point
  25. Thanks for sharing your experience! The fact that you can get different reviews at different Shinsa tells us how hard it really is to do that analysis, hence my original question. So I totally agree with you, you get more insight and information the more people you show a specific object to, it is all about learning. And all this information (especially if you can get your sensie to complement it. ) adds to the real value for you as the owner (not monetary).
    1 point
  26. 松月堂 友善(花押)  Syougetsudou Tomoyoshi(sign) This is what is currently on sale at the auction Japan.
    1 point
  27. I believe the correct full reading is Matsugetsudo Tomoyoshi + Kao
    1 point
  28. Hi Fredd When looking at a sword the last thing you look at is the mei Hopefully this confirms what you have already found out but this is a lifetimes work Papers are an opinion and not fact but these appraisers have seen hundreds of swords but as the saying goes 'even monkeys fall from trees' Are you a collector? Grev
    1 point
  29. You are challenging the entire fundamental crux of Japanese swords. That smiths are identifiable through their work. The entire basis of Nihonto study is that skill is identifiable and recognizable. That a sword will lead to its maker through his techniques, training, experience, knowledge and skill. Without that, there is zero need for shinsa or papers. To says what? That it is a real Japanese sword? Don't need experts for that. Some people study swords and makers their entire lives to be able to identify makers. And the fact that multiple experts independently can come to the same conclusions proves this is not hokus pokus. It's NOT guessing. Freddie, that entire comment of yours shows you need to read a lot more.
    1 point
  30. Sorry for the late thanks, John. I hope to find a comparable mei.
    1 point
  31. I've re-arranged my stamp survey chart, and you can see that the "NA" stamp initially replaced the large Seki in 1943. They then went to the Gifu in 1944 and '45. STAMP SURVEY Stamp 1935 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 No Date Showa 1 1 3 13 9 1 1 106 Seki 2 7 33 9 9 5 83 Na 2 23 3 1 Gifu Total 2 14 22 2
    1 point
  32. It looks like a sword to me. Could be wrong, might be a spanner. Since you have the mei, better to post that in translation section. Old sword so better in nihonto area after it's translated.
    1 point
  33. John, the purpose of the togishi is NOT to make "everything look more crisp & attractive." His job is to restore the blade to as close to the tosho's original intent as possible, while removing the absolute minimum amount of metal. That means he must understand how the blade was made, which period it came from, & what the swordsmith intended. That isn't an easy task, & requires a huge amount of knowledge.
    1 point
  34. Wow Gethin, That is a great collection! Seeing so many kabutogane side by side like that is also a great chance to notice the subtle differences in decoration between them. Cheers, Bryce
    1 point
  35. 1 point
  36. Two-piece habaki are common. Don't worry about a habaki moving 1mm in a shirasaya as long the sword is stable.
    1 point
  37. This is a hot topic on other militaria forums, and there are many conflicting opinions. The serious conservationists (museums, etc) seem to agree the best thing is to put nothing on it and leave it alone. Once leather is on its way out there is nothing you can do to revive it and bring it back, and you will do more damage than you prevent. Proper climate controlled storage is the best care for leather. I generally agree, but depending on the condition of the leather and other circumstances, I sometimes use Renaissance Wax. Steve
    1 point
  38. Fredd. In the Mei section on the registration card, there are two vertical lines of writing, recording the inscriptions as found on the two sides of the Nakago. Starting from the right, it says "Inoue Shinkai". The left line says "Kanbun 11, a day in August."
    1 point
  39. Well, to get the ball rolling, do not take this as gospel, but your gunto saya cover is leather, so I have used traditional products designed for saddles and bridles, leather tack, etc. Recently I had very good results with Famaco Graisse de luxe, a l'huile de vison, (mink oil wax dubbin) made in France, on a WW2 IJA soldier's leather waist pouch.
    1 point
  40. Hi Oleg, Your sword is signed Dewa no Kami Hokyo Minamoto Mitsuhira. Mitsuhira was a leading smith of the Ishido School; he worked in the mid 17th century. My 1st real sword was by Mitsuhira; nice find. Grey
    1 point
  41. 1 point
  42. From a post on the Gunboards forum: https://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?1160751-South-Manchuria-Railway-pistols Wondering if anyone knows of the Japanese using German Mausers during the war? The railway stamp COULD be South Manchurian Railway.
    1 point
  43. Thanks so much! "Grass Writing", well at least now I know the name of my pain. Yes it looks great, but I can't read it, any more than I can read 18th and 19th century letters written by quill. Some are easy, some are unintelligible. I haven't had any "Type 3" swords before, so this is pretty nice. We also got another signed 長 光 作 NAGAMITSU SAKU.
    1 point
  44. Zuihō tsukuru 瑞峯造 I think you are right about the date. See also
    1 point
  45. This hamon is too irregular for both shodai and nidai
    1 point
  46. It’s probably a lot of things that I don’t understand. :-) Thax for in lighting me. I’ll continue to ask stupid questions and reading up in everything.
    1 point
  47. Some pics with sources shown. Multiple images of Chinese soldiers using Mausers. SMR was in China, and the various railways had their own police/soldier guard units. So it's definitely within the realm of possiblities that one of the raiways (there were more than just SMR) stamped this weapon.
    1 point
  48. Hi Jacques, So, you are saying the difference between kodachi and uchigatana is more difficult to delineate clearly, even by the era in which they are forged. Then, is it correct to say that the differences are: 1) the way the mei are signed (tachi mei vs. katana mei), and 2) the way they are mounted and worn? I'm still confused. If no one is confused by all of this, please tell me I'm dense. Let me pose a question to the membership here. If we were to come across a sword that's about 60cm in length with mumei ubu nakago, looks to be koto, in shirasaya, how can we tell if it's a kodachi or an uchigatana? I find all of the discussions here very educational as usual. I really didn't think my original question had an obvious answer, and now I'm more convinced that this is so. Please post your answers to my theoretical question above as your discussions will be beneficial to all reading this thread. Regards, Hoanh
    1 point
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