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Well as I mentioned bit earlier this year in a thread in here I have been working on a index of Jūyō items. It has been ongoing for a few years now but now I have the 1st version finished. It took some time as I originally planned to just have old swords (Kotō) in a document (as they are my own personal interest), but then I didn't want to do a partial job, so I took on all of the swords, and finally I forced myself to tackle all the fittings, attachments and kinzōgan, kiritsuke etc. As I typed probably few hundred thousand kanji characters in by hand the project took a while. Now this should have all of the Japanese characters that appear in the index pages, and I have written smith / school etc. into Western characters, followed by Japanese characters. However I am not yet comfortable enough trying to translate the style of fittings, kiritsuke-mei, kinzōgan-mei etc. as I would make too many errors so for those you have the Japanese text that I typed in. The format in this should be very simple to follow. It is the same as in my last index (Kokuhō, Bunkazai, Bijutsuhin). 691 pages, 66. Jūyō sessions and 14792 items (if I added them up correctly). Hopefully the PDF will be easily readable (it should be searchable too). Now as this has been a solo project spanning over a long time period, there must be some errors in there that I have made (there are definately some in rare fittings makers as fittings are not really my thing and sometimes I found 0 results with Google on some of the mei). If you spot some errors, send me a message and I will fix them for next release. I plan to make a yearly updates after NBTHK releases the session results. Might be bit boring stuff as it is just lots of pages with plain text. I hope some will find this enjoyable and can find some help in personal research etc. Juyo Index.pdf

I'm a big fan of these tiny small scenes. Btw the patination looks very good too. Nice piece Stephen. I have one with a similar scene.

Karusk Recently I have been following a Japanese word of advice from Dōgen Zenji for begging Buddhists monks. If I like something I say so, otherwise I keep quiet. I especially avoid giving opinions on things for sale which are often between members. (Seen the trouble that gets kicked up only too often.) If necessary, especially if asked directly, I might send a pm with my personal opinion, but personal opinion is all it is. Life is short, and it takes all sorts, and some folks are fragile, some are difficult, and some are actively looking for a fight. It sounds like your heart and mind are generally in the right place. Hang in there.

Well, if the tsuba can cover a "loose" cut, then its practical, other considerations is if it's comfortable to hold it in a sword or if can fitt well in any koshirae. I know I'm very weird, both here and in Japan, and such legends like Torigoye will hate me if was alive...but I think tsuba from Edo period (or even Momoyama) could consider a work of art independent from the nihontō, and could appreciate and delight like a painting. Also I must admit that I'm a kinkō lover, and an Edo period lover, as I'm also a Barroque lover regarding Western art.

A friend has a wakizashi by this smith, Masatsugu. He reckons Masatsugu produced very good work. Just phoned him with your questions, and he says this line of smiths were probably brought to Okayama by Kobayakawa after Sekigahara, probably from Kai-Mihara. They worked below the walls of Okayama Castle. First generation signed Masanari/shige. Second gen. signed Masatsugu Third gen. signed Masamori. When Ikeda Mitsumasa moved over from Tottori, he probably removed Masamori from the residence which had originally been granted to them by Kobayakawa. Although very little of this is written down anywhere, this is the fruit of my friend's research. He thinks that the yari and naginata smith Masanao of the Kai school in Mihara is also related, from the similarities in the way they cut their Mei. Oh, he also added that they seem to have worked in close collaboration with the main body of smiths east of there in Bizen. Apologies if any of this is mistaken. Just what I heard, or thought I heard over the phone!

Hi Dale , it is in the catalogue of an exhibition held at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery in 1964 entitled Arms and Armour of Ancient Japan . Robert Haynes was one of those who put the exhibition together. Ian Brooks

Won the Jakushi 8.4x7.7 I especially like the fleet of ships off in the distance. Deciding factor on going for it. Not the normal Jakushi i think of when looking at ther school.

Bob Benson and Ted Tenold (legacyswords.com) Both can be found online.

Yes even a nihonto will stand this abuse. Modern nbthk tamahagane has nothing to do with bad steel. If you can tell me why any other steel should be better for swords pls educate me. I get some babu flashbacks now :D To the topic the seller has sold 6-8 blades since the one in the start of this thread. And from a far they looked the same but where different. A hira; shinogi and Shobu zukuri and 2 yoroi doshi and one osuraku zukuri. I don’t even get what you talk about when you say he relisted it.

Image that. Japanese seller. Glad it's iron! The tsuba in hand is much nicer that sale photos. So happy anyway.

Use has very little to do with the study and preservation of Nihonto. This discussion doesn't belong here.

I wasn't going to get into this because it opens a bit of a can of worms... but oh well. There are a heap of oddities around pattern 5 swords. I have one of these, as Trystan somehow remembered! Mine has number 297 (pretty sure or maybe 2X7?) On the saya. However, it does have a serial number on the blade, very faint. 300103 I'm guessing. Last number is half stamped but 3 is likely. It's in the Jinsen font too. To head off the question, no it is not a pattern 6 blade in pattern 5 mounts. I can't quite tell... maybe a single stamp on the fuchi... it's at the point I can't differentiate between a dent and dust or a stamp. Now... I also have another example with no marks at all on the blade, but the serial number on the saya is 251125. No arsenal marks I can find. So not quite fitting the what Tristan has, but probably from around the same period.

Pretty mindblowing Jussi. The amount of effort is staggering. I'll add it to the downloads section and make you the author, so anytime you have any update or correct you are able to replace the file yourself. The Nihonto community thanks you.

I re-looked at the pictures and I would like to point out that the bottom of the scabbard has been sanded down. This was possibly done to address the rust issue in this area. Another comment while I am at it, one can distinguish between spray paint and regular paint with a simple test. Just take a q-tip and soak it in strong alcohol and dab it on the paint in an area that you are not concerned about. Spray paint will easily come off while regular paint will be more resistant. I say this based upon personal experience.

Kyryl, you go up on top of the page to NIHONTO INFO. When you click on it, you will see RESEARCH. Clicking on that brings you to NIHONTO KANJI PAGES, and then further to KANJI FOR MEI. It is very helpful and easy to use, I think.

Hi guys was taking some photos of this kinmichi wakizashi and its koshire the other day so i thought i'd share some pics. Igar no kami fujiwara kinmichi 2nd generation cheers Chris H

I found this interesting. I was cleaning this blade getting ready to photograph it prior to sending it off for polish & found the original polisher had scratched in his name. I believe it is Masa ____ & possibly Saku? any help would be appreciated. Of further interest to the Gendai collectors in the group: The blade is signed Baba Akitsugu who also signed Baba Tsugukiyo. He was an RJT Smith making mid to high grade Nihonto. This blade was made in 1936. I don't know the reason for the switch in names. This blade was made as a dedication to a shrine and is inscribed as such. Perhaps Akitsugu was the name used when not making military blades? Jim

I did not really follow this thread, but when I read this nonsense I thought I should mention that all these things have been written down and can be re-read somewhere. Flexibility is not toughness, and durability is not hardness. And the hardness curve does not at all go up in a straight line in relation to the carbon content! What are you dicussing? And why?

Your knowledge sounds to me like western tv shows. simple basic science and u got it all wrong.

Actually, Chris, the Hamon isn’t running out, simply because there isn’t any. What you’re seeing is a large layer of metal from the Damascus and it looks conspicuous because the blade is so heavily acid etched. By the way, i meant "not worth". Dunno why the "not"got ditched.

I think the signature appears to be kanehiro, but I might be wrong.

Just a reminder. If a signed bigger or big name and coming out of Japan with green papers, then probably you should pass on it. If anyone can correctly identify the tsuba I am talking about, you get a gold star. No need to import junk.

Perhaps you should ask them to not send the box.

Dead giveaway: damascus-esque patterned steel, not Japanese in the slightest.

Karusk, That happens the more you learn and build a good reputation over time by making positive contributions to interesting discussions. Guys get to know you. That is a reputation, not a count under your avatar. I made plenty of bozo mistakes as a rookie (and still do!), and have made the mistake of getting into arguments. There are a lot of gruff, opinionated guys here (just what you might expect from a bunch of guys that study war). Take things with a grain of salt. Give grace to those who disagree. State your case and leave it without any back-and-forth. Your reputation will stand on how you "carry" yourself.

Yeah....looks great condition! Did they seriously ship with the tsuba on the post as always? Maybe we need to ask Markus and pay him to do a write-up in Japanese of how not to pack tsuba, that we can send with every purchase to sellers.

Consider yourself lucky it's only a stick. This is a sword forum. No-one here really cares about reputation. I daresay most of us don't ever look at them or even know what ours is. That's a social-media throwback. Said many times to newcomers here though...less is more. Always good to take it slow and read more than post. Best way to integrate.

Also this way Thank you very much for Jussi It is an unusual generous gesture that is often not seen today By the way, at today's translation prices, this database is worth $ 15-25k

So why make a downvote take my reputation away? I just started and all it would take is one guy to come and downvote everything i say and im back to 0 rep here. Seems kinda unbalanced and arbitrary to me. Brian i am sorry about my argument with barry. I felt it unfair and I’m not one to keep silent. In these other posts someone is downvoting i even quite plainly said that his stuff is low quality. That I wouldn’t recommend buying the item i linked. I lost a days worth of activity from my reputation cause someone disliked three different posts where all i said was buyer beware and dont pay full price from anyone. I even specifically said the item i linked wasn’t worth 500 in a pawnshop when it’s listed for 2400 bucks. I was just linking to give an example of a hirazukuri katana and i was quite clear about that. can you really blame me for being a little disappointed? Im just trying to build my rep up a little here, learn, and help answer people when im around and no one else is. If ive broken any rules im sorry. If ive stepped on any toes im sorry. Ive been a silent member of this forum for years. You guys taught me everything i know and are the reason i dont have anything like that cobra abomination in my collection. I have mad respect for you specifically and am sorry i keep drawing your ire. 😞

Very interesting...I think I have exactly the same bag at home. Wow.

It's 3 swords a month if they are short swords and 2 a month for katana.

This place isn't a competition for likes. There's Facebook for that.

Took a couple with different angles of the light. Good practice anyways. And some better of the design of the saya cover(if someone knows the proper term educate a fool please, sword bag just feels....wrong)

I am unsure if this PDF article has been posted before, it dates from 2012 Samurai-Evolution-of-Arms-Armors (2).pdf

It's clear why we are so interested in nihonto! Johan

Here, i think i got a handle on making it show up. I appreciate the interest

Jean already did it for you

正真　武州住千住院源守正作　寛文　長壱尺伍寸参分有之 Shōshin Bushū-jū Senjuin Minamoto Morimasa saku Kanbun Nagasa Isshaku Gosun Sanbu ari kore True signature Bushū-jū Senjuin Minamoto Morimasa saku Kanbun (era) Length 1 shaku, 5 sun, 3 bu

正輝 研（Polish)

Seems gimei : https://giuseppepiva.com/en/works/katana-shinto-koshirae#&gid=1&pid=1 https://tokka.biz/sword/sukekuni3.html https://www.nipponto.co.jp/swords3/WK327719.htm https://www.giheiya.com/shouhin_list/japanese_sword/katana/02-1188.html https://www.touken-sato.com/event/katana/2012/11/K-sukekuni-01.html

This lead insert and new mekugi-ana has always intrigued me. (not my latest blade anymore).

Applying additional mekugi-ana can give a false appearance of period/age. I had a signed, kijimoma-gata, hira-zukuri ubu shinshinto tachi with five mekugi ana, pointing to kamakura period.

Dear John. Found the reference after a bit of head scratching. Christie's, June '95. The lot numbering is a bit hay wire for these lots but it is lot294. Signed Masamune and dated 1329. They describe the habaki as, ".. carved with clouds and integral to the blade", which I presume means they couldn't get it off. The listing goes on to say, "Pseudo archaic blades were not uncommon in the Meiji period......made by smiths such as Miyamoto Kanenori and Hayama Enshin among others." All the best.

I am pretty sure this is Japanese and pretty sure it is in terrible condition. This one might be best left as is; far too much of it would have to be sacrificed in a polish. If it were mine I would be tempted to enjoy it for what it is, as is. Grey

Greetings sword friends! Although I realize this announcement may only be a source of frustration due to limited travel opportunities, I still believe it is worth mentioning. Residents of Japan certainly still have an opportunity to make a pilgrimage to the Japan Sword Museum. If you have not been to the new facility, it really is spectacular. The lighting on the swords is well-done and the swords come alive... well not exactly dancing but the impact is strong and the features are visible. Of newly designated Juyo on exhibit there are thirty-six blades, eight koshirae, and thirty-seven fittings. Of the seven swords I submitted to the Juyo Shinsa in 2020, belonging to myself and my clients, three received Juyo designation. A few of the swords I sold to clients in the past year also made Juyo this year. One of the swords I handled for restoration was selected for the exhibition (as not all new Juyo blades are put on display). It is a first generation Tamba No Kami Yoshimichi owned by my friend and client, Matt Jarrell. Polished by Mr. Dodo of Hiroshima, it is something to behold. Most of you are aware how difficult it is to get Juyo designation for late Koto, Shinto, and Shin-shinto blades. Congratulations to Mike Yamazaki as two fittings in his name are also included in the exhibition this time. Please see the attachments in the next posting for the translated list of exhibits.....files are too large to attach here. The exhibition runs from February 27th through to April 11th. If you plan on visiting the museum, budget some extra time to explore the beautiful former Yasuda Family garden. The ground floor lounge of the museum building looks out onto the garden and pond. You can sip a tea while looking out over the pond..... It will do wonders to calm your spirit...while you meditate on sharp steel... or shakudo fittings.... 66th Juyo Exhibition.pdf

It sold for around $3K? You can be VERY sure it is VERY gimei.

I dont know if they are chinese, but the hada looks to good for the chinese work. Who ever made these swords he know what he do.

Well I got bit sidetracked on another forum when there was talk about very large twohanded swords of variours cultures with very long blades. I thought I'll post this here, as Odachi are among my favorite types (smaller ones, not the monster swords I'll list here). Odachi 大太刀 (large tachi) is term commonly used when blade is over 90 cm in length. There are few Odachi in Japan that have blade near or over 2 meters. (I'm at my parents for the holidays, and I might have bit more information in my books but can't access them now) Most of these swords are famous artifacts. 祢々切丸 - Nenekirimaru (Nambokucho 1332-1394) Total length: 324 cm Blade length: I've seen mention c. 215 cm 太郎丸 - Taroumaru (Kamakura period 1184 - 1332) Total length: 262 cm Blade length: 180 cm Weight: 7,2 kg 志田の大太刀 - Shida no odachi (dated 1415) Blade length: 220 cm 太郎太刀 - Taroutachi (It is described being sword Makara Naotaka used in 1570 at battle of Anegawa) Blade length: 220 cm Weight: 4,5 kg Odachi made by 三家正吉 Sanie Masayoshi (dated 1843) Blade length: 224 cm 備州長船法光 - Bishu Osafune Norimitsu (dated 1447) Total length: 377 cm Blade length: 227 cm Weight: 14,5 kg Feel free to share any information you have on odachi. The more "regular" sized odachi are more to my own taste than these monsters. Just thought I'd share this small info on these couple swords (not sure if all my info is correct, so feel free to put corrections).