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Showing content with the highest reputation on 10/07/2021 in all areas
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刀子 Small knife Recently I came across a word that I should have known but didn't. 刀子, for which the English given was 'Tosu'. This piqued my curiosity. In the exhibition of (O)mamori-gatana (see separate thread), was this specially made kozuka in a jewellery-like brightly-decorated koshirae, described as a To-su, or small knife. The blade and koshirae were a special order for the Manga artist Akiko Hatsu, 波津彬子 Hatsu Akiko. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akiko_Hatsu The Kanji suggested that the To- must be a long sound, as in Nihontō. Eventually I found that this word has been used in Japan throughout history to describe a small knife, and that it can be pronounced either Tōsu or Tōshi, (although the former seems to be more common). Her name contains the Kanji 波 (Ha/Nami) for ‘wave’, so the koshirae has silver waves, according to the description.3 points
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Peter, Except for high grades ones, koshirae are considered as expendable. Nihonto is probably one of the Art field where restoration is often necessary, polishing a blade, replace koshirae fittings when lost. Along centuries a blade has had several koshirae and not necessarily custom made, pick up a koshirae and try to adapt it was a common thing. It is not rare to have a blade with a borrowed koshirae having 3 to 5 seppa….2 points
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Dear Peter. From your pictures it is clear that this wakizashi should have an implement called a kogai here, not a kozuka. You are right, this one does not fit, best keep it separate. As regards a replacement, these are not standard parts and fitting new one would be quite tricky. If you notice there are almost what looks like two spaces, the larger would be where the kurikata fits, the smaller would be a little piece that forms and protects the mouth of the kogai slot. These are often made of horn and its loss has probably contributed to the slight splitting of the saya. As to why someone would stuff an obviously oversized kozuka into the kogai slot, well, sometimes by accident; parts get mixed up and whoever puts them back together doesn't know what goes where, sometimes a collector or dealer will spot a nice kogai and sell it off and then stick something in it's place to make the whole thing look more complete. One more observation, the lower end of the nakago seems to have some fire scale on it, this is not a good sign and might men that the blade has been in a fire at some point which would remove the hardened edge. All the best.2 points
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Can you copy and paste the web link? Also, with the new NMB software, sometimes you can simply right-click on the photo and copy, then paste on your post. Sometimes that works, sometimes not.2 points
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Hopefully the technical issues are sorted - the computer ' doctor ' has departed , with money bulging in his pockets , muttering about software that could have been used to design the pyramids and hardware that would grace a museum display. We shall see how long his efforts give us - and so , on to the next fitting - Item No. 127 Iron Tsuba with copper and brass inlay 8.34 cm x 8.30 cm x 0.52 cm Subject of ume tree and blossoms . Unsigned , late 18th / early 19th cent. Nicely made piece with a strong ' rustic ' feel . Appears to have been mounted on several occasions . Maybe older than 200 years - any thoughts ? I have a feeling that there were a few periods when the country look was in vogue , maybe this was from such a time ? Bought direct from Japan 15 years ago.2 points
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You have the correct reading of the MEI, so now you can start researching the smith. The little I think I can see in the pictures lets me believe it to be an oil quenched WWII blade. Maybe my old eyes do not see it correctly.2 points
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Hi Peter, 1. Yes that is the case so: wear and tear, fashion if the owner is wealthy or status if a particular style of fittings was required for a particular duty. 2. Yes it’s called a kojiri. It could be replaced if you wanted to. 3. Up to you. Having the thread redone is relatively easy but there’s some damage to the ray skin underneath. There’s a guy in the UK who does good work and could perhaps do a wrap that would cover that damage. 4. Keep the blade dry and maybe lightly oiled, particularly if you’re by the sea. Lacquer can be sensitive to temperature so keep it in a room that has a fairly constant temperature. Don’t oil or clean the tang - the patina is an indicator of age and should be left alone. You can touch it with your bare hands but avoid touching the blade as oil from your hands will corrode it. 5. It’s not uncommon and isn’t something to worry about. It was probably done to adjust the fit of the peg, maybe on a different tsuka. 6. Yes, there are several: - off the top of my head: The Samurai Sword a Handbook by John Yumoto is popular and The Art of the Japanese Sword by Kapp and Yoshihara. 7. Give your insurer a call. My policy has antiques up to a certain value covered. Tell them you own an antique Japanese sword from the 16th or 17th century (finger in the air I’d guess it is pre 1600, but it’s hard to tell from here). I’d give it a value around £1,200 and see what they say. You’d probably have to pay something like that to replace an unsigned, mounted, koto wakizashi from a dealer.2 points
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Yesterday I popped round to the Hayashibara Museum of Art’s exhibition on (O)Mamori-gatana, which runs until 7 November 2021. http://www.hayashibara-museumofart.jp/cgi-image/752/752_vWaSEEQhsrEOBetbwIYJSiMMBRxBAqitctmFJixPmHgRzcfiWE.pdf Their concept was interesting. Half of the exhibition, Room One, was devoted to modern Tantō from famous smiths around Japan, many with recently created Koshiraé. Room Two displayed swords that had once belonged to various famous people, Japanese Prime Ministers, or writers, or actors such as Takakura Ken, or had featured in some way for a company’s products or in a book or film or an animé. The superb entrance gatehouse which escaped allied bombing in WWII is part of the original old fortifications of Okayama Castle, the latter undergoing renovations in the background. Photos will be added as my energy levels rise.1 point
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A possible 49th series Mantetsu, serial number い 二八. info about first aquisition Attention @IJASWORDS1 point
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Hi Tony, The book originally sold for $50 but then went out of print and won't be reprinted; the price went wild. There was a time when a copy in good condition would bring $500 or more but, Jim Dawson came out with his book: Swords of Imperial Japan 1868 - 1945 Cyclopedia Edition, and the price for Fuller & Gregory dropped. Last time I had a copy in stock I had it listed at $175 when it sold. Grey1 point
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For those reading this section of the NMB, please note I have listed ( for sale or trade section ) some fine SAGEMOTO already and will be listing other works including Kiseru, Boys Festival Dolls, Tetsubin ( Tea Ceremony ), Gunsen ( war fan ), Singing Bell, Japanese Coal Oil Lamp ( beautiful ), Vesta Boxes, and Netsuke. ALL ARE TOP QUALITY and priced at a fraction of their market value. Please check the For Sale or Trade Section of the NMB regularly over the next few weeks. Thank you, ... Ron Watson1 point
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Dear Quinn. It is very common to find a number of smiths using the same name, sometimes with different kanji. For example Hawley lists three Mitsunaga signing with the kanji on the sword in the original post and about 15 more signing with another kanji for naga. All the best.1 point
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Osafune....the town. Sukesada, the smith name. There were MANY Sukesada.1 point
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That is a lovely blade John. Out of my price range though!1 point
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Geraint, I agree with all of that. (Although I think the Nakago have both been further shortened for their new lives.) Thanks for the thoughts, possible considerations and interesting illustrations.1 point
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Dear Piers. Sweet tosu but to go back to Ian's yari tanto for a moment. Given the relatively small size of the blade I am pretty sure that this started life as a yari but with a modest tang length. The mei is cut high up the nakago because the tang is wider there. I believe the current nakago ana was added when the yari was mounted in this koshirae which accounts for the slight off set in placing. The mekugi ana is very near the fuchi because the straight yari nakago fitting into the curved tanto koshirae soon places the metal outside the centre line of the tsuka, any further away from the fuchi and it would be in danger of missing! This example demonstrates both the high mei and someone wrestling with the nakago ana alignment problem, in this case an off set mekugi ana and a copper insert to bring it into position to fit the tsuka. All the best.1 point
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Type 98 Japanese Officers Gunto. Looks like the saya is aluminum? Not rare, but not standard either. The thick seppa like yours are usually found on gunto of a high quality than the average. Your guy probably spent a little extra on this.1 point
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John's link. https://www.facebook.com/johntiradosayashi1 point
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Peter, as always you find beautiful blades with goshirae that really piques my interest. Thanks1 point
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I think it depends on the condition of the blade's current polish, it's quality and the condition of the koshirae. I bought a Nanbokucho blade in kaigunto koshirae recently. It was evident that there was some abrasive material that was causing scratches to the monouchi on one side. I had the sword at home for one day before shipping back out for shirasaya and tsunagi. In other cases where I felt the blade was not in immediate risk, I might hold until sending the blade for restoration. Best regards, Ray1 point
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Dear Kenny. Have no concerns about the tsuka, it looks great! All the best.1 point
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Here is a link to photos of a gendaito by Hisakuni: Best regards, Ray1 point
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There is a Showa smith listed as Fukuoka Hisakuni, perhaps this is him? Gabriella, could we see some more pictures of the sword, both mounts and blade? Oh, and by the way, even if the signature is wrong that does not mean the sword is of no interest. All the best.1 point
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Ken, Thank you for the suggestions! We are going to use custom built climate controlled cases similar to what you what find at the NBTHK in Tokyo. Space is our enemy right now. With the sqft we will be working with we have to be very selective. For the soft open we will likely display around 30 swords, 5-10 armor, 5-10 yari & naginata, and many other items. The rooms will be broken down by era, but I may need the help of the board to ensure the groupings are proper. I am sorry you had those issues with your university. This is a self funded project for now, but we have interest from other parties for support. We will see what flushes out. I believe my university may back it if I can built out a large enough section to cover the rise of Christianity in Japan. On that note, it has been very difficult to locate reasonably priced (crypto-Christian) items that touch on this subject. In any event, I'm really glad I have people such as yourself, and other members of the board, willing to share their thoughts and experiences. It will help tremendously.1 point
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I agree I would put myself in the middle as well, in my opinion and of course it just my opinion neither is the wrong way to go. The high end collectors with just a few do have the better Nihonto but the the lower end quantity collectors have more to study so.... To be honest I do like this blade it's not a hidden treasure by no means it seems priced accordingly but then again I'm a young gun in this realm.1 point
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Have very much enjoyed the above presentations. Hoping someone can clarify my offering. Purchased here at NMB just over a year ago from Mark who was very generous to me after being given something of a barracking from one, maybe more spectators on the "For Sale' sidelines. A Kwaiken, a concealable women's knife, great condition, about 16.8cm blade, originally a Kikutchi Yari cut down to make a small tanto in 1897 as per inscription on reformed tang. The maker's name is more obscure ?-Kane ? Koto period ? Actually it was Mark then BaZZa who put me in some of the picture. It is a lovely Kwaiken in my opinion. Thank you.1 point
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