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Interesting thread. Just to add to this ...I am interested in WWII examples. Here is the gangi-maki hilt from my WWII gendaito. Not sure what the binding is...seems leather. I have seen 2 other WWII like this ... not common, but they do exist...all have been true gendaito. Regards

Turned up on another forum. I reckon these are type 95 with stripped and polished tsuka, or painted gold!

Item No. 234 Two 'orphan fuchi ' in soft metals. The first being in Shakudo with a fine nanako ground , with copper , gold and shibuichi . Subject of Chickens , signed Shokatei Motohiro & kao. The second being in Shibuichi with gold, copper and shakudo . Subject of a group of demons ( I count eleven ! ) transporting a large bell through turbulent water. Signed , Kikugawa Nanpo kocho , with gold seal. Both of these items display high quality craftmanship , and although they do not have matching kashira , are good enough to stand on their own merits. Provenence Lundgren Collection , nos. 107 ( the first ) & 263 ( the second ). The second - H. Seymour Trower Collection and published in the Henri L. Joly Catalogue of the H. Seymour Trower Collection of Japanese Art published London 1913 , by Glendining and Co.Ltd plate xxxii , no 1695.

oh forget to mention your sword has ful dress file marks, (Kesho) on its nakago, earlier works if I remember correctly are kiri file marks.....

Dea Michael The first exmple is lacquered leather to match the saya colour. @Charles I don't think baleen, that presents as thin, slightly shiny strands, often found on tanto koshirae. Looks almost like a plastic. @Adam, I really like your tsuka, certainly looks like leather. I have two wakizashi mounted in rather similar ways, the one I posted I am fairly sure is leather, but lacquered. The other is more of a puzzle as on close inspection I think I can see a grid pattern under the surface so perhaps a thin leather wrapped around a woven tape for greater strength. Enjoying this thread guys, keep them coming!

I think you'll be astonished by how easy it is to contact @Ray Singer

Here's my Emura, which I also love. I've been a fan of his swords for a long time. My pics aren't that great, so I've attached the pics from Aoi.

Wanted to stop in and show off a new koshirae Robert Hughes just finished up for my Shigenobu blade . Ray Singer helped find the matching fittings and suggested the tensho style koshirae . It turned out way better than i had imagined it . Thanks guys ! Amazing job ! !

Hello Marco, I don't know why anyone has not responded to your post? So, I just wanted to let you know my thoughts on the tsuba. Now, I know very little about tsuba. But the pictures you posted look to me like a very recent tsuba (or it could be an older tsuba that was well taken care of). Maybe someone else with way more knowledge than me can help you. Anyway, great to communicate with you for the first time! With respect, Dan

well known smith highly rated, congrats! sometimes his blades are with imperial special date..

Received, thanks Jonathan. Thanks Franco.

Also have these, love this style of wrap.

That is beautiful

None that I can find

Possibly Rai Kunimitsu.

A very good smith and quite highly rated. A search here will show some information and work by him.

It's in good enough condition as it. A polish would lose you money. Leave it as is. Just stabilize that rust with oil.

Agree with David, an older Tsuba repurposed during the war. Not completely unusual, old Tsuba were even modified to use the normal locking catch.

Hizen Masatsugu shingunto has now been sold. Thank you.

Hello, Smith's name is Daidō (大道). The date on the sword is Shōwa 18, December. The numbers that are painted on the nakago are assembly numbers. If they match the other parts of the sword, you've got an original set on your hands. Another example of this smith's work is in the thread below

Shōchū Shintō Meizukushi Taizen

Gangi-maki is my guess as well. Here is a papered example from Muromachi period.

The Kozuka (utility knife) were seldom made by the same sword smith. Nice Edo period wak; not the same smith as Ichihara Nagamitsu (gendai, WW 2). A good first find. Much better than my first sword.

Are you sure it's for a Shin-Gunto. It's a fairly traditional shape and may be a fair bit older.

Gendaito is sanbon sugi hamon. Wannabe kanenaga (August, Showa 13)

Gangi maki perhaps? Sometimes referred to as "Musashi Maki"

Dear Michael. There are a huge range of styles and materials used for this, just when you think you have seen them all another pops up. I'm quite partial to this style. From your desvciption it sounds as though what you are seeing is plainer than this, as Mark suggests a scren shot will help. All the best.

My Emura

My frank opinion on the Rai Kunitoshi is that it is gimei.

I believe the book you have is a copy of Shūko Jisshu (集古十種) and yours is the sword portion of the book set.

It's interesting, Peter, that my wife & I have agreed to start selling off items that no longer interest us, which includes a large art collection, Sterling silverware, & the like. But neither of us are interested in selling our sword collection. Of course, that may be because we're both still active martial artists, & after 30+ years, we're still learning the correct ways to use a sword.

Taken with a camera - best I could do.

@Baba Yaga You clearly didn't even read the question. He's asking about Nagashi lines and you are talking about yasurime. Lets imagine the question was Yasurime...How could he able to search it without knowing the word? On top of that, what's wrong with helping out a new member?

I took some gambles for sure on eBay. Threw in a really low offer that got accepted on a tokubetsu hozon blade with an oshigata pic that didn't even show the right sword....turned out amazingly and everything was as said. Gambled on a seller with almost zero feedback and got one of my favorite swords. Bought a couple papered swords off a guy i could tell was a collector that I Iove. I probably just cursed myself by acknowledging this luck. I would always suggest messaging the sellers before buying, I always did and the vast majority I bought from people that used the correct terms and seemed to know their stuff which I think protected me. I've now reached a number and quality in my collection that I can slow down and not gamble as much. In the beginning I feel like gambling is or seems a better option especially when wanting to get a collection on the cheap. It's either know someone, come across a great blade in real life you can buy cheap, be left/gifted a sword, save/spend more money or gamble....makes it more difficult too that I never find or even see nihonto for sale in real life where I am. Online is my only way. Thank god for the Chicago Sword Show too. I totally agree that learning/honing an eye is key to having a chance if you do go online auctions. Also being open to ages/smiths etc...don't need a Rembrandt as your first sword...I honestly believe starting in guntos is the easiest way to start. It has everything and the market is pretty stable and has affordable ranges. You will learn all the terminology and puts mounts into a smaller field to learn but you'll get the basics. Just makes everything bite sizeable.

For that budget, you can easily find something really nice from a reputable seller in the USA already. Just take a look at our own For Sale section to see some great deals. I see at least a few awesome deals from Ray Singer alone there, never mind the other swords listed by members.

Bungo Takada. This school can run the gamut from OK to near brilliant, there can be good examples within the school.. This is a nice tight package; not amazing, not poor a little above average. Compare and decide at this price "am I happy". John

The decoration? Thus. The aogai abalone inlay is falling off like dandruff. The saya has a little ring for the yari jirushi.

Apologies, this was harder than I thought. Ignore shots # three and four above. Here is a definitive shot of the three side facets! (Right side)

Oh dear . Well from my experience. it stops when you have a baby! My swords now live in the loft and the Japanese ones in a locked cuboard.

Jeremiah wrote: > I know some folks with 100-300 swords. Never ends for them. I call these folk "Estates-in-Waiting"!! BaZZa.

It's only a stupid question when not using the search "Yasuri-me" http://meiboku.info/guide/form/yasurime/index.htm In todays society>>>???

Try to keep up kid, I'm on to the marrow of the bone.