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木國住真改文久二年□月日鍛之 – Kinokuni ju Shinkai forged this in Bunkyu 2nd year (1862) X month. 木國 (Kinokuni) is another name for 紀伊國 (Kii no kuni).

This scam site has been around for a long time. You click on a site (in this case skay.com.ua) and are redirected to their site then see an expensive blade at 50% off. A great deal! The problem is I already own it....wait....let me check my tanto kake......yep, still own it. https://whatdiscount.ru/product/286767908504 John C.

Yes. Everything is taken directly from Eric Mollinier's site. John C.

Noshu ju Kaneshige A day in Showa 19, 2nd month heres a link to another star stamped sword by this smith. Kaneshige

Hi Ed, I'm not sure about the "kuni" as whatever is inside the enclosure in this kanji is obscured, with the name I've gone for "Sada" but it might be "Sane" (真) and also the number of the month (I think I can see eight) so I have: 大国住貞改文久二年八月日鍛之 - Okuni (or Daikoku) ju Sadamasa Bunkyuu ni nen hachi getsu hi kitau kore At Okuni, Sadamasa forged this [on] a day in the eighth month, second year of Bunkyuu (1862)

Sensei is always Sensei no matter how far you progress. I’ve used Woody’s services on a few occasions. Always impressed with his work. And my meetings him in person on a few occasions only added to my level of respect for him and his work.

Here's a snip from that site (Robert Benson's site, by the way). If I'm not mistaken, this information is a few years old, and this page was made when Woody was still working under Bob Benson's guidance. Woody since branched out on his own and was working in the Las Vegas area, but he's now back in Hawaii. I don't know the exact details, but I believe he is helping Bob out (now as a peer, instead of an apprentice, but "peer" may be a word that Woody might not agree with). Anyway, I do not know either men personally, so my info comes 2nd and 3rd hand. Woody is well-known in the States, so I'm slightly surprised Axel has never heard of him, but no doubt he will be seeing Woody's name pop up more often now.

Just a FYI to add to what Brian said. HTTP only sites are usually fine to visit in this case, just don't enter any passwords or sensitive information as that information will be transmitted across the internet unencrypted. PS. Sites should also update their certificates to be HTTPS in 2025 but a lot of these sites aren't made by web developers so understanding that, it's somewhat to be expected.

Hello! Recently, I had the opportunity to see and examine F/K works by the Mito school in person. The work is of medium quality, but I would still like to know the name of the artist. Additionally, someone could provide detailed information about the depicted scene.

I have a few books for sale Gokaden no Tabi by Tanobe Michihiro: set of 3 books - Yamato Den, Yamashiro Den, Bizen Den ... 90 EUR Atsuta Jingu Kokuho/JuBun full size oshigata ... 40 EUR Supreme sword country Bizen ... 60 EUR Kotetsu and Kiyomaro ... 90 EUR Special exhibition "The Japanese sword Iron Craftsmanship and the Warrior Spirit" 1997 TNM ... 120 EUR Masamune no Sono Ichimon 1961 (undoubtedly the best Masamune exhibition) ... 160 EUR + shipping cost Sent from Slovakia

I recently found a sword that has been with the family since the end of the war . It was given to a young boy as a gift from a U.S. Marine General. The Generals name was W A Worton and he was given the sword at the Tientsin China Surrender by Major General K Omoto . The swords nagasa is a large 32 inches with a ubu Tang . It shows signs of being a Kanemoto sword. Jizo Boshi with a Hamon of an uneven rounded Sunbonsugi . It also has togariba . The ji is a itame mixed mokume . I am interested in some comment. Thank you Geoff

And yet another excellent article supplied and written by Malcolm E Cox in the downloads section. This one on sukashi iron tsuba, a nice primer on the subject for our tosogu fans. Thanks go out to @mecox yet again for his support and generocity.

Dear members, just 24 hours remaining to bid on this beautiful tsuba and a reminder that 10% of the final value will be donated to the NMB upkeep. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/257192052932 or eBay USA: https://www.ebay.com/itm/257192052932 Kindest regards Michael

Not sure if this has been posted before but I could not find it. So here is a link to the NDL scanned version of the Kyōhō Meibutsu Chō the Type 2 variant, compiled by the Hon'ami family in 1719. Enjoy.

Hello, I’m sharing this article, which I hope will be of interest to you https://figlidiaaron.com/blog/2025/11/10/the-possible-names-of-the-honjo-masamune-holder/

John J... What can I say ? Thanks old Friend Gwyn

Good morning Gwyn, Here's the remainder: 六段に列する - Rokudan retsu suru - Achieved the rank of 6th dan 令和七年二月二十三日 - This is the date, Reiwa seventh year, second month 23rd day The names of the Chairman and Chief Instructor follow: 会長 - Kaichō - Chairman 草原克豪 - This is the chairman's name so the reading may be different to this but I'll try Kusahara Katsuhide 首席師範 - Shuseki Shihan - Chief Instructor 大石武士 - Again a name but I'll try Ooishi Takeshi 第一三二五号 - Dai ichi san ni go go - number of the certificate, Number 1325

John, Thank you very much for your help! It is highly appreciated. Regards, Ed

Bruce, Can't say about any other NMB members. I can tell you that Douglas Louie and Wayne Shijo the two main guys, are as nice as you will ever meet. Tell them I said hello. Ed

Tanto is on hold, pending payment.

Signed Sekijoken Taizan Motozane https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/the-samurai-Japanese-arms-and-armour/a-tsuba-signed-sekijoken-taizan-motozane-and-kao

Kanenori was a busy little bee!

A more famous and high-quality work by Hagiya Katsuhira

Hi Gwyn, I've taken a punt, better linguists may tidy up my attempt: 証 – Akashi – Certificate 貴殿空手道修業に – Kiden karate do shūgyô ni – For your karate do training 心身を尽し技精巧にして – Shinjin o shishi waza sei kô ni shite -With all your heart and soul 円熟の域に達する – Enjuku no iki ni tassuru – Having reached maturity (borne fruit?) 茲に 師範会の推挙に依り - Koko ni Shihan kai no suikyo ni iri – Here (given) with the recommendation of the teachers’ association. It sounds pretty impressive Gwyn, did you go to Japan for a grading to get the certificate?

Another interesting blade that sold very quickly attributed to Den Sukezane https://www.samurai-nippon.net/SHOP/V-2153.html There is a technical term for the style of hamon that transitions from notare in the central section to more suguha style in the monouchi that eludes me. As I understand it this was the intent of the smith for practical reasons, as it strengthens areas of the blade that is more likely to contact the opponents blade.

Usually it is the most decorated side faces the tsuka and thus is on display the most. Your guard has hitsu that are only slightly different in shape so I don't think it is a big issue - there are a lot of guards with identically shaped hitsu either side and I often wonder how you can tell which way to mount them especially if the guard is fairly plain? I guess if you can find any tagane-ato punch marks around the nakago-ana that may help a lot.

Ever rule has an example where someone has broken it. https://www.catawiki.com/en/l/98651298-masterwork-tsuba-signed-with-nbthk-hozon-certificate-copper-gold-silver-iron-Japan-edo-period-1600-1868

Moving video here:

$50 donated. Thanks to Brian and everyone!

Wonderful koshirae Bruce, thank you for sharing. The method of fixing the mei on the menuki is called tanzaku and is not that uncommon. All the best.

Not my forte, but thought you guys might appreciate this. Made by 菊岡 Kikuoka I thought it was interesting to see a habaki designed with the inner lining fitted to the bohi. Also, his method for attaching his name to the back of the menugi seemed unique.

Thank you Pietro and Piers, I believe you are correct and I should have researched it again before making the post. There is a lot more information available now than 30 years ago. thanks again, Rick

Chino, You might already know, but the small stamp at top, Showa stamp, was an inspector stamp of the civilian Seki Cutlery Manufacturers Association. They tend to be really nicely made. The date range is 1935 - 1942, with most dated blades found 1940-1941. Could you post a shot of the full rig showing the fittings?

濃州住井戸秀俊作之 = made by Ido Hidetoshi, resident of Nōshū

Old sources mention Go Yoshihiro and Norishige as natives of Etchu Province, with Go said to have died young. To me, It would seem highly improbable that he was a Yamato Senjuin smith. Name matching doesn't help us as the only signed and dated Yoshihiro blade (YOS143) doesn't match in characters to those of Go in ancient records, and the date (1343) is far off in time, moroever the records make no mention of a resemblance to the work of Go. What about the Yamato influence? The majority of Go's kitae is typically described as itame, often mixed with nagare or mokume. There is only one instance I could find where his kitae is partially blended with masame: the renowned Kabuto-Giri Go. I have also observed that certain works display his ichimai boshi with a subtle hakkikake flavor. Regarding influences, I've had in hand Go's with traits from three different attribution clusters: the Norishige cluster (Mokume/Matsukawa, complex jiba), the Masamune cluster (angular chickei, yubashiri, inazuma), and the Yukimitsu cluster (ko-itame in the Shintogo style). For Go, I have not personally handled an example where Shizu comes to mind, though the Kabuto-Giri Go is noted for this in the NBHTK setsumei record. It is essential to recognize that, while not all blades attributed to Go feature an ichimai boshi, its presence—when combined with the masterful traits typical of other top Soshu smiths—strongly leans toward an attribution to Go. Now where would such Yamato influence come from, if not Senjuin? We can have fun and speculate. We we might imagine the possibility that Shizu and Go, both supposedly active during the Kenmu era, experimented with one another's techniques while working alongside Yukimitsu, Masamune, and Norishige in the Kamakura atelier. However, this idea rests on many unsecured assumptions, including that Shizu apprenticed directly under the Soshu masters and that certain Soshu-den works displaying Yamato influence are accurately attributed to Go. Attribution is uncertain. As seen with signed works by Yukimitsu, his craftsmanship shows considerable variation, making him the prime candidate for pieces where distinguishing traits are less pronounced. His range spans from Shintogo-like hada with a gentle, shallow notare, to a flamboyant midareba incorporating gunome elements, even producing works approaching Hitatsura. This uncertainty is not limited to Yukimitsu. For instance, of the four extant signed tachi by Norishige, two exhibit a shintogo-like fine hada, a far different approach to Matsukawa. Nor was Matsukawa the exclusive domain of Norishige. Hata Chogi, of which we know very little, left us two works indistinguishable on a trait-basis from Norishige's signed tanto. It's wise to think in probabilities. Perhaps the Kabuto-Giri Go, with its distinct Yamato influence and ichimai boshi, was a masterwork of Shizu? We may never know for certain, as the hand behind it is never known for certain. I think that the key to thinking about attribution and influences is to think in probabilities. The best way is to go with the cannon of tradition. After in-hand examination, it could be 60% Go, 40% Shizu. This is certainly the most tractable way, but is the most accurate way? The alternative is going with the historical dark matter. Or in other words, incorporating the lost record. Imagine that it might be 45% Go, 35% Shizu, 4% Yukimitsu on a creative day, 1% the long lost Shintogo student Kuniyasu, and 15% a master whose name has left our records forever. Then replace all these probabilities with distributions encoding uncertainty and you start to reach the limits of useful abstraction. Not much of a means of knowledge advancement since there is no knowledge, only questions. The supreme quality of the Kabuti-Giri Go, however, is beyond doubt. An accepted attribution to a Soshu grandmaster of this caliber signifies the most masterful craftsmanship that reflects the pinnacle of the Soshu tradition, and one amongst the best Nihonto in existence. This brings a bit of nostalgia. Darcy would have enjoyed this thread. As he used to say, we don't have a time machine.

I thought your Yasunori came with a lightweight wood saya from 尚兵館株式會社（Shoheikan Kabushiki Kaisha）， that's why I asked for the photo of the scabbard throat. 尚兵館（Shoheikan）has an excellent reputation for their wood saya. By the way, they are the exclusive distributor for the 23rd generation Kanefusa.

Hello, this is very criticizable, but I just asked an AI to make me a diagram to help me recognize the 5 major Japanese blacksmithing styles. I wanted to share here the result which far exceeds all my expectations. Obviously, the knowledge and expertise of the community and members of this forum are not threatened;P

The v2 ;P

You and I both......ah well, one day I'll get something right, then I'll know it's time to hang it up and retire on an upnote