Brian

If there are minor ware that are filled in with red lacquer, then that would also point to Shinto, as that was the period this was commonly done. Also, about any ware...how about asking the seller? Logical, no? Minor ware are not an issue, simply ask the seller about any flaws and for better pics. I don't see anything too disturbing at all. Looks like a nice sword to me, and you don't get much in that pricerange. Brian

Ah..I wonder if this is the seller that emailed a while ago and had a fit that we were discussing his swords on the forum? If not..it was another one that objected to us showing his pics here. (Besides Mack of course) Silly really, you expect your buyers to make uninformed decisions? Backfires too when the item is actually quite nice and has good comments, and will probably lead to more bids and a higher price. But we'll respect the wishes of sellers who ask for us to not post their pics here. Linking to the auction is fine though. They are public auctions Brian

Dr L. Interesting theories, but ones that would be hard to prove I assume. In the interests of choosing the simplest explanation in my eyes, I would say that these tsuba with that much wear on them might simply have been repatinated at some point in the past. Whether the wear is natural or from someone "fiddling" with it, somewhere in its life someone may have decided to touch it up. The other possibility (and one that I subscribe to) is that natural patina "heals" the wear over time, and with all the handling and exposure to the elements over the years, it will probably repatina itself. We are taught that not only iron, but shakudo too, will develop a nice patina over time. Could this not be the case where the underlying metal was exposed? I have seen how easily the patina of shakudo can be rubbed off, but a hundred years of handling might well cover that competely. What are the thoughts on this? Brian

I don't see any reason for this to be a Gendaito personally. You don't see much in the way of a nice gentle notare like this in Gendaito too often, and that shinto yakidashi looks to me to be true to the period. There was a Nagatsugu working during the Genroku period, and it would fit in with the description on the auction. What makes him think it is something besides what it claims to be? Yes, it could be a Gendai sword that was gimei'd to an earlier smith, but seems like a lot of trouble to go to, and then not pick a bigger name. Nakago doesn't have a huge amount of age patina on it, but that isn't a definite as many collectors will show you Koto swords that have well preserved tangs. Looks like a reasonably nice piece to me. Brian

Have a safe trip Rich. Just a hop skip and jump from Japan to Oz Catch you when you are back, and have had a chance to recover. Hope the bags are full of new goodies. Brian

Hi. (Please sign posts with a name and initial please) Btw..you can attach up to 5 files in a single post, just add them one at a time before submitting the post) I agree with Jacques. Appears to be a Showato with a "na" arsenal acceptance stamp. Probably a non-traditional wartime sword. If you are looking for a representative Japanese military sword, and the price is good (say under $750 or so?) then this should do the trick assuming the blade and mounts are in good condition. Not traditionally made though in all likelyhood. Looks genuine though. Regards, Brian Edit to add: No, not a fake. During the war, the majority of swords were partly machine made and finished off by hand. This means they were not folded the old way, and oil tempered instead of water quenched. The steel was modern steel and not traditional tamahagane. This doesn't mean they are fake, just that they are modern WW2 swords and not made the way they were over the centuries. Still a WW2 sword, and the same as the majority of wartime swords. There were traditional swords made duing WW2, but they are not in the majority that you come across. As an item of Japanese militaria, it is a perfectly valid item, just not the artwork that we usually study here on the forum.

Maybe he's trying to reach the little leprechaun-sized shirt that is sitting on Bob's head?? :D :D :D Also..who is that attempting to make an escape attempt over the back wall? (No doubt after seeing the amount of alcohol on the table) :lol: Brian

Wow..I really do miss the big ones, don't I? :D That sounds like an amazing day/night, and a great write-up Henry! Had me laughing in front of my pc, which has my work colleagues looking at me funny. I must send out a huge thanks to Guido and Mr Hughes to taking such great care of the NMB members and other Nihonto enthusiasts there. Guido always goes far out of his way, and his generosity is amazing. Sounds like a great bunch of guys met again this year. What a turnout. Looks like this is the time of the year to visit Toyko (typhoon excluded) I'll definitely be looking at doing it next year if I am able. Looking forward to hearing who walked home, who stumbled home, and who doesn't remember going home at all :D Also hope there are a few other pics that people can post (even if some faces have to be edited out to preserve anonymity or dignity ) Thanks Henry. Brian

Rich, Thanks so much for those wonderful pics. Some of them bring back amazing memories. I wonder what are the job prospects in Tokyo for someone who only speaks English? (Except for English teacher) I'm available folks *hint hint* Some of those I saw, some will have to wait until next time. Beautiful stuff. That chokuto is amazing. Over 1200 years old! Great pics, thanks for sharing. Brian

Henry, That really is sad to hear. It is truly sad how brainwashed some people can get when told what to think. I know a relative of my girlfriend was horrified in the Uk when some young thugs broke into his house and stole his old Scout knife among other things. He was distraught at the fact that thee was now a "deadly knife" out there in the hands of criminals. Goodness knows what mindset has to set in to lead to thoughts that some pointy objects are weapons whereas kitchen knives are harmless. Goodness knows the danger you posed to the MP. YOu never know when those deadly "Samurai Swords" will decide on their own accord to fling themselves off the walls and attack people at random. Ian, that is great news, glad to hear they were saved and there are some sensible attitudes out there. It does, however, turn my stomach to think that there are people out there who will turn in antique art like a Tadayoshi to be willingly destroyed in this day and age. I would hate to hear of some that didn't get rescued. You guys are doing a wonderful job of protecting them within your abilities though. Please keep us informed. Regards, Brian

On the contrary.. Given the nature of this forum, and the fact that serious discussions of Nihonto and tosogu are what we are here for, I welcome as many of these as you would like to post. I find them valuable lessons, especially with the tsuba collectors giving their opinions so freely. Keep them comming I really like most of your tsuba too. I think that the "old iron" guys are really getting to me nowdays and my interests are increasing daily :D I really must pick up a copy of your Namban tsuba book soon. Brian

What a fantastic gift! You are very lucky to have family like that. Of course when the sword is free, then you really have a decent incentive to send it for a full polish and papers. One of the few times there is no doubt about the cost of polish vs value afterwards. And being in Japan, I think your situation is ideal to have this done. I am on my way out, so only glanced briefly at the pics. Looks like a lovely sword, and those fittings are very nice too. I think you can be proud of this one. Sudareba is good for this school, and there is a huge amount of info on the net and in books about the Mishina school.. Try this one as a start, and then google the school and the smith: http://www.nihontocraft.com/Mishina.html Will be back later to see what others have to say about it. Congrats! Brian

This one is an auction piece, and there is no hada or nie visible in the limited photos. Totally mumei nakago too. I was just looking at it and wondering what are the odds it is oil or water quenched from this photo. With some Gendaito being made from non-traditional steels and some being semi forged etc, the line between traditional and non-traditional really is a close one when it comes to wartime blades. Brian

Ah yes, Stones... Once of the most superb general weapons references. It belongs in every reference library, and has extensive info on Japanese arms and armour. One of my favorite books when it comes to all arms subjects. Some of the info is a bit dated or concise, and the pics are not fantastic, but it is a great reference and has a lot of info on more obscure items that we don't see anywhere else. Brian

I know this seems like an elementary question, but I was wondering if there was a set pattern when it comes to arsenal oil quenched gunto hamon. In other words, I know that we often see pure nioi sanbonsugi or suguha hamon that are oil quenched, but what about hamon such as pure choji? Do you encounter choji hamon in oil quenched blades, or would this make you look further at it being one of the various Gendaito? What about other more compex hamon? yes, the oil quenched indicators are usually elsewhere such as pure nioi without hataraki and no hada, but was wodering how much the hamon pattern itself can tell about the quality of a Gunto. The query stems from looking at a gunto such as the following one: Given only thise photo criteria, would you still suspect possible oil quenching, or would you be looking to rule that out? Regards, Brian

In light of some recent questions and issues, I am leaving this topic up to ask questions about the above issues, and am hoping to add some tips and procedures for successful imports, exports and dealing with customs. A few good threads have already given some good info on this subject. Here are some basics that are important to follow if you want a hassle free import or export:

I think those are more than opinion, I think they are widely regarded fact. I go with what you said. This isn't just a Nihonto thing. If you have old silverware, and you clean it, you reduce the value considerably. In spite of the fact that the original finish was bright and shiny, the age patina is an important part of the value and collectibility. I know that the total black silver patina is sometimes less than splendid, but it is preferable to a shiny new finish. John, I am sure that Mr Tirado will know the limit and will not overclean the fittings. Do not mess with patinas unless you are a trained expert. It is easy to overdo, and considerably more difficult to undo. Antiques are not always required to get back their original finish. The patina is there to let you know it has aged gracefully and is a few 100 years old. Brian

Don't forget about the Japanese Sword Society of the US. http://www.jssus.org/ Also a great society with a nice newsletter. Both the JSSUS and NCJSC are $60 per year for overseas members, and are well worth it. I am sure the others are also excellent, but don't have any personal experience with them yet. Hope to change that soon. Brian

Lovely kogai, and in fantastic condition. I also understood them to be for hair preparation and the ear hygeine issue. I think the "head marking" thing is a fallacy imho. Pete, when you rank menuki first and then kogai in importance, is that excluding tsuba? Was this an importance ranking when attending court? Brian

Mike, Looks like a sword. I am not sure you will be able to get much more info on the blade besides what you have been given already. Maybe someone can have a guess at the era from the shape, but with a cut-down katana it is difficult. As mentioned, it is likely a Bizen koto that is suriage (shortened) and made into a wakizashi. Tsuka looks long for a wakizashi though. Polish isn't great, but condition looks good. The next shinsa in the Uk (a while away?) may be your best bet to get a closer attribution. I must say I am jealous. For some reason I am attracted to swords with a well cut hi, especially running through the nakago, and that second sukashi (cutout) tsuba looks lovely too. I love the fine work. On the tsuba mei...see if you can get a decent macro photo, or otherwise scan it on a scanner and post it in the tosogu section. It is hard to read from a mei drawing as there are strokes that just don't come out the same.

Just a bump to the top, since I would also be very interested in any opinions on these. Surely we don't only have old sukashi and impressive kinko fans here? My limited knowledge of tsuba also suggests choshu to me on the last one. But there must be some other opinions? Brian

Sorry guys (and especially Paul in this case) I have had to ask a few others to remove image signatures as they can get out of control, too obtrusive or hide malicious scripts. They also draw the focus away from the main info and often just look untidy. Afraid I have to ask if we can use text only in signatures please. Links are fine, but if I start to ok images, then I have to come up with a policy of how large, what content, what color etc etc. Easier for now to just ask us to all keep it to simple text please. Hope you understand. Thanks, Brian

I bet half of Japan is evacuating as we speak :lol: :D Seriously..congrats Milt! That is brilliant. I had no idea you might be stationed in Japan. Wow. Better make sure you have access to a pc regularly, we can't have you disappearing. If you were stationed off base, surely they have to pick up the full costs anyways? Brian

Just an amateur opinion here, but I think that this is one that needs to go to shinsa whether popular opinion says gimei or not. The strokes might not match exactly, but they seem pretty fluent with little hesitation and weakness we see in many gimei. It is also a long mei to forge, and would have to be a real expert to tackle a fake mei like this. The forger would also have to know he did co-operative work with Sukehiro, the style of signature, and probably have access to a shoshin one to copy. Much easier to just gimei Shinkai on his own, unless a faker was an over-achiever Nakago jiri and yasurime are close, but the work will have to speak for itself. I'm not saying it is shoshin by any means, just saying that on a blade of this potential, it is an ideal shinsa candidate. Good luck with it, it would be a great find. Brian