Brian

Yes..I was just going to post that At the least, it appears as though it is machi okuri, but with the hamon running straight into the nakago, I would expect that if the machi were moved up, then we would at least see another mekugi ana. The lack of a second one either indicates an ubu nakago or it is greatly o-suriage. The mune also looked narrowing to me, which makes me think even more of a nagamaki or naginata. The lack of hi would lean towards nagamaki. If the shortening were done professionally back before the 1700's, then the nakago jiri might have been finished off properly like this, and the natural patina would have had time to build up. All just my theory of course. No way to ask the original smith :D Brian

Hmm..on second though, it might just be the correct scabbard. :? Looks a fraction short, but the sugata seems to match. There could be some material inside the scabbard interfering with the fit. I think the only way to sort this out would be to take it to someone who could split, clean, rejoin and re-laqueur the saya. Have you tried to gently tap the mouth on a piece of rubber or cloth to see if anything falls out? The other thing to check is if it goes in all the way without the habaki. Try it without this, and see if it seats to the correct depth. It might be the habaki that is too wide for the current carved area, and this would be easier to remedy.

Robert, Judging by this pic when edited, I would say that it isn't the original saya at all, and forcing it will probably do damage to the blade. Maybe during the war when this was acquired, it didn't have a saya and one was picked up that was a close fit to transport it. This is fairly common, and the saya could have been for another sword. The best way to proceed would be to have a shirasaya made for it, and display the original koshirae separately. Otherwise one of the craftsmen could make a new saya to match. There are links to some of the guys on the links page under restoration. Brian

Yes, I would have to agree with you there. Easy to just say it is a shobu zukuri wakizashi, but from the sugata I would go with the cut down polearm. Especially with the boshi having no turnback and looking like it may have been possibly wider at the kissaki at some stage? As for the dating, I will have to leave that up to the experts here. Since we can't see the hada clearly, it would have to be an educated guess, but probably at least shinto? Looks likeit was done decently and professionally and looks like a nice item, especially with the attractive fittings shown in the tosogu section. Regards, Brian

Wow..I am intrigued. For a fittings novice, can someone explain the layering effect inside the carvings? Does this indicate patination, or a layering of the various alloys used in construction? Brian Edit to add: I see the question has been answered by our own Gabriel Lebec when commenting on this same sword here: http://www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?p=114590 I also found this: http://www.silversmithing.com/1mokume.htm First time I have come across this technique. Very impressive and interesting.

Nah, I had already counted out the various semi-finals, and gone straight to a SA vs France final :D Time will tell. Been some definite surprises this year :lol: Ok...we return you to our regular Nihonto programming :wink: Brian

Thierry, Another very fine book! This one has some great photographs and descriptions. Very nice item too. The French are really outdoing everyone in the prizes this year. Thierry, Jean and Paul. Almost makes me wish them to beat us in the comming rugby. Almost.... :D Merci beaucoup! Brian

You guys are the best! :D Wow. Amazing assistance from this forum. Thanks Milt and Moriyama san. Do you think this was added at the time of manufacture or later? I like it, and am trying to acquire the wakizashi it is on. Regards, Brian Edited to add: Stephen, I think you are right, which would mean it was added when manufactured. Thanks.

Milt, A huge thanks to you too, you are a man of your word With the other prizes we have a very nice selection of items up for raffle. I will put up the raffle page at the end of October with all the pics and open the ticket buying. We now have 4 tsuba up for grabs along with the rest of the items. Milt, you can email me the pics of the tsuba to add to the raffle page. Afraid there isn't a way to resize automatically in phpBB, but I am looking at other options. Does anyone have an easy way to resize in XP? I am still on 98 Keep the prizes comming folks, the more the better. I hope to attract ppl from outside the forum too. It will be open to lurkers too..not just members. Who has a kozuka or yanone or ...? Also still looking for anyone involved high up in the JSSUS or NCJSC to arrange for the sponsored membership paid by the NMB. You all have my sincere gratitude Regards, Brian

Hi all, A friend recently showed me a wakizashi that he has, and I noticed the tsuba is covered with kanji. I am not sure if the tsuba was made with the kanji, or whether they were added later. I lean towards the second guess. These are the only 2 pics I have unfortunately, and I'm not sure if it is clear enough to translate, but thought I would put it out there and see if anyone has any idea of what is being conveyed here. Any comments on the tsuba itself? Thanks, Brian

Rich, Wonderful prizes I was really hoping to have one of Darcy's books, but a friend "permanently loaned" my spare..lol. Fantastic to have a copy as a prize. I bet the video is also unique and will have the winner drooling over the items shown. Much appreciated! Brian

It is intriguing, isn't it? I like it, and think the price will probably have a hefty jump near the end. I don't think the underside is representing a mushroom...I think it might be the walls of a cave with that texturing. Pretty unique, and the motif has that feeling of slightly commical imho. Brian

Many thanks Paul I think those 3 will go great together as a nice prize. Also something to encourage our French-speaking members to buy some tickets Also something for our armor enthusiasts. Brian

I think Mike summed it up quite nicely. Reinhard does have a point though..as do most of the people in this thread. The correct advice is to avoid ebay until/unless you have a solid background knowledge of Nihonto. Yes, there are some nice deals there, and some good dealers, but you need to invest in books first, then see good swords..and once you know what you are looking for you can go looking for good deals. Some of the top dealers sell on eBay, so if you know your stuff, then by all means buy wherever you choose. But as we always tell newcommers who come here with a fake they just bought: Buy books, see swords, meet up with other enthusiasts...and then buy your first sword from a reputable dealer. As for all or nothing. Well.... there are NO swords for sale in South Africa here. And very few good ones to look at. So online is a necessary evil, and I was lucky enough to have arranged a trip to Japan to see good swords. But if it was a case of all or nothing then we wouldn't have this forum Not everyone has to be a purist in their own field. Some do it just for fun. Many eventually sell their 5 or 10 mid-level swords and buy one Juyo one. There is always a place for low to mid level swords, and not everyone has the money required for top class items. But always strive to improve your knowledge and collection, as having 20 junk blades does not benefit your knowledge. I think this subject is now officially flogged to death, so let's leave it at that. Brian

Hi Robert, Looks like a nice blade, and still fairly healthy. At a quick glance (and I may stand corrected) it looks like a naginata-naoshi to me. A naginata (or nagamaki) that was later cut down and reshaped into a wakizashi. This was quite common when the need for polearms subsided, and styles changed. Let's see if anyone agrees. Regards, Brian

Jean, You are a gentleman Thanks, that will definitely make this a worthwhile raffle. Surface is by ship..as by submarine would have to be sub-surface :lol: Thanks folks..keep them comming. The more prizes, the more prize winners. Brian

Thank you Bob, that is very kind A great book too. I will be in touch shortly via email to sort out the details. Regards, Brian

Hi all, As we approach yet another year end, I am once again hoping to have a Nihonto Message Board year-end raffle. Last year we had a generous donation by Alf Tan of a tsuba, and thanks to the funds raised, we were all able to enjoy more bandwidth, upload space and a free forum. As you all know, the NMB is offered free of charge with no paid advertising, and we hope to keep it that way. With all the helpful info and assistance provide by the members here (I hate to name names, as I am guaranteed to miss a few and offend, but we all know how much help we get here from these guys) I feel that the info provided is unique and valuable. Where else can you be warned about a fraudulent auction within minutes of it being listed, get a difficult translation within hours, learn photography tips or take a previously unknown "Nobuhira" tanto from auction to papers to publishing? Discussions give ideas for new articles, which end up in official newsletters. People ask for advice before buying something, and are therefore better informed before the sale. Fakes are identified, gimei are analysed, and drooling over nice new finds is encouraged. Many of us have used the free "For Sale" section to either advertise our goods or sales, or pick up good deals. Dealers are able to advertise when they have new items, and con-artists are identified and "outed" And all of this for the cost of an internet connection. With this of all in mind, the raffle is the one way I have to raise some funds to cover the daily expenses of the board. These include the hosting plan, web access and phone bills (Yep, I am sadly still on dial up) Tickets are only $10 each, and everyone who enters stands an equal chance. Those who enter have my sincere thanks for the support. In order to make this all worthwhile though, we need prizes. The more prizes the better This year I hope to make it even more enticing to enter. I am already sponsoring a book and a membership to either the JSSUS or NCJSC (If there are representatives of either of these on board, please could you contact me, as I wish to work out the details of paying for a membership for the winner) What we need is donations of prizes that we can offer. These can be in the form of Nihonto books, tsuba, fuchi, kashira, menuki, kozuka, kogatana....etc etc. Anything of interest to a Nihonto collector. Many of us have the odd fitting lying around that we can part with, or 2 copies of a book on the subject. Maybe you do restoration and would like to offer a tsuka rewap, or have something else that you don't need anymore. Look around your sword room and see what you have forgotten about that you won't miss too much. Offers are not expected, but are very much appreciated. I would like to make this a memorable raffle, with nice prizes to encourage even the most advanced collector to have a go. Shipping to the winners can be paid for by the NMB, or sponsored. They can be sent here first or directly to the winners. Whatever works for you. I am trying to avoid any repros or really bad fittings that are not of interest to real collectors. Doesn't have to be top class stuff, just reasonable items that will enhance the raffle. I would love to have a nice 1st place prize if anyone has anything in mind. Milt...you are in charge of contacting old "Po-Edo" since he gets so much advertising here :D (joking) I have had some offers mentioned by generous members earlier this year, but do not want to take anything for granted, so will allow anyone who has anything to offer to contact me to sort out the details. I would like to start the raffle at the end of October, and the prizes will be drawn on the 1st January 2008. I hate asking for anything, but in order for this to be a success I am forced to make this appeal. I thank everyone in advance for any offers, and if you can't donate..then make sure you pick up some tickets when the raffle begins. Regards, Brian Robinson

Hi (Please sign with a name as per the rules) The nco shin-gunto's have totally machine made blades, and the tsuka is not readily removable. They are almost never signed at all, and not made by a smith at all. The tsuka is held in with a metal bolt and nut, and removing the tsuka would probably serve no purpose. No hamon or hada either. Also, in this case, the numbered habaki and other oddities make me immedately think it is a fake. Typically, Japanese swords with numbers exactly like this on the habaki are found on Chinese fakes, and the other inconsistensies probably back this up. There does appear to be some age to it, and the wear does confuse a bit, but if i had to make a judgement on it, I would have to go with the fake call. If you look at the fake Japanese swords link in the links page above, you should get an idea of the reasoning, and also take a look at the various military sword webpages that describe this model in detail. Hope I am wrong, but I think it unlikely I'm afraid. Regards, Brian

Genuine tsuba, genuine signature (meaning it is really signed in Japanese) As to whether it is gimei...I'll leave that to the experts The strokes look very hesitant and not fluid to me. Kinda forced. Could be wrong though. Looks to me like the nakago ana was widened at some point to fit it..leaving some kanji overlapping the ana. Not a fake tsuba though. Brian

Darn Darcy, nice looking piece I wanted to jump at it the first time you posted, but with the finances I was unable to commit to your request to have it polished and papered in the near future. I think this one is lovely, even with the nakago as is. A real pity about that though. Still like it though. Would love to see this as it progresses. Regards, Brian

Dr T. I can't thank you enough for that insightful and useful information. It is a pleasure to have you on board, and your website is one of the ones many of us read frequently, as the articles are excellent. It is one of the more popular links on the NMB links page. Many thanks. Brian

You are forgetting...it is not iron, and not sukashi :D :lol: (joke) I love this tsuba, but I do understand when collectors get past the beautiful kinko stuff and start delving into the metal preparation, sukashi cutouts and early forged iron plates. Different type of appreciation I guess. I can't claim to get it completely yet, but am working on it, and every now and then I make a breakthrough Brian

Indeed. I can only agree with what Darcy wrote. It is much appreciated by all on the forum, and from the pm's and emails I receive, we are all indebted and grateful to all those of you who work so hard sharing the knowledge you have, whether it be languages, metalwork or research. These thanks also go out to all of you out there who assist with any info you provide or with the actual running of the board itself. Brian

Thanks Benoit, I've been waiting for this one to be released. At over 400 pages, looks like it will be a worthy companion to the F&G book. I'll be ordering my copy. Brian