Brian

I'm pretty sure it's fake. A higher quality fake..but fake anyways. The wrap is bad. Those middle diamonds should be even and perfect..not sloppy like this one. The shape of the kogatana is wrong..the fittings are too flashy without the quality. The temper line shows no hataraki (features in nie and nioi) and I bet the tip gives it away too. The nakago is wrong, and shows no age..the mei is sloppy. Closer...but no cigar Good for you to ask first though. Remember that if it is out of China...there is little chance you are going to find the exception to the rule. Regards, Brian Edit to add - I am going to ask you to please sign your posts with initial and surname or vice versa as per the rules. I really don't want to address you as meanmonkey

Crikey Pete...I hope the naming of that mantis pic isn't part of some wierd cataloging system you have going? :lol: I can see both possibilities, but to me it makes more sense for it to represent the geese/grasses theme than a link between the geese and an upside down mantis. I think the goose is a given...and since the plains theme is a known one..I will go with that one. Many of these themes will be forever just educated guesses. What was going through the craftsman's mind while making it is sadly often just a theory. It's a pity most of them didn't keep a record of their craftwork for future generations. Brian

Rich, Great resource! Well done on pursuing this, and getting the permission. This will be an excellent article to save for future reference, and well worth reading through a few times at least and adding to the reference library. Thanks for the effort and for sharing. Regards, Brian

Wasn't me who send out the cards Actually...I should have..so a happy Festive Season to all. In the spirit of the season I'll leave Milt's cartoon up for now... *sigh* Brian

Thanks Ludolf and John, I suppose this isn't a well known artist..so wouldn't be gimei then. So Ludolf..do you suspect it is just one of the uncataloged tsuba makers from that school or something else? Don't have the Bauer Collection book yet, but will work on it. Regards, Brian

John, It is for those reasons above that posting of links IS allowed here. Although there have been threats before and sometimes it is just a hassle...I am sticking with this policy as long as the posts are factual (or clearly stated as opinion) and there is no outright slander or auction tampering. Of course it isn't pleasant being threatened with all sorts of horribles...so sometimes it is just much easier to delete the info when the debate has finished. As Milt said..sometimes you can do it..but it is just not worth the hassle. Other than that..carry on all, and just make sure the debate you wish to start is beneficial in some way and not just a quest for controversy. Brian

Folks..if you will read carefully..you will see that the original poster decided to remove the link himself...and before I had even seen the thread. There are no rules against posting this type of link here...although in some cases it is not worth the hassle that some sellers can start. Wise move..but not prompted by me Anyone who browses eBay enough has seen these auctions and the seller. Brian

Very interesting and informative discussion..thanks folks. Make sure someone takes a few pics and posts them so we can put faces to the names...and keep a slot open in April sometime...I think I am taking my first visit to Japan then, with my gf and her parents. Bit of a tour through Japan...but I will be sure to spend a few days in Tokyo and do some study. Would love to meet up with a few of the members there. More info closer to the time... Brian

Forgive my ignorance...but it is my understanding that blades will have to be submitted minus koshirae...just bare blades..so there is no need to specify what you are submitting. Correct? Brian

Yes..I really like that Kyô-Sukashi one. If I had some spare funds...but it will go to a good home I am sure. And Milt...I highly doubt Guido would list them at a next to nothing with no reserve :D I am sure they will start at similar prices and go from there. Good luck with them Guido, and thanks for the free shipping offer for NMB members... we all appreciate it. Regards, Brian

Without even seeing the link that was there before..I can tell which seller this was Yes..some claims can be a bit wild here. Prices usually drop and jump around as the auction progresses. If you catch the items at the right time, the prices can be half the original listing price. I bought a naginata from him a while ago that I was happy with..but they are very odd to deal with. Anyways...good job deleting the link on this one..they get very touchy at times..almost like schizophrenia occasionally :D Brian

I had been thinking the same thing. Sounds too close to just be co-incidence? Brian

Thanks John, So it is Musashi Kuni junin Yanagawa Masayoshi? Does anyone have any info on this smith at all? Is this late Edo work? Thanks, Brian

KM..It's a hira-zukuri katana, which is unusual in itself. This may be part of the reason it is being chased. While I also wouldn't throw my money at it, I believe it may be a nice blade underneath that disfigurement. Mind you..if that engraving is very light, then it shouldn't pose too much problem for a polisher. The Masamune mei would be gimei (unless it is one of the many other Masamune smiths using that name) The bidders are no doubt taking a chance on the blade, not on the fittings in this case. Brian

Not a Chinese fake. This one has been discussed before, and has been listed a few times before. This was probably a nice Nihonto until someone got hold of it with acid or more likely a dremel/engraver and decided it needed additional enhancement. I am not sure it would polish out ok, but it has definitely been damaged by someone who maybe thought the hada should glare at you. The mounts are correct, and this is likely an old blade taken to war in a custom made wooden saya. The seller usually sells decent stuff..mainly Showato and Gendaito with other militaria. Judging by the people bidding and the price, there are a few that suspect it might be a nice blade once the engravings have been polished out. Risky though, but they ar going for it. Of course 99% of the time when you see this kind of engraving or acid etching, it means it is a Chinese fake..this just happens to be the one exception to mess up the rule Brian

Hi all, A friend recently imported a wakizashi with the following tsuba on it. If anyone can provide a translation and any info on it, it would be much appreciated. Only had the cellphone with me, so this is the best I could do. At least the new cellphones are taking better pics than the older ones Interesting fine crosshatched gold application that is worn, but still very visible in person. Regards, Brian

Bear in mind that the biggest issue in the Nihonto community is unqualified people trying to polish swords. With this in mind, I would like to caution you about any form of home polishing attempts. I know it does happen a lot, but it leads to many swords being damaged. The best thing is to see if you can get a qualified polisher open up a window and see what lies underneath as Stephen recommended. Sometimes regular uchiko application or a bit of a light metal polish like nev-r-dull can bring up some of the activity, but I would caution against any use of sandpaper or stones. Yes...it is done, and can enhance the hamon on totally out of polish blades, but I would hate for the forum to be seen as advocating something that is so strongly lectured against. Refer to the following pages, as they contain sensible advice to live by: http://www.jssus.org/index.html http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/care.htm http://swordforum.com/swords/nihonto/togi.html Brian

Please don't force me to step in here and take action. Guido is a very well respected member of the Nihonto community, and his presence here is considered an asset by myself and others. The original post about finances serves no purpose, and is not worth debating over. youngster's street-slang-Japanese also does not contribute anything to the original post, and I would respectfully ask for this to cease. For the record, I do have KM's full details and a request to retain some anonymity due to the particular circumstances, and this is the only exception to the rule of real names. I would once again ask for people to stick to the rules unless you have emailed/pm'ed with good reasons why you would like to use a pseudonym, and I will require your full details on record. KM..trying to correct someone who has a clear understanding of proper Japanese serves no purpose, and as the recent post on Masamune on SFI demonstrated, will only lead to a point by point breakdown of the incorrect points raised. In the spirit of the season, I would ask for everyone to consider the matter closed, unless you wish to continue it via pm with the relevant parties. Thanks, Brian

I don't call it senility...I just call it having such a decent book collection that it becomes impossible to catalog it mentally :D (Sounds much better) In my other field, I have over 2000 books...and I have lost count of the number of times I have come across a book in my library and thought "wow...how very nice of me to have that..I was thinking of buying it sometime" ..lol Looks like a good book to use as a starting guide. Thanks for the info Rich. Has anyone done a search to see if there are copies available on the net anywhere among the used book dealers? Regards, Brian

Hawley "Japanese Swordsmiths" is still very much in print, in a 2 volume soft cover print. I am told the older editions are more sought after, but the later one does fill the gap. You can find them on eBay..there is a seller who lists them daily, at a BIN of $160 I think. They are also common on the used book market. The Swordsmith database linked above is also a useful resource (started by Darcy) and gives similar info. Regards, Brian

Keep in mind that most of us here do not read Japanese fluently, and therefore necessary script is fine, but if it is not related to the thread or necessary for explanation, please either think twice before posting it, or at least provide a translation so that we can at least improve our knowledge of Japanese. Thanks, Brian

Judging by how close the top kanji is to the serrations, I would expect that the serrations were added on later, after the blade was signed? What age is this kogatana according to the site? The style of those serrations is very advanced, and is the type seen on modern knives with the offset teeth, and would have been extremely effective. I am curious to know more about it, and the age estimate, as I would be suprised if there can be all that much age to the serrations? Brian

Oh my goodness. I am one that believes the fittings should never overshadow the blade, but that is mind-numbingly beautiful to me I am in love with that habaki. The work is stunning, and contrasts amazingly with the shakudo. Wow..just wow. Brian

Hi Kurosawa, Please could you sign your post with an initial and surname or vice versa, as it makes it easier to reply. Afraid I had to give up on the pics..as being on dial up was just too much for me. Perhaps you could resize the images and re-upload to imageshack and edit the post with the new links? You can still post the links to those larger ones if anyone wants to see them really large I suggest around 750 width max if possible. Regards, Brian

Works fine for me in Netscape. Hmm..not sure why you are getting the error. Have you tried replacing the %7E with the tilde? (~) Looked at the code on the page, and there is nothing there that should scramble anything Brian