Brian

Thanks Ted, that is an excellent article. Would like to add it as an article in the archive section. Always good to hear it from the people who deal with it on a daily basis Jacques, that is also an interesting article you have posted there. Surprising analysis of that Sukesada blade, and explains a lot of the flaws and general faults we see in various blades. I guess we would all like to think that these blades were forged according to the ideals pictured, but when forging them, it is all to easy to have something go wrong and end up with an internal crosss section far from what was planned originally. Thanks, Brian

Peter, Although all the references I have seen have the mei on the same side as the mon, I would have thought that if someone was trying to fake this signature, then they wouldn't have made such an obvious mistake that is so glaring? Seems more like a deliberate act to me. Also, sudareba is very typical for the Yoshimichis, and not all that common elsewhere, so that ties in nicely. Not saying it isn't gimei yet, but those aspects definitely encourage lots of further study and info before writing it off as a gimei maybe. The nakago jiri also matches closely the ones I was researching recently. Good luck. Brian

Ludolf, Think I am going to have to change your title to "resident sleuth" :D You really have a knack for going that extra mile with research and filling in the missing gaps. Great work Brian

Jeremy, I think that is impossible to say, even an estimate is not possible. Some blades have thicker skin steel than others. The amount of polishing that needs to be done depends on the damage. Pitting? scratches? Just muted hataraki? There is no such thing as a common amount of metal that is removed with a polish. Some just need to be renewed, others need a full polish from the first foundation stones. Do chips or nicks need to be removed? It all comes into play. One sword might take 10 polishes, while another might be tired after 2 if there was a lot of work necessary. Sorry, but I think that is a question that can't be answered. Brian

Just by co-incidence, I have Twilight Samurai sitting at home right now, and haven't watched it yet. I will be sure to make some time this comming weekend, and will keep an eye open for the other titles mentioned. Thanks all, Brian

Wow John, I really like that first one. Brian

I see no reason to suspect this is oil quenched, besides the stamp (and that is not 100% reliable) Looks like a nice hamon in fact. Traces of hadori finish? The best thing to do is to look closely and see if you can see any signs of nie. Hada can be hidden by the polish, although in the right light you may see it. That is also a very nice horimono. Because this was made before the war, I would probably say tamahagane, although there are always exceptions. But either way a very nice sword by a known maker. Wait for one of the USA shinsas to come around and find someone here to act as an agent to ship it to and submit it. That will tell you more than all of us put together. (Btw..let's try and keep all the posts about one sword in one single thread) Brian

Welcome back Ford, you have been gone too long Thanks Pete, Rich and Milt for the info. (Even if we do seem to develop ADD sometimes :D ) Brian

Pete, Thanks, I agree that is exactly what it is. Milt..I see what you are refering to, but the bottom part of the "crack2 isn't really there, just caused by the loss of gold making it appear that way. This is how the ware actually runs... (I don't consider it too bad, gives it character and I bought the waki, not the tsuba )

Lol Yes...looks like a clack, but if you look at it in hand, and you follow that ware around where it is not as noticeable, then that is where it comes up to the surface of the tsuba, so it is a continuation of the ware, not through the whole mimi. Brian

Yasu..... (possibly Yasushige) Will await better confirmation from others. Brian

"Many thanks for the information. There I will probably have to .... draw conclusions"?? (withdraw the auction as a result?) Brian

All, I know we have spoken briefly about whether or not ware on tsuba are fatal, but I was wondering if anyone has any info on the following flaw on a tsuba I got recently on a wakizashi? I am unsure if it is a casting flaw (doesn't appear to be cast to me?) or a flaw in the folding or forging? The opening seems to run around a section of the tsuba, and then seems to go diagonally up to meet the edge of the tsuba. How badly are ware such as this regarded on tsuba? Any info on the tsuba would also be appreciated. Thanks, Brian

Here are some pics that I was sent today: Thanks for any info you can provide. Brian

What boggles my mind is that if you put that tsuba on eBay and covered the mei, I doubt it would have reached even close to the original estimate of $3K. Some would have even called it flashy Chinese work. I guess that is going to be the benchmark now, and sales of similar tsuba are going to be referencing it for years to come. Just means the tsuba guys get to pay more for their next pieces based on one sale. Brian

Scott, Check out the How-To section of the forum to post pics. At least one of those methods should work for you and your Mac, even if you have to use Imageshack. Brian

Roland, I don't think we have to questions the authenticity. From what we see, it is a) Japanese b) Tempered with hamon c) Has a horimono and mei that might not be expert work, but done by someone Japanese d) Might just be forged, and although some age might be added, probably has a 100 years or more on it. So whether it is 400 years old or 100, it still appears to be a genuine Japanese piece, we are just not sure yet exactly what it is I didn't put in a bid though. I considered it for a while, but didn't get an answer from the seller to my questions before I went to bed, and it went for far more than I would have put in. Btw..forget about staying up all night. All the eBay regulars here just set a snipe bid and go to bed :lol: http://www.justsnipe.com Brian

I almost took that one away from you on eBay last night :lol: (There are eyes everywhere) I was not too sure about the completeness of the hamon, and not convinced exactly what it is though. I don't think that is classic moroha zukuri either. Without that nakago, I would have assumed some kind of yari. Too pointed to be a ken either. Lots of questions, no answers as yet Brian

I agree with Stephen, I am not convinced that is the sho stamp, and from the little we can see so far, I would be surprised if it was an oil quenched arsenal blade. Looks very nice, and might have been a 1930's civilian blade taken to war and had an acceptance stamp added? Also, there are definitely arsenal stamped blades out there that are Gendaito, although how frequent this happened is what everyone wants to know. Regards, Brian

Frank, Size? Is it a few mm, or a few cm or huge? Will help guess what it was used for. Brian

Hi all, I was contacted by a lady in Japan asking for some assistance with information on where to get a possibly antique Japanese scroll looked at and appraised. This is what she wrote: I anyone knows somewhere in Japan to take this and get an opinion, please post here and I will pass the info on. I can try and get a pic or 2 if anyone has any knowledge on these. Thanks, Brian

Thanks for the summary Ed, much appreciated. I can't get my head around that tsuba. $3K estimate going for $75K?! Anyone got a pic of this one? Wow..that must be some maker there. You can pay for half a really nice house here with that. And it is tough getting that price for some Juyo level swords! Very interesting. Hope none of the buyers missed that increase in buyers fees that Curran spoke about. Brian

Guys! Read the auction description. It is all explained clearly. Brian

Mr Bottomley, Welcome to the forum, it is good to have you here. Are you perhaps the same Mr Bottomly that wrote Arms and Armor of the Samurai and Introduction to Japanese Armour? Either way, it is good to have another knowledgeable collector on board, and especially another one that spells the word "armour" and not "armor" like our American friends :D Regards, Brian

Don't bow just yet..I haven't got a clue if I am correct yet :lol: :D Must admit though, the more of these you try, the easier thay get. Nothing like practice. Anyone able to confirm or deny the mei? Brian