Jamie

Pictures will always help. Jamie

pictures 7 and 18 Show Core steel I believe http://www.nihonto.ca/ss.php?title=Muts ... -tadayoshi

Welcome Simon, There is much good advice here. Look at swords in hand. Learn what you like, then buy. You may want to consider this : From the Ebay link you provided. "I decline the return of goods of KATANA,WAKIZASHI,TANTO,YARI and NAGINATA entirely." IMO, Any reputable dealer will offer you a couple day inspection Period. Here a are some books to read. Start there. Samurai Sword: A Handbook ~John Yumato The Japanese Sword: A Comprehensive Guide (Japanese Arts Library) ~ Kanzan Sato The Connoisseurs Book of Japanese Swords ~ Kokan Nagayama

Nice find.

I also read that them being able to keep property is a Myth. I haven't sent anything yet though. I think anyone that sends things off for shinsa would know for sure.

The Line closest to the edge -Kind of in the Hamon- is the The Lamination line. Where the Harder steel starts. Most San Mai Blades I have seen have that line. I'd be skeptical too buying a Shinsakuto for well below market price from China. This will probably get removed as it is not related to Nihonto, But I figured I'd answer anyway.

Very nice! Great activity. That looks well made.

Adam, At least you didn't pay tons for it, to find it isn't worth what you paid. Chances are once you have learned what you can from it- you'll be able to sell it for a comparable price.

Welcome aboard. As far as book go, Try these three. The last one is Kind of a coffee table book. Definitely one you will go back to again and again for reference. http://www.amazon.com/Samurai-Sword-Han ... 0804805091 http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Sword-Co ... 0870115626 http://www.amazon.com/Connoisseurs-Book ... 4770020716 Jamie

You need to sign your posts with your name, as per the rules here. I'd bet more Detailed photos will be helpful. Detailed pictures of Kanji. Also you might not want to touch the blades. Finger oil is very corrosive to them. Try getting some choji, or Mineral oil for preservation. I can't yet translate kanji so I can't help with tha, but others will be able to help there. Jamie

Betting this is Gimei, These are the only pics I have of the Nakago. Have a couple I'll add of the blade. The Horiono looks bad to me, but I'm obviously no expert. Checking this one for a friend. Thank you everyone Jamie

That Yari wasn't cheap. Hamon was gorgeous though. And I remeber thinking it wasn't outrageuos considering his status.

Jason me too. But some folks would rather have the cash. I found a Daisho set on Craigslist and they were BEAUTIFUL. Both swords, were in great shape- And the the Tsuba's were Mino Goto Tsuba, and Matching, as were ALL fittings and Both Saya had elaborate dragons on them. The only Damage they had was basicly the Ito wraps. They were asking 10G for them. I emailed them and they had taken them to a museum. They got decent info on them, one blade was a second Generation Tadayoshi. Can't remember the other. Restored and papered they would have been worth a LOT. Probably much more than that. The last email I got from them , they were offered like 6G cash and took it. That was worth more to them. Weird I know. Someone made a heap of cash, or got a seriously good deal. The only thing NOT identical was the blades. There were from different smith's, different eras. If I can find the email with description I'll Pm it to you Jason Jamie

Well, if it's Gimei- it gets returned and they have to be removed for Judgment. Loss of shinsa fees and 500 for Removal of gimei Signature, only to send it again. That can end up costing a bunch. It's probably easy to get spooked on sending something you think might be Gimei. Hell, I'm spooked to send mine- and I'm 99 % positive it's correct. And if you are very new at this , it' might be hard to believe that someone might send it back-once sent to them. Jamie

I agree Keith, I think Mark nailed the theme. Especially after taking some time and looking at other depictions of ShiShi. The carving in the tail and face also help give it away as Shishi. I'll try and get better pictures of the details soon. I'm not so familiar with themes yet. My studies have been mostly on blades, schools, and smiths. Thanks Jamie

I think it is a Shishi over a waterfall. Thank you Tiger made sense too, but there's definitely a waterfall. Mark, the spots are inlaid. The detail in in the work is amazing. I will try to get better pictures. Thanks to both of you. Jamie

Any thoughts on this Tsuba? Sukashi? An Oni I believe. I'd guess Edo period. There is a lot of finely carved lines in the hair and face that may not show in these pictures. Thanks for any thoughts. Jamie

Thanks for the info, that makes sense. The one I saw was still attached in the arrow, so I am not sure if it was signed or not. It was in good enough shape and polish though, a temper would have been visible, if the whole thing weren't tempered. Again, Thanks Jamie

Great pictures. That's is a nice piece. I saw one recently but I couldn't see a temper in it at all. It wasn't rusted or stained, but no evident temper.

Nice Tsuba Jamie

Soshu work is incredible. Good luck at the show. And please let us know your results. I am curious.

Ray, Another reason they were faked is because it was prestigious to own a sword by a high ranked smith. And considered rude back then to question if a high ranked person's sword had a fake signature. Jamie

I am just starting to study Tsuba but My first thought was that it reminds me others i've seen that have been labeled as Akasaka.

Mariusz, Sorry to hear it flooded. I'm hoping for the best for you.

From My understanding Swordsmith 5 Years with a test at the end Togishi- 10 years