BenVK

The family crest on this sword incorporates Karigane or wild geese, considered a lucky bird in Japan.

Forgot to mention.. Your photos are great, well done and please take some more close up shots of the blade, thanks.

Hi Russell, Welcome to the forum. First things first and to stop you from worrying. You have inherited a genuine antique Japanese sword which you are legally allowed to own and keep according to UK law so no problem there. Secondly, although washing the tang wasn't a good idea, you haven't done any permanent damage so long as you now oil it as John suggests. It would also be a good idea to oil the blade itself right up to the tip but be careful not to cut yourself. Once that's done, leave it alone and please don't attempt to remove any rust spots or blemishes on the blade. The same goes for the leather cover and the handle and fittings, don't try to clean any of them. Now sit back, take a deep breath and prepare to be overwhelmed by the information the guys here will supply about your sword. Just remember one thing, the sword has been in your family since WWII and the blade itself is much much older than that so there is no urgent requirement or rush for you to do anything with it in regards to restoration. You will get good advice should you choose at a later date to have it restored but be warned that the costs can be considerable. Or you can simply enjoy and appreciate it in it's current condition, there's nothing wrong with that. It's your sword so don't feel pressured into doing anything with it. Cheers and congratulations, it's a very nice sword and I wish my Nan had left me something like this instead of a crappy Peugeot 205!!

Maybe I'm seeing things that are not there but bear with me.. The shinogi-ji on one side of this blade seems ok but something else has happened to the other side which I've marked in red.

I suspect this is the result of "removing" one or more deep cracks in the shinogi -ji

That's because Parcelforce and every other shipping company in the UK refuse to ship swords. Don't ask me why, probably due to ludicrous health and safety laws as usual! If you take your sword along to the Post Office and say, I want to post this to the USA, the jobsworths behind the counter will ask what is it? Being that your an honest upstanding citizen, you'll no doubt say its a Japanese sword. I then guarantee that the numpty behind the counter will say that swords are not allowed and will refuse to accept it. The only way, that I know of at least, to get around this is to book your shipment online via parcel2go or similar and basically lie about what your shipping. I usually write "golf club" or "fishing rod". You then print out the paperwork and attach it to your parcel. Doesn't matter then if you drop it off at your local Post Office or have it collected. It's done and they don't ask what your shipping. This probably leaves you without a leg to stand on in regards to an insurance claim but postal insurance isnt worth a damn anyway in my experience. If it's a seriously expensive sword, Fedex is probably the only way to go BUT get the buyer to pay for it up front. I've had a few cases where the buyer insisted on Fedex but never paid for it afterwards!

I remember when I first started buying stuff from ebay many years ago, my family and friends thought I was bonkers. Now everybody's doing it and it's got to a stage where a lot of people just assume they are getting a bargain, no matter what the item. I've seen people bidding like mad on stuff like TV's and end up paying more than the price in their local high street shop. I think that happens quite a bit with swords as well. WWII Gendaito listed by ebay seller showa22 for example (which he seems to have an abundance of) always seem to sell for top dollar and in a lot of cases, more than a dealer would charge and definitely more than can be found here on this forum. His photos aren't the greatest either so it is a puzzle why people go nuts for his auctions..

I don't really understand what's been written here. If you suspect shill bidding, why continue to bid? Don't you set yourself a limit anyway? Well, that's what I do.

My one and only experience so far of Yahoo auctions in Japan was asking Kelly to bid on this bronze falcon. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/22952-kelly-and-the-hawk/ I think I got it for a good price considering the only other one I've seen is being offered by a New York art gallery for 4 times the price I paid. Whether there was any shill bidding going on, I have no idea but I wouldn't be surprised if there was. It would be interesting to hear Kelly's views on this because I would assume he knows exactly what goes on. Yahoo auctions are ideal for such shenanigans because it's not like ebay with it's set time limit. With Yahoo, the last bid extends the auction for 10 minutes I think it is so the bidding goes on until your the last man standing. Bit like a real auction but not really because I ... Went to my first "real" auction in person on Monday this week. There was a painting, actually a batik, that I was interested in, guide price £80 to £120. I had done my research before hand and knew that this guide was ridiculously low but didn't expect what actually happened on the day. With about 400 lots to get through in one afternoon, they don't hang around! The bidding went from £50 to £800 in a heartbeat and I was stunned for a few seconds but then thought what the hell and bid £850. Another guy bid £900 so without thinking, I go one better at £950 just because I've not even had the time to get used to this yet!. Then the auctioneer asks is that it? no one responds and just like that, I've won it and it's on to the next lot! Not exactly what I was expecting after watching TV programmes about Christies and other auction houses. In those auctions, it takes them about half a bloody hour for the hammer to come down! But anyway and sorry for the rambling, I bought the Yahoo Falcon just because I fell in love with it and had to have it. I was actually only intending to buy a couple of Tsuba. What I quickly noticed is that the quality of sword fittings on Yahoo is a lot higher but rarely do any of them sell for bargain prices. I've wanted to bid to on a few tsuba I've seen on there but they've quickly gone higher than I was willing to pay. In comparison, I've seen some excellent tsuba sell on ebay for peanuts. But were they canceled after the auction ended? Very likely because I've had this happen to me before. The sellers reason? "I have a shop in Japan and the tsuba sold without my knowing". Well, I knew that was BS but what can I do about it? nothing, I've played this online auction game long enough now to know that you shouldn't really complain about the deals you lost. If you really put the effort in to study, you'll usually come out on top.

Really? but you don't have any proof? You know what guys, forget it. Paul, it's been a pleasure, but I'm done with this. It's not my sword and not even Erwin is interested anymore so why am I wasting my time? Nos da!

Just give me the link, it's not that difficult!

​ Searched for"Japanese sword nakago with fire damage" just as you suggested and found nothing.

I own an Emura along with half a dozen other genuine Japanese swords plus a few modern, high end Chinese forged blades. I respect your opinion Paul, I really do and appreciate your input, diolch yn fawr! but I don't get why I'm being ridiculed here. Fact is, the blade in question maybe fake and that's fair enough but I've not seen a fake Chinese blade with a nakago like that before. Show me another that's the same and then I'll get my coat..

More recent examples from Paul Chen and Huawei. It's clear how much better they are now but they still make them too long, unless you custom order.

Interesting, thanks Paul, deliberately unfinished nakago is not something I've heard of or encountered before. In an attempt to show that I'm not bonkers.....yet, I searched online for photos of tangs that are typical of Chinese manufacture, old and new, to compare. Here's a really poor quality example that must be quite an early attempt. Not sure when they started making these, way before my time most probably. Even though it's really poor, the tang has been finished to a certain degree and signed.

Happy to admit if I've got this totally wrong which I probably have.. As I said, I'm not great on fittings so will defer to you guys. But it's the nakago that's puzzling me. How does a blade made yesterday, last year or 20 years ago exhibit such deep corrosion/pitting? I own a couple of modern Chinese made blades and they don't look anything like this. I would hate to see a genuine Nihonto thrown out with the bath water before we've had a proper look at it.

Larger pics would help but I don't see anything Chinese or fake about this. Looks like a genuine old Japanese blade mounted in Navy mounts with an Army Tsuba or are they all Army type 98? I'm not great on fittings. They seem genuine enough though. Tsuka has 2 holes which seem to closely match the mekugi ana in the nakago. Ito wasn't always wrapped in an alternating fashion so I wouldn't dismiss it for that reason. Obviously the blade is the most important part and although it's been poorly "polished", scratched to hell is a more accurate description!, it looks healthy enough and I see no major damage that couldn't be corrected.

Thanks so much for your input! Yes, I see the Art Deco influences. I think it's my favourite period for design actually and would love to have been part of it all. Well, until the great depression hit obviously! lol

Was looking through my "junk" (which is what the missus calls it) on the weekend and found this original painting of a Peregrine falcon. It was a gift from my parents on my 18th birthday and I haven't looked upon it for many years.. I remember my Mum having the painting cropped and re-framed because it was originally twice as wide so the signature was lost which is a shame. A talented artist for sure though. The cliffs and coastline I recognise as being in West Wales where I spent my summer holidays and where I watched these amazing birds hunting with my own eyes. Funny how certain things that captivated you when you're young come around again 30 years later..

Can anyone help me identify the maker of these please? Thanks Ben

Well yes I did, just!

I wasn't in much doubt that you guys would love it as much as I do. Quality just speaks for itself. Ted, you maybe right but if it's been sculpted 1:1 scale, it's a little bit too small to be a Peregrine.

I recently subscribed to Kelly Schmidt's email list regarding auction items in Japan and have been drooling over some of the swords, koshirae and armour being offered. What I didn't expect was to see was something quite different to anything I've ever bought before but never the less, caught my eye and tugged at my heart strings. And here it is. It's a bronze figurine of a Hawk that I instantly fell in love with. As a boy, I was fascinated with birds of prey and would sketch and paint pictures of them. There was a falconry centre not far from where I lived that I would visit as often as my parents would allow, my favourite being the Peregrine Falcon. Takagari was the sport of the elite and noble in Japan just as it was in Europe and therefore a direct connection with Samurai. As a novice collector of Japanese swords but also a graduate of graphic design, I've come to appreciate the art of simple, clean designs and crispness of line which embodies Japanese products. I don't think it gets any better than this example. But to be honest, this was far from my mind when I asked Kelly to bid on it. It was more of an impulse decision than anything else. I have to say that Kelly was a 1st class act in all my communication with him. We instantly hit it off and his enthusiasm for the piece was infectious (which is important in my book) because I trusted him to bid on the auction which he did. My shipping instructions were also demanding but he did all that I asked for and I received the hawk safely and well packed. I can therefore thoroughly recommend his services but as a first time bidder on a Japanese auction, be aware that there are sale taxes and an export tax if the items sells for more than 200,000 yen. Kelly made me aware of this which I really appreciate because I was going to bid more than 200k. So anyway, here is the Hawk and info about the artist. Tsuda Shinobu was born in Chiba Prefecture. He studied under Okazaki Sessei and graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1900. In 1902, he returned to the school as an assistant professor, becoming a full professor in 1919. He began exhibiting his work in Meiji 40 or 1907 at the Tokyo Kangyo Hakurankai or Tokyo Industrial Exposition. A juror and exhibitor for the Japanese delegation to the Paris Exposition in 1925, Shinobu was twice decorated by the government of France, in 1928 and again in 1933. In 1935, he became a member of the Teikoku Bijutsuin or Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, and in 1937 of the Teikoku Geijutsuin or Imperial Arts Academy. An exhibitor at the Teiten, the Hoshukuten and Shin-Bunten, Tsuda Shinobu was one of the foremost artists working in metal in the decades prior to the Pacific War. It looks green in these auction photos but actually, and much like a sword, it depends on the light. Sometimes it looks green , sometimes black, sometimes bronze. It's quite extraordinary.

The thread below is very relevant to this discussion and opened my eyes as to what really goes on in Japan.. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/11762-its-raining-gendaito/

Well thanks for that, are you a politician? you can't seem to give a straight answer. If I've offended Brian, I apologise in advance but I had to say it. As usual, I'll work it all out myself eventually with the help of the stand up guys on this forum.