Shugyosha

Not. It's a Chinese copy. Have a read of the "Fake Swords" article under the "Research" tab at the top of the page.

Apologies to the OP and I'm happy to be shouted down here, but am I the only one thinking that there is something off about the sugata? It gives me the impression of someone having added the yokote to a shobu zukuri blade. There's something not quite right for me about the way that the blade tapers significantly immediately after the yokote. Also the nakago shinogi looks like it has been tampered with and I'm wondering whether the blade has been pimped to make it a more attractive sell. Perhaps some photographs from the mune side would confirm whether the kissaki is genuine or just cosmetic? I'll retreat to my bunker...

Hi Kristian, It looks to me like you have an un-shortened, Shinto katana with a cutting edge of approximately 71.5 cm (over 70cm enhances value) and comes with fittings. It appears that the grain of the steel is quite finely forged which is fairly typical of swords from this era. These are good points. On the other side of the coin, that it isn't signed makes it quite generic and is a detractor in swords made after 1600 and it has no authentication papers which might ascribe it to a more or less desirable school. Also, it looks like someone has had a bit of a go at cleaning it and clouded the hardened edge and grain of the steel in places, though that might be the lighting of the photograph, and there is some minor scuffing and a little rust on the tip. If you have a look at this website and put the words "mumei", "Shinto" and "katana" into the search facility at the top of the page you will get a list of similar swords and the prices they were listed for on this dealer's sale website. Bear in mind that this is the Japanese market (though this dealer's trade is directed towards westerners) and that the prices will be marked up from what you might get on a person to person sale and that you need to have a to at matching like for like so, in addition to the above search terms, you are looking for: a blade 70cm long or a little longer; not described as "suriage" or "machi okuri"; with fittings; a blade described as "shinshinto" is probably in the same ball park price-wise to yours, all other things being equal. Things that might lead you astray: Look out for koto blades (pre-Edo period) these are often unsigned but this factor doesn't have such an impact on these older blades; If the blade has a storage scabbard (shirasaya) in addition to fittings, this can add to the price; Authentication papers, particularly if issued by NBTHK or NTHK can also increase the price. https://www.aoijapan.net/ I hope that gives you something to go on. You can also try a general internet search or look around the dealers' sites listed in the links section at the top and also in the for sale section on this forum. P.S. don't do anything to the blade beyond giving it a light oil and wipe over with a soft cloth and don't touch the tang at all: the patina is an indicator of age and cleaning it off will trash the sword's value.

It depends on whether you are using US or UK English - burr walnut is the UK equivalent of burl walnut. Maybe Yitzy held on the zero key too long? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burl

Hi Kristian, In pre-Edo times I think it was more common for a swordsmith to make tsuba either to go with a particular blade or as a side-line. This gave rise to a particular style of tsuba (Tosho) the style of which was reproduced in Edo times out of an appreciation of the aesthetic. Same is the case for armour makers (Katchu shi) and mirror makers (Kagami shi) and probably a couple of other types of metal workers who also did tsuba on the side or after whom a particular style of tsuba was named. In Edo times I think it was usual to get a sword from a bladesmith and then for the richer customer either have fittings made to order as a matching set or get them "off the shelf" from specialist artisans. Some parts would have to be fitted to the blade no matter what (saya, habaki, tsuka) but other bits could be bought and adjusted to fit. The grip looks like it has been re-wrapped recently, perhaps in the west as it doesn't look particularly well done (sorry). From the pictures, its shape (straightish, smallish point) the blade looks to me like it might have the shape common in around Kanbun (the era starting in 1661) so that potentially ties in with the age of the tsuba. Other fittings might be later as wood is more prone to wear and tear and decay and the blade might well have been given a new set during the 200 years before the samurai period came to an end. As regards value, the biggest factor to influence that would be found under the handle - i.e. does it have a signature and has it been shortened? Also, how long is the cutting edge and did it come with any authentication papers? If it doesn't have papers and you are able to post the dimensions and take some pictures of the tang, the bare blade without the habaki and some close-up pictures of the hamon and activity in the metal above the hamon you might get someone take a punt at putting a value on it or at least get some pointers towards other blades for sale that it can be compared to. Welcome to the forum!

Hi Kristian, It reads 越前住記内作 - Echizen ju Kinai saku. Made by Kinai (a school of tsuba makers) in the province of Echizen.

Hi Dale, I think the place name is contained in the first four characters on the right in the first photograph: ?左大? The last kanji (住) indicates "residing at" so what precedes it should be the place name. Unfortunately I can't read the first and fourth kanji. The first one might be 二 (pronounced ni, futa or shi) or those two strokes might just be part of a kanji. If you can do anything to make the strokes in those kanji stand out more clearly it might be possible to read them.

Hi Dale, The problem with trying to kantei tsuba by design or theme is that many schools used similar motifs so looking at this alone can throw up a number of plausible options. I think the key to this is to look at the date and signature. The date (right hand photo) says that it was made on a lucky day in February in the fifth year of Bunsei (1822). I can't do much with the signature on the other side: there is a place name on the right and I think the artist's name is Satoyoshi (里吉) but I can't tell you much more than there wasn't an artist with this name in the mainline Nishigaki/ Kanshiro group, so it probably isn't this school. I think the key to working out which school it is will be found in the place name but unfortunately the inscription is a bit worn. If there's anything you can do to highlight the kanji that might help - a sprinkling of talc or chalk dust might reveal them more clearly. Nice tsuba by the way!

Or Markus Sesko's compendium: https://markussesko.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/nihontocompendium-e1.pdf

Hi Pietro, Above Akasaka Tadatoki is "Den Edo". Motif: 群 - flock/ group 雁 - geese (could be glans but unlikely in this context) 図 - design 透かし彫り - sukashi hori - fretwork/ openwork carving. Other remarks: 江戸後期 - Edo Kouki - Late Edo period Second column: 丸耳 - maru mimi - round rim 両櫃 - ryou hitsu - two hitsu ana 鉄磨地 - tetsu migaki ji - polished iron ground

One more to consider: https://www.touken-matsumoto.jp/eng/swords_e.php?type=2

I guess non-collectors have to hide less stuff from their wives. I had the embarrassing experience of seeing a piece on-line that I'd remembered really liking and wished that I'd bought it when it was available. Anyhow, some time later I was looking for something at the back of my tansu and found an unfamiliar item, opened the fittings box and there it was! No magic involved, just a brainf@rt. I had bought it, got it, stashed it before herself found out, and completely forgot about it.

Looks like Kaga no kami to me, but there isn't a Kiyoshige with this title on Markus Sesko's list: Kaga no Kami (加賀守) Kanetaka (包高), 1st gen., Jōō (承応, 1652-1655), Sanuki Kanetaka (包高), 2nd gen., Tenna (天和, 1681-1684), Sanuki/Tosa Kinmichi (金道), Enpō (延宝, 1673-1681), Yamashiro Morimichi (盛道), Kan´ei (寛永, 1624-1644), Mino Morimichi (盛道), Jōkyō (貞享, 1684-1688), Mino Norihiro (則広), Kanbun (寛文, 1661-1673), Settsu Sadahide (貞秀), Kanbun (寛文, 1661-1673), Echizen Sadahiro (貞広), Genroku (元禄, 1688-1704), Settsu Sadanori (貞則), Kanbun (寛文, 1661-1673), Settsu Suketora (祐虎), Ansei (安政, 1854-1860), Shinano Tsunashige (綱重), 3rd gen., Genroku (元禄, 1688-1704), Ōshū Ujizane (氏真), Genroku (元禄, 1688-1704), Owari

Also the smith in question, for example: With modern swords that are advertised as being made by mukansa swordsmiths it's important to work out whether the sword was made before or after they were made mukansa - afterwards implies a greater level of skill. Also with Inoue Shinkai, I understand that his work after he changed his signature from Inoue Izumi Kami Kunisada is valued more highly than before the change and I remember Darcy writing something similar for Tsuda Sukehiro saying that his prime work occurred after he changed to signing his name with grass script. No doubt there are other examples of this, or perhaps where the premise works in reverse and a known event marks a drop-off in skill. Edit: my memory let me down. Here's Darcy's article that I was trying to quote: https://blog.yuhindo.com/context/#more-840

Fair enough - I'd overlooked that.

It looks ubu to me. I can't see any evidence of shortening - there's only one mekugi ana and if you look at the close-up of the nakago there's room for a habaki between the sabi giwa and the machi but nothing more, so not machi okuri.

Hi Adam, Have a read around Darcy Brockbank's blog where there are a number of informative and well-reasoned articles on how the papering system works and its impact on value/ perception of value. https://blog.yuhindo.com/

Papers give it to Kyo kinko. Pretty naff though.

Polished ground/ surface.

Just realised that it's the one that Kyle Shuttleworth had for sale. Nice pick-up!

Hi Grev, I hope you are keeping well. 竹 - Bamboo 林 - Grove 七- seven 賢 - virtue, wisdom 直 - Nao 光 - mitsu 四 - shi 分 - bu 一 - ichi 磨 - migaki 地 - ji 色 - iro 絵 - e 毛 - ke 彫 - bori

Does anyone remember the thread on here with the NMB member who thought that a war-time blade he had was haunted?

Hi Greg, As the print lacks the usual publishers and censors seals, is there any chance that this could be a catalogue of images to be used as a reference for artists? I had one once which had similar pictures and it rang a bell.

Ian Chapman normally has some nice stuff and is excellent to deal with: www.nihonto.uk www.nihonto.org.uk

Hi Chris, It's difficult to know what to advise - my main interest is swords but I dabble in fittings so my fittings library is a bit ad hoc. If you want a book in English that deals with fittings generally, then I've found the fittings volume of Nihonto Koza by Harry Afu Watson to be a useful general reference guide but the illustrations aren't brilliant. Better from the illustrations point of view but in Japanese is Tsuba Taikan by Kawaguchi Noboro. I think beyond this it is worth acquiring more specific books on individual schools or types of fittings that you find of interest. Eventually you may find that you need something to look up fittings artists and Haynes' Index of Japanese Sword Fittings and Associated Artists is (for me anyway) the go-to - it's the equivalent of Hawleys for swordsmiths. That said, for me it's a reference and only comes down off the shelf if I need to look something up and isn't something I browse. I don't have a Meikan (book containing verified examples of artists' signatures) for fittings artists. The one by Wakayama (don't know the title off hand) is regarded as definitive and I intend to acquire this at some point. I'm sure others can chip in with some better suggestions.