runagmc

The sunagashi is nice... Does anyone know what kind of tsukurikomi would be likely for this sword? Is there a certain tsukurikomi that masame-hada is linked with? I don't recall ever hearing of anything about this. It seems like it would be easier to forge in muku-gitae...

If Petr's sword is by the father, Niwa Kanenobu must have copied his mei style pretty close. This sword almost looks like it was signed by the same hand as a Niwa Kanenobu tachi I own. The "No" in Noshu is not as precisely carved but everything else is almost a perfect match... It would be nice to see an example of the fathers work... Petr, do you have any pics of your sword.

In some cases I'm sure the sword isn't signed until after the rough mounting is completed, since usually this is done while the sword is still in rough polish...

You may already have all the info in this article, but if not, here you go... http://www.nihontocraft.com/Mino_Gendai.html

Adrian, I don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet in this post, but if you search the forum about "beginners", "newbies", etc., you will find that this same type of advice has been given over and over... If it were me, I would start there. That way, you can avoid pointless arguments with people who post advise that's different from what you were looking for. I'll also say that the internet, as a whole, has lots of good info on Nihonto - so there's plenty of free material to keep a new student busy... have fun... :D

You gotta love the internet... :lol:

Keith, I pretty much agree with you, but I think new collectors CAN find something that can bring them enjoyment (and also teach them something), without having to completely go all out financially on their first purchase. That being said, you will probably have to be VERY patient if you want to find a decent sword in decent mounts for $1,500... I suggest picking one or the other, for that kind of budget... because lets face it, you may not need something super high quality at this point, but you don't want to end up with complete junk either... :D I think there's a decent polished wakizashi in the for sale section for like $1000... if it's still there...

Hi, I did find a nidai Masahiro where the nioi-guchi fades... this was the best example I could find...

Jacques, this was the the point I was trying to make with my post. It was kind of a retorical question just to make the point. Your point about the nioi-guchi of ubu Hizen-to fading away before going off the ha is a good one though. This is something I've never heard of or noticed before. I wonder if anyone has any good pictures where this characteristic is visible. I'll have to look through my pics...

Veli, I completely agree...

Paul, the close-up reminds me of Sa Yukihide a little... suguta, not so much... Can you tell us the attribution, or are you gonna make us wait :D

Thanks Paul, I will be interested to see more... Jean, so you call your sword Tegai and not Hosho? :D

When annealing part of the hamon for repositioning of the machi, wouldn't the nioiguchi just stop, rather than run off the edge as it appears to? Also, I would think they wouldn't file into the still hard part of the edge when moving the machi forward... the hamachi appears to be within the yakiba in the last pic. Or would they use a water stone to cut into the yakiba? I guess in modern times a diamond file could do the job...

Hira-zukuri Bizen daito... I remember seeing a Norimitsu that was kind of similar... rare though... I bet some of the teppo guys are loving the kozuka

I might buy it for $19... the steel would probably be worth that. At this point I'm afraid recycling is all it's good for.

HJ, I'm not sure what gave you that impression, but it's usually the case that the hamon goes beyond the machi. Anything in front of the machi would be considered yaki-otoshi, which is not very common...

It looks like lacquered leather to me...

Well, one thing that I CAN see from the pics is the koshi-sori. I think this sword would need to be studied in hand by a professional. What is the kasane?

John, sometimes a multi-piece construction can be seen where harder steel is making up the edge, and other quality steels makes up the rest. There are many different construction methods. The first picture shows some of them. The second picture shows a multi-piece construction (indicated by the red line) on an actual sword... Also, I should mention that in many case you won't be able to tell what kind of construction was used.. Here is a link with helpful info, http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/construction.html

It has been talked about before here... The only time a gimei would potentially be worth leaving alone is in the case of the few well known forgers who are now somewhat famous for their quality forgeries. In my opinion, if a sword has an obvious gimei (especially if it looks like it was gouged out by a blind man with a screw-driver), removing it only serves to restore the history of the sword . If you leave a horrible gimei, it will make the sword hard to appreciate for what it is everytime you look at it... pretty much the same way any other ugly flaw would...

Yes, the yakiba is normally made up of mostly small martensite (nioi), but sometimes larger martensite (ko-nie, nie) can be present too. Here's some pics and info about nie/nioi... http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/hamon.html#nie/nioi

Thanks Paul,... anymore pics or info about the sword?

If it is non-traditional, it's about the nicest non-traditional Showato I've seen. I agree that the hamon kind of looks oil quenched, but it's rare to see a "Showato" with this quality of workmanship... especially from Seki...

I agree with everyone, very nice. It's rare to see such a nice set of tosogu that is basically complete. Ford, just curious - would you recommend the whole set be restored along with the tsuba?

Curtis, your habaki looks like its cover with silver foil, likely over copper. You should be able to see the edges of the foil on the bottom of the habaki, like on this one...