tokashikibob

Gentlemen, I've come across a clean wakazashi here, mumei, excellent fittings, nice rich colour tsuba, gold over copper habaki and seppas, kiri yasurime. After some study this afternoon, late Muromachi Mino or maybe Shimada school piece. Am I again way out in left field as always? Best regards, Bob

Fellas, Thank you for the correction, my faulty memory of Japanese after a few days is always showing my Alzheimer's regards to the memory kanji translation. I did do some scouting of Nobukuni's in Markus's book and online before I went and looked at this in person, and thought that the mei had an excellent chance at authentic Oei. Thank you for the tip on the Philly club info I'll contact Mr. Watson to inquire about the binder. Best Regards, Bob

Ok Gents, Here is a oldie, mei looks promising as a OG Tadakuni from my reference books and online. Typical horimono & bohi too. Looks like the tsuka was part of a jindachi-zukuri mounting but the saya disappeared down the road. Very light, and thin, no openings however; good canidate for resto I would think. Best Regards, Bob

Gents, I was on the job this weekend and grabbed a couple of interesting tantos which I'll post later this week. However, one of the dealers came up and asked if I wanted to look at a knife he had in his vehicle and did not know anything about. It was in a Japanese bag and after he unwrapped it, he pulled a very diminutive tanto out which I told him was a women's tanto. Since I don't own a Iphone there are no pictures to share, however it was a marvoleous piece with silver early Edo fittings, silver hair pins, signed kogai, two sided mei signature and date and nice old polish blade. I gave him a generous offer but he must have read my face and decided to think about it for a bit. So I gave him my card and bit my lip. Question to you: Just how rare are women's tanto's? Desirablity in the collectors market? Best regards, Bob

Sal, Nice Wak, congrats on the polish, the hamon looks really wonderful. Anything going on in the hada? Tsuba is nice too!

Nice Sugata! The height of the mune machi shows that this blade may be able to take a good stone polish in the future. Before you lose interest in the project, if you bring it to a future Chicago show maybe you can get a window opened up if there is a polisher on hand and expert opinion on it's merits or lack thereof. Best Regards, Bob

I did see what looks to be fine Nugga Wagga if you magnify the photo.

Jean, I didn't take any pictures except for the hagire before sending it back to the seller, it was in a clean old polish with with lots of nie and sunagashi. It was a steal until the hagire reared it's head. Here a couple more low kb photo's from online. Best Regards, Bob

It was a great looking blade with much complex hataraki to look at... until I saw the hairline crack. Anyway I wound not be surprised to see it online again so save yourself some trouble and remember the pictures. Best Regards, Bob

Fellas, In case you see this relisted again, unfortunately it has a fine hagire. Best Regards, Bob

Bravo!

Gents, I want to pass along the great service and quality antiques I recently purchased from NMB member Mr. Nash purveyor of saltwood antiques. He provided a super nice shishi menuki (better than the one on the opposite side of the tsuka) and a shishi kozuka to finish out this probable Mino tanto. Best Regards, Bob http://saltwoodanitiques.wix

Very nice find Wouter! I enjoyed the story. There were many battles prior to WW2 were the Russians and Japanese went at it in the far east, he probably earned that sword at Port Arthur. I would name the sword "Shinda Buta" just like Blackthorne's "Oil Seller". Best Regards, Bob

I'd send it back to the shrine for a replacement, they stand behind their product like Ginsu.

Very nice Shamsy, It's my opinion you were probably very fortunate not to have sold it at the fair it looks like a keeper.

Gents, Reposting due to non-payer, in case anyone needs a police for the collection. Best Regards, Bob http://www.ebay.com/itm/WW2-Japanese-Police-Katana-Rare-Unique-and-hard-to-find-Imperial-era-sword-/191614893418?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

Gentlemen, I think I have this wrapped up, I'm going to send this for shinsa papers to N.T.L.S. (Nippon To Lance Shamsy). I came across a weblink that had the near exact same koshirae even down to the snap back, same as this Masterpiece has. It was written by Clive Sinclaire. And guess what? His theory was that Amahide's shop also made sword parts as his write up was on a Amahide blade and it's odd koshirae. Link provided. http://www.to-ken.com/full.php?article=sr000120&type=swordRegister Also, here is a another compare of a wild hada Amahide with no desernable nie. http://www.nihontoantiques.com/archive/fss188.htm I do think that this is so close to Lance's examples on page 1, other Amahide shop makes online, and the Clive Sinclaire's Amahide koshirae article about wraps it up. Plus as first mentioned the quality of the blade is too impressive in hand. Questions I think about are why did it not get signed? I would think if chinese made it would have had a fake mei. And how often are glued on tsukas encountered? Lance and Shamsy next show drinks are on me!

Gents, Relatives are off deck, and this morning got the wife's van running right again. So I had some time to work on "Masterpiece Theather" I took the sword out and grabbed a few more pictures to for everybody to study and make a final rendering. Nakago is unsigned and has shallow filing. You can see some of the hada still in the nakago. Color looks like Navy rust resistant steel almost. Whomever made this is/was very skillful, as you can see there is a little hazuya stone hamon but no nie/nioi. The handle was held on by some sort of modern adhesive. I have 4 leather gunto's to compare to, and comparing fittings they are very good. I would say the seppa's seem thin, the cutout on the tsuba for the leather strap is a little off, but nothing sceams Chinese. The folks at the auction company are good people and didn't have any idea. I'll talk to them soon and hopefully work something out. Best Regards, Bob

Gentlemen, Brian has asked me to return my 100 posts signed and framed Nihonto forum certificate and complemetary coffee mug, which I use daily I might add. Tsuka was attacted with some sort of caulking/glue and nakago shows it's true Chinese birth. Anyway, I after I send my certificates to Brian I might just start collecting stamps as there are lots of old collections at auctions these days. For the new guys I got plenty of Nihonto books including the guidebook , have Sesko's ebooks eating my hard drive space, been to shows and still got a F in class! So, try to by right from the vet family if your a treasure hunter or, from the board. Best Regards, Bob

Thanks for the interest Ray. The leather is worn at the right spots and even broken where you expect to see it, Leather that is covered by button flap looks better than exposed leather. Tsuka has a wierd rice paper vice same. Looks like there is some paper inside the tsuka that keeps the tsuka wedged on nakago.

The handle is probably glued on as it is almost imposssible to get off. Fittings are excellent gunto, hard to belive they are copies, it they are then they have the ageing process down pat. What a let down, let me see what the chances of a return are.

Oh oh, Let me pull it out and take a good look before I head out!!!

Gentlemen, I've bought fakes, I've picked rust. Plenty of mediocre and even a few keepers over the last 5 years. This one may become my favorite, it is that sweet! This was a phone bid deal that I was stressed on due to lack of decent pictures, but saw some hada and liked the sugata. Also, it was near my cousin's house and he was coming down to visit so if I was successful he could pick it up on his way. Wow, this was better than I could have dreamed, looks like a Nambukucho piece that is flawless in regards to kizu, with Okissaki and a magnificent mokume hada with repeating action down the blade resembling Ayasugi. Handle has never been off as the owners said it is on tight, I'll update later on this week when the relatives go and I have time to take it off and take some better photos. Any guesses on what may be under the handle before reveal? Best Regards, Bob

Thanks fellas, I don't see much on the net on either Fujiwara Yoshimitsu or Yabushita Yoshimutsu. I guess I need to buy the Gendai referance book next! Jeez! And another set of bookends! Best Regards, Bob

Pete, In case you haven't looked at Danny's scholarly work on Kunisada's mei. http://www.nihontocraft.com/Izumi_no_Kami_Kunisada_mei.html Reading a bit on Kunisada Oya & Shikai, it was stated in Nagayama's refereance book that his work has a very dense itame hada almost muji. Your's is pretty open. Hamon style looks right on the money. Best Regards, Bob