Ian B3HR2UH

An inscription on a tanto that I was recently shown has me stumped . I think that the first two characters read Fukuju which translates to long life and happiness . The third character is badly written but the left hand part appears to be number 167 in Nelson, however the right hand section doesn't match up with any of the characters that he lists . Does anyone have any ideas ? Ian brooks

Low end fittings , give it a miss . It is about two steps above junk level. Ian brooks

You all pile onto this sword however it is clearly a superior item and way better than most of the stuff that is posted here . Did anyone look at the quality of the lacquer or notice that it had a kogai with it . When did you last see a katana with a kogai ?. This is usually a good sign . The fittings look to be of good quality . Buying this sword would be a really intelligent gamble . If the Aussie dollar was not so low I would shut up about the sword and have a bid myself . Ian brooks

Hi Gary , you really need to have just one closeup photo showing all of the characters in the one photo and orient this from top to bottom and not sideways . The strokes look well cut which is a good sign . I had a quick look a few nights ago and thought that the placement of the mekugi ana was wrong for the 8th generation ,based on the few examples that I looked at. Ian Brooks

I think these fittings and the swords that they come on are about as low quality as you can get . I say this as the owner of a kogai in this style . They are said to have been made by poor samurai from Sendai and are called yamazashi koshirae . Ian Brooks

Wow , so this might be a Gendaito and worth even more than a genuine old piece !! Ian Brooks

Congratulatios Ron , fantastic news . Ian Brooks

That is an interesting question John . In 1719 the Shogun had the Honami family prepare a catalogue of famous swords . This is the Kyoho Meibutsu Cho . The book Zusetsu Token Meibutsu Cho ( Tsujimoto 1970 ) is an illustrated version of this . The Kyoho Meibutsu Cho lists about 38 swords that are by Masamune ( including three long blades ) together with a further eighteen blades ( two of which are long blades ) that have been through fires . None of these five long swords are signed . The leading sword scholar Albert Yamanaka wrote that " there are no long swords known to exist today that are signed " . Yamanaka wrote that only three of the short swords had signatures that were considered " to be the true inscription of this smith " . Niel probably wonders why people piled onto his sword . This is the main reason , there are NO known long swords signed by Masamune that are genuine, nor were there any in 1719 so far as the Honami were concerned !! Not all Masamune swords are however listed in the Meibutsu Cho. If you wanted an accurate answer to your question you would need to go through the lists of National Treasure, Juyo Bunkazai and Juyo Bijutsuhin swords and extract all of the Masamune listed there . Jussi Ekholm has published these listings in the articles section . You would also need to extract all of the Masamune that are either Tokubetsu Juyo or Juyo rated . Again Jussi has provided an index to all of the Juyo volumes . I am not aware of an index to the Tokubetsu Juyo swords . Once you did all of this the problem would arise that the National treasure , Juyo Bunkazai and Juyo Bijutsuhin classifications are Government rankings wheras the Juyo and Tokubetsu Juyo classifications are NBTHK rankings . Some swords will double up and be say both Juyo Bijutsuhin and Tokubetsu Juyo at the same time . You will also have a further complication where the sword is Den Masamune ( see Darcy's article on this problem ) . It would be a big task. So far as I am aware the only missing Masamune, other than some of those that went through fires , is the Honjo Masamune .This sword was a pre war National treasure and is now Juyo Bunkazai . Ian Brooks

Hi Blake , there is only one properly trained Japanese sword polisher in Australia and that is Andrew Ickeringill . Andrew has completed a full Japanese apprenticeship and has won prizes in Japan for his work . He is a member here . Have a look at his website Andrew Ickeringill Touken Togishi . He does top work Ian Brooks

A word of WARNING Niel. There are computer experts out there who can track your address down by hacking into your computer . Saying that you are from Antarctica will not fool these people. Just ask Adam from Honiton about this. If burly mercinaries, with South African accents ,burst into your home one night and take your sword don't say that no one here tried to warn you . Ian Brooks

Hi Jonathan , you will probanly know by now that the way that the strokes are cut does not resemble Izumi no kami Kunisada's signature, so I think that you can safely say that it is not by one of the Osaka Kunisadas . According to my old Hawley there were three Kunisadas working in Rikuoka ( Mutsu ) circa 1661 , 1684 and 1716 . The NBTHK magazine , number 513 , shows a blade by one of this group dated 1659 from memory . This nakago is also reproduced in Sesko's Shinto Meikan. This mei is also two characters and the way that the signature is cut is very similar to yours . I would think your piece is possibly by a later smith in this group .On rereading your post I see that it has papers so they should reveal all . Ian Brooks

Except when it comes to Gassan Sadakatsu pieces ! Ian Brooks

For what it is worth , I thought the background on Okan's was best . Ian brooks

If you want a Naval sword why don't you chase up the member who was selling the nice Sukesada Kaigunto . It was way way better than rubbish like this . Ian Brooks

It looks to me like it has been put together . The seppa look really interesting though . Are they gold foil covered ?? I have never seen that on a Kai gunto so perhps they come out of the dealers parts box as well Ian Brooks

The others are being kind . This is mass a produced Showa piece . People are deluding themselves if they think that this is even possibly a gendaito and are on drugs or something if they think it is Koto . Give it a miss Ian brooks

Hi Bryce , your photo of the kokuin reminded me of an article in the Metropolitan Museum Journal Vol 5 / 1972 . Ben Vincent wrote about the six !! sadakazu blades that the Met has . Attached is his analysis of two tanto blades . He concluded that Figure 9 was gimei based on problems with the way the strokes were cut , plus the crude kokuin and coarse filemarks . On that basis you would think that a number of the pieces on your photograph are also not right . Perhaps these seals wore out and new ones had to be cut . Same with the yasurimei which seen to be coarse on some pieces and much finer on others . Perhaps the way he made these changed over the years . Hope the photo is of some interest. Ian Brooks

I have enjoyed this topic Dale . A bit late but here is one I have with tea ceremony connections. Ian Brooks

Hi Nigel , I sent you a PM . Ian

I think that the first one is Suketaka who made hamon with a repeating pattern like that shown . Ian Brooks

Hi Jeramiah , I have a very similar tsuba . In Japanese publications these seem to be attributed to Yoshioka Inaba Suke . I like your mounting ! Ian Brooks

I purchased this sword earlier in the year but have known about it for 30 or 40 years. The man who owned it before me was told this by the man who brought it back from the war. He was on the Tokyo docks on the day of the Missouri surrender. The surrender party had been disarmed and their swords placed in a pile. He asked the Americans guarding them what was happening to them. He was told he could take one which he did. Movie footage shows some of the Japanese surrender party arriving by motor vehicles at the South Pier/Customs Dock Yokohama. At this point the officers had their swords. There are a number of other officers present who accompanied the formal surrender party. Later footage shows members of the formal surrender party boarding USS Nicholas prior to crossing to USS Landsborough. In this footage the Japanese no longer have their swords. USS Landsborough transported the surrender party of eleven to the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay where the formal surrender to General MacArthur took place on the 2nd of September 1945. Years ago I saw (I think on TV) some footage of the Japanese surrender party taking their swords off and placing them in a pile. I remember thinking that this footage verified what the previous owner had been told. The sword has a silver plaque on the kabuto gane with the owners name Hasegawa on it together with a General Officer's tassel. None of the party who surrendered on the USS Missouri had the surname Hasegawa. Internet research lists ten Japanese Generals with the surname Hasegawa. Only one General Hasegawa was serving in the Tokyo area at the end of the war. The rest had either retired, been killed or were serving elsewhere. This man was Major General Hasegawa Tsutomu who was head of the Kempetai. I am guessing this was his sword and that he was possibly one of the other officers who accompanied the actual surrender party to the south pier/ customs dock. I have spent hours trying to find the footage I remember seeing but without luck. My questions is, has anyone come across the film showing the surrender party being disarmed on the South pier? Does anyone have any knowledge of what became of the other swords that were surrendered on that day. Ian Brooks

Hi Colin , I have a katana by this man. It is signed Soshu Kamakura ju Kunihide saku and is dated 1853 . It is a terrific piece which , like yours ,has masses of sunagashi running through it . I don't think that I have ever handled a blade with more sunagashi . Enjoy your piece. Ian Brooks

I have one aikuchi with a rather battered " Baleen " binding . I have always been skeptical about whether this wrapping is really baleen or another material . There is a whale skeleton on display at the Melbourne museum and as part of that display there is a large piece of baleen which is like a fusion of strands of coarse hair . It doesn't look much like the baleen on these so called baleen bindings . The fineness of some of the bamboo work in this article makes me wonder , if what we are calling baleen , is really shaved down bamboo . Ian Brooks

Hi Marco , I am afraid that I have no real idea how these are attached on either the Kabuto gane or saya . Solder I guess but I will leave that to those who have more knowledge of practical matters than I do . . Ian