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Geraint

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Everything posted by Geraint

  1. Dear Chris. I find it hard to tell what the quality once was, this has had a hard life by the look of it. I think the question is, does it make you go , "Wow!" For me the answer is no. All the best.
  2. Hi Rayhan. Don't lose sight of the fact that there are quite a number of Shinshinto Masayuki, Hawley has around twenty. There are so many oshigata of the main man and far fewer of the others you might struggle to find the right man. That would account for Tsuruta san's message. As you say, it's still a very nice blade. All the best.
  3. Hi Daven. Welcome, please add your name to your posts as we all do here. Your sword is hard for me to make out, others with sharper eyes will chime in I am sure. I am also sure that we would like to see a photo of the whole blade, side on as an aid to our endeavours. You probably already know that blade shape is an indicator of age. From the condition of the mei one would assume koto, full picture of the nakago would help to see if it is suriage. By the by a photo or two of the koshirae would also be appreciated. All the best.
  4. Hi Mike. Have a look at this, https://www.aoijapan.com/img/sword/2015/15198-1.jpg In kaigunto mounts, look for a small stamped mark somewhere on the tang. Jean is right in his comments about a WWII Seki blade. Also have a look at this thread, http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/4151-kai-gunto-your-opinion-please/ All the best and welcome aboard.
  5. Dear Alex, In my opinion this koshirae is worth a rewrap and some menuki. I think from the museum conservation point of view that would be perfectly reasonable as the koshirae is not of significant historical value as is and that is almost certainly the treatment it would receive in Japan. I have not checked but I seem to recall that swords in the British Museum which were sent to Japan for restoration included those whose tsukamai needed work, I'll check that later if it would help the museum decide. To me it looks in good enough polish to leave that. Swords in museums, with certain notable exceptions, often suffer neglect as staff know little about them and you tend to get all the issues of incorrect handling and so on. As every polish removes metal from a sword best to give this one it's chance for later on when we are all gone and it will have acquired significant status. All the best.
  6. If I remember correctly there is a previous thread on this subject but here are a couple.
  7. Geraint

    Kozuka Motif

    Hi Chris, The first kozuka might be children's toys, the second looks like Nagoyamono work and I think your chances of identifying the castle are slim to none at all, if it even is a castle. All the best
  8. Dear Julien. A friend says that he collects armour because, unlike swords, it is easy to tell when you have quality in a piece. Looking at the view of the top of the kabuto you post, take a close look at the suji, the spacing of the plates and so forth . Next have a look at this one, http://nihontoart.com/shop/battle-scar-kabuto-with-dragonfly-maedate/ Compare and contrast then make your decision. I know which one I would go for. Whatever you decide enjoy. All the best.
  9. Dear Jason. (Ray beat me to it!) I think the image of the forging pattern on the blade is pretty conclusive and confirms that this is a Chinese made fake. If you want to be sure then usually a photo of the habaki, hilt and tsuba and perhaps the kissaki should suffice to confirm what seems to be the case. As to why this was available for the price you payed, well it's quite possible that somewhere along the line someone got burned and was glad to take a loss. The person who sold it to you might have been genuine in his belief that it was Japanese but at that price one would think not. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. All the best..
  10. The texturing appears to have been made with the usual y shaped punch. I seem to recall that this was introduced by a particular school.........? http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/7/10237/10391 Not that this would point to the work being by that school, the filling is almost certainly a later treatment the tsuba, no? All the best
  11. And not to cross threads but it has a nice habaki Don't you find that whenever the media cover something that you are knowledgeable about you find yourself wincing at the inaccuracies? All the best.
  12. Dear Greg. You quite often find these marks, they are assembly numbers so that groups of parts remain together during the mounting process All the best
  13. Dear Joshman. (You should be able to add your name to your posts which is asked of us here). I don't think anyone is going to be able to tell you very much given the quality of these photos. I can't even tell if the kashira is ensuite or a horn one, I can't see any shitodome not that that would matter a great deal. Who carried the sword these were mounted on is impossible to say and would be largely irrelevant to me. The quality of the work is what counts. Look forward to some better pictures when they arrive. All the best.
  14. Peter that's lovely! I assume it's in iron? Perhaps the distinct punch used for the smaller flower heads might lead to a specific maker. Enjoy.
  15. Dear Chris. If you browse auction catalogues for long enough you will come across quite a number of standard designs, sometimes apparently identical but attributed to different schools just to be confusing. As Brian has said this is not uncommon. It is always nice to think that you have a unique work of art but that isn't the reality in many cases. It may of course be that your friend purchased this set from NIhontocraft or they might have come from another source entirely. If you have been looking at Nara work what about this set leads you to the conclusion that they are by a Nara master? Have a look at this kodzuka and see what you think. http://www.toukenkomachi.com/image/B021016-2.jpg The price of the set on Nihontocraft and the fact that they were identified as, "Nara school" should be considered. Have fun.
  16. Dear Rob. I agree with Ken, a nice thing. As a matter of interest what is the kasane and what happens to the kasane at or about the machi? All the best.
  17. Dear Mike. I hope this one works out for you. Interesting to see one rope edged seppa with an otherwise standard set of mounts, I wonder why? At the least you have got a nice set of koshirae with a decent blade. If the seller knows what he is talking about then I would have expected a picture of the nakago, on the other hand he might not be very knowledgeable, in which case your research is the only thing that will assure you that the blade is older. One seller in the UK has a listing which says, "This is a family blade with clear family name down the tang, on the other side has the makers mark with world war period stamp. Family and makers name are completely intact, a lot of these name were damaged or missing when they shortened them for use in WW2. This is a much older blade most probably 18th century." A certain amount of confusion here. What he is selling is quite a nice Showato, signed and dated. No blame attached, he is a militaria dealer with a limited experience of Japanese swords, why would I expect him to know it all? At least he gives adequate photos of the sword including the nakago. I'm sure we all look forward to decent pictures of the blade when it arrives and nothing quite beats that moment when you open the parcel. All the best.
  18. Wondering if it might be Kanetada? Might just be the photograph but have a careful look at the kissaki.
  19. "Step away from the tsuba, hands behind your back and step away!" All the best
  20. Geraint

    Wakizashi

    Dear Ed. I had some success a while ago with kodzuka mounted as cutlery, the same approach might work for you. A jar of very hot water, pop the kodzuka into this but leave the blade out, give it a minute or two to heat up and then put the blade into a vice, wrap some cloth around the kodzuka so you don't burn yourself and slowly but firmly pull the kodzuka. You may have to repeat a few times. Hope this works for you. All the best.
  21. Not convinced about the groove but I love the hada! All the best.
  22. Hi Sylvain. It's hard a hard life. The gyaku takanoha yasurime might help pin things down as they are not all that common. From what I can see, and you only show one side of the blade, this is not nagamaki zukuri, it is just that the yokote has become obscure, I think it had quite a large kissaki which might point to the later smith that John suggested. It is hard to tell from the images but some of the corrosion at the monouchi looks quite deep, you probably need the opinion of a polisher as to whether it can be saved. What is the other side like? All the best.
  23. Dear Ted, I have noted a significant number of blades sold by Aoi Arts which have two sets of papers; one the older papers that yours has and a second, more modern paper, which none the less arrives at the same conclusion. I think Arnold has a valid point, equally I think Aoi Art were being careful when they suggested that the signature was unreliable, especially for a first generation mei of a highly regarded smith. Would it change the way you appreciate the sword to have a new paper? Financially it might change the market value. It's hard to resist the lure of having a blade by a famous smith, it's also hard to resit the urge to prove that you have scored by snapping up an unregarded treasure, that's how we work as humans for some reason. Does the sword, as a blade and setting aside the mei, shout, "Quality!" You have it in hand and will see much more than we can even given Tsuruta san's oshigata. By the way am I the only one who would like to see the koshirae? All the best.
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