Geraint

Dear Ed, Thank you for sharing both your sword and your excitement. I'd be pleased with that one. All the best.

And for No. 3 compare, http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/1044-identify-gold-sealkao/ All the best.

Hi Matt. This does look like a very nice package. I wouldn't worry about the comment regarding it's sharpness, think of it a s a marketing slogan. It is not the same as a cutting test inscription by the Yamada or anyone else so on that point you need have no concerns. I don't know this seller but the description of hada and hamon suggest this would be very nice, sharkskin saya to boot. You might be able to find other examples of this smiths mei to compare but I don't think there is anything wrong with it from what we can see in the photographs. The down side is that it is out in front of a very wide audience and the starting bid is close to 2K CD. I would not be at all surprised to see it go a great deal higher than that. All the best with your quest

Hi Brett. Of course it is worth getting someone to look at it and hopefully one of our Canadian members in the Toronto area will chip in. Let us know how this works out. All the best.

Hi Brett, Please sign your posts as we all do. Your question is hard to answer without some more information. At the very least you have a nice wakizashi in shirasaya and in polish. Does it have Japanese papers to confirm the signature? If it does then you might like to compare here, http://www.ricecracker.com/japanese_swords/wakizashi/sw6.htm Now don't get too excited, this sword has a very up market habaki and shirasaya and papers, albeit not the best ones. There are many false signatures out there and without the confirmation that papers would provide your sword would be worth a fraction of this one. As I'm not in Canada it would be more useful for some of our members there to give you a ball park figure for insurance but I do hope you enjoy your sword. All the best.

Dear Wade. The story attached to this blade is, of course, fascinating however it has no bearing on the value. So far what we have is a blade which is not in good condition and should anyone chose to restore just a polish is going to cost hundreds of dollars. Whatever it had as mounts it is now just a blade. The key points are that while we all wish it had a star stamp it doesn't. It does have a Seki stamp and for almost everyone this means it is not a gendaito. Hamfish points out that the tip is very badly damaged which will almost certainly have removed the tempered edge which renders the blade valueless as a collectible. I can tell that the story and the fact that it is a real blade have ignited some real interest in you and perhaps that will be the real value here. All the best and keep saving for your next sword.

Dear Jamie. Your summary is spot on. This is a wakizashi, probably from the Edo period but to narrow that down would be hard without better pictures. It is out of polish so most of the details of the hamon and hada will be impossible to spot. I am assuming that it is not signed on the tang? Now, time to go carefully. Whatever you do do not attempt to clean this yourself. Step one might be to buy some good quality uchiko and spend some time working with that but then comes decision time. To make this look like it really should you need to give it to a properly trained polisher who can bring out the best in the blade, then you need a shirasaya made for it. All this is going to cost quite a bit and added to the cost of the blade is not ever likely to make financial sense as you won't recoup those costs if you decide to sell it. There are several threads here about what you "should" collect, all of them will tell you that unsigned wakizashi from the Edo period are to be avoided as there are so many of them around. That's quite true but you might feel that as this is your first sword you really want to see what it looks like in polish, I know I would. If the bug has bitten you then start slow, have a good look around the sites in the Links section of the NMB, start to get a feel for what this hobby is all about, buy a few books to help with the terminology but above all, have fun! All the best.

Gentlemen. I suggest that this is a perfectly genuine wakizashi, albeit in poor shape. The nakago jiri is not uncommon in some schools and the geometry of the nakago, machi etc are all fine. The koshirae is, I think, one of those late Meiji ones covered in stamped brass plates and smothered in Tokugawa mon, the plates have become detahced and so we are left with the wood saya and some of the fittings. Perhaps Morishige saku? (Got the last one wrong so don't bank on it.) All the best.

Dear Dan. I am sure you know the stories about Muramasa blades and their use by families opposed to the Tokugawa, It would be possible that what you see is the place where the mei once was before it was erased. (I suppose that it is also possible that someone has made it seem that way), In any event you have a nice sword but Matt is right, it's mumei now. Enjoy. All the best.

Dear Danny. Please sign your posts with your name as per the rules. If it's 19" then it is probably a pre WWII wakizashi. I'd love to tell you more but wading through the endless popupson Photobucket is a pain, if you upload the images directly here then it would be much easier. If you go the the bottom right of your post and click on, More reply options then an option to attach files will be at the bottom left of your post. All the best.

Dear Matthew. So what you have is a nice example of a shingunto with a Showa blade, signed and of some interest, (There were at least three Kanetaka so some research here but it's not Matsuda Kanetaka). The koshirae is in good condition, it has a rank tassel and a silver mon on the kabuto gane. All in all a very nice package. Enjoy.

Jean. If you go to the top tool bar and click on "Research", then "Swordsmith Database", you can try entering Kanemoto, Kanetomo and Kanemitsu and see what you get. With three character mei it is very hard to verify unless it is a well known smith whose work appears in one of the many books. All three names are used by many smiths and so identifying the one who made your sword and confirming that it is genuine is likely impossible. The nakago seems to have takanoha yasurime which points to a Mino smith. Forgive me if these terms are new to you, please let me know if you would like an explanation. All the best.

Dear Jean. Kanemoto or Kanemitsu? All the best.

Dear Brad. No need to make this one difficult, Stephen has given you your man. Nothing about the nakago suggest other than that this is a Showa blade. Not all Showa swords have stamps and sometimes this is a good thing. More pictures of the blade might bring some more, informed comment. Enjoy! All the best.

Dear Marco. If you haven't already seen it have a look at this excellent article. http://www.nihontomessageboard.com/articles/Size%20doesnt%20matter.pdf All the best.

Hi Jon, Looks like you did well. At first sight I thought this was a conversion from matchlock to percussion but I would have expected to see a cut out in the woodwork at the lock side where the original pan and cover would have been. The barrel and stock certainly look Japanese and I'm sure someone will chime in with a translation of the kanji and disassembly instructions for you. Is the percussion nipple right in the centre of the breech plug? You might find some interest from this link. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/worldantiques/western-style-firearms-used-by-samurai/ All the best.

Dear Ed. So now comes the decision; restore or do what? Nice pair of menuki and some same, a good rewrap, find a suitable tsuba, little bit of work on the saya, oh and a polish of course. At the end you will have saved a sword, spent a load of money and hopefully have something really nice. Hosokawa mon on the habaki, very nice. All the best.

Dear Anti. I agree with Jean, very nice koshirae. I think it would usually be described as a Higo koshirae.. Altogether a very nice thing to have found. Enjoy! All the best.

Hi Bruce. And what John has given you so succinctly means, "Okada Kanesada made this". Just above the signature is a Seki stamp, top right hand of the hole. This is the city where it was made and indicates a Showato or non traditionally made sword. I'm sure we would all like to see images of the whole sword, both in mounts and out. All the best.

Blagoy, Have a look at the one just posted in the For Sale section by Marco. All the best.

Dear Ken. I think Aoi Art might better be translated as, "If you find long kerakubi the blade was made before the end of the Muromachi period." This would be consistent with the majority of the write ups for yari over the last few years. All the best.

Dear Bob. I like it! One to have polished I would think. The weird Namban is interesting, if you have not seen it there's an interesting read here, http://mandarinmansion.com/nanban-tsuba The cupped shape is reminiscent of Chinese guards such as this one, https://nihontoantiques.com/project/chinese-sword-nji-111/ (Hope the links work this time.) All the best.

Dear John. Are you referring to the top tsuba that Barry posted? In which case; right hand side, "Sashu no ju" and left hand side, "Toshisada" I believe. All the best.

Dear Stephen. She's looking good! A little compression of the wood around the mekugi ana, tiny bit of wear on the mekugi itself....? Very slight changes will see the tsuba moving and you won't be happy with it. If the tsuba needs sekigane go for it. Looking forward to seeing this one when completed. All the best.

Welcome to the NMB Henk. A very similar sword is shown here, https://www.japanesesword.org/archived-pages/2017/9/13/gendaito-by-kanemitsu Same sword on this thread. Yours is nice with the hi, I think you have an interesting sword. Enjoy! Mei on the mune is unusual but does occur, have a look here, http://yakiba.com/Tanto_Sadakazu.htm All the best.