Geraint

Hi Bruce. Really can't make too much of this for you but here are a few ideas. First two = Mikawa, the one by the mekugi ana eludes me then I think Nyudo. I can't find a reference that makes sense of this but Hawley does have SAD 843 Kuhara Sadayoshi where Kuhara would replace nyudo. There are also a couple of Daido smiths, Mikawa no kami nyudo Nobunao saku and Mikawa no kami Daimichi Nobunao. These suggestions are probably more trouble than help but maybe someone else can nail it for you. All the best.

Ah so coastal erosion accounts for the bad fit! .

I think Kevin is knocking on the right door. The lack of care in the work exhibited by the way the copper meets the iron would never pass muster in any school. I don't think this is shakudo. I suspect at least one of the tsuba was badly damaged around the seppa dai and an attempt made to, "make it work". Unless one of us buys these we will never know for sure. All the best

Dear L. Please add your name to your posts as we a;; do. Being cast and being authentic are not contradictory. Cast in Japan in the last 100 years would be covered by that claim. I certainly couldn't tell if it is cast from these photos but what makes you want to buy it? Lots of much better examples out there for not too much money, indeed quite a few offered in the For Sale section from time to time. All the best.

Hi Paul. Funny, that's how my wife is going to tell if I'm gone or not, stick my favourite katana in the coffin and if I don't react she'll know I'm really gone. Peter, that's a nice selection of rapiers! Some really lovely displays here, nice to imagine a pleasant evening with each of you sharing your collections. Great stuff!

Dear Bill. Given the typical hamon on Muramasa tanto, http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/16300-muramasa-on-aoi-art/ (scroll down a little)................? Send it to auction and see what happens?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

If I remember correctly there is a previous thread on this subject but here are a couple.

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

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.

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..

The ground perhaps?

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

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.

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

Better and better!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.