Geraint

It's the copper hilt thing that Chris referred to in another thread......... Beats me All the best

Dear Gwyn. I can't be the one to make it happen but may your dreams come true and a very happy future birthday! All the best.

No disrespect to your photography skills Harvey but Ken is working off your images and they don't do the blade justice. Have a look at this site to see what can be done and good oshigata, http://www.aoijapan.com/ On the face of it you have just "another mumei wakizashi", of which there are many and most of little interest. Brian was pretty spot on with his assessment of the whole deal, non Japanese shirasaya, cobbled together mounts and so forth. And the nakago has been over cleaned. None the less I thought the blade had something going for it, hence my suggestion about an oshigata. Not sure where you are but if there is a sword club anywhere near then I recommend taking it along for someone else to have a look at in hand. I do happen to think that there is more to this sword than meets the eye from the images you have given. Another idea is to see what a polisher thinks, please take advice on this as you really need a properly trained polisher. In any event if you are thinking of sending this to shinsa then a good polish and shirasaya would be a great start. For what it's worth I think someone who knows what they are seeing could give you great advice here, find a sword club.

Hi Phil, No you didn't miss anything. As with all good names the first jump probably is to gimei. I am not aware of a smith signing in the way that your example does, I would love to be wrong but I suspect it is gimei. Most of the Yoshimichi mei are very neatly done, with the possible exception of nidai who seems to have had a handwriting problem. Your example does not look like him. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Perhaps someone has some other information............anyone? All the best.

Dear Klaus. I for one thank you for posting this sword, not least because of the quality kinzogan mei, I would love to see images of the blade. I find that after many years of beating my head against a brick wall I am fairly proficient at the most basic of mei but I also note that the kanji I read most easily are from swords that I own or have studied. I would not have got Masa from the kanji but I certainly will now that I see what Jean is talking about! All the best.

Hi Harvey. Always tricky buying a sword from a non specialist auction based on their opinions and images. I saw the sword in hand and didn't bid. You can pretty much forget the koshirae, some parts were once nice but alas...... As to the blade; well I was tempted as there is a subtlety about the hamon that appealed. In hand Hizen did not occur to me, chiefly because I considered the blade to be older than that. Someone had cleaned the nakago in my opinion, a shame. I suspect the blade is koto. How do you like a challenge? An oshigata would show the blade in a better light I feel. Should you decide to submit to shinsa I would certainly like to know the outcome. All the best.

Just so long as you don't confuse the ends while handling!

Hi Darryl. Can't say that I have come across this term associated with nakago but kamasu gissaki? Kamasu apparently, a saury pike, whatever that might be. All the best.

Hah! Now here's something you could do with it..........http://www.yamatobudogu.com/Antique_Nak ... nakago.htm

Hi Phil. This does not look like an original piece of work, the leather hilt wrap that is. Given the state of the saya it seems probable that the same and wire on the hilt have rotted and that someone has re wrapped with leather to make it look better. What is the rest of the blade like and have you had the hilt off to see what that tells you? All the best.

And just to start you on your quest for this word check this thread, a few posts down and click on the link. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=18129&st=0&sk=t&sd=a All the best.

A local dealer once assured me that a sword had been examined by a member of The Nakago Society. Perhaps there exists a shadowy group whose sole collecting interest is in nakago! ( A friend has a well signed nakago framed, odd things do turn up.)

Hi Craig, Pinning a blade down to a school is not so easy as it might appear and certainly not as easy as ticking off the features of the blade. You note tori zori but Chris has already suggested saki zori; which is it? Sori is hard to judge unless it is extreme. You also note kuri jiri, what sort? (Have a look at ha agari kuri jiri.) You note masame hada; is that all over the ji or is it above the shinogi, or is it above the shinogi and near the ha? The book that Mariusk recommended would be a great place to start but just when you think you are starting to 'get it' you will find that you learn something new that throws everything into question once again. It's all part of what makes this so much fun. Enjoy

And see what has just popped up on Tsuruta san's website! http://www.aoijapan.com/tanto-first-generation-muramasa

Congratulations Derek, that's a fine piece of work and a great resource. Now if we each take just one smith or school..............? :D

Hi Gwyn. Check out Yamabushi, I think that's your theme. A Yamabushi on the kashira and his accouterments, ( accoutrements!) on the fuchi, I believe. Sorry to say that I can't tell if they are a true set from the images. All the best.

Perhaps Tosa Myochin?

And of course, should you slip doing this manouver then a whole new career opens up before you.

How could we forget that thread? Atari Jussi.

Interesting that he used a runner but no riser and that he did not use a split pattern. Only appropriate for smaller castings, this might be of interest, http://bwpowell.com/archeology/salisbur ... bury2.html

Not sure if this is the one but there is one in the collection of the Royal Armouries. When I saw it it was not with its koshirae and I can't recall the exact details so it may or may not be this one. I am sure that Ian will fill in the details for us. All the best.

Surely a nodachi tsuba would need to date from the period when nodachi were in use? Nothing about the tsuba in question suggest such an early date, does it? All the best

Hope you win it James. All the best.

James, I think you should buy it and, just to help you out, you understand, I will take that boring Shinshinto Kaga blade of your hands. Seriously, why would you split up a blade like this from it's koshirae assuming the two belong together? Nice little piece assuming that the moshirae is sound. Have fun.

Hi Bob. Jussi is right that the wrap covers some sort of brocade but it is not necessarily Japanese, perhaps Chinese. As all the twists on the wrap go in the same direction rather than alternating you might be looking at a re wrap once the sword was out of Japan. I don't think we are in national treasure territory here, (unless, of course, Darcy can pin it down to Magoroku :D ). Have a browse on Ebay for what similar swords are fetching. Have fun.