Viper6924

Hi Mark! Perhaps the "O" in O-suriage is bit to much. Looking at the nakago there is sujikai-yasurime down to about 2-3 cm under the middle mekugi-ana. Below that it turns into more of a higaki-yasurime. Based on this I felt that there is a large piece missing. But that´s my humble 2 cents Otherwise I like it. Most of the naginatas I see is often in really bad condition. It would be great to get an age and perhaps a school if this is possible from the pictures. Thanks again! Jan

Hi Guys! Picked up a naginata a while ago. I normally try to focus on swords. But sometimes it´s nice to stray from your comfortzone :D It comes with a silver habaki and a very nice shirasaya. O-suriage with three mekugi-ana. Nagasa 43,5 cm. Whole length is 84,5 cm. Please look at the pictures. I´m happy for ANY input on this one. It´s cut down so any signatures is lost. Thanks! Jan

I will ask my friend to take this sword to someone who can look more closely at it, sword in hand, so to say. He lives in New York so it should be easy to find someone with the knowledge. After looking at some more of the pictures I guess the blade def can be early to mid Muromachi. But it´s impossible to judge it from only the pictures. Jan

You are right John. There are a few Masahira working in the Muromachi-period. If I just look at the saki-zori and the o-midare hamon I would probably guess early to mid Muromachi But I´ve been wrong before :D I wish I had this blade in my hand for a closer look, but I only have picture to go by. Here´s a picture with a closer look the hamon. Any extra help would be very appreciated. Jan

Thanks Ted! Then we are talking about the Odawara Soshu, I guess? Thanks again, Ted! Jan

Hi! I´m helping a friend with a tanto he´s got. I got half way with the mei. The pics ain´t super because he has a really bad camera. I´ve been able to make out the three first kanjis: So shu ju... But the two last ones Anyone out there who can help? Also some additional info would be great. If I would take a stab at it I would put it as a Muromachi-period Soshu-den. But that could change depending on the smith. The tanto is 10,5" Thanks in advance! Jan

Thanks a lot for Your answers. I´m acctually helping a friend with this sword. He was told that it was a Moriyasu-mei. Well, who ever told him that is no expert on kanji :lol: So it´s one of those Sukesada-blades... Looks pretty solid anyways. Great job with the sayagaki. Thanks again!!! Jan

Hi Guys! Need some help with the sayagaki on this waki. The mei reads "Moriyasu" (i think). I know the picture is bad. But I hope You can make something out. Also if You have some info about this Moriyasu. Haven´t found very much so far I´m very happy for any help. Thanks! Jan

Hi! I would go with: Kanemichi Ju... But I´ve been wrong before /Jan

Runagmc: It was acctually me who brought up the question of polishing when I saw this sword. I think it´s a nice waki. Has some nice features. My friend don´t have a clue about nihonto. Perhaps I should try to buy it from him But his girlfriend would probably kill him and me to for that matter... Comes with a nice koshirae. If anyone else has some ideé, feel free to join in. Thanks again! Jan

Hi guys! I have a friend who´s got a waki he inhereted from his girlfriends father. He asked me to help him id this blade. The nagasa is about 14 inches with a nice deep sori. O-kissaki with gunome hamon. Hope I got that right... Def would need a polish. But what do You think. School and age? Worth a polish? All input highly appreciated! Jan

Chris; I read the same description for funbari, except the word "man" was changed to "Sumowrestler". Probably just to give the importance of funbari some more weight :lol: So I guess this blade falls under the "funbari" classification? Or..... /Jan

Thanks again, Jacques for taking the time to help me. Highly appreciated! /Jan

Hi Jacques! Thats really intresting. I don´t suppose You have picture or some other info about this tachi? I´m trying to get me head around my own old Bishu Osafune "tachi-looking" sword with a katana mei. Driving me crazy I thought that the change from wearing tachi to katana started around 1380-1400. This Nagamitsu blade is almost 100 years earlier. Well, you learning something new every day. Thanks again, Jacques! /Jan

Thanks again, Veli. /Jan

Another question on this subject: When did the the smiths start using the "Bishu Osafune"-kanji combination? The "Bizen Osafune" goes way back. /Jan

As always, Jean and Veli! On both threads :D THANKS!!! /Jan

Hi guys! I´m sitting and study little dif kanjis. One question pops up: In the book "The samurai sword handbook" by Yumoto there is a section with kanjis. There are four dif kanjis for Bishu. Which he calls Bi provinces; Bizen, Bitchu and Bingo. Whats the dif between Bishu and Bizen when You write it in kanji? Whats the kanji for: "Bizen Osafune" compared the "Bishu Osafune"? Thanks! /Jan

Curran, the tsuba is not part of the orginal koshirae. There is only a inlet for a kozuka nothing for a kogai/umbari. This will be a future project to find a nice tanto-tsuba that compliment the rest of the koshirae. John.L, I also agree with You about the shinsa in this case. I think it has a above average chance to pass. Ford Hallam, The workmanship and artistry should take president over signatures, especially in cases with few examples to compare with. And as You say, in this case the mei look fluid and original. Well, I guess I should pack my bag with a few blades and koshiraes and start looking for the nearest shinsa... Thanks for all the input! Jan

I will not argue against You, Pete. Like I said, I have seen a lot of so called Funada Ikkin the 1:st mei to know this is a minefield. This mei are amongst the better looking ones. Plus that the workmanship is really good. I think this mei is pretty close to the left one in your att. But, I´m in no position to huff and puff to much. More input on this mei would be helpful. Thanks again Pete and Nagamaki! Jan

Thanks John and Curran for Your comments. Looking at the fine details I also think it´s the first or second generation Ikkin. I of course hope it´s no 1. I´ve seen a bunch of different mei from this artist, so I really need more help with that. Here´s two more pictures. It´s really hard taking good pics. Thanks again! Jan

Hi! I have a nice koshirae for a tanto. Fuchi is signed Funada Ikkin. Very nice mei, but which generation do You think it is? The details are very fine indeed. All input is appreciated! /Jan

A big THANKS on the info, Jean! You are the man regarding Bizen... and probably more. I include the mei so You can doublecheck Louis, here´s the pics. Hope You like. Thanks again, Jean! Jan

Louis; I will post a pic when I come home. Look out Jean; You are right. In this case, the Japanese I bought the yari from told me the first word was "Kawati" which I´ve not been able to find anywhere. When I saw the word kawachi, I just jumped on it. I still find it a bit strange. The mei reads "Kawachi no kami sukesade bizen koku osafune ju". Whats does it really mean? Kawachi, Bizen and Osafune are all geographic names. A bit confusing Have mercy, Jean /Jan

As always Jacques, THANK YOU! Jan