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Chris, It looks like Sanjo Munechika Saku. Hoanh

Rich, The loss of patina on the nakago is not due to rubbing by the tsuba. I don't see what the tsuba has to do with this area. It's probably caused by an improperly fit habaki. I do see a lot of hammer marks on your habaki, probably to make for a tighter fit. However, if the habaki is too tight, it will rub against the nakago and remove the patina whenever it is removed from the nakago. Regards, Hoanh

Either John Tirado or Brian Tschernega would be an excellent choice. Hoanh

Jason, It's a seam, not a crack. You don't want to have a seam at either the top or bottom of the tsuka because these are the weak points you want to reinforce. Hoanh

Dan, Looking at your picture, I would say suguha. I wouldn't characterize it as chu suguha or hoso suguha. If you can show a close up picture of the boshi, that would help a lot. The kissaki is the physical tip, and the boshi is the hamon on the kissaki. Regards, Hoanh

Dear TreasureHunter, Please sign your posts or they will be deleted by the Mods. The mei says "Bishu Osafune...." The rest is illegible (to me anyhow). The nengo side is illegible, too, but if I had to guess, it would be late Muromachi period, circa 1550s, a mass-produced sword. Regards, Hoanh

Tom, May I suggest doing some pleasure reading before buying? The total cost of a few basic books is less than the average postage + insurance for a sword. You can use the "Search" button to see what books are recommended. This topic has been discussed many times and at length. Regards, Hoanh

Kyle, Fuganata and mitsumune are typically associated with Soshu swords, hence my question. I am pretty certain your sword is gimei, but that by itself does not preclude the sword to be a Soshu sword. You will need to ascertain that question as a separate issue. Regards, Hoanh

Kyle, You will need to post pictures of: 1. the entire bare blade 2. the nakago on both sides 3. the hamachi 4. the boshi Is the blade mitsu mune? A close up picture of the mune will help. The registration paper (which should have been kept in Japan) doesn't tell you if the signature is shoshin or gimei. It just gives physical description. EDIT: I saw the nakago you just posted. I have not dug into my reference books, but my first impression is gimei. Here is why I think so. If I were naive and simply took the bottom nakago ana as the original, the mei is completely in the wrong place. More pictures of the blade as I suggested above will help. Regards, Hoanh

Yes, that too... Hoanh

Tom, Yes, nice sword and decent price. The smith is a big name, though. So, I would be diligent in checking out the mei to make sure it's not gimei. Regards, Hoanh

Daniel, The hada is a bit rough/coarse for a Hizento. May be gimei as you suggested. EDIT: Also, it's signed katana mei - another red flag? Hoanh

John, Bad news! Today, I received the following email from Fred: Hoanh

Time for your own version of the Boston Tea Party??? Hoanh

This sword must be the Masamitsu listed in the "For Sale or Trade" section. Nice sword, very attractive price! What type of sword are you looking for? Time period? Tradition? School? Katana, wakizashi, tanto? Are mounts important, or are you looking for just a blade in shirasaya? Papered or not? With a signature of not? Are you a nihonto collector or a militaria collector, or may be both? So many questions you have to ask yourself...In any event, under $2k won't really make you happy in the long term, under $1k is nearly impossible, and $200-$300 is, well, impossible. My humble opinion... Hoanh

That's just like saying a photon can be a particle AND a wave at the same time....We deem this tanto "authentic" and "FAKE" at the same time. Hoanh

Harvey, Tsuba and swords: one won't have any implication on the other. Tsuba are essentially replaceable accessories. Edit: I do like the iron plate of your tsuba a lot. Hoanh

Frank, For what it's worth, you are doing the right thing by reporting to law enforcement. It may not do any good as the wheel of justice is often downright sluggish and non-functional, but at least you are not going down without a fight. Best of luck to you and others in the same situation. Regards, Hoanh

Thank you Chris. Hoanh

Thank you Patrick. Hoanh

Dear All, I received my sword and shinsa worksheet back today. I have a very hard time reading the kantei on the worksheet and will appreciate any help I can get. I think I am seeing: Den Owari(?) Sandai(?) Nobumori(?). I couldn't read the rest of the kantei. Regards, Hoanh

From your description of the sword being made from rust-resistant steel, it sounds like a non-traditionally made blade. IMHO, $2500 is quite high. Probably $1000-$1200 is fair. Regards, Hoanh

Muneyaki. Hoanh

Gabe, Oiling the blade is good for storage, but for taking pictures, it's better to wipe off the oil with isopropyl alcohol to free the blade of oil and/or other residues. It's very hard to get details when the sword has a film of oil on it. Looking forward to seeing more pictures. Have a great weekend. Hoanh

Gabe, I think I see areas with nie, so it's probably traditionally made (if my eyes didn't deceive me). Can you get picture of both sides of the bare tang? As for whether it's worth polishing, it all depends on your goal and your ultimate plan for the sword. If you plan to sell it later, you won't get your money back. If you plan to keep it in the family and hand it down to future generations, then it would be good to polish it. As far as what the sword might be, the pictures are not focused and zoomed in enough to tell. Hoanh