Grey Doffin

Hi guys, I just took in 6 boxes of books (5 were large; 1 weighed 90 pounds) and have listed those not already spoken for on my site. Some very useful references, a couple I've never had before, and a few in immaculate condition (pretty amazing for 40 year old books). Check them out at the top of the list on my books page: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/Books Cheers, Grey

Hi Oleg, Your sword is signed Dewa no Kami Hokyo Minamoto Mitsuhira. Mitsuhira was a leading smith of the Ishido School; he worked in the mid 17th century. My 1st real sword was by Mitsuhira; nice find. Grey

Hi Acxel, Signed Rai Kunimitsu. The earliest Rai Kunimitsu was a very important smith from Kamakura era but he never made a wakizashi (the form didn't exist when he worked). There were later smiths who used the name; none are well known. Your sword is either by one of them or it is gimei, a forged signature. Grey

Hi Acxel, In spite of what everyone is telling you, resist the urge to jump into restoration. 1st you need to have a better idea what you have and what all your options are. The sword can always be restored and nothing terrible will happen to it if it isn't restored soon. The more you know before you have restoration done, including whether or not the sword should be restored, the more successful the effort will be when you do it. There may be a Japanese sword show in Schaumburg (near you) the end of April (depends on the virus situation); if so it would be an excellent opportunity to have the sword looked at. If it doesn't happen there are other options. In the mean time, take it slow; don't be in a hurry. I'm not too far away in Minnesota. I'm not an authority but I know more than you do about this. Feel free to call with questions; glad to help if I can. Cheers, Grey 218-726-0395

Morning Acxel, I agree; this might be interesting. It needs to be seen in hand by someone who knows what he's looking at and who is honest (not going to guess which of the 2 is in shorter supply). As mentioned, don't try to fix anything yourself (well meaning amateurs can do serious damage) with one exception. If there is no pin to fit through the hole in the handle and blade's tang, whittle one out of a chopstick ASAP. The pin (mekugi) is very important; the blade is dangerous and subject to fatal damage itself if there is no pin to lock it in the handle. Best, Grey

Morning Jose, As Piers mentioned, you need both a kotsuka and kogatana. Don't get too hung up on these being made in the Muromachi; while your wakizashi is from that period, its koshirae is most likely newer than that. Lots of kotsuka online to choose from; I have more than a few on my website and would be glad to help. Mark Jones usually has kogatana for sale. You'll find both of us in the dealers section here on NMB. Cheers, Grey

Hi Max, Check with The Index of Japanese Sword Literature at jssus.org: http://www.jssus.org/ijsl/?&display=table&table=smiths&page=1 Cheers, Grey

Hi Faust, Lay a bath towel on a kitchen counter or heavy table, with a few inches of the towel hanging over the edge. Holding onto the tsuka, lay the side of the blade on the towel. Push the tsuka forward so the edge of the tsuka strikes the edge of the counter. It may take a few tries but the blade will work its way loose. Note: this works for shirasaya and for koshirae with unadorned iron tsuba; do not do this with kinko tsuba or iron tsuba with soft metal inlay. Grey

Hi Brian, The sword looks to be real, real low end, and in really bad condition. The handle wrap may be something done late war, to get it out to the troops as quick as possible. Don't spend any more money on this one; it is too far gone. Grey

Hi Paul, Smoke oshigata are not a good idea; the carbon (soot) can become part of the nakago's patina, changing it from what it was before. Better to use oshigata paper and the ink stone; it leaves nothing behind and, with a bit of effort, does a much nicer job. Grey

Hi Chuck, I have a few sets on order. If you send me an email to my website I can let you know when they arrive. Grey grey at japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com

Hi J.W. You can take this to shinsa and you will get a paper, but the paper will say Sukesada, which you already know, so why bother? Depending on the group doing the shinsa they might specify a period of manufacture but it will be late Koto (16th century), which you already know, so why bother? Save your money for study and swords; in this case a paper makes no sense. Grey

work, work, work... Oh well, how about an Ishiguro Mitsuharu tsuba, a sweet little tanto tsuba, and a Bitchu no Kami Yasuhiro, Kii Ishido school wakizashi with koshirae. And more. Grey

Hi guys, The fittings have been listed and I've started listing swords. To all you who want to buy your 1st real sword worth caring about, keep an eye out. There will be good pieces at very reasonable prices. Thanks, Grey

Hi Andrew, Books. Start with either (but not both) The Samurai Sword by Yumoto or The Japanese Sword by Sato. Next step up on scholarship would include The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords by Nagayama and Facts and Fundamentals of Japanese Swords by Nakahara. If you want a collection of oshigata (rubbings of authentic signatures), Fujishiro's 2 volumes of Nihon Toko Jiten gives you all the important and most of the less important but still worthy of attention smiths and won't set you back nearly as much as the larger Taikans. If you get serious about study, the 59 volumes of Token Bijutsu English edition by the NBTHK are, in my opinion, the best information in English on the subject. If you have an interest in Japanese military swords, Dawson's Swords of Imperial Japan: 1868 - 1945, Cyclopedia Edition is the best choice. Beyond those there are so many fine books, I wouldn't know where to stop. For a better idea what these books are like, all are listed, with descriptions and pictures on my website: japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com. Cheers, Grey