Grey Doffin

Hi Jess, My advice is to go slow on restoration projects; you don't know nearly enough at the present to make intelligent decisions about this or another sword. I can't tell much about this sword from the pictures so I can't say anything for sure about whether or not it would be smart monetarily to buy and restore, but the vast majority of Japanese swords would be worth less after purchase and restoration than the cost involved. Just by odds the answer on this sword is probably no. Any case, buy books, look at tons of good swords, and study hard. The day will come when you'll find the right sword and you'll know enough to recognize it. Grey

I asked Trevor about getting the book; here's what I learned. Paper bound and high quality, paypal orders are fine but he wants to quote postage individually (no one price fits all) so email him for a quote, volume 2 will be out late this year, and he will be at the San Francisco show in August with several dozen copies of #1 to sell. He will also have copies of a DVD he's selling, about the Samurai of Soma. Here's a link to the trailer: Grey

Hi J, I read, "Oshu Ju Kanesada" and the date is "Tenpo Roku Nen Ni Gatsu Hi" (a day in the 2nd month of 1835). Hawleys has a 10th generation listed at this time. I can't find any oshigata in any of the texts in my index for this smith. Grey

Hi Jess, The mune is iore, and just fine. This is real Nihonto and may be salvageable if the pitting isn't too deep. Could be a decent blade; you should have someone look at it for you. No idea what the notches at the top of the nakago are but I see them occasionally. Maybe someone else here will have that answer. If the saya is full of rust probably best not to store the blade inside. I would jerry rig something to protect the blade until you decide what, if any, restoration will be done. Grey

Hi guys, I know nothing about armor so I'm not going to embarrass myself trying to get terminology correct. Something I noticed, in picture 00037.jpg above, there is a roll of what appears to be leather under the chin that has a design and Kanji on it. Since the Kanji are sideways it looks like a piece of leather was salvaged from something else and recycled into use here. Not disparaging the armor; I find this a fun,whimsical detail. Would someone please explain what's going on? Thanks, Grey

http://www.nbthk-ab.org/Etiquette.htm is a care and etiquette brochure that should answer your questions. Grey

Although there could be alternate readings I'm guessing Mitsuyoshi is correct. Right? Grey

These aren't Chinese copies of WWII Japanese swords; no Japanese sword ever looked even remotely like these. For years I've wondered what exactly these are. 5 years ago they were very common on ebay; lately you don't see them so often. Why would someone (Chinese?) go to so much trouble to make something that looks nothing like the original? Grey

All else being equal, an unsigned sword will generally cost less than a signed one. And lack of signature, by itself, does not mean lack of quality; both signed and unsigned swords can be terrible, great, or anywhere between. Buying a papered sword, as has been suggested, will give some insurance of quality. Buying a sword without paper requires knowledge obtained from books and study, and that would be a wonderful place for you to start. Grey

Hi Ken, 2 ideas: You could try having a key made from either brass or steel. There is a company here in the States called Small Parts (google it) that sells tube and sheet in graduated sizes in a variety of metals. they will need to be soldered/welded together and the sheet bent to fit. Once you have the blank, if the key doesn't turn you coat it with soot (hold it over a candle) and file away the areas of the blank that show contact with the soot. A bit of jiggering should work. You also have the option of a jerry rigged lock inside the tansu. This consists of a couple eye screws and a pin. Remove the drawer above to access the pin and get the locked drawer open. As long as the kids don't see you doing this they'll believe the drawer is locked; it will keep the honest people honest. Hope you understand my directions; hope this helps. Grey

Hi Ken, Please post a couple pictures: one an extreme closeup of the lock from the front with bright light and the other a full front shot of the tansu so we can see what surrounds the drawer. The 1st picture might give one of us a better idea how to get a key and the 2nd might lead to a solution that doesn't include using the lock. Grey

Andy, What jumps out at me are the doctored patina on the nakago (it doesn't look natural; looks chemical), the sloppy yasurime, and the harsh clumsiness of the mei. Even if I didn't know what the mei says and without looking at a book I would guess gimei; it just looks gimei. Do you have a reference with lots of oshigata of true mei? If so please try this. Take some time and go through the book page by page and take a close look at each and every mei; study them. Then look at the sword in question and see what you think. A long time collector in Japan told me once that you don't need references to tell if a mei is right; if it's wrong it just looks wrong. This isn't true in all cases but if you spend a lot of time looking at good swords the bad ones stick out. Grey

Mei means signature. Yoshitada is the name that the man who made this sword chose to sign with, not necessarily his real name. You could say it's an art name. Grey

Yes; I agree: Yoshitada. Best not to hurry, Grey

The 2nd sword is signed Yoshimune and dated Showa Ni Ju Nen Roku Gatsu (June of 1945). Looks like the Showa and Seki Arsenal stamps. Here is an online care and etiquette brochure that will show you how to care for these. http://www.nbthk-ab.org/Etiquette.htm About all you can do for the rust is put some machine oil on it. Don't attempt any amateur repairs; you'll only dig a deeper hole. Grey

Nihonto Bizen Den Taikan page 257 Grey

Since Matt has bids he can't remove the names. He can't change what is already in place; he can only add to his description. Matt could end the auctions and relist without the names. If Chris or George feel strongly about this they can contact ebay and ask to have the auctions stopped, and ebay will do this (I know; tried it once myself). Grey

Hi Philip, Chances are you wont be able to learn much more about this sword unless someone knowledgeable can see it in hand; too difficult to tell from pictures alone. Do you live in the States? If so, which state? Maybe you could attend one of the 3 or 4 annual Japanese sword shows (Tampa, Chicago, San Francisco, and Minneapolis). There will be people at the shows who can help. About your 2nd sword: it may well be machine made but I'm not sure you know enough to make that call yourself. Feel free to post pictures here and get other opinions. Grey

Sorry; I have to disagree. There are a few defects in this blade which, with the shortening and relative unimportance of the smith, will mean that the cost of restoration will exceed the value once done. Also, the sword doesn't need a polish; it's close enough to be appreciated as is. Also also, I'm guessing Philip would like to keep the blade in the military mounts which he couldn't do if the blade were polished (it would be mounted in shira-saya, plain wooden mounts). Pay attention to the care manual you've been linked to, and keep the sword in a safe, dry place; nothing else is necessary. Grey

Hi Philip, I think Nagahiro also. While the mounts date to WWII (standard Japanese Army Shin Gunto) this appears to be an older blade that has been shortened (from the bottom up, thus the abrupt end to the tang). I don't know anything about the smith but a good guess would be late Koto (old sword period) from Mino Province. 15th or 16th century and Mino because the temper line looks like what smiths in Mino did back then. But, someone is bound to have a better idea. Grey

NeverDull will make an old sword look like a Gunto; the surface will be bright and featureless. Grey

Hi Terry, If, as you say, this is one side only, it looks to me like a small forging flaw/ware'. I wouldn't call this fatal or even close. Grey

Morita-san, Yes; it is that book that I have added to my index. My copy hasn't been translated into English but it does contain a list of the oshigata with the Japanese written in Romanji. Grey

Seki Ju ? ? Kanetake Saku. Grey

Thanks again, guys. Grey