Grey Doffin

Hi K. Dim, Do not try to remove the blemish yourself; if it is to be removed it has to be done by a properly trained polisher (of which there at least 2 in the US). Well meaning amateurs have made terrible messes with attempted repairs. If I were you I'd leave it as is. The blemish is cosmetic only; it will do no damage. If you absolutely have to get it removed, only those with proper training should touch it. Grey ps. Click here and scroll down to Care & Cleaning for a maintenance manual. https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/

Thanks for the kind words folks. And Jack, 3 & 7 are the Namban. I would recommend you stay away from ebay until you know a lot more about this; buying what you like without knowledge is an easy way to buy a modern fake. I, and many of the other dealers on NMB, will never lie to you just to make a sale. You could give some thought also to investing in a few books. The more you know about tsuba before you buy any, the happier you will be with what you get. There is no need to be in a hurry; there will always be good tsuba to collect. Grey

I think it is possible that more than just the one signed tsuba are real; maybe one or the other Namban also. However, all are low quality at best and nothing you should want to collect. Check sellers here on NMB, both on the For Sale forum and the dealers. You'll have no trouble finding much better. Grey

Hidetoshi, I believe. Most likely Showa-To but I can't be sure. Grey

A few good books. Grey

Hizen no Kuni no Ju Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro. Grey

I agree that Tsuba Kanshoki is a good reference but, unless you can read Japanese, make sure you get the edition from 1975 with English. Here it is on my site: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b823-tsuba-kanshoki-torigoye-1975 There is an earlier edition but it is Japanese only. I can recommend also the current 2 volumes and one day 5 volumes of Tosogu Classroom from NBTHK/AB and JSS/US via Markus Sesko Best advice I can give is not to hurry. There will always be good tsuba & fuchi kashira available. The more you know when you buy the happier you'll be with what you get. Grey

Hi Chris, The fuchi is real but the signature may be a forgery. As is often said here, the work confirms the signature, not the other way round. Show us the work, please. Grey

Hi Ron, I know of Kashu Toko Taikan: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b818-kashu-koto-taikan Kashu Shinto Taikan: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b660-kashu-shinto-taikan-kihei-ueno-%26-yoshiaki-adachi and Kashu Shinto Shu: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b462-kashu-shinto-shu-kanazawa-branch-nbthk All currently out of stock for my website but maybe someone else will have copies. Cheers, Grey

Hi Nonito, Definitely an early, crude Chinese fake. Grey

Hi Dominic, David McDonald in Montana can make a handle for you. He can use your parts if you still have them or supply what is missing and he can wrap it also. He does very nice work. You should be able to find his contact in the links at the top of the NMB. A random tsuka bought off ebay is almost certain not to fit properly. Grey

I have this one on my site: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/tsuba-%26-kodogu/q717-shinsaku-iron-tsuba# If anyone knows the smith's name let me know please. Gre4y

Kiyomaro Taikan on my site: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b340-kiyomaro-taikan-nakajima-uichi There are other books on Kiyomaro; search the site for his name and you'll find them. Grey

Another possibility, and not saying this is the case; can't tell much from the pictures, is retemper, which often leaves a weak, indistinct hamon. Grey

Everything is relative. All else being equal, an ubu katana of 75 cm is better than a 68 cm, suriage katana but a flawless though shortened katana is better than an ubu katana with a bad defect. Grey

I can't think what this could be if not shintetsu. The blade looks to me to be very tired. Grey

Hi Steve, The sword is a real Japanese sword but, working with just a few pictures and the very brief description, there isn't much anyone could tell you about its quality, condition, or desirability. If you know and trust the seller you should ask him the questions. If you don't know or trust the seller you need a different seller. Beginners should be very careful about whom they deal with; there are many sharks in the water. Grey

Hi guys, Just listed an Omi Yari on my site; this is the last of the blades for now. Tonight or tomorrow I plan to get at a pile of kodogu: most are tsuba (a few are quite fiine) but I have 2 fuchi kashira, 2 kotsuka, and a pair of menuki also. Sales have been good. Thank you, Grey

Calling that polish kesho is being very generous; I would call it acid and ugly. Z, (give us your name please) ebay is a snake pit for beginners. You will do much better with proper guidance from a trusted dealer here in The States. Grey

Adam, One man's odd duck is another man's Common Booby. Best to watch my site. Grey

Find a rubber headed mallet and tap on the bottom of the handle to bring the blade back down inside the handle where it belongs. Then you might be able to push out the remainder of the peg or tap it out with a punch and hammer. If this works, be sure to make a new pin right away; the pin is very important. The hole is supposed to be slightly off center, handle to tang of the blade. When the peg is inserted it draws everything together tight. Grey

Hi guys, My business partner Mark Jones and I have recently taken in a large collection of swords and I have been listing some to my website. Yesterday I put up a fine Jumonji Yari (in polish) and I just finished listing a long katana (75.6 cm) with Tokubetsu Hozon paper, signed Echizen no Kami Minamoto Sukehiro (Tsuda Sukehiro). https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/swords/q682-long-katana-tsuda-sukehiro-tokubetsu-hozon And there is more to come: some very nice pieces (a large shinsakuto gifted to a Sumo star and a fine daito from the Bizen Kozori School with wonderful itomaki no dachi koshirae come to mind). All are in polish and most have papers. There are good swords for entry level (beginners) also: quality work that won't break the bank. If you have a minute have a look and please keep checking back; I'll be listing more in the next few days. Stay well, Grey

Fake, 100%. Grey

Scroll down for sword care and cleaning: https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ Grey

I don't think the scabbard is the problem and I see no reason why the blade can't be stored inside it (that's why you purchased the sword, right? So you can display it as a unit). I would make sure the inside of the scabbard is dry. Not likely it isn't but best to make sure. Leave the sword out of it for a few dry days; maybe place the scabbard in direct sunlight so it heats up to hasten drying. In the mean time, clean any loose rust particles from the blade with a cloth rag and apply a very light coat of machine oil (sewing machine or the other oils mentioned above) to the exposed blade (not the nakago). You can then put the sword back in its scabbard and no further damage should occur. You should remove the handle to make sure there is no active red rust on the nakago; let us know if there is and further advice will follow. If the scabbard is metal with a wood liner, it may be possible to remove and clean the liner. Let us know what type scabbard you have. Grey