Grey Doffin

Hi Don, The koshirae is WWII but the blade is earlier, and it used to be longer. Grey

Steven, While it is possible that this is signed by one of the other smiths who used Sa as a name (11 total in Hawley's), because the mei is a bit crudely cut I'm guessing that this is a gimei of O-Sa, one of Masamune's 10 students and a very important smith. Pity the nakago has been so brutally cleaned. Grey

Rich, Just my luck I'd be around the corner. Grey

That isn't origami; it is the sword's registration paper from the Japanese gov't. It tells you only that it is a sword and that it has been registered; it says nothing about quality, correctness of mei, age, condition, etc. Grey

Arnaud, If you crop your pictures, get rid of the floor, you should be able to post. Any digital camera software will allow easy cropping. Grey

Thanks Ron, Sounds like exactly what would be done to a bent sword. I don't own the gun in question but saw one this past weekend. I was curious about the procedure; now I know. Thanks, Grey

Hi guys, If the barrel of a matchlock were to suffer a slight and gradual bend, how difficult would it be, or is it even possible, to straighten? I know how to straighten a sword; never had any experience with a matchlock barrel. Thanks, Grey

Afu Research under the Books Link. Grey

If you have something you want translated that is longer than lower level papers, Juyo papers for instance, Harry Afu Watson (see links on NMB) does a great job at a reasonable fee. Grey

Hi Steve, When I think of active red rust I think of something building up from the surface of the tsuba. In the 3 examples you present I see nothing of concern. At most, I see a red tinge that is likely just the color amplification you mention. In deed, I often find when I photograph iron tsuba, that they appear redder in the pictures than in life. When I clean an iron tsuba I try to remove anything on the tsuba that appears built up, obviously red, and/or crumbly and easily removed. Once I'm down to the original surface I can figure that the tsuba is stable and that the patina will take care of itself. This is oversimplification, I know, but not far off what usually happens. Grey

This is news to me; I thought anyone could own a sword as long as it was registered with the government. Can someone explain, please? Grey

Kore wo Tsukuru. Made this. Grey

From Fujishiro's Nihon Toko Jiten: Shinto Hen Grey

Hi Dave, Definitely hand made and earlier than WWII. Hard to tell much more without seeing at least better pictures, and may even require in hand viewing by someone who knows Nihonto to tell more. The habaki, the soft metal collar on the blade: is that a gold foil over copper? If so, it would be a good sign of quality as better made habaki tend to be found on better made blades. Where do you live? Perhaps we can put you in touch with someone to take a look. In the mean time, you need to get the scabbard and handle back together so they can protect the blade. There is a simple way to do this that won't do any damage and is totally reversible if need be; should take you about half an hour. If you live in the States feel free to give me a call and I'll talk you through it. If not, let me know and I'll take the time to type up directions and post them here. Cheers, Grey 218-726-0395 central time

None of the Yasusada who made it into any of my references signed like this; maybe it isn't Yasusada. My gut reaction on seeing the nakago was Shinshin-to up to meiji. My gut reaction and a buck gets you on the bus. Grey

Hi Maria, Here is a method you can try to remove the handle. This method should be tried only on swords with cast military tsuba, like the sword in question, or with iron tsuba without soft metal additions. Never try this with a soft metal tsuba. Make sure the pin (mekugi) is out of the handle and check lower down the handle to make sure there isn't a 2nd mekugi. Fold a bath towel in thirds lengthwise and lay the towel on a workbench or kitchen counter with about 3 or 4 inches of the towel hanging over the edge. Lay the side of the blade flat on the towel and slide the sword forward so the tsuba bumps into the towel hanging over the edge. It might take a few bumps and you might have to carefully increase the force of the bump, but eventually the blade will start to slide loose from the handle. Once loose you can grab the blade below the habaki on its nakago (tang) and remove it from the handle. Keep track of all the parts; keep them in order so they can be replaced correctly. The sword care website you've found already shows how to replace the blade in the handle. Make sure the pin goes back in, and if the old pin is falling apart make a new one out of a chopstick. It is very important that the pin be in the sword. While you have the handle off, do not clean the nakago in any way. In fact, don't try to clean/fix anything on the sword; any attempts to make it better will only make it worse and damage value. The handle is tight because it hasn't been off in a long time. After you have the handle off once it should be easier the next time you try. I'm in The US, central time zone. If you're in The States also and have questions about trying this feel free to call. Grey 218-726-0395

Years ago I was lucky enough to be invited upstairs at the NBTHK by Mr. Tanobe, and was shown many wonderful swords. One was a signed and dated, very early Bungo tachi. The blade was retempered but held Juyo status because it was the only existing blade with a date by this smith, making it a very important historical reference and worthy of the paper. Grey

Andrew, Low quality uchiko can contain coarse particles that will scratch the polished surface of the blade. Used often enough the scratches add up and cloud the surface. No need to use any uchiko very often, though. Grey

Hi folks, Here's a heads up for JSS/US members. The issue of our Newsletter that is arriving right about now contains glaring print mishaps; large sections of text are missing from 2 of the articles. A Mac got angry with a PC at our printer and the Newsletter suffered the consequences. We will reprint the articles correctly in our next issue this year. Grey

Hi Ray, Your tsuba is likely to date to the 1st half of the Edo period, either that or the 2nd half (hedging my bets). It's a style that was made in great quantities and probably over a long time frame; you see a lot of them at the shows. Not sure which school it would be attributed to. The fuchi has a mon (family crest) on it, not snowflakes but plant leaves. Once again, this is a common theme on kodogu. I'm not much of an authority on fittings so maybe someone else can educate both of us. Hopes this helps. Grey

Hi Simon, Look at the picture of the whole blade, and especially at the area either side of the ha-machi (notch at the start of the edge). When a sword is polished a bit of the sword disappears. After too many polishes the ha-machi can disappear; the edge is ground back far enough that the blade width at the machi is the same width as the top of the nakago. This sword has a ha-machi only because the last few polishes left the area above the nakago alone, which gives the blade a skirt above the machi, and because the top of the edge of the nakago has been ground back. If this weren't the case the ha of the nakago would be a consistent curve to the machi and the ha above the machi would be consistently curved also. When a sword has been polished too many times the core steel (shin-tetsu) can start to show through. This often shows as featureless dark patches of steel and unusually coarse grain. Can you see any of this on the sword in question? Grey

Bizen no Kuni no Ju Osafune Sukesada. Grey

Hi Simon, I recently wrote an answer to part of your question for the Board's FAQ. I don't think Brian used it there so here it is. Grey I HAVE MY 1ST SWORD, I WANT TO GET IT POLISHED AND OR REMOUNTED, WHAT SHOULD I DO? Slow down Grasshopper; take some time to learn more about Nihonto. With a little more knowledge and experience you may discover that you’re glad you didn’t make those expensive moves. Pretty much all beginners start this way; they want to own the flashiest sword possible. But in the case of polish, you might find once you’ve a few years study under your belt, that you wish you’d saved your money to spend on a better sword to have polished. Polishes are expensive, and unless the sword is good quality, you won’t recover the price of polish when you decide to sell and move up. And the same goes for remounting your blade. If your blade is in military mounts or shira-saya (plain wooden) and you want to assemble Samurai parts for a traditional mount, do so with the understanding that you’ll loose a significant percentage of what you spend when you decide to sell. Collectors are looking for original mounts, not something put together 3 years ago by an amateur. Learning Nihonto takes time; there is no way around that. Maybe that sword is the one you want to have polished or remounted but study first. You won’t regret it.

My understanding: At the end of WWII the US and the other countries involved signed a treaty governing the return of art treasures. If the piece in question was somehow recognized by the home country as a treasure before the war, after the war that country can demand return. The pre-war Kokuho, Bizen Saburo Kunimune tachi that Dr. Compton found and returned to Japan is a good example. If I'm correct about the treaty, had Dr. Compton not voluntarily returned the sword, Japan could have demanded its return. Anyone know more or better? Grey

Hi David, You might want to change the title of your sale before you get a bid and no longer will be able to change it. I think ebay has a rule against selling concealed knives or sword canes or something like that. If they find the sale they'll end it. I may be wrong but I think not. Grey