Grey Doffin

I would stay away from all auctions for your swords. Unless you have something very important, a big auction house will just shunt them off to one of their secondary, dealer's auctions. A lesser auction house isn't likely to have the expertise to describe them correctly and give them the exposure you want for them. I think you're better off with the right sword dealer. Grey

No gamble at $2K; I would pay that for it today. Grey

And donating to a museum would be the second worst. Only the Boston MFA and New York's Metropolitan have serious Nihonto collections and they probably wouldn't be interested in anything you would have to donate. At any other museum the swords would rot in the basement. There are many Japanese sword dealers in the US, some of them honest, knowledgeable, and competent. You're on the right track. You need to find the right dealer and make arrangements before it's too late. In my somewhat humble opinion. Grey

My guess is either Shin-Shinto or later, or the business end of something that was broken at or above the machi and remade into a short wakizashi. If the latter, no idea why the signature unless it was added to increase the value. Grey

I have always associated a dry, dull patina with iron tsuba that have been burnt. My guess is that it isn't burnt and also that it isn't old enough to be ko Tosho. The placement of the sukashi, allowing room for Kotsuka and Kogai hitsu-ana, suggests to me that the ana are original to the tsuba. The condition, I think, is most likely the result of corrosion. But, what do I know about tsuba? Grey

Mariuszk, 1st, I meant no offense or disrespect. My point is, if someone were qualified to add nigui (whatever that is) he would know if and when it was appropriate to do so. Conversely, if someone doesn't know if it is appropriate to add nigui, he isn't qualified to do it. Grey

Couldn't agree more, Remzy. Mariuszk, the fact that you have to ask the question is evidence enough that you don't know all the ramifications. Japanese sword restoration should be left to those with proper training. Grey

A search of my index for listings containing "Inuyama" gives us 3 smiths who signed with the 1st Kanji Kane: Kanetake 兼武, Kaneuji 兼氏, and Kanewaka 兼若. I don't think any of these fit the last Kanji on the tanto in question. Grey

I'm voting for Kanemichi. Grey

Masachika 正近 Namie Suke date: 1848 citations TS352 Hi Todd, That's the listing from my index, if this is the one you're looking for. TS is Zuikan Tomei Soran by Iida.

Thanks guys. I used that Kanji. Grey

Hi again, I have one more hole in my index. Fujishiro Shinto-hen, page 102, there is an oshigata of Fudo Yoshimune. I've tried a dozen different ways to find the Kanji for mune on the language bar and on Breen's Kanji finder. No luck. Can someone get that Kanji in print and email it to me? Thanks, Grey

Hi John, I'm not able to stick a photo in the index; I have to have text I can copy and paste. Does anyone know of a Japanese site with a listing for a sword signed with a kikumon? If they have the kikumon in the text below the oshigata, I can copy from that. Hi Michael, Thank you. I just emailed the 2 smiths I need. And thanks to Mark Jones for the listings in Zuikan Tomei Soran. Take care, Grey

I have the Kanji from Zuikan Tomei Soran; I need one picture from Jukken and one from Gendai Toko Meikan. Can anyone help? Grey

Jeremy, Moses would be the one to ask that question; he knows more about the sword than any of us will be able to tell from the pictures. Grey

At the time this work (replacing the rim) would have been done, would the tsuba have been valuable enough to warrant the expense and or bother of the replacement? Doesn't seem likely. What makes more sense to me is that the tsuba was made the way it is, with modeling/undercutting where the design meets the rim. Of course, what do I know? Grey

No one has stepped forward to help with the missing Kanji from 3 books so how about plan B? I'm looking for someone/s who own the book/s and a digital camera with a decent macro function, who could send me pictures I can work from. I need pictures of 7 sword smith names from Zuikan Tomei Soran by Iida, 1 picture from Jukken by Shibata, and one picture from Gendai Toko Meikan by Ono. If you're willing to help please email me (link below). Thanks, Grey

I've got the computer instructions. Thanks Brian. Grey

A great blade can have a wooden habaki, a crap blade can have a nice habaki, and everything between. I would think that on average a wooden habaki would be a hint of lesser quality in the blade, but I wouldn't for one minute dismiss a blade based on the habaki alone. Grey

There is one more item I could use help with. I know that not every computer will display Kanji. I checked my index yesterday at the local library and the Kanji showed as question marks. The index of swordsmiths is less useful if the user can't see the Kanji in the smith's name. I would like to have a paragraph or 2 in the index tutorial about how to set your computer to display Kanji, but I don't know how to do it. Can someone do a short writeup on the process for both Windows and Macs that I can include in the tutorial? email link below. Thanks, Grey

Hi guys, My "Index of Japanese Sword Literature" is now open for business. You'll find it at jssus.org and click on the JSL Index tab. It isn't 100% complete; there's still a few details to tweak with the software. Most notably, there is a field for listings in the Juyo Token and Tokuju books that isn't showing. Otherwise, I think you'll find it useful. If so, please join the JSS/US. With more members we can accomplish more. Please spread the word. This is the only online forum I post to; maybe some of you could let the others know. I'm missing a few Kanji for swordsmith's names (12 total); I'm wondering if someone is willing to help. There are 2 books in the index that I don't own and for which I'm missing some Kanji: Zuikan Tomei Soran by Iida and Jukken by Shibata. If you have either of these and know your way around an online Kanji finder, please email me (link below) and I'll send you the list. Also, I need a line drawing of the Kikumon for smith Kikugyosaku (Emperor Gotoba) and the clock face mon used by Shinto smith Lekko (page 147 in Fujishiro's Shinto-hen). Can someone email me one or the other that I can paste in place? Any case, check it out; enjoy. Take care, Grey

I have a guide to fakes on my ebay ME page. Search ebay for seller greyguy0 and click on the ME button. Grey

Hi Piers, I'm up to about 1,800 of 3,250 or so. Most of them go quick but some can take 10 or 15 minutes per Kanji. Gendai smiths are particularly troublesome; did they have contests to find the most obscure Kanji? When I get to the end, if I haven't been able to fill in everything, I will post here hoping for examples I can copy and paste. Grey

Hi guys, I am busy these days adding Knaji to the online version of my "Index of Japanese Sword Literature". I'm using the language bar of Windows XP to place the Kanji in the names of the 3,000 or so swordsmiths included. Most of the time I can type in the romanji for the smith's name and get a list of Kanji that includes the one I need. In some instances the Kanji I need isn't included under it's Romanji and I have to type in Romanji for another reading of the Kanji to get what I want. For instance, I type in tsutsumu to get 包, for Kane, since typing Kane doesn't work. In rare instances, none of the readings I have in my 2 Kanji dictionaries (Koop & Inada and Nelson's) elicit the Kanji I want; no matter which of the readings I try the desired Kanji won't appear (How can there be 405 ways to write 'Kou' in Japanese and none of them being the one I need?). Do any of you have a suggestion? Perhaps an online dictionary, similar to Nelson's with Kanji and Romanji readings, but with different readings? Is there an older dictionary that might have older readings for the Kanji? I don't read Japanese other than sword signatures so any reference will have to provide Romanji. If necessary I can live with the index being 99% complete but it would be nice to get those last few. By the way, I'm about 1 week away from letting everyone have at it. Once the Kanji are in it's open to all. Grey

There are no givens with Nihonto. Grey