Grey Doffin

Hi Adam, I can't tell you where in Germany to get a new tsuka but just in case you don't already know, be very careful with this sword until you do get a tsuka for it. Without a tsuka with mekugi, there is nothing but friction with the habaki holding the blade in place inside the saya. If the saya is bumped the blade can move down inside and chip it's kissaki on the saya bottom. In the mean time, you might want to jerry rig something to limit the travel of the blade into the saya (2 sticks and a stout rubber band maybe?). Or does anyone have a better solution? Grey

Actually, it isn't all that uncommon for the value of a Samurai sword to be purposefully disguised. I have a monumentally valuable katana that was disguised with kizu, ware, ha-giri, shin-tetsu, sai-ba, and numerous fukure in all the right places, as well as gi-mei. In fact, the disguise is so masterfully done that few, if any of you would be able to realize this sword for the true treasure it is. In case there is one among you who has the native intelligence to appreciate this gem, send gobs of money and it's yours. Grey

Well, the sword has sold above $4,700. Wonder how long it will be before we start seeing spurious railway stamps on originally unstamped gunto nakagos. Glad I don't collect anything that is both valuable and easily faked beyond detection. I'll stick with high quality Nihonto, which are not easily faked. Grey

Fabian, Some of the characters match Japanese writing because they are used in both the Japanese & Chinese languages. Kanji means "Chinese characters" in Japanese. If you want to own a real Japanese sword and you didn't know if this sword is real or not, then you need to spend some time with books and at sword shows before you buy a sword. At your current level of knowledge you stand as good a chance of buying junk as you do of buying something worth owning. Study, Grasshopper. Grey

Whether hand made or machine made it won't be great, or even mediocre, art. So, once you have it what do you do with it? How many times are you going to look closely at it? What's there to see? It may be a good investment but I doubt it. On ebay you'll be paying top dollar, maybe even more than a realistic top price. I think you'd do better with the money in the stock market. Pride of ownership? Owning one of a few known to exist? If that works for you that's fine. Wouldn't do much for me but so what? It's your money and yours to spend as you wish. Grey

Hi Jimmy, I have 4 references in my library with oshigata of Masachika. Given that there were maybe 4 different smiths with this signature (according to Hawley's) who could have made your sword, and that my oshigata probably aren't all from the same smith, the mei on your sword does fit well with some of those oshigata. What's more, the mei on your sword feels right; it looks like a true signature, not a forged one. Grey

Dan, The opinion is more likely to be favorable if I get the liquid corn before I see the sword. Grey

There will be no shinsa in Chicago (unless you want to pay outrageous amounts for my opinion) and I've heard nothing about one at the San Francisco show. Grey

Scrounge if you like but it is much quicker to look at the Index on the JSS/US website, where, if you search the 'articles' index for Token Yoran you find: JSS/US "Newsletter", volume 31, issue 1, page 1 and "Art and the Sword" volume 3, page 129. While you're there be sure to join the JSS/US. Grey

The title and author of this book, please. Nihon Koto ??? Thanks, Grey

Hi guys, When I made a room reservation for the Chicago show I was told that only rooms with 1 king bed were available at the show rate. That was a mistake on the hotel's part and that mistake has been corrected. If any of you had the same trouble and would like 2 double beds, call the hotel and they'll make the change for you. Grey

So, they are either both right..... or both wrong. Grey

I don't know what kind of soul I am, and I don't know if this is shoshin mei (the article doesn't say), but this is from page 37 of Number 17 of the Florida Token Kai's "Newsletter". Other than that you can look to page 143 of Zuikan Tomei Soran by Iida, and page 70 of Nihon Meisaku Shu by Shibata, neither of which I own. Grey

Fedex doesn't carry swords either. That is, they may carry them if you're careful not to tell them what it is they're carrying, but if you have a claim to make then they don't carry them. Every time I go searching for the one true best way to ship Nihonto I end up back where I started, at the post office. Grey

Todd, Check my index on the JSS/US website and you'll find quite a few references to this smith. Grey

Hi Adam, Hard to tell much from a photo but if that is a hamon that runs out the front of the kissaki there are only 2 explanations I can think of. The 1st is the one you mention: broken kissaki reshaped with a cosmetic hamon made to look like the turnback and kaeri. The 2nd would be a secondary hamon associated with with a flaw known as "crow's beak" (I forget the Japanese term). This is a ware in the kissaki, an opening running about where your hamon seems to run. I've seen a few of these and once, but only once, I saw a crow's beak that had a hamon associated with it. If this is the case, your sword has 2 hamons in the kissaki: one where it belongs and the other a mistake. Grey

Musashi no Kami Nagamichi. 1661 according to Hawleys. An oshigata on page 185 of Fujishiro's Shinto Hen isn't a very close match. Grey

In case any of you are interested, an auction off ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/1950s-Japanese-Samu ... dZViewItem Anyone recognize the smith/s in these pictures? Grey

I bought a wakizashi from this seller, skapala, and it showed up without its boshi. Still haven't got my money back. Be careful if you do a deal with him. Grey

No question; a fake. Grey

Ric, From what I know and can tell from the pictures, with the koshirae and at that nagasa, I would say that $2,000 and maybe a bit more would be safe. Without knowing more, I wouldn't say that at $2,500 or above, especially in today's market. In other words, even if the sword is gimei and has a few very minor problems, it should be worth 2 - 2.5K, but probably not too much more. Of course, if the mei is right and there are no problems, it is worth more, and if there are serious problems (ha giri, nioi giri, retemper, bad fukure, etc.), it would be worth less. This is just a guess; probably all anyone can give you given the lack of information we're working with. Hope this helps, Grey

Hi Dan, Sword is signed, "Omi Daijo Fujiwara Yukimitsu". If the signature is good it dates from the late 17th century. My guess is that this will polish up nicely; the rust looks to be sitting on the surface without much pitting. It needs to be shown to a qualified polisher; the sooner the better. Grey

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