Grey Doffin

Brian, Glad to do something stupid so others can learn. I often have trouble with my computer; last night was no exception. Shinshu was the best I could come up with also. Thanks for the help. Grey

Please work.

Maybe the picture will appear this way. ftp://ftp.cpinternet.com/homepage/137_3756.JPG Grey

Since I can think of no advantage in an unusually shaped ana I would guess this is a nakago with 3 mekugi-ana, and 2 of them share space. In other words, the smaller top part of the keyhole is an older ana and the larger bottom hole was added nearly on top later to fit a different tsuka. My opinion and a buck gets you a ride on the bus. Grey

The picture right above this post shows kiri (horizontal with the blade upright) yasurime, unless my old eyes are failing me. Grey

The signature is definitely a forgery and the yasurime (file marks are wrong also. I wouldn't expect the blade to be anything special. It shouldn't be worth much. Grey

Guess you knew that. The closest match in Fujishiro's Koto-hen is listed as Kanemoto, Kodai. Kodai means unknown later generation, I believe. The nakago definitely looks Seki, but later than Sue-Koto. Hope this helps. Grey

Kanemoto.

I have a group index of over 50 Japanese sword references (all the major and quite a few minor) and sorry to say that Sadanobu is included in none of them. The only Sadanobu that made it into the index signed "Bishu Onomichi Ju Goami" and has a date of 1494. Grey

The NBTHK/American Branch has a thorough care and etiquette brochure on line that discusses oiling technique. You will find it here: http://www.nbthk-ab.org/Etiquette.htm Take care, Grey

My guess would be Bishu. Grey

And don't ever use a fake for cutting practice. They can shatter and send pieces flying. Grey

I can also recommend Yumei Koto Taikan by Iimura. It covers Koto only, but is available in the $400 range. Shinto Taikan, also by Iimura is a good reference for Shinto and Shin-shinto Taikan finishes off the set. Few of us can afford to buy all the great books at once; buying any one of the above would be a good start on a library. Grey

The mei reads, "Inouye Shinkai". He was a big name in early Shinto times, so gimei is always a possibility. Good luck. Grey

I vote Chinese fake. Grey

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I don't think there is any doubt about this being aikuchi; it definitely is. Looks very nice. Grey

Something I've wondered for a while: those fake Japanese swords on ebay, the ones that were supposedly made by Chinese slaves, when & where & for what purpose were they made? I don't believe the slave story, I never saw one till I 1st logged onto ebay, they all have the same amount of dirt and corrosion which tells me they must be artificially aged: they've got to be fakes. But why would someone/some company go to all that trouble to make something that looks nothing like the original? Can any of you enlighten me? I'd appreciate it. Grey

To my knowlege the article doesn't exist in digital form. Barry Hennick is our (JSS/US) web master; Barry, can you help here? Grey

Chris Leung wrote an excellent article on the subject of habaki schools and traditions that appeared in the December, 2005 (Volume 37, #6) "Newsletter" of the JSS/US. Grey

This 1st sold on ebay for $16,000. It was then resold on ebay for $12,000. Since then I've seen it offered twice on ebay, both times with a note to contact the seller directly and buy it for $1,000. This is an obvious scam. The crook has hijacked someone else's ebay account and is using it to list pictures and description of the sword he doesn't have (he copied the pix and words off the 2nd legitimate sale). Any time you see a sword offered on ebay, with a note to contact the seller and buy it direct, you can figure it's a scam. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "Report this item". Naxt, hit "Listing policy violations", "Circumvention of ebay fees", & "Offering merchandise for sale outside of ebay". Then you can email the item # to ebay and shut down the jerk. Grey

Sorry about that; they don't have next year's show up yet. The dates are February 9th through the 11th, 2007, and the location is the Tampa Airport Marriott. Grey

Ed, You will find information about next February's show at the Tampa Airport hotel at the Florida Token Kai's website here: http://www.floridatokenkai.com/index.html Grey