Grey Doffin

Hi Steve, Do not try to clean the tang of your sword (the tang is the part that goes into the handle, with signature and date). Any attempt at cleaning might result in serious degradation of value. Here is a care and cleaning brochure you should take a few minutes to read (scroll down): https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ Cheers, Grey

Hi Micheal, If it is Japanese and edged weapon, from hundreds of years ago and up to recently made, including military swords, you will find it at the show. You will have little trouble selling a sword either. Ask my table mate Mark Jones to have a look; he does a lot of business in Japanese military swords. Cheers, Grey

Hi Harry, I think you mean nakago (tang) not mune. This one hasn't been replaced. What you see on the side of the nakago is a stain, not a weld, and the slight indentation at the back is where a tsuba has worn away at the mune of the nakago during decades, if not centuries, of use. Grey

Hi Miche, Katsumitsu. Can't judge age from just one picture of the mei. Grey

Hi Michael, It's Mark Jones I share tables with. Grey

Hi Michael, If you will attend only one day, Saturday will be best. You can take in the Care & Handling talk (usually 10 AM) and the NBTHK/AB, also usually, puts on a show of treasures sometime during the day. Make sure you do know proper handling (https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ and scroll down) and always a nice idea to ask permission before picking up a sword to look at. Be sure to ask all the questions you have and once asked, listen. The show is quite informal; don't worry about fitting in. If you buy a sword you can get it home in a checked bag, although you'll need a gun case or something similar for a long blade. I'd include a note to TSA, placed on top when the bag or case is opened, explaining that the bag contains an antique sword and no firearms. You can ship the sword home to yourself. I recommend registered mail form the post office (if you live in The States), using a stout tube and the requisite stampable paper tape to seal the tube. Registered is the safest shipping option for valuable items and, once you get above $1,00 or so in value, it is less expensive than regular priority with insurance. Another option for getting a sword home is asking the seller if he is willing to take it home and ship to you. Not all dealers will be willing but I know I would be. Have a mekugi nuki for removing pegs with you; gloves aren't necessary. Areas you should be particularly studying before hand? All of them. Lots of people are planning to attend. You'll have a great time; stop by Mark's & my tables and say hello. Grey

If I am not mistaken, this is Bishu Osafune Sukesada. Grey

Hi Brian, There are gobs of sword terms in Japanese; witness this book: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b103-1100-Japanese-sword-terms-and-400-named-blades but you don't need to know any where near that many to get started. Yumoto's The Samurai Sword: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b771-samurai-sword-handbook-yumoto or Sato's The Japanese Sword: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b138-Japanese-sword-kanzan-sato will cover the basics and that's enough to begin. Keep reading, studying, & looking at good swords; you'll be pleased with your progress. Grey

Hi Stan, To have the sword polished and mounted with new shirasaya and habaki, if necessary, by properly trained artisans will cost at least $2,000. To have it polished by an amateur would be foolish. I recommend a light coat of machine oil to stabilize the rust and not much more at the present. Take some time to learn about Japanese swords and what your options are; with better understanding you can make an informed decision. Maybe, someday, you'll decide to have a polish done but, you may also decide you're not that serious about collecting Japanese swords and you'll be happy you don't have way more into this one than you can ever recover by selling. No need to hurry. I'm willing to take a call and answer questions, if you like. Grey 218-726-0395 central time.

Hi Guys, I have just lowered prices on quite a few books. You'll find them at the top of my Book section on my site. https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/Books Best, Grey

Help, I posted, by accident, a screen shot of a customer's business along with a message to Tad. I deleted my post but Tad reposted it. I said: Hi Tad, Care and Cleaning: https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ Scroll down to the appropriate heading. For the time being, don't plan to get your sword polished. Proper polish (by a trained professional) is expensive and you don't know enough to appreciate it or keep it pristine (polishes are very easy to mess up). Take some time to learn about the sword and someday later, if you're still interested, you can have the work done. A light coat of oil on the polished part of the sword (not on the tang) is all that is necessary for preservation. Any light machine oil, like sewing machine oil, will do fine. By the way, polish by an untrained/self taught polisher is a terrible idea. Cheers, Grey And then Tad answered: Thanks! I will definitely not try to do any work on this sword myself. Still learning and have a long way to go. Very sorry to have used my ability to delete messages but, given the situation, I had no choice. Grey

Hi Dan, Maybe late Koto (16th century) or early Shinto (17th century) but in hand examination is needed for a more definite guess. Grey

Hi Adam, A great book for beginners and long-time collectors as well is Tosogu Classroom. Eventually this will be 5 large volumes (2 are currently available) of articles by Mr. Fukushi that appeared in the Japanese edition of Token Bijutsu over many years, translated to English by Markus Sesko. Collectively they will present today's understanding of the art and history of sword mounts, and they are very inexpensive (especially if you're a member of JSS/US or NBTHK). Tsuba Kanshoki, the 1975 edition with English, is well worth the price of admission: hundreds of photos and text that will help you understand the different traditions and schools. Mr. Sasano's 2 books in English are good for iron sukashi tsuba. The Art Appreciation of Japanese Sword Fittings, again by Fukushi and if you can find a copy, explains the context (folklore) behind design. The 10 auction catalogs by Robert Haynes do a much better job of explanation than the usual auction house catalogs. And there are many other fine books on the subject. If you click on Fittings Books under Book Categories on my website, you can see most of what's available. Cheers, Grey

Hi Paul, We need a close up picture of the white material. Grey

There well may be a character hidden under the piece of wood but it is very unlikely that it will tell us anything valuable. At best it will be the name of the man who made the handle core and could be something much less intetresting than that. Don't remove the piece of wood if damage will occur. Grey

Hi Charlie, No one will be able to tell you value accurately without seeing the sword in hand. That said, best guess given the condition (not the greatest), is somewhere between $600 and $1,200. That's just a guess; I could be way off. Resist all urges to fix/repair/improve the sword. Anything you try is likely to cause damage and lower value. Restoration needs to be left to properly trained craftsmen. Grey

Hizen Kuni Ju Kanemoto Saku. Grey

Hello Sarah/Eve, Excuse me if you already know proper care and handling; not all small museums with Nihonto in their collections do (sometimes with unfortunate results). Here is a link to a site with instructions (scroll down to Sword Care and Cleaning). https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ Grey

Hi Jason, I'd be very surprised if Aoi Art (Mr. Tsuruta) would knowingly sell a sword with a fake paper; I think you can safely assume that the paper is legit. You may disagree with the attribution on the paper but that's a different story. Grey

Hi Jason, Unless you're talking about a Tokubetsu Juyo paper (or maybe but not likely a Juyo paper), you'll get no where with this. So many Hozon and Tokubetsu Hozon papers have been issued, the NBTHK can't possibly keep track of details on every one. As long as the picture of the nakago (oshigata of nakago on older papers) matches your sword's nakago and you have no specific reason to doubt the paper's authenticity, all is well and you have no cause for concern. Grey

Thomas, Your text is written in invisible ink. Grey

Whether or not the cosmoline stains the blade, it sure does foul the inside of a saya, and that can never be cleaned. Grey

Hi Jason, Here is a link to care and handling: https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ Scroll down and click on Sword Care and Cleaning. Do not try to fix anything on the sword. Restoration should be left to properly trained pros and well meaning amateurs often do serious damage. Grey

Hi Charles, Of course every good or better Nihonto is unique and there are no absolutes so, in theory, this is what I think you can do with $10K. That should buy a quite good quality katana or tanto with Tokubetsu Hozon paper, signed and made by a well respected, near important, smith and mounted in shirasaya and/or nice but not great koshirae. A wakizashi of the same level would be maybe 1 or 2 K less expensive. This is meant to give a rough idea. As you are a relative beginner make sure you get good advise and deal with someone you can trust. Ask lots of questions (feel free to drive your seller nuts) and have fun. Grey

The 2nd book is Jidai Mitokoro Shu by Ikeda. Grey