Grey Doffin

Hi Ryan, From top to bottom: Sukehisa Ju Ku in blue paint. the # 15 ? 1573 Yoshichika and the last 2 pix are Showa Ju Hachi Nen. Showa 18 or 1943 You need my Kanji Flashcards: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/kanji-flashcards Cheers, Grey

Hi Marco, Usually fukure in the yakiba (hardened area of the blade) can't be repaired but even if the fukure is above the yakiba it is an expensive repair and is warranted only if the sword is very good quality or better. You don't mention what your sword is but unless it is special you should leave it be; don't go looking for a polisher. This isn't a fatal flaw but it is a large negative. A reputable dealer should have told you about this before you bought the sword. If a collector comes to me wanting to buy a sword, I tell him everything (the fukure would have been mentioned in my description; it is only fair. Not saying I'm a saint; this is how it should be. Grey

1st 2 characters are Sawada: Sawada Kanemitsu Saku. The stamp is from the Seki arsenal; it tells us that the sword was processed at that arsenal and that the blade is not traditionally made. Grey

Hi Michael, I agree with Steve and can add that, while the tsuba doesn't appear to be cast it does appear to be late and mediocre. I don't think this is worth restoration; it is too far gone. Grey.

The pocket is made by cutting/planing a flat on the side of the saya and then gluing on a piece of wood with a recess cut into it that forms the sides and outside of the pocket (the inside surface of the pocket is the flat on the saya). I think I have this right. Grey

How about Shinshinto or later? There appears to be a mix of different steels showing on the omote (what I can see of the ura looks tired), something I wouldn't expect on an earlier blade. Grey

Sometime back, now sold, I had a daisho pair with inlay: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/tsuba-%26-kodogu/t515-7-kogatana-1-daisho-pair-gold-inlay Grey

Hi A. Definitely an older blade but to know much about how old and from which group of swordsmiths it comes you'll have to track down someone who is knowledgeable and honest to take a look in hand for you. There is only so much that can be learned from photos. In case you're new to Nihonto (you don't say), here is a care and handling brochure you would be smart to read at least once. http://nbthk-ab.org/cleaning-maintenance.php Blade looks nice. Grey

Years ago I bought and sold a kamikaze dirk. Wood burned onto the saya was a poem that a Japanese friend read for me as, Shi Sho Ge Hana Buki (or at least that is how I remember it). He said it translates to, After death, like flower petals blowing in the wind. I don't have a picture; sorry, just my memory. Grey

Hi Mifune? Your sword is signed, I believe, Morimichi. It is a wakizashi (medium length sword) from the Shinto (new sword) period, somewhere between 1600 and 1850 maybe. Here is a care and handling brochure you would be smart to read at least once: http://nbthk-ab.org/cleaning-maintenance.php Do not try to extract the menuki; doing so will damage the handle wrap. Make sure there is a pin through the hole in the handle and tang of the blade; without this pin the blade can fall out of the handle and shatter its point, either in the scabbard bottom or on the floor. If the pin is missing whittle a new one from a chopstick and do it ASAP. If you'd like to call with questions feel free to ring me sometime; glad to help. Best, Grey 218-726-0395 central time

Hi guys A consignor to my site has asked me to lower prices on 4 very fine pieces of kodogu. They are F205, F206, F207, & F209, and you will find them at the top of my Tsuba & Kodogu page here: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/Tsuba-&-Kodogu These are significant reductions on great stuff (3rd Goto Joshin, for example); have a look please. If you are interested in something, please contact me by email through the site, not by personal message on NMB; I need your emails to keep track of business. Thanks, Grey

Hi Dick, For 2 reasons: 1 that they are a bit too large and 2 because they are pretty much identical, I don't think these are menuki. No idea what they are meant to be originally but exactly what they are at present may be the answer (they were made this way). I would leave them be; there is nothing to be gained and much could be lost if you tried to remove the backing. But I could be wrong. Grey

Hi Thomas, Chris, whichever, I don't think the bolt is original; there should be a bamboo pin. You can whittle one to fit from a good quality chopstick (not the standard Chinese restaurant throw away variety). Here is a link to a care and handling brochure; you should read it carefully. It will tell you how to remove and replace the handle. http://nbthk-ab.org/cleaning-maintenance.php Cheers, Grey

Hi Juan, None scheduled that I know of and there will be none until the pandemic abates and people, especially Japanese shinsa teams, can travel. Grey

I did some checking on M-Bags. They still are in use but not by much. They can be used only for books and periodicals and the like. The items you're shipping have to be boxed before they're put into the bag and each box inside the bag must weigh no more than 4 pounds. M-bags are not trackable and carry no insurance. Not a great solution to any problem I can think of. Grey

Morning Michael, Your pictures don't show a mekugi (the bamboo pin that locks the blade in the handle). If the pin is missing be sure to whittle a new one ASAP. Without the mekugi the blade can fall out of the handle and shatter its point, either in the scabbard bottom or on the floor. You can use a chopstick for this. Grey

Hi Ron, If you can get the seller to list it as "antique, more than 100 years old" on the customs form all should be fine. Odds are quite good that US Customs won't even open the package; at most they'll put it through some sort of scanning machine and send it on. Grey

Hi Jonathan, 1st, to reinforce what has been said already, don't buy this sword. It is nothing anybody should want to collect and it is far too compromised to warrant restoration. I suggest you buy your next sword after you have put some serious time into study. If you wanted to collect old master oils you wouldn't start by going to a flea market; it is no different with Nihonto. Only with knowledge can you understand and appreciate what you purchase. Grey

Hi Mike, There was no show in 2019 and I have heard nothing about a 2020 show, which would have been cancelled in any case. Grey

Hi Dan, Unless there is a delay for some unknown reason, surface post from Japan to the US should take only 2 months. Grey

Hi George, If it is repurposed it would have been polished originally, there is no way to know, other than general tanto mounts, what the original mounts looked like, and a properly trained polisher (not a self taught amateur) can tell you if it would make sense to spend the money for polish and shirasaya. Grey

Hi Geoffry, What Christian said is so true. You have saved money on a polish and done serious damage to the sword and significantly reduced its value. Your friend has no business polishing Japanese swords; he doesn't have proper training. You said it looks a lot better than how it was before. When I look at your before picture I see a fine old blade with real potential. When I look at the pictures after polish I see a mess that may not be repairable. Grey

Hi, is Yosaton your name? This is some variety of fake Japanese sword, most likely made sometime after WWII. The temper (hamon) is cosmetic only and it looks like the whole edge is quite dull. This was made as a collectible; it isn't anywhere near authentic for WWII or any other time of Nihonto history. Grey

Hi Pete, I have shipped hundreds, maybe a thousand packages overseas with my website. I have never once written a weight on a customs form; the postal clerk writes the weight of the package and that is sufficient. If a customer asks for a lower than actual value on the customs form I explain that I am limited by that value for the insurance I can buy and it will be the customer's risk of loss. I have never once had a package refused by any customs. And to figuring out which is the city and which is the province, if there is any confusion (doesn't seem likely to be the case) it doesn't matter. USPS will send it to the proper country and the postal employees in that country will know which is which. You can use any shipping service you like, nothing to me, but you're making shipping with the postal service far more complicated than necessary. Grey

Hi Pete, The hassle of international shipping is that you have to fill in a customs form; takes about a minute. Otherwise shipping international is about the same as shipping anywhere else: you take it to the post office, pay the price, and you're done. Grey