Grey Doffin

Hi Richard, Not sure I understand but if all you're doing is receiving and reshipping you don't need anything; you just ship it. You might want to look into private insurance because the shipper will want proof of what you spent on the item before they pay out if there is a loss. Grey

I also think Kanetsugu and the date is Showa Ni Ju Nen Ichi Gatsu (January of 1945). The chippy writing found on WWII swords is often difficult to read. Grey

From Fujishiro, Sudo Kunitsugu. This is Screendoor Kuni. Grey

Maybe an abbreviation for Oei? Grey

or this one? Grey

Hi Jonas, Other than cleaning off the bit of cosmoline than remains at the top of the nakago (alcohol and a rag) there is nothing you can do to improve the sword's appearance and a lot you might dream up that could do damage. Leave it be. Grey

I will be there with all swords and kodogu from my site. If any of you would like a book from my site and would like to save on postage, good chance I can deliver the book at the show. Cheers, Grey

The blade is shinogi zukuri, mumei, suriage or o-suriage (3 mekugi-ana), 26 3/4" nagasa. My best guess at the moment is Hizen-to. I'm unable to find anything about Murai Saburoemon. Do any of you have any information? Might this be an alternate name for someone in the Murai family of testers? Thanks, Grey

Thank you everyone. Grey

Thanks John. I was getting parts of that but not enough to be sure. Hope someone can fill in the blanks. And thanks for the compliment Joe, but I'm often stumped. Grey

Hi guys, A katana, which will be for sale, just came in and I'm having trouble with the mei or cutting test or whatever it is. Written in 2 sections with a gap between, and the blade is suriage so I can't guarantee there wasn't more to read below at sometime. Greatly appreciative of any help you can provide. Thanks, Grey

Hi Kennin, Seki gane are the soft metal plugs at the top and bottom of the nakago ana on a tsuba, there to provide a good fit with the nakago and to keep an iron tsuba from abrading the nakago. Hitsu-ana are the openings on either side of the nakago ana on a tsuba for kogai and kotsuka. Grey

Fuchi/kashira papered to Ko-Kinko by the Fittings Museum. Grey

Marcello, Reading the mei was easy; researching the mei will take work and you should be the one to do it. Go to google; bet you'll find examples you can compare with. You'll learn something in the process also. Grey

Hi Marcello, Tamba no Kami Yoshimichi. Grey

Hi Matt, Rules here are that you're supposed to sign with at least a first name. I know Matt and can tell you he'd be a great guy to deal with. Nice stuff; nice site. Grey

A good example was posted here a year or so ago. A young guy who was a volunteer at a local museum wrote to ask about a few Japanese swords in the collection, swords he had been told to research and conserve. Since the museum wasn't concerned about value and only wanted the swords to be preserved, the volunteer had taken it upon himself to abrasively clean the nakagos so they wouldn't rust. It hadn't occurred to him that the patina on the nakago was allowed to accumulate over time because it provided excellent protection against rust, and it hadn't occurred to him to ask questions before he took this disasterous step. There are very few museums on earth qualified to keep Nihonto (The Metropolitan, Boston MFA, those in the UK already mentioned, and a bunch in Japan come to mind), but few of us own swords any of them would be interested in. The rest of our collections are in much better hands with collectors. Grey

Hi Steve, Unless you know the people at the museum (both now and in the future) very well, and unless the museum is one with a department that regularly displays Japanese Samurai art (and even better if it displays swords and kodogu), sorry to say but I believe it's true, there is a good chance your collection will rot in drawers in the basement. Your museum may be different (hope so) but the large majority of museums that get willed Nihonto really have no interest in regularly displaying or properly maintaining the pieces and they (swords especially) suffer. If you want to kill a Samurai sword, give it to the local museum. If you want it preserved, sell it to a serious collector. But maybe your story is different. Grey

I meant to say much of what has already been said. I would never take a consignment to my site without 1st having a definite decision on the asking price. But then I screwed up on the post osmehow and went to bed. Grey

Hi Curtis,

Norichika, I believe. This is an older blade in WWII era handle and saya (scabbard) of unknown age. As such it doesn't hold much value as a military collectible but the blade can do quite well by itself without help from the mounts; could be a nice thing with good value. Grey

The mei is spelled right (Umetada Saku) but that means nothing because the tsuba is worthless. Grey

Steve, You say, "I will never offer polishing services to the public" It makes zero difference to anyone who owns the sword. "I do not advocate that "amateurs" polish nihonto" Unless the amateur happens to be you? "minimal amount of work to determine salvageability and worthiness of professional restoration" Minimal would be at most a touch of hazuya, or better yet having a properly trained polisher open a window. It makes no difference how much you've invested in books where polish is concerned; you can't learn polishing from a book (never happened, never will). "I know far more about the forging of swords and polishing them than I do about kantei of swords of unknown provenance" My point was, a polisher has to know kantei better than anyone else. He has to know what the proper geometry should be, what color the steel should be, what the hamon and hada are and how they should present, and so much more before he starts to polish a sword. You are not rescuing anything. You are taking the very real chance that you will do serious, uncorrectable damage to something important. Not saying this sword is important; we don't know that yet (you don't either). What I am saying is that without proper training you have no business doing what you are. But I know this won't stop you or any of the others in the pile of untrained polisher wanabees. You are so convinced that it is the other guys who'll make the serious mistake; you are the one to whom the rules don't apply. Grey

Hi Steve, You are the polisher; you're supposed to know school & period before you touch blade to stone. Grey

How do you move the mune machi down to increase the nagasa? Grey