ROKUJURO

To me, this TANTO looks like an item from MEIJI or TAISHO JIDAI.

It seems the subject has been used by other artists as well: https://www.aoijapan.com/kozuka-shozui-old-pine-tree-and-bear/

The plate of the TSUBA reminds me of TENBO style.

Jean Paul, I am no expert in this field but I am not sure that this is correct.

ORIBE style.

Rolling Thunder, please sign all posts with your first name plus an initial so that we may address you properly. The photos are foggy, blurry or upside-down. In my opinion they do not allow a safe assessment of what you have there. It could well be a genuine sword, but I cannot exclude the possibility that the blade is a copy.

It would indeed work like a drill and make a big hole, but as Steve wrote, it might be difficult on a big ship. By the way, it is not necessary to drill a hole in the bottom of a ship to sink it. Just one foot below the waterline can be enough. This strange tool may have been used together with a fork wrench.

I have a problem understanding of how to read the article. I tried to open up an account but that did not work. I filled in all information, but the system insisted that my info wasn't good enough. I am quite helpless in these computer things, so I kindly ask for support.

Tom, I assume you meant CASSATA being dipped in chocolate sauce?

An almost identical TSUBA was offered recently here on NMB by C0D /Manuel in sadly corroded condition.

Omar, what if the blade goes flying because of the poor workmanship of the handle? There are terryfying videos of this on YouTube. My advice: bury it deep, or have a new handle made for TAMESHIGIRI. Of course, you never know what the blade itself can stand!

My guess for the second TSUBA is NOBUMUNE.

In my opinion, it should not be displayed.

The second photo shows clearly a tiny UCHI KAESHI MIMI in parallel with a shallow hammered groove. You would normally not see a groove when an UCHI KAESHI MIMI is formed by upsetting with a small hammer, so I assume that the groove was made to accommodate a DOTE MIMI or something similar.

Robert, I think you are right, some doubt as to the age is allowed in this case. Looking closely at the pictures, I have the impression that originally a FUKURIN was mounted. So could well be a later attempt of a KACHUSHI design. The position of the upmost flower is an issue, too.

In the end, we have to be thankful for discussions like this one because they allow us to compare and learn something. This forum is a wonderful place of study! In this regard, I am thankful to David who made this interesting exchange of thoughts possible. Everyone is of course free to learn new stuff or to stick to his opinion as the only true one.

John, I am not speaking Japanese, but trying to learn some. Is it not generally difficult for Japanese to differentiate between HU- and FU-, as their pronunciation is quite close or even the same? So I did not think that HU- was wrong, just written in ROMAJI the way they speak.

Isn't that BAFUKUSHI KAWAI HISAYUKI SHICHI JU HACHI NEN of age? Seventy eight?

Anghammarad, welcome to the forum! If you browse a lot here, you will read many advices to this subject. First thing is, you don't show the blade, so we don't know what it looks like. The saying is: Buy the blade, not the MEI (signature)! Your thought is probably that a GIMEI blade has a lower value which is correct for most. But the NIHONTO world is difficult, so sometimes you find very good blades with a faked MEI. The price and value of a blade is also affected by its condition. Some blades are sold with a new polish which normally is a good thing, but not all TOGISHI work in the same way and quality. So you will have to evaluate many aspects of a blade to decide for a purchase, and your personal liking is the most important. If this is not helpful, please show us more pictures of the blade, perhaps we can point out more aspects of general quality (which is of course limited as we only have photos and not the blade in hand)..

JAKUSHI? A very nice set!

BAKUMATSU era ANSEI third year = 1856 MEI starts with ISSHIN, but cannot be MANTETSU.

A "KUBIKIRI" for those who have already got everything..... People who are in the position to spend 1 Mio. $ for a gimmick did not get to their wealth easily, so I hope that no possible buyer is so dumb to bid on this - even not for € 100.--......although it has no BLIZZTERS.

HARU ICHI or HARU KAZU? Pronunciation in TOSOGU MEI may differ.

Nice! A feast also for the eyes!

The photos are not good enough to allow a comment, at least not for me. Generally speaking, all kinds of corrosion are issues you have to deal with to prevent spreading. A blade like yours which seems to be in very good condition derives its attractiveness from a perfect appearance, so you should show the blade to someone competent to evaluate the damage (if there was one at all).