ROKUJURO

George, can we see the whole (naked) blade and details? The MEI is not everything.

Nice blade, but too much oil on it.

HAMON is probably HAKO-MIDARE.

You have a PM

It is all about the basics of NIHONTO. Artur may be a gifted craftsman, but if you look at the (admirably professional) sketch of the OSORAKU TANTO, you will immediately see that HA-MACHI and MUNE-MACHI do not align. The angle of the horn AIKUCHI style mounts (FUCHI and counterpart) is wrong and they look more Chinese than Japanese. I do not criticize the attempt of making a KOSHIRAE but one should be conscient about the limits when originals are involved. I have always admired craftsmen who forge blades in Japanese style and completed them skilfully with mountings, but one should not touch authentic blades without a full and proper traditional training. .

It may well be from his grandfather in case he was only five years old.

Omar, I read the attribution as KASHU MASAKUNI.

It looks as if someone had tried to enhance a MEI on a very corroded NAKAGO. Even if I could read it, I would not be sure if it was the original MEI.

I would have liked them probably more without the random gold paint. (I hope that was respectful enough?)

Stephen, your TSUBA has indeed suffered from heat! Amazingly, most of the applied soft metals are still in place! You are right; if you look at TSUBA lots offered actually at cheap prices in the internet, there are probably more fire damaged TSUBA among them as they cannot be sold elsewhere.

NARA TSUBA: https://japaneseart.eu/portfolio_page/tsuba-nara-shigechika/

Stephen, scale on TSUBA might occur as fires with the related damages were not rare in old Japan, but I didn't see many TSUBA with scale. Do you have some samples to show?

Hi Grev, to me the KASHIRA (damaged?) looks indeed like a thatched roof with vines like Clematis, and I see the same subject on the FUCHI (bamboo fence with vines). The second MENUKI (both cast) seems to show a SENNIN (TEKKAI?).

Could be KANEKUNI.

7309, please sign all posts with your first name plus an initial as is requested here. In case there is no rust, your blade could be a stainless steel Naval one. Do you see a stamp with an anchor in a circle on the tang? It is not impossible to find a set of mounting parts (KOSHIRAE) but many blades have been made partly by hand and may have a differing curve (SORI) and length (NAGASA). You can do a search ad here at NMB with the length of your blade (from tip to notch on the back) and SORI. Please inform yourself about the features and terms of swords so you know what to look for. I wish you success!

BUNGO TAKADA

SAME-NURI TSUKA.

Tiger in bamboo, welcome to the board! Please sign all posts with your first name plus an initial as is requested here.

Omar, If I remember correctly, this subject has been discussed here previously.

Fascinating indeed, but it might be difficult to represent SURIAGE or O-SURIAGE blades in these data charts.

Tyler, welcome to the board! For an arrow, your tip seems to be much too heavy. It is certainly a KAGO YARI, signed YASUYOSHI. Did you ever have a look at the NAKAGO?

Jonathan, this is a nice and well preserved TSUBA although it is a bit dusty. You can wipe it with a soft tissue and a very small amount of Camellia oil (or any other household oil), but please refrain from any attempt to "improve" the signature as this will damage it and reduce its historical and monetary value. Iron TSUBA may be handled without cotton gloves, as this will not damage the patina.

Neddyboy, welcome to the board! Please sign all posts with your first name plus an initial as is requested here. You can add your signature to your profile. Your TSUBA is from CHOSHU province, but I can't read the maker's name, sorry. http://www.shibuiswords.com/choshutsubaBK.html http://swordsofjapan.com/project/choshu-tsuba/

Perhaps: https://www.aoijapan.com/kogatanaechigo-kuni-yoshimitsu-saku/

Dan welcome to the forum! For a first TSUBA this is not bad, I think. It is an authentic one, but certainly not top of the line and not old. It has lost most of its patina so the colour of the base metal shines through. I think you can enjoy it, but please look at many good and high-end TSUBA to get an idea of what is desirable, quality, and collectable.