ROKUJURO

Stephen, my first impression was MITSU, but you are probably right. A very 'individual' TOMO? Let's see what the masters of the writing brush say!

Marco, possibly BISHU KUNI no JU OSAFUNE HIKOBEI SUKESADA, but the photos are not very good. Please compare https://www.aoijapan.com/katana-bishu-kuni-ju-osafune-hikobei-sukesada

Bill, you can show the blade in full and in details here so we have a good impression of what it might be. The signature should be compared with those of confirmed originals, and if the condition allows, you could present the blade to a SHINSA panel. If the signature is genuine (which is not automatically so) and the blade in good shape (please refrain from all DIY cleaning or polishing attempts!), you could possibly have a very valuable blade. (https://wiki.samurai...Gassan_Sadakazu) https://www.aoijapan...assan-sadakazu/

GASSAN SADAKAZU

Stephen, if the package is indeed 15 lbs., then it's largely enough for a TANTO. You can calculate 4 - 5 times the weight of a blade. But the problem is that these nails are only wrought iron, so you would need either to carbonize them to make the steel quenchable to hardness, or you will have to add some high carbon steel to form a cutting edge (WARI-HA KITAE). You could use an old file for that. Many TANTO were made in KOBUSE, MUKU or MARU construction, so you would need a lot more high carbon steel than (soft) wrought iron for a blade. The whole forging process for a TANTO is not really difficult but you need some experience to get good results. ------------------------- Just adding as I see that the package is less than a pound: Probably enough for a TANTO in KOBUSE KITAE if you use the nails as SHINGANE and add high-carbon steel to form the KAWAGANE.

Chris, nice project and obviously good craftsmanship! Congratulations!

Yes, I am impressed, and yes, I know who SUISHINSHI MASAHIDE was. Maybe I have to correct what I thought TOSHO TSUBA are (which I collect).

David, your TSUBA is simple and very nice, and it is probably made by a swordsmith, but I would hesitate to call it TOSHO. Compared with other TSUBA which we tend to put into the TOSHO frame, it is a different style. No criticism from my side intended.

Yes. You called it a simple TOSHO TSUBA, but please compare.

Peter, with a small hammer and without heat. By the way, I cannot see TOSHO style elements in this TSUBA.

YASUKUNI?

Matthew, in the contrary! Any DIY attempt to improve the condition of blade and fittings may damage them! A very thin layer of oil (not dripping of course! You don't want any oil in the sheath!) as recommended by Geraint is good enough for now. The age is not of much importance for the value. For us, a 500 year old blade may be called a relatively new sword (SHIN TO). The quality shows when the blade is polished, but this has to be done by a skilled and trained polisher.

Cnovak01, please sign all posts at least with a first name plus an initial so we may address you politely. The photos are not well focused so it is difficult to see details. The photo of the NAKAGO (tang) is upside down. The signature seems to read BISHU no JU TADAYOSHI.

Chris, could you please show some photos so we know what you mean?

How thick is that TSUBA? It is probably not made in the classical KO-TOSHO style, but elements of these have been used much later in EDO JIDAI. The surface looks indeed a bit like HIGO or some JINGO TSUBA.

Marco, very nice work, but how do you pull the boxes out?

It is not rare to see TSUBA that have been repurposed in later times for decorative reasons. I have one that has probably served as lock-plate for a door.

If I may add a small detail: Date is KYOHO JU NEN HACHI GATSU HI (a day in the eighth month of the tenth year of KYOHO). This is often a more symbolic month date, as February and August were thought to be good for quenching a sword blade. I read that in these month the water temperature was especially good for that, but as the smith had to warm the quenching water to a suitable temperature, this is probably just a mythical thing.

Stephen, that was really a nice one, but now. heavily corroded. I wouldn't be too sad you didn't catch it!.

Thank you, I see it now!

Alexsandr, in the first photo of post 18 I am missing the beak of the crane. Or is that my old eyes?

Peter, I find it interesting to look into old techniques and to try to reproduce an artifact, but I think it is important to do it the same way it was originally done, or as we assume it was. Almost every handmade item tells a story of its manufacture, So, I am a bit surprised that you as an archaeologist are not taking that way. It would not have been a lot of work to forge a TSUBA blank from scrap iron and to make some cut-outs with small chisels. This was very probably the method these early TSUBA were made. Keep us informed about the progress of your work, and we will see if it comes close to a TOSHO TSUBA. TAMAHAGANE can have differing content of carbon, as far as I know, and the usable parts (there are pieces of pig iron that are not usable) range from very low C content up to something like 1.3 %.

John, the KISSAKI looks to have been damaged; the proportions seem not to fit. The polish is wrong and certainly not bringing out the beauty of the blade. I hope the HA has not been damaged too much. On the other hand, the photos are not very good, so maybe I am not seeing this correctly.

# 1, because I cannot see properly how the SAYA of No. 2 is made, and I don't like brown TSUKA-ITO and yellow SAME. I see no reason to assume that HATTORI KANUEMON was the owner of the blade.

Fabio, welcome to the board! It was a good idea to ask for advice here! That might save you from a lot of trouble! First thing: You cannot bring a sword into Japan. It will be confiscated and you can expect a severe penalty. You need a local agent with a permit to handle swords, and he has to receive the blade from the customs. The new owner needs a permit as well to be allowed to own that sword. It will then be registrated as in his possession. As a non-specialist you are probably not able to tell a genuine first generation TADAYOSHI from a copy. Probably there are many more copies on the market than genuine ones! And it is not just the signature that tells you about the difference but much more so the many properties and details in the blade that you have to learn to see in a long process. Everything is experience in this field, and that takes years of studying good genuine blades. A blade with a false signature may still look good, be well made and not necessarily be inferior, but for collectors it will not have the same value of course. Your picture shows a pencil rubbing of a tang, but it is not made like a real OSHIGATA and will not help much to judge the signature of the blade in question, I think. So wait a moment before you jump into the airplane with a sword in your hand!