ROKUJURO

Look http://nbsk-jp.main.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2cff81e511ed2e07efbfe5a7abedd96f.pdf for the 2015 NBSK results.

Jean And that makes it probably louder as there is a "Black roar saya". This item description was probably made in a haste which adds to the generally quite bad English.

Florian, the blade rests well preserved in its SHIRA-SAYA in the TANSU. The shaft with the TSUNAGI and the lacquered SAYA are upright in a stand in a corner of the room so there is little risk to fall over it. My personal suggestion, unless you prefer to store it horizontally in a rack under the ceiling/above your head if you want to be prepared (used to be a traditional way in Japan's war times). .

Kemlos please sign all your posts with your real first name plus an initial, as is the rule here. Even with your photos being badly out of focus, it is very likely that your relative purchased this sword not long ago. All parts seem to be the typical look-alike copies we know from experience and which you can find here on NMB as bad examples made to deceive non-informed buyers. Better photos may allow a final judgement, but even the 'blood-stained Japanese flag' is often known to be a fake, just to help selling the sword.

This form of a quiver is called SHIKO

Stephen, as far as the (not perfect) photo allows an opinion, I don't think this TSUBA is cast. A very nicely fitting subject as a plus.

Pinmaster, welcome to the NMB! It is a rule here to sign every post with your real first name plus an initial, so we can address you politely.

Grant, we don't oil our blades, we keep them dry. Oil is no real help if you live in a humid climate unless you drown your blade in it. As far as your TSUBA is concerned, I will have a closer look at it in one hundred thousand years. I will mark the date in my calendar and bring one of my own TSUBA for comparison....

Vetoif, please sign all your posts with your first name plus an initial so we can address you politely. If you want someone to read the signature on the NAKAGO it is a good idea to clean it first with something non-abrasive. A simple brush will do the job. I do not read KANEMUNE. Instead I have a tendency to YOSHIMUNE.

Grant, thank you for your PM reply. As it is similar to your post above, I may reply here as well. First rule is: Do not touch the TSUBA's surface mechanically or chemically if you don't know how! You will not see deteriorate the TSUBA in this life or the next, if you keep it dry. So: No soaking in oil or other chemicals! Applying heat after a little water wash may be a good thing if it is very moderate. Your central heating system or sitting it near your stove for half an hour may be sufficient. No heat gun! The warm water may even be enough if you dry your TSUBA thoroughly with household paper right after the cleaning wash. Second rule: Never mess with the patination until your nickname is Ford Hallam! What was built up in centuries is gone in seconds! Don't bury your TSUBA in an airtight coffin (or box) for display, but use a standard KIRI wood box. That will be appropriate and technically sufficient. My suggestion for a first step is a soft dry cleaning with your wife's toothbrush. Then look carefully if that was enough. If not, PLEASE read what you find here on NMB about cleaning, rust removal or restoring TSUBA. There is a wealth of information, and you are not the first collector to face the problem!

Grant, please sign all of your posts. In my opinion this is a nice TSUBA with a lot of skilled craftmanship put into it. It's appearance would profit a lot from careful cleaning (with a soft brush or even with mild soap and warm water) as the dust is obscuring many details. There are hints that the basic body may have been cast, but even if so, the main work has been put into it after casting. The design is good and full of well placed details, the faces are expressive and nicely modeled, and to my eye all the different soft metals are very well executed. Unless Ford says that my old glass eyes need to be replaced, I congratulate you to this purchase!

Do you really think TOSHO?

Chris, what is a big aggressive HAMON (not harmon)? In my understanding people can be aggressive at times, swords or their respective features not at all.

Brian, if in fact you are interested in NIHONTO, but you happen to buy a cheap fake, which was only made to deceive, I feel that you loose all the money as you don't even have a wallhanger. Knowing what you have then, you cannot be happy about it, and you don't want to display it. And in most of the cases, you cannot resell it at the same price. These copies may have indeed a (low) value as decorative item for the non-critical buyer, but purchased bona fide as Japanese weapon, it is a complete loss. Just my actual thoughts after having made the same mistakes in the beginning of my collecting career some 40 years ago.....

The 'well known person' at the antique fairs is probably a good seller but not an expert in NIHONTO. He may have bought this in good faith himself (an assumption to his favours), but everything including the MEI looks like crude non-Japanese work. In my opinion $ 20.-- would have been too much for this. If you are interested in true Japanese swords, why not invest some money in books with good pictures so you can learn what a KATANA looks like?

Early HEIAN blades had such a wide angle on their respective YOKOTE.

Does that have to do with this thread? It's core steel (not steal) = SHINTETSU

Jim, if you could go back in time you won't find the village, because the name is OSAFUNE. And it is not at all safe to assume that it was forged there, and when. Anyone could have faked the signature in the time after the manufacture. I understand your desire to have a history of your WAKIZASHI but you have to keep cool and not invent stories you would like to hear. It is possible and even probable that your blade was used in combat, but I think the dents on the MUNE are not from an adversary's blade, as was already mentioned. And a blade is not retired in a SHIRASAYA but usually rests there as long as it is not needed for combat. The blade should be respected as an old piece of arts and crafts combined, but age is much less important than quality! So one day, when it is brought back to life by a polish and a Japanese KOSHIRAE, it may be well worth of admiration.

Günther, What do you want to know? What kind of help do you need? I am sure you could convince Gilles to sell some of the YANONE to you......

Alex, The answer to you headline question is no. And yes, it would be nice to have one included in the costs (in English, French, German.....), but the Japanese experts probably won't offer one, so you have to have it translated yourself or learn Japanese. The bone doesn't run after the dog......

Carlos, photos only allow to give an opinion, but cannot replace seeing the item in hand. The signature looks like UJINOBU. There were some smiths around late 16th century with this name. If you look for UJINOBU in the internet you may find items for comparison. There is a nice one at AOI for sale, but the signature is different. I don't know what you have there and I don't know if the WAKIZASHI is worth 1.000.-- The age is not important, but the quality. Please buy a few good books and read them before buying a sword!

Steve, the value of a TSUBA or a blade does not depend on what your interest or your competences are. There are aesthetical and artistical qualities plus the state of preservation that make for the appeal to the connoisseur and/or collector. Age is of little importance if quality is not present. We can only express a more or less educated opinion depending on the quality of the photos shown, but even then, it's not the final word unless you can see the item in hand or have a SHINSA panel look at it. Your TSUBA has very probably nothing to do with the blade. In the SAMURAI era, the mountings were frequently exchanged following etiquette requirements, changes in taste, or even battle damage. After the SAMURAI era, often decorative parts of value were cheaply sold because many SAMURAI lost their income and needed money. So you will never know why your blade was combined with that TSUBA. But nevertheless it may be a good idea to show your sword to several experts to get a consistent opinion or even evaluation on the basis of the actual market situation. All the best!

Steve, there is no close-up so there is not much to see in detail. How thick is the material at the SEPPA-DAI, how thick at the rim? The design looks like TOSHO. It may be from the beginning of EDO JIDAI, but it is difficult to judge because of the corrosion..

Jean, was that only NEKO GAKI or did the cat eat the other nine fingers? In any case fast and good recovery!

I did a quick search in the internet. Might that be him? Schütz Heiner Klingnaustrasse 5, CH-4058 Basel Telefon 061 692 24 55