ROKUJURO

Ian, is there something chiselled on the other side of the NAKAGO?

Hunter, the date is probably 1943, the MEI is KANE...something (-TOSHI? -TSUGU?). Your pictures are lying on the side, so I had to break my neck to read the inscription. To help us reading, please post pictures of the NAKAGO - with tip (KISSAKI) pointing upwards -- no hardware on the blade - taken directly from above - with light from the side - well focused - against a dark background to get a good contrast - preferably presented as cut-out so nothing is distracting from the item

It is not really rare and you can find it also on other items than just TSUBA. It develops slowly under special conditions (exposure to acids and carbon dioxide in a warm environment).

So called 'lead white' is a basic lead hydroxy carbonate, 2 PbCO3 · Pb(OH)2. No arsenic involved. In former times, it was used as pigment in painting and in pottery.

Salvatore, I recommend to post that in the translation section. You are more likely to get help by the experts. To improve the readability, you could post (- pictures of the NAKAGO with light from the side - against a dark background to get a good contrast - presented as cut-out so nothing is distracting from the blade itself

Thomas, it is difficult to say something safe based on your photos. The blade seems to be quite straight (almost no SORI), so this could be a hint to the KANBUN period (April 1661 to September 1673). But we should see photos (taken as recommended above) of the NAKAGO. Removing the TSUKA requires removing the MEKUGI first, so get some information here on the board about how to do it. Some sellers/dealers have the NAKAGO glued in the TSUKA to prevent a potential buyer from getting information, so in such a case, you will have to look for other ways to remove the handle without damaging anything. Look for "Removing a stuck TSUKA" or similar. The TSUBA seems to be o.k.

Piers, that gunpowder residue sounds as if it could represent a real danger!

Yes, I think it is a craftman's assembly mark, usually not visible under the (now missing) bottom part of the damaged HABAKI. It has nothing to do with the swordsmith nor the owner of the sword.

Thomas, to help us identifying, please post - pictures of the NAKAGO and the 'naked' blade always with tip pointing upwards - photos taken directly from above - with light from the side - well focused - showing details like HAMON, HADA and HATARAKI - HAMACHI, MUNEMACHI and KISSAKI are important - against a dark background to get a good contrast - and presented as cut-out so nothing is distracting from the blade itself

Michael, this symbol is not a heart. It is called INOME, and it is shown upside-down compared with our heart symbol. The literal meaning of INOME (猪目) is " wild boar's eye". It refers to the "never twitching wild boar's eye" which is thought to be a sign of bravery and determination.

MORIYAMA SAN, thank you for the correction, I was wrong!

Colin, you described it exactly as it was with me! The same booklet, the same year, the same excitement! Then INAMI HAKUSUI followed, together with many others. Books were indeed the only source of information at that time right after the dinos..... I bought many books from Mr. Skafte in Denmark, but we had a local bookstore (Harrassowitz) that had specialized in Asian litterature. And they had an employee who could even translate the book titles for me! I spent hours there (mostly alone) down in that silent Japanese book department, and it was like an expedition to a strange, but somewhat familiar world!

I cannot comment on the age of the KOSHIRAE (might indeed be younger and even MEIJI) but I think the blade is older than that, possibly EDO era. It is a true TACHI, as the MEI shows. It might not have been used on a battlefield but was perhaps more a representation sword.

Hylke, to answer your question: Unless it is now close to or longer than 56 cm, it wasn't a KATANA (2 SHAKU or 606 mm). Only a few centimeters were cut off the NAKAGO, so WARA (from FUJIWARA) and the smith's name are missing. To guess the original length of the blade, you could add the distance between the MEKUGI-ANA to the actual length. This is just approximate. In case you want to post more photos, I recommend to proceed as follows: - pictures of the NAKAGO (tip always pointing upwards) and of the naked blade (full length) - taken directly from above - with light from the side - well focused - showing details like HAMON, HADA and HATARAKI - against a dark background to get a good contrast - and presented as cut-out so nothing is distracting from the blade itself

Richard, why would someone use pennies when soft copper is available? Pennies are probaly made of a copper alloy to make them harder.

Chris, I will keep posting this as I feel it is very impolite to throw in some hastily and incompetently made photos and let the members try to get something out of it. My opinion is, if someone wants help, they should make it easy for those who are expected to help. And that has nothing to do WHO made the photos, it is the responsibility of those who post the images. A newbie can be excused as they usually don't look how it is done, but an experienced member might know better. It is not personal, it is just the way it could be made better. And yes, the sword in question (GENDAI-TO, not Gendai) looks non-Japanese to me as well.

Chris, after more than 2.000 posts, you certainly know how to post images! - pictures of the NAKAGO and the 'naked' blade always with tip pointing upwards - taken directly from above - with light from the side - well focused - showing details like HAMON, HADA and HATARAKI - against a dark background to get a good contrast - and presented as cut-out so nothing is distracting from the blade itself

Not removing the handle will probably save you from a disappointment....

François, there are many videos about this subject available on YouTube, some better, some good, some with these 'inaccuracies'. Many are in Japanese, but that is not a problem as the pictures tell you all you need.

Merci François!

All has been said above. No invasive methods, no chemical treatment, no wax, no cooking in whatever.

Looks like an ITOMAKI no TACHI, but parts of the ITO is not well restored. Would be interesting to see photos of the NAKAGO as the value of most swords lies there and not in the mountings. If you post, please: - pictures of the NAKAGO (tip pointing upwards) and of the naked blade - taken directly from above - with light from the side - well focused - against a dark background to get a good contrast - and presented as cut-out so nothing detracts from the item itself

Gustavo, there is no swordsmith named 'MONESADA', modern or old. Concerning the inscription on the blade, I think our language experts will be able to read it. Just post again here: - pictures of the NAKAGO (tip pointing upwards) and of the naked blade (full length) - taken directly from above - with light from the side - well focused - showing details like HAMON, HADA and HATARAKI - against a dark background to get a good contrast - and presented as cut-out so nothing is distracting from the blade itself

Jonas, of course we could imagine a scenario of that kind, but usually, the blades are cleaned after practice. TOGISHI also touch the blafdes they are working on, but without negative effects.

No, I don't think so. Probably the finger stains have been polished away in the meantime. But more likely that people in the past knew that touching a blade is not only bad for the steel but also an insult against its owner. There was more knowledge about handling blades correctly, and there was more respect, I believe.