Kanenaga

Does anyone know how this tanto finished up?

This is an interesting piece. The NBTHK paper does say "Tametsugu," and it surely must have been tried at Juyo and failed, one reason perhaps being that the horimono appear to be ato-bori. Les

This is very distressing news. I don't know how he is regarded in the diplomatic world, but Guido is well known and widely respected in this little sword world we inhabit, and has the most delightful sense of humor. We wish him a complete recovery. Les

Soshu Akihiro -- 14th century, no?

I've been told this distinctive type of mounting is referred to as "Ainu" koshirae, meaning made in (lower) Japan for the Ainu market. There is a typical example on permanent display in the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park, labelled ":Ainu koshirae." This daisho is a particularly nice set.

Self, J and Hirose, N: Japanese Art Signatures. Bamboo Publishing Ltd., London, 1987. This little book seems not to be very well known, but it's my go-to for translating mei. It doesn't deal with stroke count, instead teaches image-recognition based on radicals, and is focused specifically and exclusively on signatures, so it deals with a (somewhat) restricted range of kanji. In addition to the actual artnames, it has very helpful sections on how to analyze a signature, and on how to read numbers, dates, places, ages, family/clan names, and titles. Most of the content is relevant to swords, though it does pay attention also to metal workers, lacquer artists, and netsuke carvers. It was OOP for a long time, and hard to find, but it was reprinted in softcover in 2006. Not dirt cheap, but recommended if, like me, you are image-oriented and mainly want to learn about reading signatures. https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Art-Signatures-Handbook-Practical/dp/1891640097

I have to gently disagree with Tom. Many people did hear the word. The exhibition room was packed, I doubt it could have accommodated many more. People lined up 5 and 6 deep in front of each item to see these wonderful fittings up close, and to hold Juyo swords in hand for study. What better for the NBTHK-AB to be doing than to promote this extraordinary educational activity equal to or superior to what one can see in Japan? Yes, it is necessary to get up and go to something like this, but how many comparable opportunities will there be? No one should believe they can sit at home and expect an experience of this extraordinary value to be delivered by DoorDash. All of us who attended are deeply grateful to those who offered their treasures for display. Les PS: And, for Peter: There was at least one fine Sendai katana offered in the sale room.

When mounted on a tachi -- as its ancestors were intended to do -- won't the gorinto(?) be upside down?

Mark, was this a katana?

I was taught that toppei koshirae like this were a 19th-century development to allow swords to be worn with (Western-style) trousers. I rather like this particular somewhat flashy example.

I dislike being in the position of "piling on," and I too appreciate all that Markus has done to bring nihonto information to those of us who cannot read Japanese, but there is also an issue with "Tosogu Classroom" -- ostensibly a five-volume direct translation project, of which two have been published and three more promised to those of us who paid for the full series. An update would be much appreciated.

For high-end swords, Jimmy Hayashi in San Francisco is fully Japanese-trained and certified. Possibly the only one in NA.

I think that when Japanese collectors or dealers submit swords for Hozon shinsa, it is often to validate the signature. Hozon suffices.

Just came across this reawakened old thread. Can I be the first to have noticed that the signature on the blade and on the disputed green paper are different?

Is anyone willing to share their experience of doing business with Japan online seller Giheiya? The principal is Atsuo Imazu. Thanks. Les

Anyone near Detroit, MI, USA, who might be interested to look at a found sword just out of the woodwork? Signed Munemitsu, that's all I know about it. Give me your contact info, I'll forward it to the owner. PM ok.

Forgive my ignorance, but what is the theme of this tsuba?

It does, John. Thanks. Anyone else?

Has anyone done business with this Japanese online seller Taiseido? He's one of the NMB commercial links. Les

Excellent video. I found it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wBCprAinDyeiMeY75fDpawRX_4rZfqsM/view

Well, Ken, you are correct, but you and DARPAnet were ahead of the curve. Wikipedia also says " The linking of commercial networks and enterprises by the early 1990s marked the beginning of the transition to the modern Internet." All I remember from the early 1990s is email, and not much else. But then, that could be my memory.

It's hard to read a thread like this and not think about the Internet, which did not exist in 1995, and which has transformed all aspects of collecting, including Japanese swords. Peter couldn't possibly foresee this, no one could -- except maybe for a couple of engineering students at Stanford. We can do things today that were unimaginable 25 years ago: kick tires and shop on specialty auction sites and Japanese dealer websites, see hi-res images from museums, translate from Japanese in the click of a mouse, and participate on forums like this one. We even have discussions about whether sword shows are obsolete (I hope not). Has all this made nihonto collecting better or worse? Hard to say, but the comment about smaller collections still rings true.

Try Mike Yamasaki. http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2009/5/22/mike-yamasaki/

I'm looking at Barrie's photos -- could someone point out what features distinguish an Owari koshirae, or tsuka?

Here's a link to the Sesko article. Sorting out legends around Ôhara Sanemori | Markus Sesko