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hard to.. the one im being offered is not in hand or in the best polish. Im looking for some more examples to make comparisons against. Kurt

Thank you for your feedback Jean. Any other opinions? I would like to form a consensus.

Chris That looks different than what I have seen. Its usually on the same side as the mei and under the "saku kore" Look at the pics from J. Slough's book. You will see the same punch.... interesting though. Kurt

id say almost 100% gendaito Nakirishimei... EVERY blade i have seen by mano masayasu himself has a punch mark at the bottom of the nagako. I dont see one here (although i will say the mei itself looks dead on). Also, His work tends to be flush with chikei and that is absent as well. Perhaps signed by him but forged by student? Hard to say with the polish. I have one in hand.. Here are some photos for reference Best Regards Kurt K

Hello my distinguished friends, I have been offered a blade by a fairly well known smith, price neg, and i wanted to make sure i was looking at a legitimate example of the work prior to making an offer. The smith is Matsuyama ju muneyushi .. Below is the mei of the blade in question (red in image). I have also attached a known and certified example of his mei (black background).. I do see some differences, but also some similarities . Im also keeping in mind that these two blades were made at different points in his life.. that being said, does this look correct to you.. Yasuri mei looks right. Some of the kanji seems to line up.. Not sure how much the blade pic will help as its out of polish but solid. What do you guys think? If correct, what do you think is a fair offer? Kurt K

Oh this is an easy one.. There was a Hitatsura Nagamaki Naoshi katana on ricecracker years ago that called out to me .. alas it was just out of my reach.. Every now and again i still shed a silent tear for not mowing a few more lawns to get it. Kurt K

I have kept mine thinly oiled and have thus far experienced no issues... Note that i lived in Houston where heat and humidity actually come from... its true.. they make it there. Kurt K

If you want to get a really good idea of what is going on inside that steel.. polish the flat cut to 3000 grit and then submerge in 1/3 soloution ferric chloride and warm water for a few mins.. The metal structure will pop. Kurt K

Im still thinking about it.. I am presently negotiating with AOI. So far they have come down on price and are offering to throw in a fresh polish (shiagetogi). Right now my thinking is that if i can get it for a steal, and enjoy the blade, then the signature is not really that important (May as well be Mumei) . I do agree with Carlo's notion of quantity vs quality, but it also seems that blades of this style, with papers, dont come around often and tend to sell for FAR more than I can afford.. ($8k+) .. 20 years ago i may have been able to get them on the cheep, but if what others have said about this current market trend being on the down side, prices are only going to go up from here... or is my thinking flawed? To draw a parallel, is it better to have and enjoy a nicely made `66 Cobra kit car or keep dreaming about one day owning a 427 Shelby? Mulling it over.. All of your thoughts and feedback are welcome. Kurt k

Just a side question,, The mei on this , TO MY EYES, seems expertly cut.. someone took a lot of time to make a fake signature. I realize the intent behind doing so but have any of you seen gimei that are so cleanly done? Def more that a 6pack of beer and a pizza type job. Kurt Also, if i do buy it, after negotiating the price down a bit, i plan on keeping it.. I dont buy swords to flip them. These are for my appreciation and study alone. I still have every blade i ever bought.

I would like one too.. pm sent

I once again defer to the vast knowledge of the members here in asking the following: Is buying a sword with gimei signature necessarily something to avoid? I am looking at a blade on AOI that for all intents and purposes looks pretty wonderful.. They openly state that they dont trust the Mei. This being the case, what is the move as a matter of course? What is the general consensus on great swords with questionable mei? This is the blade in question.... https://www.aoijapan.com/katana-mutsu-kami-kaneyasunot-guarantee

Except it isnt sharp.. look close at some of the close ups and the blade has no edge..

Ok gents, heres a weird one.. I have heard of blades like this before but never seen one.. Is the shape legit or is this an odd repair? http://www.nipponto.co.jp/swords3/KY327317.htm not gonna lie, if its legit, i kinda dig it. kurt k

found this one... https://www.antiqueswords.com/product/BQ2582/Shinshinto-Period-Katana-in-Shirasaya-by-Dotanuki-Munehiro.html

on my own work (swords and knives that I have forged) i have had success with binary epoxy. Its humid as all heck down here and i have not had any rusting issues. I have used it in conjunction with 1095, 1080, 1070, 80crv and W1.. no rust. Rice glue best if you have it.. Kurt K

ill pretend to be a "steve"... yes.. chinese..

I was curious where the line is drawn between showato (gendaito) and shinsakuto? Is it by date or is there some other defining factor? I know showa ended in 1989 with Hirohito's death, and then began the Heisei period.. So where does shinsakuto fall into this equation? I ask as there is a REALLY nice blade for sale in Japan that was made showa 59. Is there solid investment potential in these or do the suffer from new car depreciation? Thanks as always Kurt k

Thanks for the info guys.. I was taking extra precaution here as hes shipping a VERY expensive sword and i dont want to give him the wrong info and have it end up getting confiscated as a prohibited item. Real value on the sword is in excess of $10k usd so getting it right is important. Kurt. K

Anyone know which forms.? My friends english is limited so im trying to help him out as best i can.

My good friend has a customer in canada who wishes to buy Nihonto from him. What are the proceedures for this? Kurt K

I am fully aware of sashikomi vs hadori, but my questions is why (like in the case above) does it not try to more faithfully follow the lines on more complex hamon structure? Its just my opinion but it strikes me as a lazy polish (wartime perhaps?) With the current aim of polish being preservation and apprecaition of the original work, it seems at odds with intentionally "painting outside the lines" of what the smith intended to create. Take for example blades forged in hitatsura where in one case the details are highlighted but in another, most of it is ignored in the polish. VS This blade is clearly hitatsura but the polisher did not polish it as such. Examples like this are at the heart of my question. Again, as for thinking it looks like having too much makeup, the wild hamon is what the smith intended, so why not honor that in the best way possibe rather than applying modern aesthetic values which in some cases, ignore that intent? I realize that polishing techniques evolved but would it not be better to bring the style of the day to its apex?

Hey all, On many swords i have noticed that the hardened edge may be a tight gunome or wild billowing midare, yet when polished with the hazuya, the gunome gets polished as if it were suguha and the midare gets polshed as if it were notare.. Why is this done? I have heard some say that following the lines exactly would look garish but if that was the smiths intent, why is it not honored in the fininshing steps? I use as an ex the following: Thanks for your input Kurt K

Thanks for the feedback guys.. really appreciate the knowledge.. I always thought most nara school was more brassy looking? Shows what I know. As for that patina, it looks like they got a little scratched up in that location so it may explain the way it looks in the photo.. . oh, I almost forgot.. I picked up this set of menuki as well..what do you think of these?

Hi all, Recently i have been trying to build up my Tosogu collection with some nicer pieces. These are 2 new acquisitions from AOI. I know that one is made by Shige Mitsu, but which one? The other is mumei. Can anyone please point out some key points that would help me identify the maker? Does anyone have any information on what schools of workmanship they represent? Thanks in advance. Kurt K