Jean

For fun: Kantei is easy by the late Jim Kurrasch http://web.archive.org/web/20011209152910/http://members.home.net/token-kai/kantei.htm

Tested on my winchester ´94. There were some superficial rust spots on the barrel. I used an oil (I use it on all my guns) specially designed for aviation. Fantastic results, it gets rid of this superficial rust and coat your gun to avoid any other rust attack.

Shikkake

Kanteisho are only written opinion, a sayagaki by Tanobe sensei (who is considered in Japan as the greatest living expert of Japanese swords) can be worth any kanteisho issued by any organization.

Ed is a good friend and a very good smith. He made me a Bowie😀

I think Nicholas that the mei is genuine. Smiths’mei are not necessarily all listed, that’s why shinsa is the best solution. If good, I would place it early Muromachi (Oei). Don’t worry for my eye, just an eyelid surgery which makes you look like a boxer at the seven round.😄

Jû means inhabitant. Now why it is here on your sword, I can’t tell you not being the smith. I checked on Markus’book with no success. Only shinsa can tell you if the mei is authentic or not, but my vision is a bit blurred at the time being

Bishu Osafune ju Norimitsu

Thanks a lot Markus for your answer. You were right at 100%. There were other pctures that my friend forgot to send me and his question was far from the one I initialy planted.. you are going to see all pictures. He has been asked to make a shirasaya for this blade. He has two options, the first one is to amend the existing one (with the sayagaki) , the second is to make a new one. The existing one has been made by someone who seemed not to have been in the craft. The nakago/habaki is definitely not in the tsuka alignment. (See second picture) As the sayagaki has no value in itself, I told him to make a new one and to send back the old one to the owner so he can store it away. I very doubt that this shirasaya was original to the blade.

Don’t base your judgement on NBTHK criteria to say that a blade will pass Juyo for two reasons: - NBTHK does not necessarily follow its criteria - Juyo level is not an exam but a competition where only the best of the best pass Paul Martin from The Japanese Sword is also an excellent agent. if you are not a NBTHK member, it will cost you an extra fee.

Roger, there is even one dedicated to fishers with a tool to scale fishes and remove hooks👍

Yoshi Tsugu

The first question, George, is : what is your budget?

This matter (mei) has been discussed several times. There is one sword signed « Bishu Osafune Sukesada » which achieved Juyo.