Jean

Taima swords among Yamato schools are very rare and very search after... this one is really a gift. Try to find one at this price....

Thanks Ian for the story, I know as well as old members who is the man with many names.

Mike is a real gentleman who cares/likes people

Sober and select, typically the reflect of its owner congrats Paul

Bob Burawoy has written several books of which the last one is about the Stibbert Museum Armour

Waiting for our President speech at 8pm, it will be broadcasted on main channels and radio. The situation is dramatic, several hundred people are in critical situation at the hospitals. General Seclusion is going to be declared. Crisis forecasted to last till end of June. It will be also a dramatic evonomic crisis. All shops but chemistries and food shops are closed for an indefinite laps of time.

Name is Josh, Ken

Excellent.

Done for Margaret (welcome)

Generally, all references to « Russian » were erased when model n°3 were sold to Japan. Cartridges used were, nevertheless, the .44 russian. https://www.barnebys.fr/ventes/objet/antique-Japanese-contract-s-and-w-new-model-no-3-revolver-OC-ew--hkJ « In 1867, the Tokugawa Shogunate that had ruled Japan since 1603 came to an end and the period that came to be known as the Meiji Restoration (circa 1868-1912) began. This period of “Enlightened Rule” dramatically shifted the governmental power of Japan from the Shogun (the supreme military dictator) and the feudal lords under his direct control, who had controlled the country for more than two-and-half centuries, by returning the ruling power to the Emperor. Under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate a strict policy of isolationism had been enforced, with only limited contract between Japan and the outside world. This contact was primarily in the form of trade through the port of Nagasaki, which was the only Japanese port open to foreign vessels. Shogunate policy not only restricted trade to this single port, but it prohibited western visitors from entering the interior of the various Japanese islands. With the arrival of Admiral Mathew Perry in Edo Bay (now Tokyo Bay) in 1853, the Shogunate was forced to communicate with the western world on terms it was most certainly uncomfortable with. The appearance of Perry’s small flotilla of powerful warships full of marines and sailors armed with modern breechloading and repeating weapons made it woefully obvious to even the most backward thinking member of the Bakufu (the Shogunate’s ruling council) that a Japan with a clan based military system of samurai armed with swords was woefully incapable of resisting any serious western military incursion into the Japanese islands. Over the next decade, due to internal pressures brought to bear by more contact with the outside world, the power of the Tokugawa Shogunate waned and eventually the Shogun abdicated his power to the Emperor. The Emperor, with the help of his council and advisors, initiated a policy of modernization that would transform the Japanese military from nearly medieval status in terms of technology and organization to a world military power in about 50 years. One of the first tasks was to reorganize the military from clan dominated professional soldiers to a unified national force, organized along Prussian military lines, and to introduce general conscription so that the former samurai class of “professional soldiers’ served with other classes of citizens from Japanese society. The second major task was to arm and equip this new national army that pledged its allegiance to the Emperor and not some local Daimyo (a local feudal lord who had been a vassal of the Shogun) in a modern way. This meant that for the first time in centuries firearms were now to play a part in Japanese warfare. It had not been since the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate in the early 1600s that firearms had played a major role in the Japanese military conflicts, and for the next 250 years the possession and use of firearms was strongly controlled by the Shogunate. The modernization of the military initially required the importation of firearms from western powers, as no significant firearms manufacturing industry was established in Japan. Early long arm purchases included thousands of muzzle loading English P-1853 Enfield rifle muskets as well as P-1856 Enfield rifles, primarily acquired as American Civil War surplus from dealers like Schuyler, Hartley & Graham of New York. These arms were quickly replaced by more modern rifles like the Spencer from American as well English Snider breechloading rifles and European arms like Dreyse needle rifles, French M-1866 Chassepot rifles and eventually French M-1874 Gras rifles. The Gras, in fact, became the basis for the first modern and indigenous Japanese military rifle, the Type 13 Murata rifle, which went into production in 1880 at the Tokyo Arsenal, which has been established in 1871. However, the Japanese military still relied upon foreign handguns to arms those soldiers to which they were issued. From the early days of western influence in Japan, after the Perry expedition, the revolvers produced by Smith & Wesson had found a strong market in that country. The earliest Smith & Wesson revolvers, the Model 1 .22RF and Model 2 (Old Model Army) in .32RF were both imported into Japan in some quantity. At least 1,550 of the No. 2 Old Army revolvers can be documented from Smith & Wesson ledgers as having been shipped to Japanese importers during their period of production, with the earliest recorded deliveries being to C. & J. Favre-Brandt of Yokohama in 1868. These guns are sometimes encountered with Japanese markings, including Meiji era gun registration marks or Imperial Chrysanthemums, indicating Japanese government (military) ownership. Smith & Wesson certainly viewed Japan as a potential customer for their product line, and certainly were involved in actively pursuing Japanese military contracts. However, it may well have been the fact that Russia adopted their own version of the Smith & Wesson Model 3 revolver (known as the Model 3 Russian or “Old Model Russian”) that pushed the Japanese military to adopt the Model 3 as well. Russia represented the closest potential major enemy for Japan, as well as the largest adversary in region to resist the Japanese push to expand their sphere of influence in their constant search for the natural resources that their home islands lacked. The Japanese military adopted the top-break .44 caliber “Russian” Model 3 Smith & Wesson revolvers as the “No. 1 Model Break Open Handgun” and would proceed to acquire several thousand of them over the next three decades. Due to the fact that these purchases took place over time, the guns technically belonged to four different model classes: Model 3 Russian 2nd Model, Model 3 Russian 3rd Model, New Model No. 3 Single Action and New Model No. 3 Frontier. It does not appear, however, that the minor differences between the variations was ever a basis for classification in Japanese service, as all were essentially the same model and were all chambered for the same .44 S&W Russian cartridge, with only minor improvements in the extraction system, minor differences in barrel lengths and other very minor changes mechanically and visually. The first of the Smith & Wesson Model 3 revolvers to be acquired by the Japanese government were some 5,000 Smith & Wesson Model 3 Russian 2nd Model revolvers that were purchased from the London based firm of H. Ahrens, who had offices and warehouse in Yokohama for the purposes of engaging in the Asian trade. These guns were purchased circa 1878 and shipped during the following months in 1878-1879. Examples of these revolvers are known with both Japanese Naval and Army markings. The next group of Japanese military purchased Smith & Wessons were some 1,000 Model 3 Russian 3rd Model revolvers that were again provided by H. Ahrens of Yokohama, and were shipped during 1878. The next model to be acquired by the Japanese military was a somewhat considerable quantity of the Smith & Wesson New Model No 3 Single Action revolvers. The first two shipments of Japanese military New Model No. 3 revolvers were also supplied by H. Ahrens. The first order was for 232 guns with a second order placed for 600 guns. Both orders were delivered for use by the Imperial Japanese Navy during 1879. This ended the relationship between H. Aherns and the Japanese military and all subsequent shipments of Smith & Wesson revolvers would be delivered by Takata & Company of Yokohama. Some 9,000 additional New Model No. 3 revolvers were delivered to the Japanese military by Takata in 12 shipments, delivered between 1884 and 1908, with the guns being sent to the army, navy, artillery and even seeing use with some other Imperial Japanese services including police and some diplomatic personnel. In all, the Japanese purchased about one third of the total production of the New Model No. 3 Single Action revolvers. The final variant of the .44 Smith & Wesson Model 3 revolver to be purchased by the Japanese military was the New Model No. 3 Frontier. These guns had originally been produced in .44-40 (.44 Winchester Center Fire) but due to disappointing sales and their availability in the Smith & Wesson warehouse, some 786 of the revolvers had their cylinders changed to .44 Russian and were included in shipments to Takata during 1895 and 1896 to help complete outstanding orders for Japanese military New Model No. 3 revolvers. According to the best possible research and estimates more than 17,232 Smith & Wesson Model 3 Russian revolvers in 4 variants were delivered for Japanese military use between 1878 and 1908. Even though the Japanese designed and manufactured Type 26 revolver was officially adopted in Meiji year 26 (1893), and technically replaced the Smith & Wesson revolvers in service, at least eight additional deliveries were made by Takata as long as fifteen years after the Type 26 was adopted. More than 6,100 Model 3 Smith & Wessons were delivered after the adoption of the Type 26. It was not until the Japanese adoption of the first Nambu pattern semi-automatic pistols in 1909 that the purchase of Smith & Wesson revolvers for military service came to an end. In many cases the Smith & Wessons remained in front line service rolls through the end of the World War I era, at which time they were relegated to secondary rolls, where they remained in service through the end of World War II. As a result, some of the Model 3 revolvers saw service for more than half a century, and some had a service life as long as 60 years! This explains why most examples encountered today show significant service wear, little original finish and often show mixed assembly (serial) numbers, the result of some revolvers being cannibalized for parts to keep other revolvers functioning. These guns are very scarce and desirable for Japanese military collectors today, as Japanese military marked Model 3 Smith & Wessons rarely appear on the market. For a serious collector of Japanese military handguns, a Model 3 is the first one you need in your collection, as it was the first major acquisition of a standardized handgun for general issue to Japanese forces. The fact that many of the guns remained in service through the end of World War II is a testament to the quality of the Smith & Wesson design and workmanship. A complete collection of Japanese martial handguns that covered the period from the Russo-Japanese War through World War II should include both a Model 3 Smith & Wesson and a Japanese Type 26 revolver, in addition to the various Nambu semi-automatic pistol variants and end with a Type 94.«

RIP among our late friends, Afu, Thierry, Veli and so many others...

Here is a Muromachi tanto starting with a straight yakidashi, so it was already existing in Muromachi...: https://www.aoijapan.com/tanto-sukesada/

Welcome to our new comers

Austus, There is a search button at the top of the page... Just as a teaser, you will find it here: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/17414-achieved-collection-gokaden/page-1

Is it possible to have a picture of the whole blade naked (without handle and habaki)

I doubt it, Shinto, I’ll say (because of the yakidashi).

The greatest library I have ever seen is Robert Burawoy’s one. Books by hundred on wooden shelves screwed in the walls, bent by the sheer books weight or piling up on the floor and this among armours, yumi on their stands...

For people who read Robinson’s books, there was a chapter about taking care of tsuba. His receipt was to heat the tsuba and put it in liquid wax to coat it. Some of his receipts are frowned upon nowadays.

They have huge mei data base. They first begin to check the mei with their data base. If it fits, you have your kanteisho. No need and no time for a classical kantei. Sugata/sori/hamon down the sink.

In fact all these kantei elements are linked and the first step (sugata) must be confirmed by the second step hada and so on. For multiple reasons, sugata on its own can be very misleading. If you remember the chronological table of Japanese swords sugata from Heian to Meiji, all swords are ubu. Most of swords available for Kantei in Western countries are (for Heian to Nambokucho) O suriage, this can kill the sugata being the first step to kantei. Concerning the Kantei, if I remember well, Mike Y could confirm, one of the best NBTHK Kantei contest winner has learned hundreds of hamon

A pillar of the worldwide Nihonto world has gone, condolences to his friends and his family

Nor any photo available...

Everything went smoothly when suddenly an unexpected guest appeared... Scallop carpaccio with truffles with white wine Burgundy.

Yes , these tsuba are quite common