stekemest

Hmm, Showa? That would be disappointing. I'm quite sure the nakago has been cleaned and the yasurime are not as clear as I know it from showa pieces. Any more opinions still very appreciated... Peter

I just don't manage to get any pictures of the mune. Seems my camera is too bad for it, sorry. As I said, it's just flat, maybe a bit rounded, but rather flat. Peter

Hi nagamaki, I can't take pictures of the munemachi as the habaki seems to be fixed somehow. But I'll show some pictures of the mune later this day. Peter

Thank you very much, Paul! Does anyone else have an opinion about this? Come on guys, you're the experts!

Isn't that a midare hamon and a jizo boshi? wouldn't that indicate mino tradition? (still learning about Nihonto), Peter

I don't think it's fake, it's just in really bad condition. Mike Yamaguchi is an experienced seller who, according to my experiences, can be trusted.

Tannic acid indeed gives the steel a darker color. I use tannic acid for restoring ancient european weapons (which I collect), as it does not only give back a patina-like color to objects which have lost their original patina, but it also has a preserving effect and helps to avoid active rust. I never tried it on Japanese weapons, though.

Hello, Some time ago, I got this katana as a present. You can't see any hamon or hada on the blade and the nakago (mumei) has been cleaned (terrible, I know). I also know that it's not worth much, but I like it anyway. Now I'd like to know if it's possible to date this sword. There is a mei on the tsuba: SHOAMI IESHIGE. I showed this sword to various people, and opinions ranged from late muromachi to shinshinto times, with an average of people saying it roughly dates between 1550-1700. The mune is totally flat (maybe a maru mune) and the nagasa is 68 cm. I desperately try to find out more about this sword, so please answer what you think about it. I really appreciate any help and thank you very much in advance, Peter

Thank you Rich. I ask because I own such an Ieshige Tsuba; it's just signed "Shoami Ieshige saku". Here it is: What do you (or anyone else) think in which time this was made? Thanks, Peter[/img]

All members of the shoami school? Can you give me their dates? Thank you, Peter

Hi, I'm looking for tsuba of Shoami Ieshige. He seems to be a rather unknown tsubashi, working around momoyama period. Thanks in advance for any help. Peter

Light rust can be removed with NEVR DULL. It has to be used carefully though.

Where exactly do you come from? I know a good polisher from Germany. edit: just saw that you come from Slovenia. If you want, I'll send you the email adress of the German togishi. I don't know anyone from Slovenia.

Are there arsenal stamps on the blade?

A picture of the kissaki could help to judge if it's a fake or not. The nakago looks strange to me, too...

Thank you, Carlo. Unfortunately, I can't read estonian, so I don't understand much on this page. I just liked the pictures. :D

Hi, There are many sites on the internet that deal with the evolution of the tachi/katana, but I've never seen one that particularly deals with wakizashi. What I'm looking for is especially an explanation of the sugata/sori-change over time, like the one on this page: http://www.local.ee/nihonto/ajalugu.html Is there anything like that for wakizashi blade styles? I know that it's not so easy to determine a sword's age just by its shape, but I think it could be helpful for swords where the hamon/hada can't be seen. Thank you very much and please excuse my bad English, Peter