6pakki

Thank you all for your comments and opinions. It has, as always been very educational.I shall copy all these to my friend. Juha

Dear all, Friend of mine who wishes to remain incognito, has got a present from his wife that puzzles us all. It was found in UK auction house with a description: A Japanese ARMOUR PIERCING DAGGER (YOROIDOSHI TANTO) with robust blade, tang signed 'Sanbun...' 'Munechika' and pierced with a single mekugi-ana, black lacquered grip, in its matching scabbard decorated with two gilt mon on one side and a single mon on the other 16.2 cm; 6 3/8 in blade Curious as I am, I would like if someone of you could look at the pictures and shed more light to this lovely blade. (I have a feeling that this was not originally a tanto but a yari or naginata of some sort...) I thank you in advance and I am sorry for the quality of the pictures. Sincerely yours, Juha

Dear Guido, Thank you for your quick answer! Yours, Juha

Dear all, My friend has a nice Naginata but we cannot translate the mei. Could someone be so kind and help us? Thank you in advace, Sincerely yours, Juha

I have a pair of eye glass magnifiers, 5x, 10x, 30x ...to 60x. They seem to work nicely with small details but with swords, I have a concerns to put the blade so close to my face. For two reasons. Pro primo, I might damage the blade by saliva and moisture from my breath and pro secundo, I might damage my face cause one has to keep the blade an inch from ones eyes... Just my thoughts of the subject. I just might have to order one "Sherlock Holmes" type glass just to be on safe side. Juha

Dear Jean and Lev, Thank you for the reality check. I shall send her to polish soon (ish). Before that, I will study her and admire her as she is today. I still haven't had the time to put her under microscope, but I will. I was fortune to have this deal made with Lev who is a true gentlemen and a pleasure to make business with. All the best, Juha

Dear Alex, Ken, The roughness of the suriage made my imagination fly. I am a helpless romantic and my mind tends to wander. Ok, to be serious, I was interested why this O suriage was done such a way. And why it was not repaired afterwards? Out of lazyness? Or for respect. If this was a warhorse... was the owner too poor to do it as should or was it to remember or honour the fallen owner? See you made me daydream again. Also the lenght made me wonder a bit. Since there are no visible filing markings but after 80-100 mm the suriage is imho quite long. So was this blade maybe a uchigatana to start with? Also the sori would have changed because of this to saki sori. Also i dont get how the motohaba gets to so thin to sakihaba...almost 9 mm. The scale dont add up. I truly think this blade taken a beating of she was something else when she was new. Come on mates...Dont you just love to speculate...? Yours, Juha

Dear all, I have bought a little sword. The suriage was so roughly done that I just had to make an offer. Here you have some measurement and my observations: Shinogi-Zukuri. Iorimune. 2 menugi ana, 58 mm apart. Nagasa 493 mm. Nagago 125 mm. Tori-sori 8.4 mm. (before suriage was her saki-sori?) Motokasane 6.7 mm. Sakikasane 4.8 mm. Motohaba 28.2 mm. Sakihaba 20.6 mm. 1/3 of the blade is like someone had tried to make madoake. No clear visual about the hada. Hamon is mix of suguha / notare. Patches of spider rust colour blackish. Couple nicks in ha and mune. She might have been a "warhorse" that was cut in battlefield due chiping near habaki. I suspect that it was cut at least 80mm and quite crudely IMHO. I like her a lot, she is sturdy little sword. No idea about period or school, please feel free to comment. Thank you and sorry about the quality of my photos. Sincerely, Juha

Thank you Jussi and Gordon. It's no secret that I cant photograph and it's specially difficult to take pics of sword. I will try to take better pics and get back to you.

Togi was Martin Hornak. I would like to have some help for the kantei from here but she (the sword) is not interesting enough apparently. Thanks Greg for your interest.

No comments?

In the first picture you can see how the same is used. This is called "Tanzaku" This way you use only small piece of ray skin and often not the best quality.

The koshirae is quite odd. The same is done as cheap as it comes. maybe koshirae was added later? I could not see any kizu, ware, fukure... so I dont think it's "Kazu-uchi"

Hello, sorry for slightly going off topic. I just read a Facebook thread from Michael Sabatier. He was asked to groove a bohi in old sword that didn't have one. Reason was a devilish "ware" in otherwise lovely sword. He didn't want to do it before studying the subject and apparently it is quite common in Japan and has been for long time. According to him ,it seems sacrilegious for collectioners but it is seen as adding vitality to the sword and a way to preserve it. Any thoughts?

He thinks Bishu osafune.

After the polish. After discussing with togishi. She might be Bishu Osafune, the quality of steel is apparently really good. Honsanmai. Ko-midare, suguha hamon. Hada itame, ko.mokume, some nice pools there and masame in ha. Boshi, faint ko-maru or yakizume. The sori is sakisori in my opinion. Nakago has kiri yasurime. There is traces that nakago is not ubu but nakago-jiri is "ichimonji". There are two meguki-ana and other seems to be done recently. I cannot see nie or nioi but I am "tsuke-yakiba", no good light and no magnifying glass. She was polished quite often, so someone loved her dearly. Also she has seen battles says togi. She seems to me late muromachi, Bunroku period?

After the polish.

After the polish.

Thank you Steve.

Could some one please be so kind and look to the seconde picture please? The zakisori and jigane is not shinto period if I am not completly bonkers or am I. For me it is not about the value of her. I just love to know where she came from, who might have made her, why she was made and how has she survived this long to come to me. As we are speaking... Well reading... She is in good care of a togishi who shall take care of her and make her pretty again. All in good time. But while waiting, please throw me a bone.

Hello, I have been bit stubborn and looked for more info about this little sword. I have had three different opinions and they all say that the sword is gimei. Also two person has said that this is no Shinto wakizashi but rather Katate-uchi / Uchigatana from muromachi period. Slowly I get more info about her... Yours sincerely, Juha

Lovely gift, I would too like to have that kind of presents. Yours,

Mr. Geyer, Thank you for your prompt answer. I thought so myself and now I have the final answer. This blade still intrigues me for some reason. Maybe one day I get more information about it's origin and history. Thank you also Chris for your support. Yours,

No Chris, just two. I have not found other mei's

Dear all, I have in my possession a small Nihonto. Like everyone else, I am curious to know more about it and it's history. The mei is not the same that I have seen in other Nobutaka, so could someone be so kind and shed more light in this matter? Could it be another generation or gimei? Yours Sincerely,