Chango

Thank you for steering me to that, I was hoping it was on a PDF somwhere. I don't speak Japanese so it's a bit of a challenge but I'm trying... I don't see Tadyuki on pages 136-137 though, still looking. Here are a few more detail shots of the mei: On an interesting side note, I first discounted the habaki as a cheap brass modern replacement as it is relatively poor fitting and looked really scratched up, but a closer look reveals it's copper with gold? foil and all the "scratches" (other than the wear marks) are purposely laid down perpendicular to the blade. A quick internet search reveals to me these are exactly the characteristics an original habaki should have, so I learned something new and found out something interesting and historic about a part I wrongly though was garbage. I can definitely see why it would be stupid and ultimately tragic to just start messing with an old sword when you know nothing about it...

Thank you for the kind words Geraint! Just an FYI, I got the sword and posted a bunch of photos in a new thread: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/16225-1645-1945-or-both-katana-with-higo-style-saya-thats-been-to-hell-and-back/

I'm definitely interested in seeing that link! Thanks James and Thomas... that makes me feel better about the blade and the honesty of the sword's seller. I'm definitely going to do some more research. Even in bad shape, having a real Shinto era blade makes the price worth it to me. Agreed. Hope I don't sound like I'm too full of myself but I'm pretty skilled and capable with my hands (my other hobby is building WWII model capital ships in larger scales)... my problem is that I have no experience with nihonto so I don't know what's "correct" and what isn't. A quality but incorrectly executed job is obviously no better than a poor quality one. I'm so tempted to go to work on the sword because I found some photos of a (modern) Komiya swordsmith's work that is absolutely beautiful and very similar to this sword (http://www.legacyswords.com/fs_ant_daito34.htm). I think I could pull off a similar look... but looks aren't the most important thing to consider here. So anyway, I've decided that my first real Japanese sword is NOT going to face the wrath of my workbench ... but I am gonna keep learning. Not sure if this photo is any better as it's hard to photograph it but the Yokote is barely there stll and is hard to see because of the heavy pitting. I do appreciate all the information I'm getting! What are your opinions on the koshirae... does it seem to match up with the blade's vintage after all?

I spelled menuki wrong too. You're right, they're definitely not squid, I'm finding photos of other similar examples online now.

... I really like the Tsuka; it's a perfect fit on the blade and seems very high quality work, though the tsukamaki is a bit loose, starting to unravel and seems to be of a more recent vintage than the rest of the Katana: the squid mekugi and "extra bumpy same" look pretty creepy in real life, kinda like nasty bugs and they actually make one instinctively feel a bit hesitant to pick up the sword: There is paper under the same... those non-existant "prayer sheets" that are the stuff of Katana newbie owner legends? The Tsuba has seen better days and looks like it came from an archaeological dig. It's got the design for a utility blade while the saya has none so I'm pretty sure at least one of them (if not both) isn't original to the katana. I don't think the tsuba is handmade... probably a 19th-early 20th century casting? I've spent several hours online looking for a "twin" but I haven't seen one yet: So my impressions are a bit mixed... I wasn't expecting a flawless masterpiece for that price but I don't want to be hosed either and I think I probably paid a little bit too much for this katana. I'm no expert but it seems the Koshirae is mismatched and cobbled together from several sources to make a functional katana, probably in the 20th century but not in my lifetime. I'm certain I've at least got a piece of Japanese history...even though that history is more likely about cave related horrors on Iowo Jima or banzi charges on Guadacanal than classic shinto/edo samurai doing bored Edo Samurai-ish things like art, drinking, dueling, exterminating Christians and enforcing extreme laws on peasants under the Tokugawa Shogunate or taking romanticized journeys up and down the Tokaido road. What do you think? I want to restore the sword myself but don't want to damage/change anything truly historical. Would you consider this a blade that should be saved from a hobbyist's tinkering... would it even be worth it to look into getting a professional appraisal? Are my interpretations in the right direction or do you see other clues I'm missing?

Please be patient with me as I'm a noob and am trying to learn; I just paid $1050 for this sword, advertised by a dealer as having a "1600s blade" and am trying to determine what I've really got. Judging by the burn spot, general condition and orange writing on the saya, I strongly suspect it went through WW2 and came to the USA as a GI souvenier sword. The saya has also been looted of all it's furniture, though you can tell it was a real piece of art worthy of an important owner once upon a time. The blade is signed "Sesshu Ju Fujiwara Tadayuki" (Thank You Chris Bowen!) which would put the sword's age within the 1600s if it was a real signature but I'm not knowledgeble enough to know if it's likely or if this is an obvious Meiji era recreation. I'd be greatful for some guidance... Here are some more pics: The blade is deeply pitted and I can't make out much but it seems straight, decently made lightweight and surpringly petite (one clue anyway... it certainly wasn't made with the physiques of modern western folks in mind!) You can just make out the (suguha?) hamon too. Other than the signature there are no stamps or markings and I don't see any "fatal" defects but I'm not sure polishing would be worthwile on a sword in this condition. Just for fun here it is against my Paul Chen Bushido faux-katana blade and showing one glaring deficiency in today's "authentic" non-Japanese manufactured katanas... they are freaking overweight (just like us Americans ) The Chinese blade is of similar length but easily weighs twice as much as the Japanese blade : ...

I still don't have the sword in hand but it looks like rust damage to the blade under the habaki... it looks to me like moisture got under the tsuka and did it's thing as the tsuba is fairly rusty too...

I can offer some insight, being a noob on verge of getting his first humble and hopefully real Nihonto after dreaming about owning one since I was a kid (I'm 36 now). Funny, but I had just assumed I was hopelessly priced out of the market (maybe because of the insane prices original Japanese blades were fetching back during Japan's economic boom) so I just assumed the closest I could get to an actual feudal era Japanese sword would be from the other side of museum glass. Still, if only I could of saved the money I've spent on "high end" reproductions over the years without even considering a real one, I would of had plenty to buy a respectable real katana or two from a reputable dealer. Still worried I bought crap though as my new sword WAS on ebay, despite being offered by what seems to be a reputable dealer in America, being in pretty rough shape from a middle-ground maker in a relatively common era for collecting, not too risky a price and having all the details match up with my eye for antiques + severely limited but growing knowledge on the subject. Maybe I'll entertain/torture y'all with a "has I done good... has I?" thread when I get the sword in a couple days. Another issue is the maddenly arcance (yet still new and fascinating to me) world of Nihonto itself. Many newbies just dipping their toes in the water probably get scared away by the sheer complication of it, not to mention the somewhat frigid reception from the "learned ones" already doing the backstroke way out in the middle of the lake. If you want your hobby to survive, you've gotta be willing to be a teacher and someone who is capable of inspiring respect and even awe for the hobby subject in newcommers, not an elitist who spends their hobby time laughing at and smacking around those who know less than you. After all, the old addage "you can't take it with you" should be abundantly clear with regard to collecting swords that are centuries old and may even be nearing their first millenium of existence... and if you want them to make it even longer, you've gotta pass the love and admiration for them along too! Conversely, newbies should recognize this is a complicated and technical pursuit that takes a great deal of effort to grasp, be willing to learn (and especially) be taught, and NOT just be like "Wow! look what I bought online or found in my Grandpa's closet... how awesomely wealthy am I gonna be now!?" after hacking down a couple saplings out back with it. I can already see Nihonto is not about money... it's about the reverence for and (possibly irrational) love of the art of Japanese swords and the spirit of those who made/used them... not to mention a great way to make one's bank account balances disappear (like all good hobbies should!) rather than getting rich by finding a lost masamune blade at a garage sale or even more likely through a Chinese ebay seller! ...which brings me to my last observation! Reproductions and fakes clearly vastly outnumber the real thing and create a virtual minefield of crap and outright thievery in this hobby that everyone who wants to play has to go up against... something I never even have to worry about in my other hobbies. In the immortal words of some random urban American lady: "Ain't nobody got time 'fo that!" I know getting burned would slow my ambitions a lot, and just the fear of it takes away a goodly portion of the pleasure from the experience. In the end, is it any wonder quality Nihonto recruitment is "a wee bit slow"?

I'm having a lot of fun looking into this, found several Sesshu Ju Fujiwara Tadayuki blades online with matching signatures, some with NBTHK certification. I'm gathering it's Tadatsuna school, late 1600s, also thinking it has historic value and is not the "junk sword" I thought I was getting into so I'd best not treat it as a "project sword" and start filing away on it after all!

So, made in Sesshu (Modern Osaka?) by Tadayuki? According to my newby research, that would date it around the first 1/2 of the 1600s, provided it wasn't a fake. Thanks again!

Hi all, I'm a newbie to Nihonto; I took the ebay gamble and bought one that appears to be in pretty rough shape and was relatively cheap (lower risk hopefully ) but somehow struck me as a potential "diamond in the rough". It was advertised as having a "1600s blade". Can, can someone help me translate the signature? Anyway, I hope to restore the fittings/saya and stabilize the blade, then display it.