SteveM

Hello Gordon Here you go http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/shunkan-the-ascetic-of-hossh%C3%B4-ji-temple-hossh%C3%B4-ji-sh%C3%BBgy%C3%B4-shunkan-from-the-series-characters-from-the-chronicle-of-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-minamoto-and-taira-clans-seisuiki-jinpin-sen-533825

Section 2 - 熱田社宝物 蘭陵王面　 Atsuta-sha treasure (reference to Atsuta Jinja in Nagoya, is my guess https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atsuta_Shrine) Ranryō-ō men (Character mask from Gagaku https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%98%AD%E9%99%B5%E7%8E%8B_(%E9%9B%85%E6%A5%BD)) Probably the design is influenced by (or a copy of) a mask in the treasury of Atsuta Shrine. Section 4 bears the date 久安元年十二月八日 (Kyūan 1, December 8th). This is 1145 on the Gregorian calendar. Section 6 bears the date 弘安四年八月日 (Kōan 4, August), which is 1281 on the Gregorian calendar. These are the easy pickings.

The artist for the top one should be Gountei Sadahide (Utagawa Sadahide) 五雲亭貞秀　（歌川貞秀） I see "Takechi Mitsuhide" (武智光秀), which is a reference to Akechi Mitsuhide, so this likely represents a Sengoku-era scene.

The middle photograph (sword on black cloth) has the correct orientation, and I can make out the kanji for a location name 阿波 (Awa), which is the name for an old province name in Shikoku. On the right side, it looks like 於大中, which implies another place name, but I can't read the kanji clearly. The two top photographs are oriented in reverse, i.e. the kanji are showing up mirrored. Directly under the mekugi ana looks to be 武藝嘱 (bugeishoku), maybe a martial arts-related term. 藝 is the old form of 芸. The last symbol on the right side looks vaguely like an Om (sanskrit) symbol ω The mekugi ana is a later addition since it is obscuring the first kanji.

Top left: 浜田？　Hamada something, as Robert said. Middle right: 研上　研ぎ上げ　polish Bottom center: hard to decipher, but I'm thinking it says 上三寸 top three sun (unit of measurement) ニ願い ?　and is therefore instructions to polish the top three sun of whatever was inside this shira-saya? I don't have great confidence in the 三寸 reading. It also vaguely looks like 上寺 which could be someone's name. In either event, it does look like polishing instructions, or post-polishing delivery instructions.

Here are some other examples http://www.touken-sato.com/event/katana/2013/03/T-muneyoshi-01.html http://nihontou.jp/choice03/toukenkobugu/katana/527/00.html

United Cutlery... a company in China.

Also the massive "Kanehisa" hot stamp on the bottom of the nakago will tell you which Kanehisa you are looking for. Look on this site for other examples and discussions of Kanehisa and this hot stamp.

I think everything you want to know (and more) is on the page, and the site below. https://markussesko.com/2014/02/13/on-the-kaimoto-smiths/ Also, read the many, many pages and posts on this very site (the NMB site) for more information on the green verification papers. Yours was issued on January 20th, 1973 (Shōwa 48)

角文、櫂、梅鉢　透かし Square, oar, and umebachi sukashi Umebachi is the family crest of five large dots surrounding the smaller dot in the center.

Well the blade says "made by Tōta Yasuyoshi" and "hardened by Kaboku". The paper says the mei is shoshin, so I assume they are attesting to (at least) the blade being made by Tōta. But this is part of my confusion. If the mei is authentic, the explanation seems unusually coy. If the blade is a complete copy of a Tōta + Kaboku work, they shouldn't be describing it as shoshin. Oh, I forgot to mention, the shop in Kyoto that was selling this says that it has now been sold. So it may be a moot point for DUTCHMN - who, I take this opportunity to remind, should sign posts with a real first name as per forum rules.

越後士大村加卜焠之 I think in most sword signatures 焠 is read as yaku (per Markus' post of January of this year). I find the explanation a bit difficult to translate. It clearly says "copy" (写 - utsushi) on both papers, and yet the explanation is somewhat vague, and I almost wonder if they are being purposefully vague, or if it is just my inability to translate what they have said. The first sentence describes the smith Ōmura Kaboku, who is a well-known smith. The second sentence describes the blade. The third sentence is where my Japanese skills fail me. "Being a physician by trade (note: talking about Kaboku here), this smith produced works unique from other swordsmiths, and it is believed that due to his popularity, this sword was requested from a latter smith who accepted the order." I'm open to better, more accurate translation if anyone wants to take a crack. So the explanation is rather confusing. Tōta Yasuyoshi is a student of Kaboku. The certificate proclaims the mei as genuine. So was this a sword made by the student, in the style of the master, at the request of a third party? If so, the explanation is frustratingly unclear on this. Or, was this a sword which was made by the student, and hardened (as indicated by the 焠 kanji) by the master. In other words, a type of gassaku (collaboration). However, if this were the case I don't know why they would proclaim it as a copy and not proudly state it as a gassaku. Or, maybe in their own cryptic way, that is what they are trying to do. In any event, the paper is slightly problematic. I don't doubt these people know more than I do about swords, but it begs the often repeated question: if this sword is genuine, why not submit for the most widely-recognized and respected authentication papers?

Oh I see. I'm sorry, I didn't understand what you were asking... I'll take a look later, but I think you've already gotten more than I could figure out.

I don't know about Haruta or Kazu, but I think its a fairly safe bet that the kanji in the square are Fujiwara 藤原

I think that's a good guess. If we could get a better look at the thing on the ground in front of the crouching guy, it could remove all doubt.

I was looking at these and unfortunately could not come up with anything definitive. The netsuke with the two figures are representing either someone of high-rank, or actors portraying such. The hats worn by the two figures are representative of someone with social rank, and I think their costumes and the fan also reflect this, but that's about where the guesswork ends. The red "signature" square is unusual. I don't know if the writing in the square is intended to be a signature or something else. It doesn't look like a name. It sort of looks like 一三川, which is too cryptic for me to figure out. The red color is enigmatic also. Interesting, but this is as far as I got. The other netsuke stumps me as well. I was thinking it might be representing the god Hotei, and he is carrying what looks to be like a daikon radish, or possibly an eggplant (eggplant symbolic of fruitfulness).

and congratulations on the 1000th post!

Yes, I agree with Stephen: Bishū Osafune Sukesada (and probably saku - 作 - at the end).

I couldn't get the very last one... I only got it as far as Bishū Osafune Suke. A better picture of the last kanji on this tang would put my curiosity to rest, but I suspect that it is indeed Sukesada. Also, if you've used talcum powder to bring out the signature, you might try a shot without the powder. It sometimes confuses things. If the signature is authentic, it means the sword is several hundred years old. If you do a search on that swordsmith's name, you should find a lot of information about that line of smiths. If you search on this board alone, you should find enough to keep you busy for a while. Most importantly is to read up on handling, care, storage of the sword. The value depends on the quality and condition of the sword. If it has several decades of curious fingers touching the blade, then you'll probably need to get it polished by a professional Japanese sword polisher. Avoid the temptation to try to remove the rust by yourself. Also avoid the temptation to let a well-meaning amateur try to polish it...you will likely cause further harm to the blade.

Name, address, phone number, date of birth, and date of apprenticeship Leaving out the street number and phone number, the paper says Nomura Ichiro Okayama-ken, Okayama-shi, Saidaiji b. Showa 28 Date of apprenticeship ("first kiln") Heisei 3 edit: fixed the address name

The sword museum (and home of the NBTHK) that was wedged between Shibuya and Shinjuku is now closed, and will reopen in a new location (Sumida-ku) in January 2018. http://touken.or.jp/pdf/h2904_iteninfo.pdf I can highly recommend the Bizen Osafune museum and workshop. It is a bit off the beaten path, but it is an easy day trip from Kyoto/Osaka.

I agree. The photo manipulation this time brought out more useful detail. It is quite worn, but I think there is enough to declare it as Nobuie. Both Kaneie and Nobuie samples are in the link below. The slanting first stroke of Nobu 信 looks like the slanting first stroke of Kane 金. Not many other similarities though. Meanwhile, the original Nobuie 信家 signatures look very similar to the bits that can be seen in Barry's tsuba. https://www.touken-matsumoto.jp/diarypro/archives/174.html

As a side note, I think that is one of the loveliest signatures I have seen on a guntō.

I think its Hyūga-jū Yoshimori saku 日向住善盛作 Showa 19, August 昭和申　囗八月日 edit: Showa 19 = 1944

I should say that my confidence level on this is an unreassuring 50/50. I'm not finding a lot of two-kanji Kunisadas that could fit the bill. Masamune... also a possibility.