SteveM

I am trying to answer the original poster's question as objectively as possible, and lead him away from the romantic or mystical aspects of nihontō. I don't deny these things exist (I'm repeating myself here), I just deny that there can be any objective consensus as to how the market should value "mystique". In the case of Yasukuni swords and such, I think you mistake rarity and quality for mystique. Rarity and quality are objective things, and the market attributes a value to these. I have yet to see a valid argument that kirikomi add monetary value. If one kirikomi is good, are two better? Are five even better? Should we expect swords with a lot of kirikomi to have consistently higher prices? Should the beginner be steered towards swords with kirikomi, because (presumably) these add value? Ultimately we like what we like, regardless of whether or not those reasons make sense to anybody but us. But the question is not: "Does anybody like kirikomi?", or "Are there swords with kirikomi that are highly valued?". These questions hardly require any input from us. Instead, the original question is one about the monetary value of kirikomi. Art is subjective, and so the question of why anything in the art world has value leads to divergent views. In this case I don't disagree with Darcy. He says kirikomi are a physical manifestation of the sword's history, and this is something that should be valued. I have no argument with this. I just don't think this is what the original poster was asking. I also don't think we can know whether a scratch in a sword was the result of a battle, or if it was the result of something else. I think we should be suspicious of cuts and scratches in swords. Our first reaction should be to discount the sword when we see these things. We shouldn't trust the sales pitch (or our internal bias) when it says, "these scratches are from a battle, and therefore the sword has a premium". Let me try to reduce the argument. Kirikomi add mystique, and therefore they are valuable. ← This is a valid statement. It has a valid counter-argument. I don't think this is what the original poster was asking though. Rarity is objective. Mystique is in the eye of the beholder. Rarity can add value. Mystique can also add value, but you are taking a step away from objectivity, and are more into the realm of faith and salesmanship. The NBTHK and the Japanese sword dealers may well be impressed with the rarity of a sword, but they will never be impressed with mystique. Mystique is not a part of the evaluation process for the NBTHK. I think the discussion is a good one, though. Hopefully it is interesting to people. It has made me think hard about some difficult questions. I hope Jason doesn't think I'm picking on him for asking this question that has led to such a long discussion. It was a good question. And I like thinking about the past owners of my swords and their histories, so I'm not totally oblivious to the romance and mystique. I just think its better to quarantine those thoughts as much as possible when thinking about monetary valuations.

Fuchi is 翠柳軒　　Suiryūken 友長老人 Tomonaga rōjin (kao) Seems to be a late Edo-period metalworker - aka Suisan-tomonaga. No other info. For the sword, a better picture of that last kanji on the tang might help determine what it is.

The relevant bit is: This piece is finely crafted with ridges around the seppa-dai and hitsu-ana, and while the theme is reminiscent of Mino, the lack of ridge around the rim, as well as the the carving of the design seem to have lead to an attribution of "Kyō-kinkō". However, Kenichi Okubo's "Minobori Metalwork" features some unconventional Minobori tsubas from the end of the Edo era which similarly have no ridges, therefore this piece can be said to fall into the category of late Edo Mino tsubas.

The one on the left reads 中惣, which is an abbreviation of 中屋惣兵衛, apparently a toolmaker based in Niigata in the Meiji period. The third photo (far right) is too small and dark for me to read.

The middle photo says 登録 俊弘丸 (Registered: Shunkōmaru) Not entirely sure on the reading of 俊弘丸 Shunkōmaru. It is the brand name of the Koyama Edged-Tool Works Co., Ltd. of Miki-shi, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. http://www.mokuba-tools.co.jp/goods/nomi/04.html

Here is one of the bits describing Japanese titles. I think there may be another one floating around. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/19758-no-no/?hl=title Also, check out the great reading list under the "articles" section of this board. One more thing: if/when you get the plain wooden scabbard made, and even if you decide to get Edo-period furnishings made, you can still (obviously) keep the world war two mounts as keepsakes. When I said they were a write-off, I didn't mean to imply they should be thrown away. But once the sword is clean and free of cosmoline, you wouldn't want to keep it any longer in its WW2 mounts, because the inside of those mounts could be coated with grime.

In this case, "Lord of Kozuke" is a title (a kind of privilege, a peerage, if you will), and doesn't necessarily mean the smith was actually living or working in that location at that time. In this case the smith has written on the opposite side "Resident of Osafune, Bishū Province", so I think its safe to assume that this was forged in Osafune (assuming always the signature isn't a fake). My preference / recommendation would be to restore in Edo period fittings. It is a hand-forged sword from Japan's feudal, past. That it spent 5-10 years of its ~300 year life in military mounts doesn't impress me. If the mounts were in pristine condition it would be one thing. But your mounts are in an advanced state of distress, and I think they are a write-off from a collector's viewpoint. Also, finding a set of military furnishings that will fit this hand-made sword would be a frustrating and, I think, pointless search. The sword was not made as a WW2 sword, so spending money and time bringing it back to an anachronistic condition is not something I would do. If it were a factory-made WW2 sword, I don't think it would be too hard to find replacement fittings. The fittings would be appropriate to the time and purpose and history of the sword. However, your sword was hand-made, so the length and curvature are different from a mass-produced sword. I think you do your father no disservice to return this sword to its pre-war condition. But first, you should get your sword looked at by someone who knows their stuff. Maybe there is a dealer or restorer nearby where you live who can help you out. Your sword could be a forgery, as is common with Japanese swords. It definitely needs the cosmoline removed and replaced with a lighter oil, but not until you have a clean scabbard in which to store the sword. If you are lucky you can find a reputable dealer who can take care of all of this at once for you: appraisal, advice, and sending the sword off to a scabbard-maker so you have a clean, plain scabbard made for it. He should be able to tell you if its worth sending the sword off for professional polish. Do not attempt this yourself. A centuries-old sword needs specialized polishing skills, and you can easily ruin your sword by trying to scrape off rust. Avoid the temptation to remove any rust. I would say leave it in the cosmoline for now, since it has probably minimized and stabilized any rust, and since it is probably also coating the inside of the scabbard. In short: 1) Show it to somebody who knows swords - a reputable dealer or collector. The forum can help you out. 2). If authentic, get a plain wooden scabbard (shirasaya) made for it. 3). Once you have it cleaned and stored in a shirasaya, you can decide how much you want to spend on restoring it: polish and furnishings. (The shirasaya also makes it easy to ship, should you decide you want to ship it somewhere to be restored.

Hello Bruce, There is no date. The one side of the tang with the long inscription reads; 横山上野大掾藤原祐定 Yokoyama Kōzuke Daijō Fujiwara Sukesada You can find this name in Stephen's post above. Yokoyama is a family name, Kōzuke is an old province in Japan, corresponding to Gunma prefecture in today's Japan. Daijō is a title roughly corresponding to "Lord" or "Governor", but don't read too much into this. There is a great article on this site that describes these titles and what they mean, their background, etc... Fujiwara is a clan name, also something that you don't need to spend too many hours wondering about. If you google "clan names" + "Fujiwara" you might get some more background on this. Finally you get the smith's name: Sukesada. A very common name, used by multiple generations. I think there are something like 40 smiths or more who used this name, although not all of them used it just as it is here. Anyway, hopefully Stephen's post makes more sense to you now. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dzuke_Province On the reverse side is 備州長船住人 "Bishū Osafune Jūnin" (resident of Osafune, in Bishū province). Again, Bishū and Osafune are two well-known location names in the sword world. Yumoto's book must have some info in it about them. If not, use the search engine on this site and look for more info on Osafune. If we assume your blade is indeed a centuries-old blade (and it does seem that way), it was repurposed with military fittings for use by someone in the Japanese army. Given the unique, hand-made nature of the sword, the fittings may well have been a hodge-podge of non-standard things. You now have an interesting dilemma: what does historical accuracy mean for this sword? Do you restore as an authentic, hand-crafted, feudal era sword, with lacquer scabbard and fittings appropriate to the time of the Edo-era in which it was made? Or do you restore it as a military memento from the mid-20th century, keeping the military fittings? This could be the start of an interesting discussion here.

I would say late Meiji souvenir saya. Difference in the number of petals indicates to me this is a rough piece not intended for the high end market. I would say either a careless mistake, or just inattention to detail. In either event, it would be unthinkable if this were being made for someone whose crest is kikusui - hence my guess that it is intended for the foreign market. Looks like the mei on the saya is Fujino (不二の). I know nothing about this artist. Mei on the tantō and on the shirasaya is Munechika (宗近) as you stated originally. The blade could be much older than the antler-horn saya. Does the blade have papers? If so, I would be tempted to ditch the kitschy horn saya, and have a proper lacquer saya made for the blade. I mean, the horn saya is somewhat interesting as a late 19th century curio, but I don't think it has much value, and I don't think it shows off the blade very smartly. I think the blade would look much better in a lacquer saya with same/ray tsuka. your mileage may vary.

濱埜矩随　Hamano Noriyuki, I think.

Japanese wikipedia says that screws (neji) first appeared in Japan 1543, along with the first matchlock rifles brought in with the Portuguese. It says the first domestic screws were screws that went into the production of matchlock rifles, but that making screws was very difficult and almost all matchlocks feature screws that were recycled from other matchlocks. It wasn't until the end of the Edo period - when the machinery could be imported from overseas - that widespread use and machine production of screws began in Japan. https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%AD%E3%81%98

As with the Masamune blade owned by Ishida Mitsunari, the above blade, being a signed and ubu blade Bizen blade from the Kamakura/Nambokucho period, is an important art blade despite the kirikomi, not because of it. Particularly telling is the complete lack of reference to either the hakobore or the kirikomi on the NBTHK appraisal paper, and on the sayagaki. I cannot imagine anyone at the NBTHK saying (of any blade), "Flawless sword. Too bad it doesn't have any kirikomi.".

Its not a dating system. I think it refers to the name of a ship (this is what the ~maru suffix usually means). Naishin means princess, so something like HMS Princess. I searched online and couldn't find any reference to this name, so I'm not 100% confident...usually you can find some reference to almost any military vessel. One other possibility: Naishin also means relatives on the father's side of the family. But this leaves me without an explanation for ~maru, so I think this probably points to a ship. Edit: I should add that I have never seen a ship's name on a sword, so that adds to my lack of confidence.

My impression is 服部正広 Hattori Masahiro, but I am not overly confident.

The reason they do nothing for me is because I cannot authenticate them, and, unlike the soldier coming back from the field, the sword cannot tell me whether a cut or a scratch was made in battle, or was the result of a careless mistake, or worse, was deliberately added using a well-placed flathead screwdriver and a mallet by some unscrupulous trader who was trying to tart-up an otherwise featureless sword. I cannot place a value on a kirikomi. I cannot go to Kurokawa-san with a sword to sell, and argue that he should give me a better price for it since it has a kirikomi. Even the words "mark of honor" seem to assume too much.This, I think, is the crux of my argument to Jason. Now the contrary argument, "kirikomi add mystique", is something I have no rebuttal for. It is a subjective thing. I don't deny that some people may find sentimental value in them, but putting a monetary figure on sentimental value and mystique is a Sisyphean task. I think the advice to novices has to be: resist getting sentimental about swords and their imagined histories. The Ishida-Masamune linked to above is the very definition of the outlier that I mentioned in my earlier post Regardless of the kirikomi, this sword has great value both as an art sword, and as a historical artifact.

The seki blade is 囗藤井兼音作　　(?) Fujii Kaneoto Saku The date on the Tenshin blade could also be Showa 20. I think what looks like a 二 is actually part of 年. Like Jean, I have some doubts about the blade, or at least the signature.

And you might want to squeeze in some time to check out the Japan Sword Museum if you've never seen it before. http://www.touken.or.jp/english/

I don't think anybody is offended. They are just trying to lead you to other avenues of inquiry, rather than fill in all the blanks for you. There is a surprising amount of info on Japanese sword smiths in English on the internet. Usually google will point you to a page from Markus Sesko's Meikan, but I also find that google will direct me back here to another thread on NMB as well. This name is one of those cases. The last character on your kogatana is illegible, but in googling for other similar names, I find two strong possibilities: 永 (naga) or 守 (mori). When I google bit more, I can find a near match to this latter signature here on this very site, and submitted a few years ago by none other than Morita-san himself. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/6302-kozuka-translation-please/ Bear in mind that kogatana are notoriously bad for gimei, as is mentioned in the above link. The market knows this as well, and so not a lot of people are excited by kogatana. Even big names tend to get met with a shrug.

Thank you, Malcom. I am, however, standing on the shoulders of giants. Here is one of the very few things I found with both Wisteria Maiden and Oni no nembutsu (sometimes referred to as Oni no kan'nenbutsu). http://www.creyon-nurie.com/ukiyoe-next/newpage50.html I haven't found anything where the oni is carrying the maiden, so the origins of that particular vignette still eludes me.

I think this Nakagomi has a more utilitarian translation: inner lining. Nakagomi (or sometimes Nakagome) can also be a last name, albeit a somewhat unusual one. I think in this case it is just a memo on a piece of wood that was to be used for lining the inside of the saya. 中 = naka: middle, inside 込 = kome(ru), komi: put, insert 中込 = lining

I have been googling this on and off for the past weeks, and I haven't come up with a satisfying answer. Be that as it may, I think; 1. Oni no nembutsu is not a name or an oni turning "good". It is an idiom in Japanese, "The prayers of the devil". It is similar to the English phrase "Even the devil can quote scripture". It points at the superficiality and hypocrisy of taking on an outward appearance of piety, while still harboring an evil heart. In other words, a devil dressed in priest's robes is still a devil. If you google for this you will see similar images of devils/oni wearing priestly robes and carrying the drum. It is a popular motif of a certain kind of rustic art. (see below) 2. The girl is Fuji musume 藤娘 (Wisteria Maiden). I don't know her story. I don't know why she is being carried by the devil. I know she, along with Oni no nembutsu, is a common motif of traditional, rustic pictures produced in the city of Ōtsu near Kyoto, for the tourists who traveled on the 53 Stations of the Tokaidō. In Japanese these are referred to as Ōtsu-e (大津絵) - Ōtsu pictures. Some more info here http://shiga-ken.com/blog/2015/10/otsu-e-paintings-now-and-then/ I don't know how these two motifs got merged with the one carrying away the other. I should add that Wisteria Maiden became such a popular motif, they started producing kabuki plays with her as a character. I think she just represents an archetype of Japanese femininity.

The first two pictures are the date - and most of the salient bits have been translated by Thomas above 嘉永元 戊申八月吉祥辰日 心願之　奉納 Kaei gan'nen tsuchinoe-saru hachigatsu kichijō tatsujitu Shingan (kore?) Hōnō 1848, zodiac year, August, auspicious day of the dragon I'm not sure how to interpret the following line but the words are expressions of prayer and dedication. My guess is, "This sword is dedicated (to/for something that would be understood by the giver/givee, and is not specified on the sword)." On the other side 奉献 Hōken (Dedication) 短刀一腰 Tantō hitofuri (as above) The next part is either a name or an official title, but I can't make it out. 當村庄官 　　Tōson Shōkan　 Shōkan is an official title, and it means head of a village. I am not 100% confident in the second kanji. 圡居新左衛門 Doi Shinsaemon (Name, family name first, personal name second) I think he is the head/mayor/lord of a village in Shikoku, what is today the prefecture of Ehime. This site shows the area (look for the black pins) http://www.hucc.hokudai.ac.jp/~x10795/cgi/uwamap.cgi

I can't make out any of the cursive handwriting under 直胤. I can't even make out what appears to be 4 numbers on the other piece of paper, and those should be super simple...alas, they are indecipherable to me. The final number is "1", but the others?? The paper may come from one of the latter Hon'ami, 宗円 (Sōen?) is my guess.

The paper points to a pretty big name, I think. 武州大慶直胤 Bushū Taikei Naotane The vermilion seal on the paper says Hon'ami. I can't verify if its real or a forgery.

短刀一腰　One tantō illegible 土号 ? 新左衛門　越智通故　Shinsaemon (person's name) Ochi (another name) something