SteveM

Gave it the college try, but came up empty-handed. I was thinking along the lines of 家月清, or 斎清, but those were dead-ends. Possible to get another shot of the kanji(s) above 清?

There are quite a few Hiroshige swordsmiths. I don't know which one yours is. (I had trouble loading some of the photos. Maybe they are very high res and my computer is gagging on them?) Regarding the mon, did you see my comment regarding the other sword you posted? Its the same thing with this sword. It is like asking if platinum staples in a wooden frame add anything to the VanGogh painting inside. As a frame, it might be nice to have gold or platinum staples. But the frame is replaceable, the painting is not.* The mon decoration adds and detracts nothing to the value of the sword. You have an Edo period sword in WW2 mountings, and so the mountings are anachronistic for this sword. This is not unusual, as some families re-fitted their heirloom swords with military mounts. But these mounts were more-or-less mass produced, and so their value is not especially high. *Fittings of good quality and in fine condition make the ensemble worth whatever the sword is worth plus the appraisal value of the fittings, with possible a premium for the entire ensemble, especially if it is dai/sho set with matching fittings, or if there is something unique about the fittings. A mon on WW2 mounts is nothing particularly special. But if the mounts are in mint condition they might catch the attention of the military sword buffs.

Hello Sean, The inscription on the tang is 武州住下原廣重 Bushū Shimohara-ju Hiroshige The mon is called umebachi (梅鉢) or plum bowl/pot. http://www.yoroduya.co.jp/kamon/a/umebachi.html

Hello Whitegryphon70, Kinmichi is an "artist's name" that was used by about 24 different swordsmiths (maybe more). There are at least 6 of these who signed it exactly as you have in the sword you posted 「伊賀守金道」 Iga-no-kami Kinmichi. And as Jean points out above, all of the Kinmichi who signed their swords this way worked in the Kyoto area. There is no date inscribed on your sword, so the seller cannot know when it was manufactured (unless he/she radiocarbon-dated the sword!). Seeing as how it has a very shallow sori, my guess from just looking at the sword is that it was forged in the mid-to-late 1600s. As Brian says, it does look like an OK sword - no reproduction. It has a funky circular mark in the hamon (in the second picture), but maybe not a deal-breaker. It looks like it needs a polish, but with all the discussion of the delicate process of polishing going on, I hesitate to even venture into that arena. The shape is one that sword collectors tend to discount. The WWII mountings look fine. Bear in mind this is sort of like talking about how good the frame is on a painting from an old-master. I would question the seller's statement that it is "difficult" to find a blade in this condition. The condition is very average. The interwebz are full of blades in that sort of condition. So, this is sort of a long-winded way of saying, beware of that seller. He's fishing for people who have a weakness for buzzwords like ninja and samurai. If you really just want any old sword from the Edo era, they can be bought for around $1000 (or less if you keep your eyes open). If you have $3000 burning a hole in your pocket, you should set your sights slightly higher and watch this forum for a papered sword from one of the sellers here. Ebay is a dangerous place for people who are just starting to dabble in nihonto.

Yes, the book entry calls it "sturgeon han-dachi koshirae". Sturgeon in Japanese is 蝶鮫 (chōsame or chōzame) which literally translates as "butterfly shark", so-called because the scales resemble butterfles.

Actually there are two readings for 造作 1. ぞうさく to manufacture 2. ぞうさ troublesome　(alternate writing 雑作) ← I wasn't aware of this reading until you mentioned it! http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E9%80%A0%E4%BD%9C But having said that, I'm still not confident of 造 - especially since I found other threads where this same kanji is identified as 謹 (謹作 - kinsaku). I did find a registration certificate for a Kanemasa (from an auction site) that uses 造作. The smith only passed away in 1989...wish I could ask him what it was. I'll tentatively go with 謹作, but to my eyes it really doesn't resemble 謹. http://aucview.aucfan.com/yahoo/s431219078/ http://www.passionmilitaria.com/t83497-kai-gunto-signe-kuriki-kanesada http://www.passionmilitaria.com/t91818-kai-gunto-signe-kuriki-kanesada http://www.swordforum.com/forums/showthread.php?70963-Sword-ID&highlight=kuriki

I think I found it...at least, a modern version of it; http://hirosankim.exblog.jp/10031685/ According to this bloggist, It recalls the feeling that San'yo felt coming out of isolation and seeing the scenery of Miyajima in front of him, and his reflecting on the Battle of Miyajima. 閉門修史出門遊　逐次吟朗上面接　落日蒼茫千古　毛陶戦遽来是前洲 Some of the kanji are out of order in the above, but I believe this is the same poem. San'yo was kept under house arrest of sorts by his father after going missing. Perhaps this poem was written after the punishment was lifted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Miyajima

Looks like a Chinese-style poem from the Japanese writer/scholar/artist Rai San'yo (頼山陽) from the anthology Chōkijō 暢寄帖. Haven't a clue what it means, but you can find Rai San'yo in Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rai_San%27yo Note: the poem is San'yo's, but the kakejiku is written by someone else (I think...can't see the seals but I would be surprised if it was written by San'yo himself).

Good Morning from Tokyo. Fine, brisk weather today. My smartphone tells me its 5° Celsius with a wind chill making it feel like 0°. It was a good 2015, and I was very happy to become re-acquainted with nihonto and with Nihonto Message Board after an absence of many years. I wonder why I ever drifted away? Anyway, very happy to help out, even if half the time I'm making a wild guess. When studying nihonto I am often reminded of the quote regarding physics supposedly attributable to Richard Feynman; "If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don't understand quantum mechanics". I feel like this regarding nihonto. Just when I think I'm starting to grasp the fundamentals, some other variable comes along I realize how much I don't know. So, I'm still a novice, but sometimes I feel like I'm inching my way out of novicehood - many thanks to the people here. Looking forward to more challenges in 2016.

Well, you got the right oshigata, but the translation is wrong. (Not 100% confident of the 造) And the Seki stamp would be 関 You can find out more about these swords and their manufacture here http://ohmura-study.net/211.html And of course, if you use the search function you should be able to find out more at Nihonto Message Board as well.

Hello Paul, Looks like an attempt at either 祐 (suke) or perhaps 若 (waka).

武山義臣　Takeyama Yoshiomi (on the list)

芦葉江 = Ashibagō http://meitou.info/index.php/%E8%8A%A6%E8%91%89%E6%B1%9F 土浦潘 = Tsuchiura-han (Tsuchiura is a location in present-day Ibaraki)

We are talking about the sword in the very top picture, yes? To me it looks like a guntō in undistinguished, non-military mountings. That and the lack of patina on the nakago pushed me in the direction of Showa.

"Bunka Shiryō" http://www.jssus.org/nkp/tosogu_kanteisho.html

Hello Eric, It is quite common to replace these fittings on blades. Fuchi and kashira typically come as a set. If your sword is worth polishing and perhaps submitting to shinsa with a view to selling it at a later date, new fittings will not be necessary. They will be a distraction that drives up the cost of the sword. I would only restore the whole ensemble if I were keeping it as a pet project - a labor of love, if you like. If you get the sword polished, you will undoubtedly also get a new shirasaya (and probably a new habaki) made for the sword, and this will be sufficient for preservation and for presentation to a prospective buyer.

Showa Seki smith Kanemoto, would be my guess.

I'm tempted to say 忠利 Tadatoshi, but that leaves me holding the 刀 with no place to put it. There are a few 忠利 artists, but none who signed as 忠利刀. Anyway, my wild guess is 忠利刀, but there is no such artist in my reference.

Right side is 龍池軒 Ryūchiken Left side (as Curran has already pointed out) is 新井英隋 Arai Hideyuki

Hello Michael, None of us can say for sure. It looks to me like it is older than Showa. It looks like it is of the kanmuri-otoshi type of construction. The signature on the tang of your blade appears to be 兼元 (Kanemoto), or possibly 兼光 (Kanemitsu), but I am leaning towards 兼元. I cannot tell if it is an authentic signature or not. An interesting feature on your blade is the groove on one side. Actually it appears to have a double-groove, but the smaller bottom groove looks like it has been almost completely polished out. It is just visible above the habaki (the copper-ish collar). If you have been studying Japanese swords for a couple of years you probably know that there is a huge quantity of counterfeit swords and reproductions, particularly on the auction sites. So I am always suspicious of auction sites. I don't think your sword is Showa. The hamon appears to be genuine (from looking at the photos on ebay). I think the groove on one side is curious, but it doesn't strike me as being fake. The tang certainly looks very old.

My guess: the top mei (the one in-between the nakago-ana and the square kōgai-ana) reads 君萬歳 (kimi banzai). It's a phrase showing reverence for the emperor. The bottom right mei reads 東龍斎 (Tōryūsai). I can't make out the final kanji (or is it two kanji?). The bottom left mei is 囗文（丈？）花押 There were at least four artisans who signed as 東龍斎. This particular signature doesn't check off all the boxes on any of the candidates in my reference, but 清寿 (Kiyotoshi) might be a strong candidate as he used several a variety of names, often variations of 東龍斎, and added on extra signatures throughout his life.

Also, Ohmura's site was (is) useful for me in understanding military swords. http://ohmura-study.net/934.html

Same as Ed above, I haven't had the malware warning pop-up recently. No problems loading or viewing. Using Firefox and Chrome.

I think Tomita, as John mentioned in his post above.

正二 or possibly Shōji?