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rebcannonshooter

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Everything posted by rebcannonshooter

  1. Jussi, you're right, Hawley showed just one TOMOTAKA with this kanji. The confusion for me is that the kanji for "ro" on the saya is not the same as on the sword? Also the other tang photo is blurred another photo would help. Tom M.
  2. Hello, I'll take a try at the translation. the first picture of the sayagaki says "nan kai ta ro TOMOTAKA" and the date of KO KA ichi nen ni gatsu ? hi. The tang in picture 6 is signed "nan kai ta ? TOMOTAKA. The fourth kanji does not look like "ro" to me ( maybe one of the other members can explain that ) Hawley has one TOMOTAKA from Tosa who worked circa 1845. Hope this helps
  3. Good morning, Your sword appears to be a WW2 stainless steel blade. It's signed Hira-Toshi Saku (made by Hira-Toshi) with a Toyokawa Navy arsenal stamp. The "toshi" kanji seems to be a little more "squashed" (if I can use that word) than normal, so I'm not 100% sure of that kanji. Maybe some of the other guys can correct me, or confirm that kanji. Tom M.
  4. Thanks Steve, I was wondering what it could be!!! Tom M.
  5. Hi Charlie, its kind of poorly written, but what I can figure out is: No-Shu Seki Ju Ni Ju San Dai, (?) Yama Kane-Fusa Saku Kore. Twenty third generation Kanefusa made this, (having a mental block trying to figure the family name (something Yama) There was a ww2 smith that signed 23rd gen Kanefusa, but he used the Fujiwara name??? Hope this helps, Tom M.
  6. Hi Brodie, the signature looks like "NO SHU MURA YAMA KANE SHIGE KITAU" Looks like a showa (ww2) blade, but I don't see a date. Odd that it has two ana? Tom M.
  7. Here's a Koto Bizen, "KiyoMitsu" with a 1550 date. The bottom two ana are originals, the top one is WW2 time period to re-mount into shin gunto. Tom M.
  8. I can make out NOSHU SEKI JU KANE ??? SAKU chippy style of writing was not unusual in showa swords, and this looks showato to me. A better photo on the second to last kanji may help. Hope this helps, Tom M.
  9. The star stamp would be a great thing if you had one, the're usually pretty easy to see. Some other stamps are small and can be missed, I would suspect that your sword would have a "seki" stamp indicating a non-traditional made sword. Look in the military section of this board, I think Bruce has lots of stuff on stamps and general info.
  10. Your sword is not made by Minamoto YoshiChika he is a well thought of Gendai sword smith, who used different kanji in his name. (I have a sword made by his son who was also a very good swordsmith) Minamoto is an old Japanese clan name that was used by unrelated swordsmiths for centuries. As to translating sword signatures there are a number of articules on this site that walk you through how to approach sword translations. There are quite a number of good reference books on the market, I would start with John Yumoto's "the Samurai Sword a Handbook" ( my first book and still a good one). John Slough's "An Oshigata Book of Modern Japanese Swordsmiths 1868-1945". Fuller an Gregory's "Military Swords of Japan 1868-1945. Jim Dawson's "Swords of Imperial Japan 1868-1945" Yumoto's book is general reference with some kanji, Slough's book is all about sword translations, the others are focused on military swords. There are members on this board who sell books and they would be good sources for books and advice on other books, and they will treat you right! My main advise buy books and read, read, read. BUT.... be careful this hobby is addicting and expensive! Good luck and welcome, Tom M.
  11. Hello, your sword is signed "YoshiChika". There was a yoshichika with a similar writing style from Seki City in Noshu Province, and I think its the same guy (but no way to prove that) As you suspected your sword is NOT a "naval landing forces sword". Its an Army sword, called a type 3 or sometimes called by collectors a '44 pattern. The date on your sword is "Showa ju ku nen san gatsu" which translates to "March 1944". I didn't see a stamp on the tang, but I suspect that there's one. A real Japanese military sword, Good luck collecting! Tom M
  12. I'm kinda in the same boat as Ray, I can't make out the first kanji, but the next kanji looks like "TOMO" (if you remove the rust on the top part of the kanji) and "saku" I'm very confused as to the attribution to Ryokai YoshiHito, or Ryokai YoshiSune. I don't see anything that leads to that suggestion. What am I missing??? Tom M. Also there looks to be another kanji between the two ana, BTW I love the carp fuchi-kashira
  13. Your sword is signed "No-Shu (no) Ju O-Zawa Kane- Hisa Saku. The stamp at the top is a Seki stamp, and the one at the bottom is a "kakihan" or personal seal. The transliteration is "Made by KaneHisa" whose family name is "Ozawa" who is a "resident of Noshu" province. Tom M.
  14. Ray and all, I now I see, thanks for the instruction, Tom
  15. Hi Ray, I'm always trying to learn, so why isn't this "Yoshida" ? Thanks in advance for helping an old guy continue to learn kanji, Tom
  16. Hi all, I just got a reply from the guy and he gave me the same line of B.S. His friend translates it to "GyoTel" and says the Showa date was put on later, and he refuses to admit that its a WW2 blade and mounts! Tom
  17. Hello everyone, I too e-mailed the seller (before checking on NHMB today) my message to him was exactly what all of you said above. He basicly told me I don't know what I'm talking about, and that the sword is definitely 400+ years old. I'm glad to see someone else called him out on the ridiculous statements he's making Thanks, Tom
  18. Hey Neil and Bruce , I stand corrected!!!! I agree with Kanetoki humbly yours, Tom M.
  19. Hello birdchild, my reading is "noshu seki (no) ju kanekiyo saku" Probably an early WW2 blade because of the showa stamp instead of a seki stamp, is there a date on the other side? Good luck, Tom M.
  20. Great article Yurie, It was an enjoyable read! continued success, Tom M.
  21. Dear Yurie san, I've been enjoying your blog, thank you. Your a good teacher! In your biography, you talked about your father's and Mori Sensei's study group that you were part of. I would love to learn more about both men as well as the incredible experience of growing up in that environment. It's a fascinating part of sword study history, and a glimpse in to a world few Americans have experienced. So please share more about this. Again, thank you Tom Maurer
  22. Hi Neil, Ho Shu Takada (no) Ju Fujiwara Yuki Naga, I'm assuming a Bungo smith from the signature, for a place to start researching. Good luck, Tom M.
  23. Hi Dwain, Here's an option for you. I picked up this tsuka in Japan a couple of years ago. I was fascinated by the "imitation" same. It's actually a piece of thin copper that was punched from the back side to give it the same effect. This one, as you can see, was painted a gold color, but I'm certain black would work equally well. I not certain the age of the tsuka, but all the fittings appear to be late Edo, and good quality. I'm not sure how common this was, but its the only one I've ever seen! Best of luck, Tom M.
  24. Hi Bruce, I have a kaigunto that I've always wondered about. It is a very nice sword with sharkskin saya, and a signed seki stamped sword. The problem is that the saya has army fittings. I always thought that some GI swapped the Navy fittings for Army ones. But.... if so they did a very good job, as the fittings are tight and well done. Not the usual GI cobble job. I don't know if this is a Navy sword set up for land use or what?????? Tom M.
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