Jacques

Hi, As i am a ko-budo practitioner , i made a search about Battodo which are elaborated during WWII, Takayama Masayoshi was the initiator of Jissen Budo Takayama Ryu Batto Jutsu, and taught it at the Imperial Naval Academy. He said that one cannot kill people with a sword using only kendo training (Shinbu fusatsu). More info here.

Hi, The mei reads Awataguchi Ikkanshi Tadatsuna horido saku 粟田囗 一竿子忠綱彫同作 and the date is Genroku ju go nen hachi gatsu hi 元禄十五年八月日 (1702) .

Hi, Shigetaro Emura was the head of the Okayama prison, not Takayama prison. :D

Hi, According Toko taikan, the one who worked in Tenbun (1532-1555) signed both 南都住金房兵衛尉政次 and 南都金房兵衛尉政次. Best wishes. :D

Hi, The second kanji is not clear and difficult to read, but the mei reads Ka X Toshikane 加X壽金.

Hi, Seems sue-seki http://www.users.on.net/~coxm/oshigata% ... 20k32.html

Hi, Something seems odd; i've never seen a Bizen Sukesada written 助定. Ordinary there are written like this 助貞 or 祐定.

Hi, About Sukesada, it is practically impossible to tell something because there are about 70 swordsmith with this name in the same period. Concerning Kanetomo, there also some who worked in Mino.

Hi, It seems signed Sukesada 助定.

Hi, Looks still fake.

Hi, Just a guess: 3 Bizen (no) kuni (no) ju Osafune X (can't decipher the last kanji) 4 Noshu (no) ju Kanetomo.

Hi, A little correct, the first is Kanekuni (think Stephen made a typo)

Hi, There was a Norimitsu (and not Nagamistu as i firstly said. :? thanks John for correcting) who had a long career which started in Bun'an 1444 untill Bunmei 1469/1487. Some oshigata, the last mei shows a gassaku (joined work) with Katsumitsu in Onin Gannen (1467).

Hi, Also quoted in Fujishiro koto jiten with a clear oshigata which does'nt match.

Hi, Some info here

Hi, Samurai were very sensitive, such an attitude would have been taken as an offense. A little chrismas gift for you Jean (written by clive Sinclaire and translated in french).

Hi, Domo arigato Moriyama san, The sword is held on the wrong side, the tsuka should be in the left hand.

"A limited number" is just an assumption, and depends anyhow on how one defines it. The Kokon Kaji Bikō gives rankings for 1,111 smiths, and lists many more, which I personally wouldn't call a "limited number." There are also quite a few "big names" of the Kotō period included; in other words: famous smiths were tested, but maybe not famous heirlooms such as Meibutsu. There's even a report about a Masamune tested, but it failed the Wazamono ranking. No one would argue that this failure resulted in discount prices for Masamune blades . And finally: *Ryō-Wazamono* is kind of a "modern" reading, the correct reading is *Yoki-Wazamono*. IMHO I think Nagayama speaks about the blades which were tested by Yamada himself.

Hi, I've been told Hankei was killed by a kesa-giri at the moment of a "free test" in Edo, Is that true?

Hi, I don't know but it is not important, i will not buy this blade Just i thought some thing odd, there is a scuff on the picture below (red square) that i can't find on other pictures

Hi, About the signature, i think you must not dream, the nakago is far from looking like those of Muramasa (shodai, nidai, sandai).

Hi, On photoshoped pictures?

Hi, Bitchu mizuta 備中水田

Hi, Light never plays with lines it always follows them.

Hi, Just to say that shinogi-zukuri tanto are scarce but exist. Sample on this page: http://www.satcho.com/Nihonto/Nihonto.htm