Jacques

Hi, Looking at the measurements, specially the motokasane, this blade doesn't make me think to an old Yamashiro one, rather shinshinto.

Hi, Grey is right, Munetsugu was a very good swordsmith (josaku) from Hizen province; he was relatively prolific and most of this works were around the beginning of Kanei (1624).

Hi, Nioi: Nie: Edit. This one should show nie better than the above one.

Hi, Mei reads Bishu Osafune ju + something i can't read with certitude. High resolution pictures should help more.

Hi, As promised, an oshigata of a representative blade made by nidai Kinmichi. Concerning the thickness, Kinmichi usually made blade with a relatively thick kasane.

Hi, Joe, I think this blade is gimei, the mei is misplaced, on a shoshin one it starts always under the mekugi-ana and is not close to the mune. I will post an oshigata to morrow.

Hi, Nice story but it smells a legend perfume.

Hi, that's right for the first Kanemichi, he doesn't use kiku mon and the quote "nihon kaji sosho" The nidai used both, so at first glance the mei seems legit. The picture is too small to compare correctly with oshigata.

Hi, that means that this sword was made by Kin(or kane)michi, belonging to the Fujiwara family and bearing the honorific title of governor of Iga province (Iga no kami) . Nihon kaji sosho means Master (chief) swordsmith of Japan.

Hi, The mei reads Iga no kami fujiwara Kinmichi on omote side and nihon kaji Sosho on ura side. Mishina school. Could be the nidai (second generation) High resolution pics should be helpful to compare the mei with oshigata.

Hi, Considering the state of this blade it is impossible to say if the attribution is right or not. Only a shinsa can confirm or invalidate the kinpun mei, but not in this condition. This blade needs a great restoration. the question is: Is the blade worthy for a restoration.

Hi, Just a little bit later... Bunmei (1468)

Hi, IMHO its looks like more spot of shingane than umegane. This blade seems have been often polished.

Hi, According Knutsen's book, there are two categories of blades. The first of these is the regular naginata form where part of the back or the blade is thinned in section between the lower groove and the kissaki; secondly, the nagamaki form where the shinogi, the central ridge of the blade, continues ininterrupted to the kissaki or the actual pôint. The nagamaki blades usually lack any grooved horimono.

Hi, You are a little bit stingy on this one Jean, Château Gruaud larose is "only" a second grand cru My skin.... After i've taken your scalp

Hi, I'm not really sure Tagane makura are vigorous. that indicates the mei was not engraved since a long time. Like Jean i think it could be shinshinto.

Hi, Kanzan sensei says that (Japanese sword page 60): Maybe Odanbira is synonymous of Sunnobi

Hi, That kind of comparison is not really friendly for the sharks

Hi, Looking at the oshigata i posted, it is clearly 完 About Sôkura meaning, i wonder if it could be a chinese term.

Hi, I've found some thing in my library. This is a wakizashi made by Hisamichi, the last column on right reads: Sôkura Jotetsu o motte muku kore o tsukuru According the author (Kataoka Ginsaku) It means "using the superior steel of Sôkura made this with purity". å®Œæ — would mean Sôkura.

Hi, I think it speaks about steel (Nanban?) but i can't be more accurate

Hi, According my books there were 3 generations of Yoshimitsu (father son and grandson) both worked in nioi deki. The shodai and the sandai made mainly gunome hamon, the nidai made mainly suguha hamon.

Hi, Brian, A cavalry charge needs a relatively long distance to be effective. Several hundred horses can't move in a pocket handkerchief they need distance to take speed. I'm a horseman and i understand why. My horse:

Hi, A good history of the battle of Nagashino. History is history. http://samurai-archives.com/ban.html

Hi, I have some knowledge (i learn it since some decades) in Japanese history and i must disagree. Cavalry charges were used in Japanese battles, the most famous is at Nagashino in 1575 were Takeda Katsuyori was discomfited by Oda nobunaga. Takeda opened the attack with the old-style order of battle: four waves of mounted warriors charged one after the other against the defences erected by Nobunaga . They were all destroyed before they reached his front line. Nobunaga had set up wooden palisades in a zig-zag pattern, of a height which horses could not overleap. Takeda's cavaliers were brought up short against this obstacle and were shot down from behind it by some 3,000 foot soldiers armed with muskets. Every successive charge of the Takeda warriors was repulsed with heavy losses, while the defenders suffered hardly a scratch. (Sir George Sansom, A History of Japan 1334-1615, p. 287.) I would say that cavalry charge was the speciality of Takeda Shingen. He vanquished at the battle of Mikata ga Hara (1572) on account of it. Takeda army was nicknamed kiba gundan (騎馬è»å›£ (mounted army).