drbvac

Surely to God I didn't get hosed on the blade - it isnt a chinese forgery as far as I can tell but then I am getting old and my eyes are bad. Silver foiled habaki and here is the nakago Maybe I will give it away to a good kid.

Thanks Jean - the tsuba is pitted in spots but can't see a real seam in the nakago-ana but is is not very well carved if in fact it is - the two sides also don't look the same in terms of patina and surface texture. Think the birds necks are too long for ducks

The Tsuba is obviously iron and wonder if Tempo ? It seems to be a half decent scene and I tried to get a picture of the menuki to determine what kind of bird is depicted - could it be a comorant? These are the mounts from that little edo wak I couldnt give away and I am trying to make the pictures better

I am assuming probably wrongly that you paid much more than 600 bucks for it - has to worth at least that if no Kizu or serious flaws?

I went through the entire selection of books and I can not believe the breadth of the publications you have done Markus. There has got to be many years of research and writing and editing for even a small part of the library. AMAZING . The pdf books can be read on a Kindle by the way - excellent value !

Book: Japanese Swords in the British Museum I was going to donate a foggy edo wak but it is not worthy

Well # 1 is probably not the case since the blade is papered, and maybe # 2 but the #3 could be correct as the smith signed his name and date and performed the cutting test on his own blade. Maybe it is not a type but an honest mistake if the smith was not aware of the proper way to write that the blade was made of Namban iron ??? Who knows - I have seen enough strange things that nothing would surprise me any more. Would I be safe in noting that the closest English translation would be "Made from foreign iron" - ? Thanks again - you folks are a great source of knowledge - better send the board another donation in gratitude - offer still stands on dental advice BB

Thanks Steve: With great respect for both yourself and Morita-san who does unbelievable work on this board perhaps it is like reading Doctors Notes. Many times in reading records you see a word and because it makes no sense at all in the context it is written - you have to assume that the writing is so weird that what it says is what it is supposed to say - rather than what you think it looks like - thats a weird way to say that I know but as Stev the points out RAKU is not the word that goes with a description of a blade being made of Namban iron. It is a 17th century typo

Thank you both very much - I did know it was made with foreign iron and the date and the test but as you said - lining up the Kanji in order and knowing what it translates to in English are completely different things - never mind that any one Kanji has 15 meanings itself but combinations are also different. If I may - what is the difference in RAKU and BAN ? I was attempting to come up with the literal translation of the characters and then for my notes what it actually meant so thank you again. Both Morita san and Steve are very generous with their knowledge and time. Now if you have a dental problem drop me a line and I will explain the problem and how to get the best deal in treating it

The cutting test I think says Futatso doo Otosu which are the Kanji and says 2 bodies dropped - I assume it is a two body test The Date has the year Jukyo -1684 three years a lucky day and I know the kanji for hachi gatsu and the final part is Nam ban tetsu motte kore 版 鉄 持 which I beleive again is literally - well foreign iron made by ? I think I have identified what the Kanji are but can not get the flow so that the translation means something proper or orderly when stated in English -

Morita san = a scholar and a gentleman as always and I knew as soon as I had too many kanji and not enough words that something was off - much appreciated

Thank you sir - I had that page but as you can see on the "notes" it is not written like that and I wanted to actually match each kanji to the translation in the full mei - I can add that it was the saku kore that put me off as it was not in the translation. That plus the Kanji for TSUKURU is > "??? one figure .? 造

kanji -Kanenori.docx KA 加 SHU 州 KANA 金 ZAWA 澤 JU 住 SUMI 藤 MIYA 原 ? KORE 之 ? KANE 兼 NORI 則 KAO

I know less than my grandson about Tsuba - he is 8 but that does not matter so any thought on this particular piece would be very much appreciated

Anyone have any luck using this type of program http://kanji.sljfaq.org/draw.html Seems pretty good if you have a close idea what you are looking for

Nihontoart.com = As was said above - NIck Ricupero is a dealer in Canada and with the US dollar as high as it is you may get some good buys even though the prices are in US dollars. Bought several swords from Nick and he is easy to deal with and honest - only reason a blade may seem higher priced when compared to others is that they are all papered and bought personally by Nick as he goes to Japan several times a year - I am not sure where he finds them but some are spectacular and they are priced accordingly. Best and largest number of photos per blade and furniture on the net for a dealer. Highly recommended

Have to vote Ken in spite of translation = look at length, shape and even the perfectly symetrical habachi - that plus the fact it is stated to be in a shrine -= Did Anyone contact Tsuruta san for clarification >?

Maybe its the shortening days or people feeling a little down at summers passing but some of the comments are IMHO way to depressing in relation to this Forum which is world renowned and respected as the Nihonto board to go to. I will admit that some members have come on a seemed a little above us poor folks in the wilds and then eventually left but if you did a search of dates joined the board and last time on the forum they would spread over many years of many peoples lives. Consideirng the work involved in maintenance and mentoring all those involved have been very free with their time to Newbies and oldmen - I have had lenghty private conversations with many and learned specifics that I could never have found in any written source as not much is in print for lesser appreciated smiths. I am sure if someone wanted to start a very intense study of some particular topic a well placed group e-mail would set off all kinds of responses that in many ways would be so far above the average members following that it really would not be that popular on the forum. There is something here for everyone. ""Carry on Gang" - Hattie and Sid would be proud of you all

Barry has the term for sure - Sanmaiawasa -it is similar patterns on both sides - however - the one Stephen posted has Identical images - one side may have been carved the other copied and then they were bonded together ? NO way to carve both the same.

I haven't pushed it with family yet but do not believe any of my family want any of my small group of blades. If they do or want some or one or two I shall of course leave them the nihonto after making sure they will maintain them for their lifetime as well. Alternatively , I have approached a friend and dealer who is younger than I and hope to come up with a "fair" return/repurchase/buy and sell agreement for the entire collection so my wife or whomever is around to take care of my estate can simply ship them off and get a cheque. It is much safer and easier than trying to sell them one at a time or locally as they would be nowhere near market value and a pain in the ass to do so. I of course expect to get something from the dealer but not what I paid so much as the discount will take into the formula, all are gone, no hassles, "fair" price to estate, AND - the collection will be re-sold and dispersed to the next generation of Nihonto addicts. The price I paid for the blades is the rental fee I have paid to keep them in my house until I die = never as an investment. Hopefully it will be fair and work out well for all involved - I won't be around to see so it probably doesn't matter other than they are maintained - Museums will never get them at least not here in Canada

Noticed this pic while trolling some sites. I was just looking at it generally and saw I could see almost the entire rim of the tsuba as if it were whole reflected inn the polish on the blade and the habaki. It must be done on purpose or else it is a great coincidence - Nick's pictures are always impressive but this is pretty artistic as well

It is always smart and very respectful to maintain and preserve these works of art as they are when they arrive in our hands = even better to bring them back to what they were like when made. That said = does anyone think that a daimyo or samauri kept his blades and koshirae in separate storage with set humidity and temperature. Unlike porcelain and most paintings that were protected and displayed - these were pretty utilitarian weapons = don't suppose there is are lot of dishes from a tavern in the 1600' s left in one piece. I am just remarking on the fact it is great we are probably much more concerned about restoring and keeping these nihonto as we received them OR better to a much higher standard than they were originally. I hope the ghosts appreciate our efforts

I am sure they are stored somewhere to keep them from drying out and cracking - I do make sure the humidity doesnt go much below 30% and I wax the koshirae with Rennaissence Wax. Hasn't seemed to do much damage in 20 years so = ?

MIne are are stored edge up on home made stands behind locked glass with a dehumidifier bar in the bottom to lower the humidity to 30% and I can look at them all day

Thanks Nick and not to hi-jack the thread but - here's a pic for all new paint and back together again