Joseph P.

Thank you very much Morita san! The first pic of kanji belongs to the cap. The second is embroidered into the coat.

Here is your challenge. Only the strong will survive!

I plan to clean the mounts up (or have new shirasaya made). I'm going to have it look like a regular curtain rack.... With silk curtains hanging off it. They will never suspect a thing.

Hello, wanted to share some pictures. http://s363.photobucket.com/albums/oo79 ... 20nihonto/

Hello, http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 500wt_1182 Can somebody translate the signature on the nakago?

Indeed. Do not attempt to sharpen it or buff it or anything. You will destroy it. Beautiful sword. :D

Hello Brian, Moriyama san, would it be okay with you if I PM'ed for details? I'm very interested in this flag. :|

Thank you both, Reinhard and Nobody.

Can anybody translate? http://s363.photobucket.com/albums/oo79 ... se%20flag/

I have a thing for these small wakizashi in Kyu-Gunto koshirae. :D The polish seems fine as it is.

I love that tsuka! I'm looking forward to blade pics. Jo

Hi reinhard, sorry to open up a relatively old thread but I wanted to know how you believe your English is rusty? You look to have excellent English to me.

I have to agree with reinhard on certain points. While I have more confidence that this blade really is old, there are things on it that make it look "strange". The nakago looks a little weird to me. It seems a little "unfinished". To me, every time I see a hi that looks like that, I think "showato". The nakago rust tells me otherwise. I believe the nakago may have been hastily finished if suriage. The hamon just doesn't look right to me either. Perhaps it was modified for War? May I ask how you obtained the balde? With these things in mind, however, I still believe it is just an old (Pre-Showa) blade in need of some TLC and good polishing. Boy, I am editing this a lot! :D This is quite embarrassing!

Wish I could afford it.

Beautiful!