Gilles

Dear Kunitaro san, Thank you so much for your help. I am going to post some pictures of the nakago on Military Sword of Japan folder.

Dear John, Thank you very much. I think it is Yōsuke Matsuoka , (March 3, 1880 – June 26, 1946). He was a Japanese diplomat and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Empire of Japan during the early stages of World War II. He was also vice-president and president of the South Manchuria Railway.

Dear gentlemen, I bought a long time ago a Koa Isshin sword with the logo of the South Manchurian Railway Company. The date use the zodiacal dating system, it is 1938 if I remind me well. This sword was stored in a box with kanji(s) on the lid. Can you help me translating them? Please see the photos. For what I understand, it says that this sword was given to an Italian official........

Gentlemen, Special mention to Grey Doffin, Paul Martin, Kunitaro san and a lot of very pleasant people. :D

Thank you gentlemen for those comments. I will try to do some better pictures. The blade is much more impressive in hand. This three sided blade was made in all probability to deal with armor. The point is stubby almost "rounded" which was made (to my knowledge) for this kind of utilization. The long nakago can be a sign that this blade was fitted on an extra long shaft and was seriouly made for combat use. I've heard that the warriors of the Satsuma han were particularly fierce during all eras and especially during Bakumatsu time. The "spirit" was preserved.

Gentlemen, Here is my last find. Please see the pictures. We have here a scarce yari which have a quite long nakago (66 cm) with a blade length of 13.7 cm. This yari is signed SAPPAN SHI MOTOHIRA and was purchased with a NBTHK Hozon certificate. On the excellent compilation INDEX OF Japanese SWORDSMITHS made by our friend Markus Sesko, it is written that this very swordsmith was allowed tu use the title SAPPAN SHI (Satsuma retainer) in 1785. The NBTHK certificate is quite laconic and state only the MEI, thus I can't conclude with it whose MOTOHIRA we are talking about. Thus, I think that this swordsmith is the first generation MOTOHIRA, what do you think ? Thank you for your help

Dear all, I am accumulating for several years all the serious datas encountered on the web about Japanese swords. I have now a good deal of pictures of high quality which sometimes help me in my buys. I also keep a quite big library at hand because I am mainly concerned my the data storage. Will my digital references be able to be run in the future ? Digital datas stored in old computer run by windows 96 (for exemple) are they still visible ? Does future computers will be able to read all those old datas ???? That is my concern but it may not be a problem for a computer engineer.

You are right, Grey is really a nice fellow and I have always been very happy with all the books and tsuba I bought from him. :D :D

Happy new year 2014 for all you :D

Wow, The very first one I see for sale !!!!!! I only saw one before, at the war museum next to the Yasukuni jinja in Tokyo..... What a grouping

Hello, You seem to have here a real signed naginata in its original length. The picture of the signature is taken too far to be readable and the other pictures are I'm afraid a little blurred which does not help us to have a better opinion. I see some varnish (which is for you the gold colour) on the blade which may be the result of the spraying of a protective coating like Rustoil. The point of this blade seemed to be rusted and was perhaps not enough protected or may have lost its protective coating. Close up of the two side of the point will tell if it is bad or not. To conclude, as a naginata collector I like the shape of that blade but I can't give you a definitive opinion unless you post other pictures. Hope it helps. :D

Dear All, I've heard that a tsuka with a white cloth cover could have meant that the wearer had already been wounded in action. If I remember well, one book of R.Fuller and R.Gregory stated that.

Merry Christmas to all of you dear collectors and thank you Brian for your wonderful work without forgetting our moderators.

Dear Chris, You are right, I am going to do that, I already have a good deal of examples and will collect other over the time. Alas, I would have prefered to buy all the Motohira swords I could

Dear Chris and Eric, The picture Chris have posted fits the description and the one Eric has posted shows that is is not an unchanging rule. The questions is why was is done or not ? Was it made at a certain period of the live of this swordsmith ? Can anyone answer that question ?

Dear Markus, thank you so much for this feature. I am quite sure that what you describe is exactly what M. Tsuruta san tried to explain. So, if I understand well, this smith had at least two different "secret marks". That is very interesting and to broaden this subject, it is quite possible that other swordsmith used "personal marks". Do you gentlemen know other sworsdmith doing those secret marks ?

Thank you Patrick and Markus for those precisions. Dear markus, a big thanks for your pictures. It shows me exactly were to see. One more question please. Can anyone tell me why Tsuruta san refer to the shinogi line ? How can I understand the following sentence ? - the shape of the nakago line is not fit on the bottom of the nakago which means slightly different place, - If the shindig line on the nakago fit the end of the nakago or doesn’t have line on the nakago jiri You should understand the blade is fake. Best regards,

Gentleman, I have a kantei point to ask you about the shin-shinto swordsmith MOTOHIRA that I have trouble to grasp. On Aoi arts site Tsuruta san is selling a super nice wakizashi (please see the link below) and he is making to following assessment that I seem to understand but that I can't find on the provided pictures. - first, Tsuruta san is talking about the shinogi line in the nakago and I don't grasp the point he is explaning. - then, he writes "On the upper part of the nakago, one or two lines are engraved", I don't understand and i can't see those two lines.... Can someone explain me or show me pictures of the features I don't understand ? aoi art original text : Kantei:genuine Motohira:please look at the shindig line on the nakago. the shape of the nakago line is not fit on the bottom of the nakago which means slightly different place. On the upper part of the nakago, one or two lines are engraved. If the shindig line on the nakago fit the end of the nakago or doesn’t have line on the nakago jiri You should understand the blade is fake. http://www.aoijapan.com/wakizashi-oku-y ... motohira-2 Moreover, in the excellent book NIHON SHINSHINTO SHI by our friend Markus Sesko, he wrote that some blade show at the nakago-jiri one or two horizontal strokes which are regarded as secret chisel marks of the first generation Motohira. Can someone provide pictures about those marks ? Thank you for your active help. Best regards,

I already know Jean that my knowledge of the english language is perfectible. But I still try.

Markus, One more book bought. I warn you my friend, I will have no other choice than to denounce you to my wife. Soon, I will need to explane all that money spent on "those books of yours".

Dear Markus, Thank you for that book. I have almost finished to read it and I have learnt a lot of new things. It is definetely a must for a collector of shin-shinto swords. Markus, you are such a prolific writer which a blessing for my knowledge about the Japanese sword but a curse for my wallet :D Thank you again my friend,

Dear Mick, I have noticed quite often those lines across YARI nakago, usually situated at the end of it. Where are your lines and notches situated ? I make a difference between the lines accross the nakago and the notches. Some well versed people told me that those lines are there to point out the defects of a blade. One line per defect. Is this real, I just don't know About the notches, I have no answer. I would be interested to know what are the meaning of such markings.

Super Markus, I will order it tomorrow. Thank you again for your astonishing work.

Thank you for your answer Patrick. No nagaye with the blade Ken, just a complete shirasaya. Sorry for the twisted picture markus :D . Thank you very much gentlemen for all those much needed precisions.

Thank you dear Kunitaro, So if I understand well this yari was made to be mounted as a kago yari ? Best regards,