slavia631

Hi, An acquaintance is wondering about the age/make of his sword as well as a translation of the mei. Here are some photos: http://i361.photobucket.com/albums/oo60 ... ekanji.jpg http://i361.photobucket.com/albums/oo60 ... ekanji.jpg I have asked him for more photos of the blade itself, but for now does anybody have anything to say about this sword? It appears that somebody (hopefully not him) has tried to clean the nagako . thanks,

Again, I am sure that "form" practice is what he was meaning to dissuade you from anyway, and I think I can safely say that the rest of us stand behind his sentiments. Furthermore, I sincerely hope that the "other blade" which you intend to use for tameshigiri will be a modern production or custom katana and NOT an antique/Nihonto of any quality from any time period. Your sword looks to be in good shape and should be very valuable (both monetarily and historically) despite it's "flaw". Treasure it, as each Nihonto piece in existence today is irreplaceable. Good stewards like us are few, and take on a great and wonderful responsibility in the ownership of such things.

Hahaha! Agreed. Thanks again, guys.

Yes, the shinogi-ji is bollocks. I actually bought it from a fellow who was selling it as a "polishing practice" sword. I have seen worse go for much more on fleaBay....so maybe that is the path for this blade. I can put any profits made toward my "good blade" fund. Thanks again all. Just a theoretical here but if it weren't for that horrid kizu, would your opinion of the blade change much?

Thanks guys. Besides the kizu, any guesses as to it's age/school?

More details... Thanks in advance, friends!

Hello again Brian, all!! I recently bought this mumei wakizashi for a mere $170US, and am wondering if anyone can tell me anything about it. It has an interesting suguha hamon, and the hada is barely visible (if at all). Any guesses as to the age/school/etc. would be greatly appreciated. I would really value some expert thoughts on this blade, and I hope my photos help. I am also wondering if this blade would be worth sending off to be polished sometime in the future? The surface is immaculate aside from the one kizu seen below. The ha is also perfect, with no chips whatsoever. This blade is not tired, as it has a 6mm kasane at the mune-machi, tapering to 4.5mm near the kissaki. Any impressions, thoughts, or suggestions?

...on a sweet deal by not bidding on this one? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0242921444 The blade looks to me to be genuine. Whether it really is a Kanenori or not, I will leave up to you experts. In fact, I'm not familiar with Kanenori or his work/rating but the seller and an ebayer who posted the question about the blade made some claims about the smith, which you probably saw. What's the story on his work? I am just wondering whether anyone sees anything (good or bad) in this blade that I don't that prove it either a blatant fake or gimei; or a genuine piece. What do you guys think? Could this <$200 blade polish up to be a beauty? I should have bid...I shouldn't have bid...I should have bid... ahh! :? Andrew G.

Hi all, Could someone kindly explain what this is? http://cgi.ebay.com/Antique-Rare-Japane ... dZViewItem At first I assumed it was a Nagamaki-like object, but now that I think about it the nagako follows the curve of the blade, as though it might at one time have been a katana or tachi. Any thoughts or experience with blades similar? thanks.

Hi, I am wondering if anybody here knows a man named Lee Geinman. He is a Nihonto dealer based out of Florida and his business is called "Nichiren", if I am not mistaken. I have met this man at various Louisville gun shows and he has always been friendly and willing to share his collections with me. He always has a fairly large selection of Nihonto, usually ranging from about $1200 to $8000 in price. I believe he is either Russian or German, I cannot quite tell by the accent. Anyways, I was just wondering about him, as he does not seem to have a website or anything. Anyone have any thoughts/experience with this fellow?

It's a little tired...at first I mistook it for a filet knife. It's a little tired, but I'll take it...nevermind the rust; sell it to me cheaply so I can go get it polished and papered. my polisher took extra time on the hadori...the traffic on the way to RadioShack was horrible.

Agreed on all accounts, but I thought I'd see if I could help him find anything out about his acquisition, since the money is already paid.

Hi, A friend of mine just impulse-bought this Wakizashi on ebay (I know, I know): http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... Y.m238.lVI It is mumei and in rough condition, but the seller claims that it is Gendai. Can anybody gather anything about the blade from the auction photos? I could not tell him much about it, and I still have a long way to go in my studies before I will be able to. I appreciate it, Andrew

Having also spent time in both Japan and China, I must note that at least the Japanese have baths, nevermind the size....and some sit-down toilets. In China, I could never get used to showering over the same spot where I just finished squatting. :lol:

I remember EXACTLY the sword you are talking about from 950 CE, it's a little katana with but a few kizu and minor pitting. Simply beautiful. Oh, and what did you think of the various O/Nodachi? Astounding, no? It's amazing that they are just as perfect as the typical sized swords around them, maybe moreso. I wish that--when I was there--I had known what I know now. I'm sure you're having a ball! Bring me back one, will ya? regards, Andrew G.

Is it possible that the second mekugi-ana was deliberately made square because it intersects the other ana. If it were round it may be more conducive to slippage of the mekugi between holes (kind of like a channel-lock wrench). The squared second ana provides "corners" that could not likely be worn down enough to pose this problem. Just a thought, the validity of which depends on whether the other square mekugi-ana you have seen intersect an adjacent ana?

John, that wouldn't happen to be at Matsuyama Castle, would it? I seem to remember seeing those yari on display there, and I know that photography is allowed there, which is rare. Have you made your day-trip to OmiShima yet? Make sure to take note of all you see, because photography is not allowed, of course. have fun, Andrew G.

That said, do you guys think the blade was indeed genuine? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0210014903

Agreed. But apparently someone likes it. The sword sold for $2,035.

Just trying to learn some stuff.

Greetings, May I humbly ask your assistance in translating and evaluating this mei: The smith seems to be one Minamoto Kiyomaro, but some research has found him to be a so called big-name smith, which leads me to think this could be gimei. Opinions?

Last time I heard, Gendaito are considered true Nihonto? Either way, it's better than a kick in the butt with a frozen boot. Would a proper new polish and removal of the Shumei help this blade's cause?

For what it's worth--and because nobody has mentioned it yet--Do the mekugi-ana not look drilled rather than punched?

This is not my blade, so unfortunately I cannot find out anything more. I was basically just wondering what could be done in a case like this and how; as a theoretical.

I have done a little photo-editing, to see what a fix would look like. Hard to tell whether the boshi runs off the end or not.: