Ooitame

A badly done or weirdly placed mei. Also nakago shape and yasurime have to be well done and proportional.

Only way to get a best opinion is to send to shinsa, NBTHK would be the way to go. I am thinking Muromachi myself. But one never can be sure with pictures alone. Although, some here get a few spot on or very close. So, yes send it to shinsa as is and best of luck.

@Bruce Pennington third picture down the clasp, the part that would latch to the tsuba, comes from a hole in the koshirae. Just looks off to me. Thanks for the knowledge on type 98 ana.

@Bruce Pennington one mekugi ana though? Also the clasp comes out of the koshirae? At best very late war or island sword, or buba work...? P.S. Bruce and a few others are experts at WW2 swords.

Not 100% on this one. Fittings look off same for Nakago.

So I am assuming my guesses are wrong. This blade is an outlier with aspects from different schools. Atleast I tried, will leave ot to more trained eyes.

Bungo Takada utushi? 2nd guess second gen Tadakuni.

Hi Bruce, I have considered an inspector stamp as a possibilty. However would the stamp not be a arsenal, unit, or star stamp. Also I believe Nagamitsu worked from Osaka; not sure if it falls under the Fukuoka prefecture. P.S. I saw a document sometime back for inspection marks and noticed the ichi kana. Might be worth a dig.

Bruce, I am still unsure myself just trying to figure it out. I don't think like mantetsu it was month/poem. Maybe just the pick of the litter?

Hi Bruce, not to bring up an old item. However, I see you posted Saka stamps for reference. Regarding Nagamitsu and the katakana for ichi, I do wonder if this was an indication the sword was made by him. Kind of like the two stroke Naga vs other mei. As we can can assume he had others making blades given the number produced and the varying signatures. I also say this as after a polish, this Nagamitsu Saku, mune saka ichi 0313, has some of the best hada (see my name lol) and interesting hamon activity for RS I have seen. In addition the ichi kata seems rather rare. For reference:

Hi Shane, Good to see you doing homework before buying. All above is great advice and insight. If possible handle and study as many blades as possible. Nothing compares to examples in hand! Narrow down your criteria after study and be patient as a sword you are looking for will inevitably pop up. It took me two almost three years of study, advice, and refining criteria before making a investment. I say investment not for resale but it can be costly, for the sword, and in my case a very nice new custom Koshirae, and a little time consuming to ensure proper care and storage. Best of luck! P.S. if advice is needed there are members here you can confide in and get good advice.

Congrats on the swords and homewrok!

I created my Daisho a Tachi and Waki. Both are from different smiths and a 450 year difference but go together well; both made for battle. Does your daiso smiths need to match?

Wotrh a shins fee, either NBTHK or NTHK.

Some geometry seems off. The buffing does not look to have effected the hada too much. However, the hamon does now have an oil quenched look. I would reach out to a trained Togishi on thier opinion. Traditional polishing could be expensive. More pictures including the tang and discolerd areas on the blade may help in forming an opinion. And suggestions from members.

One thing I consider is consistency in quality e.g. Masamune vs Norishigie. So Masamune would not be in my top 10. Also is style variety e.g. Bungo while not consistent in quality, they were able to master many styles. I have purchased only two Nihonto, the stated above and an amazing showta Nagamitsu; before the polish and more so after as it looks Bizen in hada activity, sughata, and hamon activity. I only wanted a diasho and have achieved my goals. Both are great swords in my personal opinion after handling many blades. I believe many collectors prefer the older well known names, but greatness can be overlooked or unappreciated if older is the best mentality. To each their own but greatness spans and the top ten is hard to quantify given the vast time span of Nihonto making. As an example, I can not remember his name, but a (shin?)shinto smith made excellent Soshu works/utushi. Maybe a top ten by nengo would be better.

I have also handled signed Norishige and Uda Kunifusa in good condition are those not museum quality? Those are also members here.

@Nihontocollector752 I have a zaimei uchigatana Norimitsu that is in great condition and reminds me of Oei. Tanobe san, also calling it an excellent example in a highly specialized sayagaki style. Would that qualify for museum quality or no?

I would say Hizen, late Muromachi or early Shinto, maybe Tadayoshi lineage.

My apologies yes the kissaki size and boshi, was what I was referring.

The long boshi threw me off from uda. Good one. Again Jussi, with instinct lead towards the right path, way to go!

Very nice! Congratulations!

It depends on if you remove the old oil first and how. My opinion after cleaning using 99.9% isopropyl alchohol using tissue paper on top of optical grade cloth, I reapply oil and let it rest for a minute or two in order to absorb into openings and the metal itself. Follwed by the removal of excess. Just be careful of what you use to apply the oil and how much pressure. Too much pressure can cause minute scratches, however over oiling can be a problem if it clumps or leaves smears to attract moisture. In addition, you do not want extra oil seeping into any saya. Furthermore, be careful on drawing and returning the sword to its saya as that is where most damage can occur. Can you share a picture and description on the blade?

I oil my Nakgao with a tissue paper and a little oil and use my fingers as little as possible to place back into the shirasaya. Before replacing back into the Shirasya I check for any tissue paper which may accumulate and cause a spot. One is on a 1478 mei sword with nice patina, the other is a gendai RS with here and there patina. I would think this helps preserve the Nakago and inscriptions and prevent further degradation, so further generations can apprreciate. However, the patina can help with sword age. Given the situation what are your thoughts?

In the continuing education I offer this piece for study and responses. Arrow to the top right will take you to the posts. If not, scroll to the the few posts and you will see ot under my name.