Curran

I would leave the kodachi vs. wakizashi explanation to someone better versed in it. Tokubetsu Juyo signed. Beautiful sword, right down to the old "battle cut" in it. Maybe someone can also comment on the way the hamon ends at the current hamachi.

Mike, I seem to be infinitely more comfortable with fittings signatures than sword signatures. Just the way it is. I'm just trying to follow an interesting thread where you are correct in that you have the smith alive to verify. Yoshihara san or someone once was signing a sword and story goes he wasn't happy with a particular strike, looked up and said "100 years, this 'gimei'" with a smile. Maybe urban nihonto legend, but makes for a good point. Don't pass my comment back to the smith. My own signature being rather stiff lackluster cursive that it is, who the hell am I to comment on someone else's signature?

Mike, To be 100% clear, I understand the date variation and the 'Ono' variation, but the chippy 'Yoshi' is actually the correct one? Usually a bad sign on soft metal fittings signatures, but correct in this case? Working from the examples Eric or someone else posted, I would have thought that A was a better match (being more relaxed) would have been more likely to be correct.

Signed Myochin: Good to see someone buy a nice piece with an interesting joint signature and papers. As Myochin work, probably very hard feeling to it when you have it in hand. Collect what information you can on the signers and keep it with the tsuba. Thank you for sharing this.

Lived in Jersey City for 10 years (and Phili for 2). Several good collectors in the Garden State. Do yourself a favor and join the NY Metro Club if you can. Make friends in the club. Give it time and learn from the ones you choose. Save yourself lots of newbie mistakes.

I believe there was/is a Muramasa tanto for sale on one of the Japanese websites. I like his some aspects of his work, but not so much others. Perhaps more popular for the reputation factor than for the workmanship. Also, despite all the anti Muramasa sentiment, if you flip through the Tokugawa Collection book you will see one of their swords is a Muramasa. The bedside spear Muramasa Darcy had was a cool item. By this I mean the koshirae was excellent as well as the pop culture appeal of being a Muramasa. Darcy said the koshirae was quite heavy. I greatly wanted to see it before he sold it. It represented a nice little complete package. But then the thing has changed hands 3 times in the past 5 years, so maybe it is cursed. Still- quite the icy nice complete item for a non Juyo. Sold very fast last time it came up, if it was even up for a day. Even (or especially) if the spearhead had been a Shimosaka rather than a Muramasa, I would loved to own it for the koshirae.

Jason, It looks like you have pulled a nice sword out of the woodwork. The jigane looks tight. This may turn into another "polish" debate by the others, because of the evidence in how it is being done from the photos. PS. I can't identify the polisher by the photo reflection, but maybe someone else will. Your choice and theirs to sit on the ID, as it really is mostly your business. If you know or have a clue to the ID of the sword, please tell us. Going off the little geometry I can see and what I can of the metal, I'm going to take a lean that it is shinto or shinshinto. Photo of the nakago might help. Have no clue as to the hamon, but this might be a sword that would benefit from Hadori though I definitely fall into the sashikomi camp. Very hard to say, not being able to see the hamon at all. Don't know. Initial results got me curious. March to your own drum on this one, but listen to the voices here and maybe something will stick for future use.

It is a vast oversimplification, but Ono tend to be of simpler design and sandy of texture. Also, some designs are considered Ono- though I am not sure why other than habit. Someone from Europe recently had an "Ono" design for sale. That particular design always seems to be called Ono. Attached is an image of an Ono I own and another that I wish I had purchased when I had the chance. Temple Bell one is mine. Ono often fall between Yagyu and Kanayama attributes for a variety of reasons. Most tend to be thicker than average, but some are not.

I think it is common knowledge and published that Ron Hartmann found the Juyo Bijyutsu-hin Awataguchi Hisakuni tachi (signed Hisakuni). I believe the story it that he found in in a box of swords he purchased that someone had brought over. In my experience Ron has been a really great guy, and he has shared this sword with the community. It may be a trick of memory, but I think I studied the sword at the San Fran show one year. I don't have any images of the blade. Just of the long nakago.

photo

I think that is the first time I have ever used a "clapper". Thank you for skewering that which I was thinking but did not put down. You wrote it better than I could. A Japanese polisher said to me this line once, but privately said he just went for hadori as it is easier, unless the sword absolutely demanded sashikomi..... These are not my words. His words. Everybody can swing for my head now. And I believe the polisher would deny it in any public forum, or pull a Ronald Reagan "I cannot recall". His word against mine, I think most would take his word. I'm just another gaijin playing outside my ethnos. I am of the opinion some swords are better in hadori, but truly skilled sashikomi seems to be more and more rare to have done. I can only recall 1 sword that was in old sashikomi that went for polish and came back hadori. Wow, what an anticlimax to see it later. Owner felt the same, and it went back for sashikomi. I regret all the loss of metal on such an old sword. _____________________________________ As for age, it expands and compresses. I've aged 25 years in the past 5 (not a good thing), yet am relatively young for this hobby. Only have 20+ years, of which only 10+ have been actively collecting. But much seems to have changed in the last 10. I believe it was yesterday I was remembering reading Jim Kurrash's website for the first time. What a firecracker in a tin can he could be, but I read everything he wrote and am very sorry he is gone. That makes me feel very old at 37.

I would mostly agree with Mr. Trotter. George, for certain swords nothing is more flashy than a well done sashikomi. But then again, who does a proper sashikomi polish these days? Saw an Ichimonji in perfect sashikomi at the NBTHK museum one time. In a display all by itself to allow for 360 degrees of study. Beauty of it totally floored me.

It was a favorite of mine for a long time. Glad it went to Gabriel and he could photograph it well. The Oei Morokage I have listed also has an incredible sashikomi polish which I wish I was able to get photographed as well as Gabriel has done. I lament that it is increasingly rare to see works, especially Bizen works done in sashikomi polish. To see it done well on an arrowhead was a rare treat when I got this arrowhead from Japan many years ago.

Now a picture of the tanto, onegaishimasu? :lol:

I thought Nori Mitsu, but can't see the character before it.

Iwata Norisuke refers to the 2nd Generation. Niwa Norisuke would be better to refer to the 1st Generation. Gen 1 adopted Gen 2 and they worked together for a long time. For starters, while master forgers- they most often signed their work on one side or the other. It just looked like whatever you desired when mounted. There were several generation of Yamakichibei. It can be debated what generation signed a work, or if it is gimei. Yes, there do seem to be many that would be called gimei. Others on this list are better educated to talk about the Yamakichibei tsuba kantei points. Even then, I think it just comes down to the deemed authorities opinion on the signature. Nice one here if you have the wallet, on sale: http://seiyudo.com/TU-08082.htm

Looks more like a Japanese rendering of a tiger in the fuzzy photo. More interesting than an Oni. Softer metal, looks carved instead of cut.

Many dealers can handle it for you. Just be prepared for a long wait time. I haven't sent anything since Juyo shinsa a few years ago and can't recommend anyone in particular at this moment. Stateside maybe Andy Quirt or Bob Benson still handle it. Since the costs can add up, in earlier times I would send a sleeve (6 tsuba in each) and only bothered with expense of Hozon when verifying signatures. Tokubetsu Hozon can be much more expensive, so Hozon is usually makes common sense. Only problem with Hozon is that on unsigned pieces the NBTHk can sometimes be painfully minimalist in their answer, or (rarely) even wrong. Just FYI: A gent with a bit of mischief in him sent unsigned pieces from matching sets were one was signed and the other was not. Kind of a mean thing to do, since both unsigned examples from the two sets came back attributed to wrong schools. Nobody is perfect, and even the NBTHK can make mistakes on unsigned pieces. Remember it is only an opinion- but their positive opinion on signatures is the gold standard.

Name says it: Bushu school. Beyond me to attribute it to a sub Bushu line, but then Haynes Index may or probably has the answer.

Wow. Wish i could take photos like that of the Morokage and tsuba. I never could capture the flame quality of the sashikomi polish. Morokage has it too, but way beyond me to capture it. *sigh*. Thank you for sharing. I'm glad this went to someone who appreciates it and can share it better with the forum. Good luck Gabriel.

Dear Jinsoo, Thank you. It has been a long time that you have been gone. Chal danyuh oh shusup nika. Welcome back.

Would one of our resident language experts be kind enough to give me a correct reading of this title? Very high quality book, and I didn't even know I had it until yesterday.

Dear Ludolph, Thank you for the reply. My own conclusion was this would be a fair one for NBTHK shinsa, though the owner must decide if worth it to spend the money and a long wait time. I think a non Japan shinsa Yoshikawa NTHK team would error on the side of caution and not paper it. Perhaps because of experience with members in my family working as jewelers, I have an easier time with mei signatures than sword signatures. In the past, I have followed some of your illustrated dissection of gimei sword signatures with interest. I feel much more comfortable with softmetal signatures saying Yes / No. On this kozuka.... I don't know idea. I see several reasons to say 'no', but also some that make consider it *possibly* legit. Thank you for posting the reference mei.

Ludolph, You have the reference signature and have (aside) proven to me that you are better at identifying authentic/gimei sword signatures. Call I call you out to voice an opinion on authenticity? I'm just a student on this one. Curran

Markus: Thank you for making that link. I doubt I would have gotten the link to Ichijo. Also thank you for all your translation work. Just yesterday, I was reading some of your translations for NBTHK on kodogu. Peter D: It seems you posted a photo while I was posting (now editing my post...) In Wakayama I have two reference mei for Ichijo signing his early signature of 'Mitsuyuki'. There is a good deal of variation between even the two reference mei, and Markus says he used this mei from 21 to 33. I have another document saying 21 to 30. Either way: definitely a time for evolving as an artist, and your kozuka signature is much closer to the second reference signature I have for him. Still, I wouldn't call it a match. But I don't feel comfortable saying 'gimei' . I'm not holding back- I just don't know. When it comes to someone like Ichijo with such a lifespan and such an evolution of his workmanship, I am "out of my league" to provide meaningful response. I don't know where more Mitsuyuki reference mei for Ichijo can be found, and I am not familiar enough with his early workmanship. What little I have seen of his early work was very typical goto. Not very helpful, is it! Maybe Markus or someone else more qualified can step in.