Bryce

G'day Marcin, I got a quote from them that was half of what the seller quoted. I haven't committed yet the sword is still in the states. Cheers, Bryce

Thanks Marcin. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys, I haven't bought a sword from the US for years, but recently bought a European sword that is located in Ocean View, Delaware. Unfortunately the seller doesn't want to ship the sword to me, because he said it is too big and will cost too much. The seller is happy to send the scabbard, which is the bit I most want, as it is just under a metre long. The bare sword by itself is 113cm long. Has anyone had any recent success sending swords to Australia, especially large ones? Legally there are no problems sending this sword to Australia. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys, Here is an early one from a Gassan Sadakatsu in my collection that was registered in Tokyo. As others have said each district had their own numbers. Thus you get later registrations from smaller districts with very low numbers. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys, I eventually was able to find a copy of "Nippon Toh". I scanned it using my phone in three parts. I am no computer wiz, so it is a little messed up. I will see if I am able to upload it to the forum. Interestingly the photo used as an example of "Masamune Den" actually shows itame hada. Cheers, Bryce

Righto then, I guess Gassan Sadakatsu added his kao at a later date for some reason as he was only 1 year old when this blade was forged? I have seen several Gassan Sadakazu blades where later Gassan smiths (usually Sadaichi) have added horimono and mei. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys, Yeah someone got a good deal, but this blade has me scratching my head a little bit. It appears to be a blade signed by Sadakazu in Meiji year 3, but finished with Sadakatsu's kao, not Sadakazu? The sayagaki was written by Sadakatsu in Showa 11. Is the date on the blade actually Meiji year 30? If so then that makes sense. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Colin, Sorry mate, I am a little late to this party. Do you still have this tanto? I think it is a pretty good looking thing. I don't have any expertise to bring to the table about dating, but I can offer an opinion on the quality of the horimono. I think they look very good. Having tried to capture good images of horimono myself, I know they are tremendously difficult to photograph. It is very difficult to capture the 3D effects that can be seen with the naked eye. As a comparison, here is your Fudo, beside one done by Gassan Sadakazu. Mine is on a katana, not a tanto, but is contained entirely in the hi. From toes to top of head, it is probably about 3-4cm, which I think is similar to yours. Although yours doesn't have the same level of surrounding detail, the face is done very well. I have seen a lot worse. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Thomas, The photos aren't great, but almost certainly gimei. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys, Just as a follow up, I recently obtained a copy of "Nippon Toh". This sword is specifically mentioned in the book as being made entirely by Gassan Sadakatsu and not his father Sadakazu. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys, OK, so it is still a Chinese knock-off of a Japanese gunto, but it may have been made around the time of the war (or not). Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys, That does not look legit to me. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys, The mei looks pretty good. There are a couple of unusual things, but it is close enough that I can't immediately call it gimei without further study and better photos. During this period, there is quite a bit of variation in Gassan Sadakazu mei. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Sam, As Con mentioned earlier the second haikan was protected by leather to prevent rubbing, so the absence of wear in this area is not definitive. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Lance, It is a nice type 94 koshirae with the rare pinned kabutogane. If you search the site you will find a thread on "pinned kabutogane". Cheers, Bryce