Blazeaglory

Maybe enhanced? If not enhanced, that line on the hamon (nijuba maybe?) Looks awesome

Would you happen to know how long this is going to last?

Thanks. It looks like it comes right to the bottom of the habaki. So this isn't something to note a specific den then huh? Thers no Mei on this one.

Oh dear god that made my morning But side note, I wish you luck with your sale OP. I've never seen something like this before.

Sen suki yasurime? If it's real wouldn't that make this a fairly old blade? I would think if it was truly that old the Mei would not be as raised as it appears to be in photos, it would be smoothed from age (no raised lip/edges) . #1 If it is truly early or pre koto blade, then signature was added. #2 if it was made to look old then well Mei not good. So either way I think this Mei is a little off. But I could be totally wrong so thers hope! At best it's a truly old real blade with a funky Mei. At worst it's mass produced and made to look old

Does this offer any insight into a specific school or smith? Does anyone know what this is for(if anything) exactly? Thanks in advance

Nice! Can buy multiple books at those prices! Thinking about: Nihon Koto-Shi Swordsmiths of Japan A-Z Encyclopedia of Japanese swords

Thanks! Thats pretty much what I thought it was and was trying to say but I like the way you put it better And Im assuming there are different levels of Fukure? Such as, I have a couple "tired" blades that have seen some polishes and the hada looks worn away (in a similar oval shape) but doesnt look as deep as the one pictured at all(or technically what it will soon become with more polishes). On my current blades it's maybe just a tiny micro layer oval or area that you can't even feel. I guess what Im thinking is that fukure could be "polsihed away" or "polished open" to reveal a very deep pit or just a thin layer correct? But it looks like it could be pretty deep to me

Oh Im Sorry. I was just quoting Nagayama from "The connoisseurs book of Japanese swords" where he says "a pocket of air that wasn't forced out during the forging process". But what does he know right? lol (I kid I kid) Hes a polisher not a metallurgist

Same blade but Mei is different (same but different) https://wardmilitaria.com/products/kogatana-signed-nagasone-kotetsu-nidai-mei-okimasa-w-kao

So it's just a big fukure? Air pocket that opened? I thought that at first but noticed that above and below it looks like the steel actually warped as well. You can see the circle that dents in and what looks like shockwaves around it. Would a air blister that big be over looked? I'm not denying(I would think it's more likely fukure than bullet dent) but it just seems really large It's too bad because otherwise this would be a nice sword. What are your thoughts on this? A big problem or no big deal? To me it kinda detracts from the over all beauty of this blade. Its koto as well so I was thinking cap and ball (black powder) but that's just my wild imagination lol

Could this be a one in a million hit by an old round? Does anyone know what this is? Looks like an indentation of some sort.

I love the smell of choji oil. First thing I do when I open a package from Japan is take a huge whiff... most of the time it's a lovely vintage smell with hints of choji and aged fabric/wood. I use the half round with flat bottom and white cap choji oil.

Very nice

Well said my good man! And don't you dare say bad things about "The Bay" lol every once in a millennia a diamond shines through the collective crap of eBay ... I found a 13th century Soshu den Wakazashi from eBay lol (yes I know there's many things wrong with that sentence)

Yah who knows. I was just hoping to narrow down an area but now that I think about it, the kogatana would more than likely be same era as Koshirae and not tanto. So I had a brain fart haha

Thanks! Yah just menuki. Fairly small as well

Thanks everyone!

No foil here. They have brownish/red paint that is coming off from the exposed areas, which is where I tested from. I started at 10kt and worked up to 22kt. None of them could dissolve so it's at least 22kt. They could be hollow behind so when I say "solid" I'm referring to content of gold The f/k/k are definitely silver or at least very high in content. No green blue discoloration anywhere and they are turning black with silver patina. You must remember this is a 7.5 inch tanto with a really small tsuka. The f/k and menuki are really small. The Kozuka is quite large tho but all other fittings are pretty small so I could see a well off samurai paying to have these fittings put on with his family crest. To me it's not really odd considering what I've seen rich people from antiquity spend their money on. Take care Brian! D EDIT:Ruler in pic is closer than tsuka, so makes it look bigger. It's even smaller in person

No I get it. When people hear others claiming things such as this, they tend to disbelieve. I myself get caught up in that as well. Prior to sword collecting I was and am a precious metals collector. I made a fortune sniffing out (literally) silver items from yard sales and goodwill(until they hired better managers and decided to send the good stuff to online sales). But anyways I have a good eye for gold and silver. Plus I have multiple test kits. AOI Japan stated they were gold also. I tested the menuki to 22kt and it didn't dissolve so I'm guessing 24kt. I mean it does happen. I found a giant silver serving plate that was at a garage sale one time. I told the poor old woman I'd pay her much more than she was asking. She looked at me and laughed and said "why would you pay that much for fake silver?".. well long story short a "fake" $20 serving plate turned out to be antique sterling and sold for over $1000. Her brain wouldn't let her believe that such a giant plate could actually be silver. But like I said, I don't want to get caught up on the debate of "it is or isn't". I know aged silver when I see it and once you know gold, you know gold. But tests help. Also, I tried getting the fuchi off but it won't come past the top. I did find out that the bronze ring underneath isn't attached and is a seperate piece. Plus if you know silver you can tell by just looking at the black top. I'm sure the bottom looks the same. Does any of this change the opinion on the kogatana I wonder? And please mods feel free to close this thread. I think it's beginning to get a little off topic. If anyone has questions pleas PM me.

Yes that is definitely it! Thank you for that website. So much good info! Side note, for the tsuba, the petals on the chrysanthimums alternate one after the other from 14 to 15. Any significance to that? D

Why would you doubt that? I mean I understand that every newb comes in here thinking they have God's greatest sword but I've seen multiple sales online for nihonto with gold fittings. I honestly didn't know they were rare (are they?) Anyways, not trying to sound like a jerk, and thanks everyone for the info. Im not going to go into detail about this anymore in this thread but if anyone wants to chat, send a PM. D

The menuki tested for at least 22kt. Also, when I say silver, I mean possibly Shibuichi but it looks fairly high in silver content . If you look in pic you can see where the blade meets the fitting, there is scraping down into the "meat" of the Kozuka. Total length with blade is 8.5 inches lol Second pic of the fuchi looks much better in person and is aging like silver. Im not trying to brag or boast, just trying to share info. They are in the "1st Tanto" thread in Nihonto if you want to take a look. Ill send you pics of testing via PM and you can make up your own mind.

Very good And I think on first count there are 16 petals on this tsuba. Great info! Thanks

Yes very much so! I always keep one eye on the blade now, even when its in its saya! Which brings me to this... I have to say that I am still learning. I was examining the mune of this blade with a flashlight and when I got up to put it away, I realized I had shredded the right leg of my pants with about 3-4 very fine lines through to the skin. I didnt realize that the blade was ever so slightly resting on my thigh. It didnt move at all. The cuts came just from slight pressure, not slicing. Scary stuff. I think this blade came to me to teach me a lesson Also, very good advice for the gloves! I actually learned that the hard way so now I usually wear one or none at all and just use a micro fiber cloth.