Leatherdog

Paul, I did one better and actually tasted the nakago. :lol: No chemical taste or smell. It also feels smoother than it looks. Took some new pics as a couple of the ones posted earlier make the nakago look more rough than it actually is. The second set I posted initially were taken on the kitchen table under a plain white lightbulb...the ones today were outside - partly cloudy and kind of overcast. Also, you are correct about the "bent" nakago...I hadn't noticed it before, but it's not the photo. Nice catch. I'll also post some good pics of the hada...and for anyone who's interested, I'll throw in one of the habaki.

Thanks Jean. I'm still a bit confused, however... By the description you give, if one were to find such a sword that had somehow escaped the numerous polishes, how do you then differentiate it from a "good" sword? Hamon is the same, no core steel showing, etc... I wouldn't think a coarse hada showing a lack of folding would be enough, would it?

The nakago does feel smooth and "waxy" - a good description I'd not thought of... As for retempering, wouldn't there still be some sort of hamon visible? This "hamon" doesn't show nie, nioi, or an outline when pointed toward the light. Isn't it possible that if for whatever reason the owner determined not to retemper the blade, they might have had a polisher apply a "hamon" for the sake of appearance? Or, perhaps the blade had a keisho polish before the fire; got hot enough to "kill" the hamon but not scorch the metal...would the outline of the keisho over the original temper not still be visible? Also, Reinhard's comments about the sori - if the blade has lost its temper altogether, much of the curvature the original tempering imparted would be lost, correct? As a result, the sori of this blade would have been greater before the fire (if that's what we assume happened).

Hi John, I don't think it's the photos...there really is no life in the "hamon"...perhaps, if it was exposed to heat, the "outline" of the original hamon remains but all of the activity is gone...I have a re-tempered wakizashi and the area on it before the new hamon picks up looks lifeless like the tachi. Don't think it's etched - perhaps stoned like when a keisho polish is applied?

Last one.

Why are some of my pics showing up as inline photos and others showing up as download links? Can someone (moderator!) with more computer savvy than me fix this to make it easier for everyone to view?? :?

More photos...

More pics.

Here's one that should serve as a good thread starter...we'll see! Before you get too excited, be advised that there is a hagire and the temper is, well, "a mystery" Ubu Tachi: Nagasa: 78.5cm (total length 102.5cm) Sori: 1.4cm Motokasane: 8mm Sakikasane: 3.5mm Motohaba: 3.5cm Sakihaba: 1.9cm Kissaki: 2.9cm In shirasaya with nicely carved copper habaki This piece came out of an estate sale in the NE US a couple of years ago. I bought it because I thought it was neat, hagire and all. I have been told by various "experts" that it is: Koto, shinshinto, priceless, worthless, fake, and even that it was a kabuki theatre prop. The man who guessed that it was used in theatre actually was very knowledgeable and methodical, and had good reasons for his guess (which is all he said it was...) but I think there is too much labor evident for this to be it. The "hamon" is lifeless, showing no nie or nioi, no activity...may have been applied by a polisher. However, the hada is beautiful, and the Futasuji-bi is well cut (to my eye, anyway). There are a very few small ware, and of course the hagire, but other than that it seems very healthy. What is puzzling is that if it wasn't very special to someone, (ie it's a shinshinto or a theatre sword), why would it have been kept with the hagire and hamon issues and not just tossed away? Could it be that it used to be a "good" sword and it was perhaps damaged by fire - which would "kill" the hamon - and later cleaned up by a polisher and kept as an heirloom? Why not make it a (very) O-suriage wakizashi and retemper it so as to get at least some use from it? I have attached a couple of pics of the mei in different light - the darker one tends to make the nakago look more deteriorated and rough than it is. Can anyone read it? I'm not fishing for someone to tell me I have one of the lost Meibutsu/yakemi (though that would be nice :D ) - What I'm hoping for is just to hear everybody's opinion, so let the lead start flying!

Hi everyone, Most of what people discuss are the better blades, which is understandable. However, I'm curious about the "mass production" koto blades that are so often mentioned, but seldom discussed in detail. I've not been able to find any good info on just exactly what these blades look like...if I've missed it and its already posted somewhere, please redirect me... It seems with many of us American collectors, (at the "amateur" level, anyway) have been brought up in the school that "old is good" when this is of course not necessarily the case. I am wondering what characteristics are common to the muromachi "throw-away" blades; simple hamon? Lots of forging flaws? Poorly shaped nakago? If anyone has photos of one of these, I'd love to see them. I'm at the point now where I feel like I can distinguish a decent sword from a poor one, but my curiosity got going when I recently acquired a "Bishu Osafune Sukesada" wakizashi that seems very healthy and has a great hamon...I know that the Bishu Osafune - - - mei, though generally looked down on, is found on some good swords. Frankly, on this particular wak, the nakago isn't really long enough for an extended inscription. I evaluated the sword and determined that it's at least "decent" but realized I didn't know much about the "bundle swords" this mei is so often associated with, and got to wondering... Looking forward to everyone's input, as always! Tyler

Sorry...Thanks Brian.

Hi Ford, Thanks for the insight. Like I said, I know very, very little about fittings...I am happy with it, and it looks good on the sword. What would you recommend as far as "TLC"?

Hi all, This tsuba came with a sword I recently acquired. My limited references are all dedicated to blades, and I know almost nothing about fittings - this looks to me like a good tsuba, but I would appreciate any insight as to the markings, age/period, school, and COMPARATIVE value (ie average, good, great, etc...) Le me know if I can provide any additional information!

I was watching this seller's group of swords pretty closely...what are everyone's thoughts on the other swords he had listed, especially the katana in shirasaya, the tanto, and the gendai Tadayoshi? Hoping to hear more discussion on the ken as well...looked like a neat piece!

Sorry...the boshi is obscured by staining, and isn't visible. Back to the patina on the nakago I mentioned a few posts ago; could it have been refinished completely at the time of shortening, or should I be looking at original patina? Attached is a pic of the kissaki...it kind of looks like boshi in the photo, but I don't think it is - I have trouble seeing it at all with the sword in hand. Likely just an effect of the photo.

Three more...

I re-shot some pics of the hamon. Hope this reveals a little more detail.

Regarding the possibility that this might be a very old blade...should I still be able to see the yasuri? Also, the nakago is a "chocolate" color - not blackish...looks older than shinshinto, but shouldn't it be very dark if koto? I've not got enough experience handling old blades to feel confident making a call on my own. If the blade is slightly suriage, would the entire nakago have been refinished, and the patina and yasuri date from the shortening, or should the larger part of the nakago have original rust/filing?

Thanks for the info...I'll try to take more photos this afternoon. As a point of interest, not that it helps us with the origin of the blade itself, this piece was captured by a Marine flamethrower operator during the battle for Iwo Jima. He passed away in 1971, and the sword was rediscovered by his daughter when cleaning out the house recently (I assume after the widow passed away, but she didn't say). She said it was her father's prized possession...but she sold it to me. (Not that I'm complaining too much). It's nicely mounted, but the tsuba is long gone, unfortunately.

Any speculation as to age?

a few more

Loose hada

more pics

Hello all, Picked this sword up fairly recently and am curious to find out what everyone thinks... Translated the "signature" as Bishu Osafune Nagamitsu...don't know about the other two kanji off to the side. Its in good condition, but has a few spots of staining and a little loose grain. I'm interested in opinions regarding the inscription; it seems to have been added after shortening - which would seem to rule out an attempt to outright fake, as I would expect a maker of gimei would have taken the trouble to place the signature in a more convincing position ...could this be an attribution, perhaps to one of the later smiths who used this signature? Nagasa: 25.5" Total: 32.25" Sori: 2.1cm Motokasane: 6mm Sakikasane: 5mm Motohaba: 2.7cm Sakihaba: 1.8cm Kissaki: 3.7cm

Good advice. I wasn't really expecting we'd be able to nail it down to a particular smith or anything, just trying to figure out what was possible over the computer. The problem I run into is a lack of knowledgeable "sword people" in all of the places I've lived recently...Missouri, Oklahoma, and now, North Carolina. I'm on active duty (Marine Corps, in case anyone hadn't figured that out based on my username and location ) and my training schedule doesn't really allow me to travel to sword shows or sword club meetings. Anyone know who my nearest point of contact would be to show this (and other) blade(s) in person, without having to box it up and ship it to someone? I'll try to take some pics of the habaki when I get a chance...it's nothing special, but fits extremely well...in fact, there's less "rattle" than on many of my other swords. On my part, I'm still hoping for "neglected masterpiece", whatever the odds may be of that being accurate... :lol: