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george trotter

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Everything posted by george trotter

  1. I read that Pippo...you're in for it now...
  2. Just for your interest Jonathan, here is an oshigata of a Shimada blade signed the same as yours (not dated). SUNSHIU SHIMADA JU MIKAWA NO KAMI SADASUKE. This one was in Type 98 Army mounts. I sold it about 1982. Regards...
  3. Wow Adam,,,amazing. That is a real strong sori...amazing that you found the only set of Type 98 with the exact, correct curvature. I think Brian is right....maybe you should buy a lottery ticket now...!!! Regards,
  4. Might have mentioned this before John?....but in the case of this name OSHIMA being written on the tsuka, the missing mon was unlikely to have been an Oshima mon as the information on the sword says the owner was 2nd Lt KUME (unless he was a linked branch family to Oshima?). Regards,
  5. Thanks for those dates gentlemen 1940 and Dec 1938...helps me date my undated Shigekuni to say 1940-ish. Volker san, yes, that writing might be the mounter shop...pity it is unclear...my Shigekuni is numbered in ink (in kanji) 199 and has the shop guy? name written as Oshima (I think I have already told Bruce). Thanks again..
  6. Hi Volker, Interesting. I have a sword with the same haikan (sword by unknown WWII smith Shigekuni). Just for Bruce, are there ay stamps or marks on the tsuba/seppa that might identify the mounting shop? Would be nice to know who made this haikan/fittings. Mine only has the number 199 stamped on metal parts....how about yours? Regards, PS. mine also has 8 seppa and silver habaki and silver mon (torn off).
  7. Hi Phil, Yes I spoke to Jamie at the fair last week and he said you guys had picked up some goodies and I should drop in and have a look.... I'll pop in after the Easter rush has died down a bit...maybe mid-week or later. See you then (not sure I can bear to look at a "ground down" RJT sword...). Geo.
  8. Hi Bruce, He and his brother Akihisa were important RJT smiths in Niigata, but I can't say if they were "super special" as all RJT had the same resources and presumably, the same output? Phil said the tip had been ground off, so maybe not a primo price here? Regards,
  9. Hi Bruce, No problem...here is RS mounted Munetoshi dated 18/5 and tang tip stamp 1080. Regards, Geo.
  10. Great stuff Steve...many thanks, that is very helpful. It is nice to have this relevent info to add to my RJT smith's file. Mauch appreciated. G.
  11. Thanks for that Steve, Shinyo Shishu (with Shishu being identified as his 'posthumous name/title'). That makes sense - I wasn't sure of the placing of spaces etc, so you have helped me a lot. Interesting that both Shin and Shi are kanji from his proper personal name (Shin-shi-ro) but it makes sense that they would take some of his existing 'spirit' to use in his posthumous name of honour. Any idea on the 'meaning' of Shinyo Shishu? Now, if any NMB member happens to be walking past this Zendoji Temple in Shimizudai suburb in Koriyama City in Fukushima - maybe they could ask the monk where his (I presume a) stone is and take a pic? I know, I'm just dreaming. Thank you Steve. (glad to hear from anyone with extra/new info too).
  12. Hi all, I need the help of a fluent Nihongo speaker as I am not sure of my translation of a postumous honorary name in a temple in Koriyama Fukushima. Tsukamoto (Shinshiro) Masakazu, a WWII RJT smith from that city died 5 Feb 1969 and (if I have read the kanji correctly) is commemorated in the Zendoji Temple in Shimizudai in Koriyama. The words shown here say (if I understand the reading properly) that he was given the posthumous name "Shinyoshi Shuseikyo Shi". The name includes 2 of his true name kanji (Shin and Shi) but I would like to know if my translation is correct and is the actual meaning/reading of his 'honour' name. Maybe @Nobody Moriyama san can check my translation ...or...? It would just be nice to have these details. Regards,
  13. Hi Max, You have a WWII showato signed bt Niwa Kunihide. SEKI JU NIWA KUNIHIDE He began at Seki on 12 March 1941 Regards,
  14. DANG....I meant to say not IJA but instead I wrote IJN....sorry. No, that guy IS in the IJN.
  15. I just had a scan through this post on longer than usual gunto and OA mounts and (I think) the focus has been Type 94/98 blades/.mounts....I put one back there too of my longest RJT blade of 27 7/16" or 69.8 cm in a Type 98 (OA 1 metre - 39.5 inches) . Just to mention that the RS can be quite long also here is a blade by RJT smith Masakazu (private order/no star) made 17/4. The OA is 1.040 cm (40 in) and blade is 69.5 cm (27 3/8 in). This is not too heavy - scabbard is lacquered wood, quite light...this is the longest RS blade and mount I have seen....must be longer ones out there? Regards, Edit to add an hour later: Just happened to be looking at the book YASUKUNI TO p.72, and it mentions (c.1937?) that the "military authorities issued a request to the (Yasukuni) Foundation to reduce the weight of the Yasukuni-to, as the earlier swords proved too heavy a burden for soldiers on a long march". Wonder why the top end of the RJT weights and lengths was greater than the Yasukuni scheme, even though the Yasukuni had already had requests to lighten its blades....? Just thought I'd mention it.
  16. Marc, his arm patch is crossed anchors....not IJN.
  17. In my youth I went to Finland a few times Jussi....I remember with a smile the friendly "Finska Flikka" (excuse my Swedish - I don't understand Finnish). Skol!
  18. Thomas, Geraint, Jacques and all others who commented...thank you. Yes, I agree that it is too difficult to be too precise. Obviously this is why the Japanese experts and texts leave a bit of "leeway" in their interpretations. I will (actually already have) follow your recommendation to stick to the Tokuno position as (as you say) he is specifically discussing the features of this connected line of smiths. So, I will leave it as 'sunagashi' and not take up too much space discussing the "other possibilities" like inazuma, Imozuru etc, etc. Your description is short, relevant covers the situation and explains it all well....so thanks Thank you all for taking the time to assist in this matter. Love the NMB. Regards, Edit to add ... An hour has passed...I've just adjusted my file text...all simple and clear now. I'm smiling. Thanks guys.
  19. Yes Marc, can't see a sho or seki stamp, but that writing looks like the hurried work of a na-kiri-shi (name-cutting-person), so no. not a gendaito...a signed in a hurry showato, as so many were. Regards,
  20. hard to read...might be wrong but looks like Noshu Ju Hattori Masahiro saku Slough p.99.
  21. Wow, never occurred to me before that a owners name or his mon name was written on the tsuka end. Amazing! Can anyone read these tsuka names for me? Love to know if these two of mine are the owners name or his mon name? First is numbered 2 and has a name or mon name? Second is numbered 199 and has a name (Ojima)? or mon name? Thanks... Edit to add ....just remembered that this second tsuka with OJIMA / OSHIMA / or? written on it cannot be the owner of this sword because the real owner's name and rank were written on the blade with a fountain pen by an Aussie when he got the sword....it is 2nd Lt Kume...so not OJIMA or OSHIMA or ?...not sure why a name is written there, maybe the shop guy himself?. Hope the other number one pans out to make some sense...
  22. Bruce, just referring back to my Feb 15 RS numbered parts photos of sword by Masakazu of Fukushima Apr 1942 no star. I said all parts were marked ni 1129 even the wood and showed a pic of it (but it was upside down and hard to read) - here it is right side up and you can see the wood is marked ni 1129 - but in kana and kanji (only part not numbered in romaji numbers). Reading R/side first NI, L/side top to bot: 1, 1, 11, 9. Just in case you hadn't sorted this out yourself. Regards....
  23. Nice signature and early date...might be good...any chance of more pics?
  24. Jussi, I am quoting the descriptions given to this 'one large line in the hamon' by (A) Tokuno with oshigatas. I'm sure he has years of experience, but he may be one of those who "allows leeway" in his descriptions. (B) Markus, describing a drawing. I don't know where Markus got his info...other than years of study...but I assume it is his attribution. On my blade, the line is as you see it...it has 'breaks' in several places and is quite hard to see in places. I raised the matter because I had not had this feature in hand before I got this sword back in August 2020. I must say I am surprised it has taken me this long NOT to get a clear simple description written down in my file. So far I have made several decisions on descriptions, changed them again...at the moment I am 'sort-of' set on 'attributing' the line as (based on Tokuno and Sesko comments)" 1. sunagashi (although I think sunagashi has multiple lines) 2. imozuru/Inazuma (although inazuma has a dark colour). So at the moment it is Sunagashi - imozuru - inazuma. It will stay as this UNLESS - hopefully, a NMB member will pop up with a clear and simple explanation based on a source with pictures. My head hurts.
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