DoTanuki yokai

Hi, Paul Martin is doing more on YouTube lately and wants to help the sword community and he also needs some help. I thought the nmb is a good Place to share this. Also you can win something nihonto related now. Also check out this video. A good way to protect a blade without saya . I did it myself and it’s easy to do but one should have some experience with swords.(have a feel for the weight) Stay focused while handling sharp swords I want to add. So don’t only subscribe but actually watch his videos if you want to support. (If this I the wrong section or already here feel free to move or delete)

Late koto mino kanetsune or kanefusa is my best guess.

As microfiber can be made from a variety of materials, which microfiber would be recommended ?

Of course a ubu nakago has a higher value, so if its good or bad depends on the money you spend. I cannot see what you paid but im sure the condition influenced the price. From an artistic point you lost the start of hamon and maybe funbari but not much else. The impact on price and suriage is stronger from edo onwards, newer blades should have a better condition.

Suriage but else looks like a good sword. The fuchi and menuki look modern to me.

I understand Darcy and I know I don’t have so much experience. But all I read here is that people have seen the damage but nobody did the damage. Since when you use the microfiber ?

http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/sword7.html i see no scratches on this blade and I never saw scratches on my blades as result of the use of uchiko. i think in most cases when correctly used uchiko is no problem. I can understand that many people that are not so familiar with abrasives use too much pressure. Let the tool (uchiko) not your arms do the work. Just my opinion and experiences.

It is a copper habaki that is wrapped with silver foil The foil is much thicker then ‚leaf‘ gold or silver but the habaki itself is copper.

After shizu was so early in the game I felt kind of influenced and tried my best to find something by my own and failed I learned a good lesson and had some fun. I hope their will be a part 3

I say this is ko uda.

Yea the gas torch does not look so traditionally but the traditional way would be to use a hot piece of copper. Yoshindo yoshihara explained both ways in „the art of the Japanese sword“ book . And I think his temperature for yaki ire looks very high but that is hard to say on a video where settings change colors... At least I made the experience that it looks always brighter in video then it does in real.

Are you going to shinsa it with this signature ? I think knowledge brings confidence.

Looks Chinese to me but I’m no expert.

Nagayamas book is "The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords".

Nice find, it is what John said. Is this blade kogarasu maru zukuri ? Can you show us the tip of the blade or better the whole blade ?

I think the highest rated with this signature is the Atakigiri but more because of its history and the koshirae twin of the Heshikiri Hasebe. I cant remember right now what paper the blade has but im sure it was the highest a blade with this signature got. http://fcmuseum.blogspot.com/2020/11/treasures-of-fukuokano-13-sword.html Edit: thinking about it maybe i mix things up but i know at least one Bishu Osafune Sukesada signed blade is Juyo.

Hi Neil, how does the Nagamei indicates a high quality ? If we trust the "fact" that a longer signature is better quality then the ranking would be: 1. Sukesada (nijimei) 2. Bishu Osafune Sukesada (Nagamei) 3. Bishu Osafune Sukesada (Saku) + Date on other side 4.Variation of 3 with titles like "Bizen kuni" 5. Bizen koku jyu Yosouzaemon no jyu Sukesada Saku + Date (Zai mei with the makers name on it for example Yosozaemon ) If i remember right But i prefer too judge every blade regardless of the signature. Edit: The flood destroyed the sword production in Osafune but the Sukesada line survived and was still making swords after this. https://markussesko.com/2013/03/12/the-great-flood-of-the-yoshii-river/

Ohh I see, I could have read it on the paper But in my opinion and it’s only my opinion I would expect a longer kissaki from this smith and hahada.

How long is this ? Looks like a wakizashi to me.

I would say the masamune signature is a fake. (Gimei) But im not sure if there where more smiths then Kajiyama Tokutaro who sign with masamune around that time.

Here https://www.toukenkomachi.com/index_en_kaccyu&bugu.html just scroll down.

For a general knowledge i love the "Facts and Fundamentals of Japanese Swords" book and Kanzans The Japanese Sword. For more detail of the craft the books where yoshindo yoshihara are involved are my favorites and then i think it gets specialized. Also the Markus Sesko books are good and many good knowledge can be found here http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/index.html just check the terms and information area. I want to say that sometimes a small ware turns out to be a bigger problem after a polish but i dont think this blade needs a new polish soon if you take good care of it. http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/flaws.html

https://nihonto.com.au/product/morikuni-katana-made-for-his-royal-highness-the-crown-prince-of-england-future-king-edward-viii-of-england/ this could be interesting for you.

I would expect such a uniform sanbonsugi in a later date and I think this is a Shinto piece. A picture of the boshi would help.

Kanbun yokoyama sukesada is my guess, but I can’t see the Boshi and a picture of the hamon at the hamachi would help