Toryu2020

Details here - www.nthkamerica.com There is mail in service available! Feel free to email us with any questions, -t

Very nice piece... -t

Wolfmanreid - The NTHK is indeed coming to San Francisco in August. We confirmed everything with the hotel just last Thursday. We have to wait until we have a critical mass before assigning time-slots and mailing out confirmations. That will happen much closer to the event itself. In the meantime if anyone has questions about the Shinsa feel free to email me or send me a PM via this forum... -t toryu@toryu-mon.com www.nthkamerica.com

Here is a student of Soten - I think there is a qualitative difference between this and the example from the OP (and the many examples that come up). I am not sure many people have seen a real Soten. The airy-ness of the piece, the quality of the plate, the very fine detail all need to be seen, masterworks stand out and the many copies do not compare... -t https://www.nihonto.com/juyo-tsuba-by-nomura-kanenori-野村包教/

David T - There are few restrictions for carrying a sword in San Mateo County - Bring it in a bag or gun case and you can walk right into the hotel and show room. The hotel staff are well aware of our idiosyncrasies by now... -t

Jimmy Hayashi - fully trained and licensed Japanese Sword Polisher. Harunaka Hoshino - Fake ninja, fake swordsman, fake kantei, fake polisher... -t

PSA - and with all due respect to Dave M To anyone reading this forum, please, please, please do not send anyone, even your worst enemy to Harunaka Hoshino. He is a known fraud and is responsible for the theft and destruction of Japanese swords. He is the only person ever to have his membership revoked in the history of the Northern California Japanese Sword Club. David - I have to agree with those that assess this as a severely damaged blade. There will be people who can clean it up and maybe make it more presentable but I don't think Jimmy is the guy. In fact I would be very reluctant to show him such a blade without first having passed it before others. As Dave M says there will be many knowledgeable people at the San Francisco show and honest opinions are readily had. And for anyone who is wondering, yes there will be a San Francisco Sword Show this year! It is our hope that everyone who needs it will have the vaccine by August and travel will be easier for everyone - even if we are still under restrictions we will do whatever it takes to provide safe, social distanced, sword shopping. All the information is online now; www.ncjsc.org please make your reservations, we hope to see you all there. David - you have a neat inheritance there, not an "art sword" perhaps but a neat sword nonetheless. -t Thomas C Helm President - Northern California Japanese Sword Club www.ncjsc.org www.toryu-mon.com

Fred - There were five artists using this name from early Edo to Bakumatsu. If we were looking at an object we might help you zero in on the right timeframe... -t

水府　水戸　- Suifu (Capitol of Mi) meaning Mito. Seat of one of the three Tokugawa families, present day Ibaragi-ken. -t

George - My main point is that before 1868 few people if anyone outfitted a sword based on their birth year and gave that as the reason or we would of heard of this in the literature. I never heard this as a reason from any of my teachers, that the animals of the Junishi were auspicious, yes, but never "oh this guy must have been born in the year of the dragon..." Where is your evidence for this? The idea that samurai would shun the accumulation of wealth is an Edo Tokugawa period idea, I don't dispute that there were wealthy samurai I only assert that frugality was an ideal among the Buke. Your supposition that this was made for a presentation tango for a samurai child born in the year of the rat is no more valid than my conclusion given the evidence we have but I do know which is more likely... -t

George I think you have helped make my point in an odd way. Daikoku is the subject of the habaki not "I'm a rat and proud of it!" - I'll admit that symbols of Daikoku were used on samurai goods. However the rat IS a symbol of Daikoku and not usually symbolic of "the year of the rat". I say again otherwise we would see many more items, samurai or merchant, depicting sheep. After all sheep year people are proud warriors too. In the absence of other evidence, I feel we have to see this as a symbol of Daikoku, and we can surmise that it was on a merchant sword since in the Edo period, when it was most likely made it was Buke custom for boys to shun money and accounting as being unmanly. You don't have to agree this is just how I see it. -t

George - I beg to differ. If this were the case we would see piles of chickens, sheep, cows and snakes on old discarded habaki. They simply do not exist. The rat in Japanese art, especially kodogu, is recognized as a harbinger of material wealth. A very un-Samurai aspiration... -t

The polish is not good, I don't see tiredness but I also don't see the cracks and hakobore he mentions. Theres no papers, just a registration card. Walk away, save your money, stop looking at ebay... -t

Since the rat is a companion to Daikoku it is a symbol of wealth - most likely this would have been on a merchants sword and therefore not being drawn often enough to wear down the carving on the habaki... -t

Sir - I think you are correct, the Japanese tend not to excavate the many Kofun 古墳 scattered about the country as they see these as the graves of ancient emperors. Some say its because they are afraid to discover their ancestors are all Korean or worse aliens! in any case most have not been excavated. If I were to embark on such a study as you suggest, just using the internet I would start with the Shosoin, museums in Nara and Asuka and then look for museums associated with Kofun that might have excavated swords and armor in their collections. An interesting idea... -t

Looks like someone gussied up a muromachi piece, altered the nakago, added a mei and artificially aged it. Someone spent $3499 too much. mho -t

掛け軸 or 掛軸 kakejiku You will find millions unless you search for 日本刀の図, or 日本刀の押型 or some variations of these. -t

While I agree that the chip could be removed by a competent polisher I would leave it alone, part of the swords history. I think you have a nice offering here. First two kanji are a slogan 必勝 Hissho! Certain Victory! The artist is Kato Jumyo 加藤寿命 There should be plenty of good info online. -t

Not a mon - Rain Dragon, very stylized... -t

Do you have - The Samurai Sword by Yumoto? The Japanese Sword by Sato? Best start there if not, -t

OK here's mine - early 1800s Swordmaker Manzai Tsugumitsu. A little light in an otherwise dreary winter... -t

I am sure folks would love to see pictures of the blade. This is a well regarded school, you may have a very nice inheritance there... -t

Mike definitely knows his stuff... -t

Please ask the seller for the dimensions - I promise you this is no more than 50 cm high...

I hope you know this is a Boys Day item... -t