Toryu2020

All - Just spent the weekend scanning a bunch of old photos into the computer, these may be seen on my website http://www.toryu-mon.com under Galleries. Actually found more old photos while I was at it so in another week will be uploading those. Please take the time to visit the site and send me any feedback you may have on the articles I have posted as well. Thank you, -tch

Look for Kamon that feature fans (sensu)... -t

Piers- Can you post a close up of the small panel at upper left with writing in it? Have you read that or had others read it? Are there other seals or panels on the tryptich? Have you looked online for other examples of this image that have not been trimmed? Thinking out loud... -t

Jason et al - You might Google "Oni-Bôcho" for info on a most famous example that surely inspired many copies. FWIW at least a few folks felt this construction cut very well... -t

OK, So does anybody know which Sadahiro this is? Can we see more pics of the sword and the whole nakago? Keep the thread alive! -t

Can't help with an attribution but I can suggest you look at Edo period screen painting and other decorative arts for examples. These fan shaped panels were often used to create "windows" in larger works of art, and can be seen in Ranma and other architectural features... -t

Chris- In the late Muromachi blade shapes like this, moroha-zukuri, shobu-zukuri, kanmuri-otoshi and others became popular. Short stout tanto made for use as armor-piercers from that era could all generally be called yoroi-doshi which means "armor-piercer". Double thick hira-zukuri blades are most often described as such. They again become popular in the late-Edo period. I would study the shapes of dated examples from both eras and draw your own conclusions... A nice little piece BTW -t

Moroha zukuri, I would say late Muromachi given the color of the nakago, condition of the blade and complete lack of machi... -t

Kusunoki-san Regarding "de Gansu"; I was gonna say this was Kagoshima-ben but looked it up, you must be talking about Tasogare Seibei which is set in Shonai (Iwate) and not "Last" which is set in a weird Japanland not actually found on our planet... -t

Larry - There are lots of great images out there. Check the Gallery page on my website for a few odd old photos. Sorry no Yoshichika but a few other fellows from his era. I have more that I hope to post soon so stay tuned... -t

Did not see a good topic or forum to add this to, but if you know where that is let me know. http://www.hokkesaburo.com/ A neat website I was recently introduced to. Maybe oldhat to some but thought I would share. If there is a place for links besides the ones on the top-page do let me know. Thanks, -t

Jon - We are indeed still having the NTHK Shinsa at the Tampa Show - Uncle Al Bardi is doing a great job promoting his event and ours - we anticipate a very successful weekend to rival the recent San Francisco Shinsa - I personally am looking forward to meeting our East Coast cousins and enjoying several days of productive sword study. Hope you all can make it, -t

Bunsei date, look for the san dai of this line and I think you'll find a good match. -t

Indeed nice sword, Student of Suishinshi Masahide - studied in Edo and then returned to work in Higo his home province. Would love to see more of that blade... -t

I suspect not all of Yoshichika's works were western milled steel... -t

Leonard you are most welcome - @John I think the original post had these as Goto - I think if you look at the presentation of the leaves you can almost see the gold dots of dew, also you've got gold, copper and shakudo - not Goto I'm thinking but under the influence anyway... -t

Gosuriage Kotoku (kao) Hon'Ami Kotoku perhaps? -t

Leonard - I didnt see the signature in the earlier photos, though I do want to see it - I was speaking of the blade shape - if this is a "tanto" it does not appear to be the right shape for Shodai Nagayoshi - check whatever references you have and try to match this shape to a period (era) - from there we can look for schools and then maybe your smith... -t "licking the mune"

Leonard - First off, not bad. Not great either but the image is uncommon enough that they are a pleasure to see just because they are different. As stated the immediate impression is that the quality is not first rate but there aren't a lot of those floating around undiscovered anyway. Goto themes and Goto style was copied all over the country by generations of artists so Goto-esque is not such a bad call even if no school is apparent. Pics of the back would be cool. And I think your theme is Myoga - ginger, but I could be wrong... -t

Curious to see the nakago/signature - It looks a bit big (wider/longer) than one might expect for Shodai Nagayoshi, might be his school but I would think later generation... -t

Yimu - First rule of a physician - "do no harm", to just preserve and care for this is all that is needed. Based on the photos the hada looks rough in spots and a polish might open some of that up but only a trained polisher with in hand examination can say for sure. From the photos it looks like yes, it could be restored but a full polish is expensive and a bit of a gamble. The finished sword may in the end look better but be worth less because of flaws that appear in the process. Take it to a trained polisher and follow his advice... -t

Piers - I should be interested in what exactly you are seeing - generally cuts to the tsuba are to be avoided at all cost in Japanese Swordsmanship - blocking was done with the shinogi and even this was to be avoided. Contact with the tsuba certainly occurred but was rare, multiple strikes to the same tsuba in the course of a single fight does not make sense to me. I think iron would provide the best protection but the idea of using a "soft" tsuba to capture a sword blade scares me, I would'nt want to rely on my tsuba for that kind of protection - if your attacker is getting that close to your hands you are soon to be dead anyway... -t

Piers - I would have said Choshu - not being a Kodogu guy - still I do know that Shoami groups existed just about everywhere. I say Choshu though from the Crysanthemum - that one little flower seems to appear in all kinds of Choshu works. The "Aoi" like leaves do look a bit like Echizen Kinai but given the primitive presentation of the butterfly I would look for Choshu pieces to compare with. FWIW -t

Amen Keith!

DOH! we see what we expect to see I guess... -t