Toryu2020

Weidas - I am afraid you will need better pictures of the overall nakago and close ups of the mei if anyone is to help you... -t

Steven et al - my understanding is that there was a thriving school of tsuba makers at Akasaka in Edo (now Tokyo) that fed a thriving tourist trade with Nobuie style works. I would seek out examples of their work to compare. This is more 19th century in my humble opinion... -t

Akao as has already been said, and thats the last name Stephen not the first... -t

Jean - From the Meikan; Bizen (no) Kuni Nagamitsu (sig.) Bizen Province, Genroku, dated work from Genroku 13, further info may be found in the To-Ken Kaishi. @Ray sounds like you need to start another thread. FYI I believe the March topic at the sword club is "Kamakura" so there will be many Soshu blades and signatures for comparison, and if you ask nice maybe some books on hand to help you with your research... -t

Whoops! not Bishu Bizen, Sorry don't know how I missed that. There is a Bizen (no) Kuni Nagamitsu from the Genroku era. -t

相州　　Sôshû The Meikan lists a Nagamitsu from the Ko-Mihara school circa 1389 - perhaps a much more interesting find than one of those old Osafune things... -t

Matt - Kuwana ju something Naga is what I see, as has already been pointed out. It is possible this was Muramasa school - a lot of swordmakers worked in Kuwana in the late-Edo period. A huge crossroads town and tourist attraction. Clearly you will want to focus your search on Muramasa and other smiths working in Kuwana and Ise... -t

Excellent link Rob - So it appears they were for the most part on the omote side, unlocked by action of the right hand on the tsuka. Visible when worn in the dress or redoubt? position.Thanks to you both. Chuha-dome! one learns something new everyday... -t

All - I have a question for the Militaria collectors among us; What is the Japanese term for the push-button saya lock that we see on many Gunto koshirae? and it being sometime since I looked at any are they typically under the thumb on the ura, when the blade is uppermost or on the omote and to be pressed (opened) by the index finger. I think I know the answer but want to see if anyone else has considered the question and if there has been perceived any consistency. Any help appreciated... -t

Tell that to Bob Hope!

Well I counted eleven, and even without those two strokes it seemed clear he was going for yoshi - 4 out of 5 is a great start and how we all have to do it... -t

Sorry, Dirk...

Zan my friend, Count the number of strokes in your Kane and then count the number of strokes in kanji number 5 and you may want to look again for another candidate... -t

陸軍恤兵部派遣　　日本ポリドール慰問団 Rikugun Juppei-bu Haken Nippon Polydor Imondan or Army Relief Group (Sponsored) Nippon Polydor Comfort Corps Imon is consolation, but in this case we think relief or comfort. This is, as I said tongue in cheek earlier, most likely a group of recording artists who toured around to give relief/recreation to the troops, like our USO. I expect as has been suggested that the officers are in charge of whatever base they were at, though this almost looks like they posed after surrender they look so dour. Tip of the hat to Colonel Creswell for his invaluable assistance... -t

Alex - The Meikan lists two Moriyuki that are Shinshin-to smiths. Is this a Showa-to we are talking about? Any chance we can see pics of the mei and the blade? Might help us with the search... -t

Jello- If it's kanji study, then many sword books will only give you a "survey" of the most commonly used characters. For some this is all that is needed. However if you truly want to make sense of it all you have to put in some time studying the language. Start with Hiragana and Katakana and then onto first grade kanji and off you go. The initial investment in study time is often a turn-off for new students of this subject but listen to the old farts for they can tell you that little investment pays off in big ways later, usually by helping you avoid serious buying mistakes. "A friend of the devil is a friend of mine..." -t

Spork - It's the Japanese USO! Can't you just tell they are all set to bring joy to the troops! -t

Steve - What I think you are looking at is linen and not leather - which is an indicator for late-edo. I would say based on the tsuba and menuki your looking at late-edo production for those pieces as well. Not sure I see lobsters there either. I am sure the membership would like to see overall pics of your koshirae as well as your sword whatever the condition. Most here are dedicated to preserving swords, so buying a sword just to strip the menuki is a bit sacreligeous. I am not a fittings guy but from what I can see there is little value to be gained by cutting out the menuki. Afterall there are no more old samurai around creating these things, best to leave it as is... -t

Jello - Start you adventure with 'The Samurai Sword by John M. Yumoto' and don't mind Old Stephen he may not be a fan of the Dead Kennedys... -t

For those thinking of buying, Remember there are two editions of this book. The first edition was small format with very large fold-outs. In fact the full sized fold outs you see in the photo. The more common edition is larger format, 8x10 perhaps? Be careful when shopping if it is the version with the fold-outs you want... -t

Ray - Be careful if this is your practice sword, that annoying rattling is a signal that your tsuka, mekugi and maybe even your habaki are getting ready to fail. If you find you are adding more and more leather and seppa to your tsuka, take a good hard look at your habaki to see that it is not deformed. Also check that the tsuka is not splitting and the mekugi moving up thru the handle. Older tsuka or poorly made ones will split with heavy practice. Habaki can split or deform and slip up over the ha-machi, especially if you are doing lots of cutting. It is very important that you use the proper equipment and that you check it before and after each use... -t

Very cool bit of history either way... -t

Chris - As a fellow martial artist I would caution that these blades cannot be trusted for cutting and the handles do not stand up to regular practice. A failure of the tsuka at the wrong time could prove tragic. If it is just for looking at then you are OK. -t

Very interesting question Jean! Looks to be Izumi (n/k) Kanesada on one side and I'm not sure the sig compares well - on the other is it Tenshi Kinsaku Suzuki Shigehide (wo) motte? "Made as an Imperial gift - Suzuki Shigehide carried this" or is it; Tenshikin saku "made with (Imperial) Government grant money"? Not sure I am even close, does the work look like Kanesada? Even a late-late Kanesada? How about the mounts? Any hints as to how this was "carried"? -t

Happy Holidays to all from the NTHK! Certificates were mailed out this past Saturday. We expect that all in North America should receive theirs by Christmas and for those overseas by New Years. If you have not received your certificates by the 31st December please email us at; NTHK2010@toryu-mon.com Yoi Yoi Otoshi yo!