Franco

Not that I know of. Brian attends most if not all the sword shows here in the U.S. , if you would prefer to meet with him in person.

Brian Tschernega - professional cleaning / restoration (425) 771-6339 .

"Fine detail", hmm. Seriously, I see nothing that I would call fine detail. Everything has a mechanical look and feel to it.

1. Buy books. There are plenty of threads about which books to buy (use NMB search). Markus Sesko has translated a great deal of info, take advantage. 2. Study Japanese-nihonto history. A must for any serious collector. 3. Write out and ID your collecting objectives. What makes a sword collectible? What is kantei? According to Sato sensei what is the 2nd step in kantei? 4. Join study groups. Attend sword shows. Meet dealers. 5. "Don't mistake temptation for opportunity" Good luck.

Base looks like typical copper that was foiled over. Yes, needs careful cleaning.

Thoughts have turned to a feather like feature of underwater plants that perhaps filter feed? Crinoids, also known as feather stars or sea lilies, maybe? Wondering if the bird depicts a Chidori, which would hint towards an underwater sea plant?

Definitely a fern I would say. Exactly which kind you'll have to figure out.

Thank you, Curran. I was told by Brian Tschernega that the shirasaya pictured below is an "early" Edo period saya, and that the habaki was a later Edo period piece.

Truthfully, I'm not exactly sure what to classify this activity as, maybe an utsuri??? Almost certainly it will have a name, be categorized. Shirake utsuri, hmm. Shirake utsuri when seen is white, not like this. Muneyaki, no. Muneyaki first of all runs along and or borders the mune, not below the shinogi. There are two forms of muneyaki seen. One is more like a tobiyaki (considered inferior). The other is more like a yubashiri (superior). https://markussesko.com/2015/05/14/kantei-2-jigane-jihada-3/ https://markussesko.com/2015/05/29/kantei-3-hamon-boshi-1/

Citation required.

No worries. The point here of recommending a professional like Brian is that these pieces show significant age and quality. As such, repairs and restoration work as well should be undetectable. Some work (such as cleaning) can be accomplished at home, especially by someone with knowledge and experience.

Beginners luck! For cleaning and any restoration work I would suggest contacting/consulting Brian Tschernega 425.771.6339 . Both pieces are worn for good reason.

Who's talking about "for profit" ? "Don't buy junk!"

Another thing to keep in mind is that during this period of time at the end of Nambokucho and beginning of Muromachi, there were schools that were copying characteristics of other traditions. So, it isn't surprising to see an Echizen Rai sword with Yamato "like" characteristics. If that appeals to someone, fine. However, as a collector, when buying a Rai sword it might be preferable that it had strong Rai traits.

"Don't mistake temptation for opportunity"