Franco

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"

Polisher's mark, hmm.

Things to consider that jump out at me; 1) likely to be early Muromachi 2) Hamon is somewhat lacking for Rai, imo, especially compared to earlier first generation work. 3) Koshirae does not impress.

Dear Nazar, Love the kitty! Not to be evasive. Well, maybe just a little. My focus has been on old swords for so long that I've forgotten most of what I once knew about military swords. Asking and receiving thoughts from the military sword collectors would be more of value and accurate I should think. Please don't be discouraged. Take what you learn from this experience and use it to move forward. The best advice for any Japanese sword collector is to follow what the Japanese advise. Which is take the time to study and look at the very best swords possible. Train your eyes. Best,

Dear Nazar, Sorry to disappoint but I'm not seeing nioi. Only some form of treatment to make it appear so to untrained eyes.

How is this tsuba being restored, methods?

Looks like sunagashi. One problem here is that things could look substantially different in new polish. This polish does this sword no favor.

1). Steel looks lifeless = has to be examined for heat exposure. 2). Might also have been cleaned using 'nevr dull' . Which while it will do no harm when used properly removing dirt, grime, and rust, it will dull the finish and look of the steel. Personally, suspect the former.

A blade worthy of attention.

As previously mentioned, the final result will often reveal the quality of the shakudo. It may also show the ability and skill of the restorer who may have to spend considerable amounts of time trying to come up with just the right formula to achieve the desired result. And even then, nothing is assured as the alloys used in production were simply subpar.

In some cases a Fuyuhiro attribution was or is a safe call when shinsa cannot make a more definitive determination on just who or what tradition or school or smith made this sword. Often because the polish on the sword does not or did not provide or bring out the specific detail necessary. That may or may not be the case here. At the very least, it suggests (to me) that this sword needs more careful study by trained eyes before accepting this Fuyuhiro call.

http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/tools.html I made my own stuck tsuka removal kit. Secure protected sword/koshirae/tsuba. Tap firmly but gently evenly from one side to the other. If tsuka does not begin to budge/move, stop. Don't force. Figure out why?

Double clicking on the third image (front half, omote side of tanto), the surface steel both above the hamon and below near ha doesn't look tight to me, a little loose. Needs a good look from a polisher. An excellent polisher might look at it and say no problem.

Perhaps. Something an excellent polisher could answer.

Tired in the sense that I would be concerned about the unexpected with a new polish. Especially depending upon how much foundation work is required. I'm not convinced by the uchizori of age at this point. Keep in mind that uchizori can be a function of polish. And this tanto looks to my eyes in desperate need of a polisher with excellent foundation skills. p.s. Upon further look, this steel does not look healthy to me. Hope I'm wrong.

Tired looking blade badly polished, imho. Which makes it somewhat difficult to accurately date.

Ughh!

One does run across legitimate retired samurai tanto and self protection pieces for women, and both the mounts and blade will be of immediate recognizable quality. This is all tourist and export stuff for people who don't know any better. It is what is and should be treated and valued as such, but not made out to be as something more.

One more reason to have Yamanaka's Newsletters revised as it lists the traditions each smith worked in. Many swordsmiths worked and made swords in more than one tradition. A swordsmith working in one tradition, say Mino, might also have made swords in the style of the Soshu tradition using mitsumune. That's only one example.

Thoughts; On the short side. Also, I would factor in the cost, time, possible risks of a new high quality polish. Now you're in the $12,000 plus range for a short katana. Could be a very good sword. Needs to be studied in hand. Return policy? Shipping back and forth risks? If only nihonto collecting were easy? Desire is the cause of suffering.

Caro Marzio, These types of flaws within the hamon are permanent.