charlesf

Not a week goes by without the appearance of fake Japanese swords on UK auction websites,I've looked at four this morning! Auctioneers either don't know or don't care about the authenticity of the items they describe variously,including 'samuri' and 'kutani' swords yet they're able to describe with exquisite perfection the nuances of pottery and furniture. They clearly believe that "Ignorance is bliss" and just look to sell,sell,sell,which is hardly surprising given the extortionate commission rates that are being charged,I recently bought a sword knocked down (hammer) £480,with commission and shipping it finished at just over £700,so no bargain! charles

I take my hat off to the togishi . . . . . charles.

Many thanks for posting the extra images,nice silver foil wrapped habaki,the way the groove extends into the nakago is also a nice feature,the patina shows it is original,I have seen gendaito with bo-hi that looked as though they were recent additions for practitioners of iaido,usually in modern koshirae. I think you have a nice package,good length,bo-hi,family mon,the condition can be improved with a good soak in a light oil then prolonged wiping with crushed tissue or well folded and creased paper kitchen towel which should remove surface dirt. I don't think profit enters the equation if you have something that you can appreciate and enjoy.Over the course of 40+ years that I've been involved with this interest I have owned hundreds of swords,many of which I lost money on when I sold them but I never considered it a loss,rather a part of the learning curve that can't be found in books,so be happy! Regards, charles.

Well done on winning this sword and for sharing it with us,would you be kind enough to show the yasurime above the mei as well as the nakago jiri? Thanks and regards, charles.

Pretty simple really,if the blade was not correctly hardened then the edge would have folded rather than chipped. charles

Thanks for your post,I think the heat damage can be discounted through its overall condition and that it also has some minor hakobori which are slightly larger on one side than the other showing that the blade was correctly hardened.The kanahada explanation is a possibility but I doubt that the surface residue would have lasted 80 years and the WD-40 soak that it's had over the last few days! regards, charles.

Thanks for your post,if this was an older blade that might be a possibility but as a gendaito/gunto I think it unlikely,the colour suggests that the steel is either not tamahagane or is maybe tamahagane mixed with Western steel. Many years ago (1980's) I had a kaigunto with niji mei 'Kanehisa',no stamps which had a similar colour only to be told by my pal Yorkie that good swords had 'white steel' and there is a visible difference between this Masakiyo and gendaito that I have by Emura,Nagamitsu,Tomita Sukehiro and Endo Nagamitsu. regards, charles.

Recently bought a shingunto at auction signed 'Hizen Ju Masakiyo' exactly the same as in the oshigata database with assembly number '35' painted on to the tang. Blade is stained and appears to be a gendaito,there is hada visible and what appears to be a water quenched hamon,however,in certain lights there is a blue-ish hue to the blade which makes me think it is not made out of pure tamahagane. It's impossible to capture as an image so please don't bleat about the lack thereof . . . . . . Has anyone else seen the same? charles.

Not necessarily,the details of a blade are often obscured by a touch-up polish which appears to be the case here,the mei is virtually identical to the 'Teruhide 2' in the oshigata database of the Japanese Sword Index so likely to be Ishido Teruhide. Ihara Teruhide was an army appointed swordsmith. charles

Perhaps not decisive apart from the 'Nanpokirikomitai' who were armed exclusively with swords and attacked entrenched forces with success and not forgetting that sword techniques like 'gunto soho' and 'Toyama ryu' which were established to train officers in the use of gunto,their frequent use evidenced by the large numbers that required repair and maintenance by units like Kurihara Hikosaburo's repair group that worked in China. charles

Not strictly true,there are numerous images of both IJA and IJN officers with civilian mounted 'samurai' swords. charles

Hello Morgan, Just my two penn'orth,personally I would leave it alone and enjoy it as it is,screw and all,the blade appears to be in reasonable old polish,if there's any active rust a soak in light penetrating oil should kill it then a frequent wipe with soft tissue should bring out details in the blade. I confess to not being a fan of 'restored' items,I like patina and don't mind the odd knock which I feel are all part of the character of the piece. regards, Charles.

It occurred to me that I might have kept an image from the auction house and after trawling through hundreds of pictures found this which is a distinct improvement on my effort. Charles

You are nearly correct Bruce,you are probably thinking of his article on Fukuoka gendai tosho which includes Endo Nagamitsu of Kurume (different 'naga' character) of which I also have an example,very nice sword in a more restrained style. charles