DGARBUTT

There is a sword club in NYC that meets on a regular basis.  You can take it to one of their meetings and gets opinions. HOME (ny-tokenkai.org)

Modern Chinese reproduction

Where are you located?  I assume you would prefer to meet in person, so tell us your general location and we may be able to help ou.

Just one more is the right answer!!!

I live near the auction site and had an opportunity to examine the sword in hand.  The blade details were obscured by gunk, but no visible flaws.  What appears as possible ware in the photos is gunk on the blade. Very nice shape and good length.  But the selling price was a reflection of the fact that astute observers identified this as a probable kamakura nagamaki/naginata blade.  See Brian's post above. There are hints of great age in the auction photos.  The smaller grove evident on the tang is almost gone, polished down, on the blade(shown clearly on one of the photos on the auction site but not reproduced in this post)  and one hole on the tang is clearly not drilled but probably chiseled. The tang also showed great age and was much thicker than the blade indicating a significant number of polishes. The condition of the blade obscured most of the hamon but portions were evident showing what appeared to be a gunome pattern. Impossible to say if the hamon is intact on the entire blade.

Still the selling price was more than I was willing to pay due to the cost and uncertainty of restoration/shinsa outcome. I have no knowledge of the identity of the successful bidder and whether that bidder inspected the blade in person,.  There was only one day of viewing prior to the auction \and when I was there only one other person looked at the blades. One lesson to be learned is that NOTHING can replace a personal inspection of a blade.  Auction pictures/descriptions  can be very deceptive making a blade appear much better or worse than it actually is. 

The real issue is that any "paper"  on an unsigned blade is just an opinion, no matter how esteemed the individual or group.  Most experienced collectors have seen multiple instances where blades have received different opinions  from the same  "expert" organization.  It is a fairly regular occurrence for a mumei blade attribution to change as it proceeds from one paper to the next at the NBTHK.  "Expert"  opinion in every field is often wrong and is always subject to change 

In the early 1990's I purchased a collection from the widow of an army officer.  As I recall he was Colonel Henry.  The collection was primarily fittings with several swords.  The colonel was deceased but his widow told me that the colonel and other officers were allowed to go into a storage room and remove the fittings from swords. There collection contained about 50 sets of fuchi kashira , a similar number of menuki sets, a few kozuka and kogai but no tsuba. Many of the fuchi kashira still had remnants of the ito.  The quality was very mixed, a few quality items but mostly run of the mill.  The swords were mounted but of mediocre quality and condition. 

Need help with info on this smith tsugusada

thanks to all

Attached are photos of two tangs that I cannot completely translate.  Please asist me with the gunto tang and the left column of kanji on the Kanetane.

Thanks

Dale 

thanks for the help

As with the mantetsu I posted several days ago, here is another sword that I am helping the owner to translate.  Both the signature and the horimno on the sword have stumped me.  Thanks in advance for your help

These are all the photos I have. I was asked by the son of the marine who brought some swords home to help him with identification and translation. The mounts are standard army, better grade.

Thanks Steve, no way I ever could have gotten that

need help with the long inscription on this Mantetsu blade   have attached photos of both sides as I know some will want to see both sides of the tang, but I only need help with the long inscription next to the date

Having trouble with translation of what looks like a personal name on a Sukesada.  Need help on kanji after osafune up to sukesada

Signed Noshu Ju Kanehisa, which means made by Kanehisa, residing in Seki.  The star stamp mans that this is handmade sword, otherwise known as a gendai.  Nice find, absolutely genuine

I don't believe the scabbard is a mismatch and certainly not from a parade sword. .  More likely the sword was originally in kyu gunto mounts from the 1800's and had a new handle put on it when it was used in WWII.  I have seen a number of swords  with this combination. No way to tell from the pictures if the longer blade is handmade without photos of the work in the blade/

absolutely fake, not even close to authentic

Dale

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Thanks Stephen.

Bitchu daijo is an honorary title.  It means assistant lord of Bitchu province.

The Hizen Masahiro line of smiths is very well regarded.  I am not sure how the third generation ranks.  If you google sandai Masahiro you should find information.

I have not attempted to validate the signature as genuine, however the work and shape of the sword look like Hizen Masahiro work.

Nice sword and nice mounts

Dale

This is one of the signatures of the third generation Masahiro.  First signed as Hironaga.  Received the title of Bitchu daijo in 1665.

Dale

Tom, I would like the Onin and Teimei tsubas. What is the discount for both. Shipping to the US

Thanks,

Dale

$150

A billiant lesson from Ford.