Surfson

It is bad form to use the names without permission, but probably not illegal since the opinions were rendered on a public forum. It is shortsighted on the guy's part since he will not find many people rush to help him in the future unless he comes in to the NMB under an alias. Finally, I am curious as to whether it will affect the ultimate sales price. I think that all of those photos tell the story well. Without the info from the NMB, it might even pass as an older sword.

Curtis, there are lots of interested parties willing to take it off your hands, including me. I suggest that you put it up on ebay and let us all know the listing. Cheers, Bob

There's a family crest on the butt end of the handle (kashira). I suspect that it is probably silver. If you think this is true, you might try a small dab of silver cleaner on it and see if you can bring the color back. Slightly reminiscent of the Takanoha (crossed feathers), but a little different. You can check references and find out what family it is. This would be the family of the former owner who carried it in the war. Your Dad did well!

Looks like Nagahiro to me. B

The Pawlonia on the saya are one good clue that it is Japanese, for future reference. I have not seen this design on Chinese or other nationality pieces (though I'm happy to hear about exceptions).

Not our most interesting subject line, but worth commenting on. In Japan, I think that many more swords have been treated with respect, and it is probably much more uncommon for a sword to be stripped of its fittings. In the US, so many of the swords that are here were trophies of war and not well cared for. It is often the case that one finds a sword that was once nice but in which the blade has been ruined. In such a case, I feel no guilt in salvaging the fittings. If a sword can be preserved without more expense than it is worth (in many cases, the cost of preservation far exceeds the ultimate expected value), then I always try to do that. Blanket statements about two classes of people are unfounded.

If you've ever used a kitchen knife that is beveled on one edge and flat on the other, then you know that such blades tend to make a curved cut. In the kitchen, this is annoying. Why this would be desirable in warfare, I'm not sure, but I suspect that Paul is right that it didn't catch on for a reason.

I don't have much to add, though I would want to inspect the carving to see if it has been made shallow by several polishes. The shape looks like Kanbun Shinto to me, and the tang need not show all of that age if it was shortened more recently. No reason to restore it I would think, but it is a real samurai sword in my judgement.

Well, a couple of us waxed poetic on a Sunday, and triggered a regular roustabout of opinions and interesting thoughts. Thanks to all for making it an interesting day. Cheers, Bob

I think that it is fine the way it happens now, with some spontaneity. As an amateur kanji reader, I like to have a crack at them sometimes. One has to move quickly though, as there are many quick minds on the NMB. Having Morita san as a backup is wonderful. Morita san, I think you approach it perfectly!

OK Keith, I will rise to the bait. "Quite frankly the only thing a collector who is not also a swordsman feels physically when he holds a sword in his hand is the weight of the steel, he has no familiarity and feel for the potential of the weapon. Anything else is romanticism and imagination." I take it that you are a swordsman? I am not, yet believe that I can nearly fully appreciate the "potential" of the weapon. And as to "romanticism and imagination", whether swordsman or not, that, along with scientific research, is all we have for these objects that all surpass 140 years in age. "When someone who has trained with a sword for many years holds a blade in his hand, if he is receptive to such things, he also feels the balance and 'life' in the blade." OK, so you (the presumed swordsman) have antennae that we commoners don't have. If you think you can detect "life" in your blade, by all means do. But don't try to tell me that this "life" is anything other than "romanticism and imagination." Methinks you speak out of both sides of your mouth. "There is no way a twenty first century male westerner, bound by western philosophy could imagine or appreciate to any degree, how it felt to confront another swordsman in the cultural context of fuedal Japan with his life dependant upon his blade, his skill and chance to determine the outcome." This is your opinion. I think that there is a way, especially in the context of studying the Japanese culture and psyche, that such a person can have at least some level of understanding. "Just my humble opinion." I agree with you entirely here.

Interesting post Paul. I would say that everybody looks at swords for what they are interested in. One way or the other, we are all historians, with an interest in the provenance of a blade or fitting. Who made it? When was it made? What was happening in Japan at the time it was made? Who owned it and in what social class might they have been? Samurai or merchant? We are also all judging the art of the piece. Is it beautiful? Was it made with skill and care? Was it made by an artist who had an impact on the field by innovating one or another technique (this is the thrill of the "shinto" period, as these "new" swords were characterized by many features not seen before). We are all also, at one level or other, concerned about value. As one advances in the collecting arena, pieces tend to get more and more expensive. You had better be sure that your kantei skills and value appraisal skills keep up with the cost of your purchases, as it is easily possible to overpay for swords or to buy swords that are not as they are represented. One thrill is that the misrepresentation often occurred contemporaneously with the manufacture of the sword - that is to say that many gimei were made at the same time the original genuine sword by the maker in question was being made. I have seen many cases where collectors have more money than sense (and have sadly made my share of slips). This is why we advise all collectors, especially novice ones, to buy books and study! Also, like most collecting spheres, there is a bit of a hint of competition. Who has the best stuff? Who knows the most? Who is the most knowledgeable expert in a defined topic? I see this in other collecting areas, as I am a collector of many things (e.g. guitars). This is the basis of a trap that some well-heeled fall in to, collecting big "names". I believe that I have heard the term "Tengu" used to refer to such collectors. It is easier to buy oneself into status than it is to learn oneself into status, and I must say that I admire the collectors with the most knowledge more than the ones with the best collections. In fact, some extraordinarily knowledgeable collectors have modest collections since they neither have financial means nor do they leverage their knowledge in swords to build a great collection. There is also a feature of collecting Samurai swords that is hard to describe. I think that this applies almost exclusively to boys/men, and it is noticeable that very few women are interested in this field of collecting. I can only say that it has to do with the feel of the sword when held in the hand and the imagination of a real life situation in which one might have to use this supremely powerful and well crafted weapon. The moment when its user is faced with a life or death situation that depends on his ability to use the sword. I am reading Taiko right now, and it's a wonderful transposition to a period when such moments occurred regularly. Well, talk about waxing philosophical on a Sunday! Cheers, Bob

The yoshi character is kichi. Last character may be a stylized nichi (day)?

Possibly Echizen Kinai

Looks like either tadasuke or yukisuke or usuke, but I can't find any in Hawley's by any of those names.

On the omote, it looks like so hei shi (on the right) and nyu do so min (saku?) on the left. On the ura, looks like Go shu (on the right). On the left, the city is tougher for me, but looks a little like Nara.

Tim, tried to go to the site and it bombed my computer.

I agree with Ford that there is no evidence that it has been mounted on a sword. However, to my eye it looks like iron that has been painted. The paint appears to be chipping off in one or two of the close up views.

Probably another interesting thread George. i do have a couple of tsuba with what appear to be sword strikes. One on the mimi and the other on the back (ura?) of the tsuba.

i agree the price is out of whack, even assuming the mei is good. The mounts are signed, but it wasn't possible to see the mei on the fuchi well enough. I hope it's a big name and they are good for the sake of the buyer.

Looks fake to me too. Almost as offensive is the pretentious music and bad photos!

I think that the signature is good, although many of the issues discussed are part of the "wall of worry". The sword went for over $17,000, so a few others thought it was good too!

Aleksey, I was under the impression that it sold, based on the statement in the ebay listing. We have a policy at the NMB not to discuss a sword while it is listed and being presented for sale. I will say that many of the points that I would make about the sword were already made by fellow NMB members in response to the original link to the sale result. Cheers, Bob

Maybe the auction house has a guard cat. :lol:

Hi All. I'm not sure why everybody is being so diplomatic about this sword. Aleksey, it appears that you sold it for $9500. I'm very happy for you but sorry for whoever bought it. In my view it has so many issues with it that I would stay away from it. More disturbing is that it is likely (in my quite humble opinion) to be some kind of simulation of an old sword. As time goes on, the forgers get better and better, and I am concerned that novice collectors will find it too intimidating to enter our field of collecting. I was thinking about collecting Greek drachmas, but the fakes are so good that it is virtually impossible to tell the real from the fake. Anyway, congrats for getting out of this sword intact (I presume).