drjoe

This is the other guy on ebay that sells blades that seem to be gimei or otherwise funny looking. Similar to komonjo blades, but not quite. Check out this one -- manic hamon, coarse hadori, thick lamination line... https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Japanese-Samurai-Sword/232651766892

still for sale.

excellent. looks like there is enough room for a second ana if needed without running into the mei.

yes, nakamura taizaboro sensei advocated for two mekugi ana as I recall. as to your initial question, sometimes the mei on the nakago doesn't leave room for a 2nd ana such that it has to be drilled through the signature. that might be somewhat aesthetically displeasing, but assuming the second ana were drilled correctly, i don't think it would greatly alter the value of the sword particularly if you were selling to another JSA practitioner. as an iaito, general use and wear, especially from tameshigiri, will be the main factor leading to depreciation of value. this all assumes that your blade is actually a shinsakuto and not a gimei komonjo blade like this one currently for sale http://www.ebay.com/itm/T48-Japanese-Samurai-Sword-Kiyotsugu-Katana-Bare-Blade-78-2-CM-/162707751582 if it's that one, it's a loooong blade for toyama ryu in my opinion and a 2nd mekugi won't matter one way or another. but you said yours was from the 1980s, so it sounds like you have the real deal. i have a 1980s blade by minamoto kunitsugu, by the way. i would like to see your nakago.

welcome! this isn't really the right forum to get an answer to that question. most members are here to talk about the historical preservation/collection of antiques, and will cringe at the thought of alteration for martial arts use. you might start by telling us what kind of "shinsakuto" you've acquired. although some modern ryuha (including the one that I study) advocate having two mekugi for safety reasons, most historical examples of nihonto only used a single mekugi. you could argue that if the tsuka is done properly, you don't need two mekugi. most of the modern chinese reproductions have two for marketing purposes and because the tsuka and other parts are often not done properly, increasing the chance of failure. you can expect that people will tell you to "ask your sensei" about altering your blade. if you don't have one, you might expect some responses telling you not to use a Japanese shinsakuto for unguided training. having said all that, it wouldn't be too hard to find a craftsman to put a second ana in your blade for you. naturally though, you'd want to find someone to do it the "right" way.

holy ara nie batman! (and yes, I'll also take it for $00)

https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/asset/tachi-sword-known-as-koryu-kagemitsu/3QFg60PEbEN8ig

still looking for a good home.

bump. i showed this blade to a forum member at the SF Token Kai who suggested he might be able to correct the remaining warp. if someone is interested in buying, i can forward that contact information along. this blade is a beauty and if the remaining warp is corrected, it would be an iaidoka's dream.

more pictures

This is an unsigned (mumei) gendaito bare blade with no stamps, suggesting pre-1940's traditional manufacture. Gunto proportions with sanbonsugi hamon, ko-itame hada, and yasurimei consistent with a Seki school blade. The blade bears a strong resemblance to this one: http://yakiba.com/Kat_Yoshitomi.htm The blade was rescued from a bad buff job and was recently polished. Measurements are: Nagasa: 65.5 cm Nakago: 220 mm Motohaba: 32mm Sakihaba: 20 mm Motokasane: 7 mm Sakikasane: 4 mm Photos should still be viewable here: http://s119.photobucket.com/user/drjoe/library/Mumei%20Gendaito?sort=3&page=1 Or PM for additional photos. Asking price is $900 plus shipping and PayPal fees.

yes, between photobucket and forum issues, this is the 3rd time posting this blade. as, as ken has pointed out each time, i wish the blade hadn't been bent either! on the other hand, this blade has the look and elegance of an art sword. without the bend, it wouldn't be offered at the price it is! one does wonder what the previous owner must have done to make it take the set that it did, but it has been mostly corrected and would still make a nice blade for iaido practitioners. tachikaze is easily achieved during suburi. i've enjoyed owning this blade as an art piece, but it's time to move it on. i'm motivated to sell before SF Token Kai, so if anyone's interested, make me an offer.

Shinsakuto made by Bizen Masashiro. A tad over 29" nagasa with deep sori and bohi. Purchased from Modern Tosho a few years back (photos are below from from Keith Larman at the time of the sale -- additional and current photos on request), this is long blade with a classic choji hamon in the Bizen tradition. Used for iaido and tameshigiri by the previous owner, the price reflects scratches in the monouchi and shinae from a bend that was corrected in the mune, but with a persisting twist in the ha. Fully mounted, ready for use or collection. More pictures here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/20256321@N04/albums/72157686345699135/with/35152800783/ $5000.

http://ryujinswords.com/shostamp.htm

yes, the two joes have similar collecting interests!

as stated, assuming the blade isn't gimei (fake signature), your blade appears to be a WWII era blade made by Yoshihara Kuniie, grandfather to famous living swordsmiths Yoshihara Yoshindo and Yoshihara Kuniie II, and great-grandfather to Yoshihara Yoshikazu. Yoshihara Kuniie is a well known WWII era smith who was himself a student of Kasama Ikkansai Shigetsugu, one of the most acclaimed WWII era smiths. for more information, see these links for similar blades: http://yakiba.com/Kat_Kuniie.htm http://www.nihontoantiques.com/archive/g51.htm it would be nice to see pictures of the rest of the blade, in clear focus, but in any case your blade is "out of polish" deserving of proper restoration, by a credible polisher. the fittings are dilapidated WWII mounts. PM me if you're interested in selling.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-sword-katana-tachi-nodachi-with-horimono-/252688926352

Thanks Carlo; very interesting -- what is the source?

oh boy, looks like i was late to the party with this post after all and this topic was already discussed here a few months back. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/20772-possible-the-finest-sword-with-a-hefty-pricetag/ good to find a working link to sugita yoshiaki's work also: http://www.murakumokai.jp/sugita/sugita-top.htm http://www.murakumokai.jp/sugita/ysi.htm http://www.murakumokai.jp/sugita/13y.htm http://www.tousyoukai.jp/kikaku/mamori/mamori5/5_toushin_9.jpg

yes, of course i know that yoshindo is well versed in hadaka yaki -- in fact, i saw him do one last year and posted a brief video that i shot of it on youtube: ) he was, after all, ono yoshimitsu's teacher. i never said that the yamatorige was made by hadaka yaki, though it seems open to question. since ono-san has been able to recreate it with clay, it is certainly possible that the original was done in the same fashion. it could be argued however that ono's is "cleaner" than the original. and when i first saw sugita yoshiaki's work some years ago, i would have sworn clay was involved.

the hamon that forms with hadaka-yaki (clayless quench) occurs both because of "vapor jacket" effects as well as, i believe, differential heating of the edge/spine. many koto bizen blades were made in this fashion. in the modern era, the late sugita yoshiaki was known for his hadaka-yaki blades. sadly, since his passing, photographs of his work are now few and far between. the czech smith pavel bolf also commonly works in this style (http://www.katana-kaji.cz/en/). on the other hand, i'm told that ono yoshimitsu's yamatorige utsushimono are made with clay. here are some examples: http://www.toukenkomachi.com/index_ja_tachi&katanaA011115.html https://www.nihonto.com.au/html/ono_yoshimitsu_tachi.html

yes, ¥320,000,000. as for the hamon, it's why the blade was called "yamatorige," translated as "mountain bird (pheasant) feathers." the billowing juka choji hamon has served as the inspiration for much of ono yoshimitsu's work, in his seemingly unending quest to produce utsushi of the yamotorige. in addition to the saka choji, the "two layer" area of the hamon near the mune is characteristic.

in case this hasn't been posted yet (apologies if it has). i'm told that it was indeed purchased by the city of Joetsu. https://www.joetsutj.com/articles/37390279

btw, it takes ebay listings forever to disappear. for $585, you got what you paid for. http://www.ebay.com/itm/TO267-Japanese-Samurai-Sword-Sadashige-Katana-Bare-Blade-73-5-CM-/131888772438