Veli

You found another mei example, great! Is there a Seki stamp in the picture? Not a Gendaito, then... Veli

Actually Markus's book lists this smith signing with a different "Toshi" kanji 俊 whereas on Jinsoo Kim's site http://www.jp-sword.com/files/seki/gendaito.html he is listed using 敏. Obviously the same smith, however. Veli

Maybe Noshu ju Asai Toshihide Saku 濃州住浅井敏秀作 Others will correct if I am wrong, I am not good at showa mei. If correct, this is a Showa period smith working in Seki around WWII. Veli

I do not think it is Yoshimasa. I read it as Katsumasa. If the blade would be in a decent Gunto koshirae, $250 would not be too much (for the koshirae), but based on what I see in the pics, I would advice you to find something better... Veli

Ah, you had the answer already... Please note that the blade has a Seki stamp above the Mei, meaning that it is Japanese and genuine, from around WWII time, but not traditionally made, i.e. not a Nihonto. Veli

Yamato Daijo is a title, something like "assistant lord of Yamato province". For a swordsmith, this kind of title carried prestige and honor (and was expensive to acquire), but probably did not bring any real administrative power. http://www.jssus.org/nkp/common_kanji.html Veli

...Yamato Daijo... Veli

You are right about pronouncing "fierce god", I think. I posted my reply before I saw yours, like often happens. Veli

池田鬼神丸國重 Ikeda Kijinmaru Kunishige; in my opinion, unfortunately, it does not look like a genuine signature. BR, Veli

Darcy, Your experiment result with Live View vs. mirror lockup is surprising and valuable. How did you do the triggering when shooting with the mirror lockup? Camera trigger or wired remote or wireless remote trigger? Time delay or no delay? BR, Veli

Finnair offered a non-stop flight Helsinki-Tokyo and Tokyo-Helsinki for 599€, so I booked my flights. See you at DTI! Veli

Just a general comment: I would make a compromise in terms of lens aperture, since large aperture (small minimum f-number) lenses are usually more expensive. When photographing blades or fittings, you usually aim at large depth of field, and that requires a rather large f-number anyway. To put it in simple terms, why pay double for a f/2.8 lens when you usually use a f/10 aperture... a decent f/5.6 will do fine... You can get e,g, a Sigma wide angle lens with a slightly larger f-number cheaper than the Canon. Just my 2c... BR, Veli

Try a google search for "Ryo-shinogi Yari"... BR, Veli

Any volunteers to translate the inscription on the kogatana of the Dai koshirae? Veli

Bump! Veli

From Markus Sesko's Index of Japanese Swordsmiths: Sukemori (助盛) Tenbun (天文, 1532-1555), Bungo - "Taira Sukemori Saku" (平助盛作) Taira-Takada school, suguha, gunome midare. The shape of the tanto is attractive, and not so common in koto blades. Worthy of taking to Shinsa, I think. Your blade would also benefit from a re-polish; as you said, the current polish obscures the hada. Usually polishing is not advisable in financial terms, but tanto polish is not too expensive compared to the blade value. Better to take to Shinsa first, however, since polishing a Gimei blade is a waste of money. Veli

Hi Mark! I think you translated correctly, looks like Sukemori 助盛 Veli

Go to this site and scroll almost to the bottom of the page and they tell you http://www.urushi-kobo.com/urushi.html Veli

Hello Eduardo! You might try translating this by yourself; Hint: the second kanji is "Ta/Da" 田. If you do not want to try, here's the answer: Might be a genuine signature. BR, Veli

暴鍜作之? Veli

Ah, that makes more sense, thank you Moriyama san!!! :D BR Veli

Hi David! Maybe 左名 藤原純貞 Hidari Mei Fujiwara Sumisada? BR, Veli

I would be diligent in checking out the mei to make sure it is gimei... Veli

Hi Donny! The first kanji is the most common one, very often seen in Mino-to, like your blade. BR, Veli

A tough one with barely visible kanji... My guess based on gut feeling rather than knowledge: 備州長船経家 Bishu Osafune Tsuneie BR, Veli