Justin

I have posted mei before. Please see here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2414&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=Teppo&start=1 (Page 1 and 2) It is interesting that Tsuji appears on both barrel and stock. I understand Tsuji is also a name.

I am overseas at the moment, however I know the barrel is signed Kunitomo Tojuro To-setsu. Piers - you might remember looking this up for me. We managed to find this gunmaker working in Bunsei era (1816-1830). There is also another character close to the mei. I am not sure what it is from memory but I know it means 'crossing' in Japanese. The wooden stock is also signed by a Kunitomo artisan, however I can't remember this although I have it written down somewhere at home. The other interesting feature is that the characters for 'Motoshige' appear on the top of the barrel just below the mon.

Thanks for your help guys. I also found this: http://www1.ocn.ne.jp/~argus/bunrui-1/10-06kasiwa.html This is obviously a company that puts mon on clothing, however underneath 6-KA-5 I believe it says 'three oak leaves without land possession'. This ties back to what John said above. Perhaps this gun belonged to a retainer of the Kasai, Kubota, etc?

I have a teppo with the following mon inlaid in silver on the barrel. I was looking through Hawley's mon book and noticed that some families utilised the kashiwa mon with three 'veins' for each leaf, while others had four (see below). I would like to know whether these designs were strictly adhered to or did the one family have different designs (e.g. the Makino used both three and four 'veins' for the leaves). The closest to mine appears to be the Horimoto and Kubota families (three veins), however this doesn't have a ring around it. I cannot find anything regarding these two samurai families. Thanks for any help

Very interesting. Were these put on swords from any province or does an Owari habaki usually mean it is an Owari / Owari-Seki blade?

I spotted this and thought I'd share it: http://www.sanmei.com/contents/media/T2 ... PUP_E.html The colour of the steel and the hada are almost identical to my sword. The nakago is also the same. The paper is just Gassan.

Poll and comments can be found there: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5192&start=15&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Going back to Pete's original question I hate doing research on the internet. Give me a nice quality book any day. Fortunately/unfortunately the internet can provide alot of clues to help your research, but books are definately preferrable. I use a computer all day at work and hate having to come home and stare at the laptop or iPad screen again to research nihonto. I am also concerned about the future of sword collecting. I just don't see the newbies like we used to. Sometime ago I asked Brian to create a poll regarding collectors ages. I might have to go find it again to see the latest results. How do we find/encourage new collectors?

Brian, maybe we (the forum members) should start this oshigata/photo database? Include papered items only where the mei has been verified. This would be very useful. There are so many obscure smiths that it is often like finding a needle in a haystack. It would be good if everyone could submit their oshigata/photos and we keep a record of everything. Does anyone have an software that would accommodate this? Maybe we could approach some of the big dealers/commercial sites and ask their permission to use their oshigata and photos (of verified pieces).

My contact in Japan picked the sword up on Friday and he asked about the attribution. The NBTHK said Dewa no Gassan, Muromachi Jidai. Thanks for all your feedback. It has been an interesting discussion.

Thanks for your thoughts regarding kantei, however going back to my original question, do you think the NBTHK put simply 'Gassan' on the paper because: a). They believe this is a koto period sword b). They don't know which time priod to place this sword, however they know it was made by Gassan school This is what I really want to know.

I spotted this tachi on Tokugawa Art's website: http://www.sanmei.com/contents/media/F9 ... _PUP_E.htm A copy of the paper is attached. It just seems to say Gassan (rather than Ko-Gassan). This is the same as my paper, except my sword is mumei.

It is difficult to see the hada in my low-res photos. As I mentioned the sword is in Japan so I can't take better photos. Although Eric has improved the images it is still difficult to get an appreciation of the ayasugi hada. It looks worn down, almost like there is shingane coming through in the peaks of the waves (although I have been told it is not core steel, but a characteristic of the hada). Thanks for all the feedback both on and off the forum. I am now confident I understand the attribution from the NBTHK.

The sword is still in Japan, however hopefully this helps. There is some green lacquer/paint which looks to be a collection number of some sort. http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/2144/38840049.jpg Better photo of the point is also attached. http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/8124/45543314.jpg I don't think we need to kantei it again here on the forum, I just want to know how to interpret the papers. I feel comfortable with the feedback I have received and that the NBTHK would have put Gassan Sadakazu, Sadayoshi, Sadakatsu, etc plus Den if they thought it were shinshinto.

Thanks for your feedback guys. I spoke to Darcy and he said that if the NBTHK said 'Gassan' then they mean the old school (koto). He doesn't think the papers for the Gassan on his website said Ko-Gassan. He thinks it was just Gassan.

High-res images of the sword can be found here: http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/251/blade161copy.jpg http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/7836 ... 61copy.jpg Several people I have spoken to off the forum have said that 'Gassan' would mean koto. If it were Osaka Gassan then the NBTHK would have said something like 'Gassan Sadakazu Den', etc. I might ask Darcy if he remembers the attribution for the Ko Gassan on his website.

Attached is a photo which shows the shape. Unfortunately due to size restrictions I cannot upload the high-res version which shows the hada/hamon (it is 1.4MB). I am very happy with this sword, however I would just like to know approximate time period. The Gassan attribution was expected, however some people think this is koto while other people have said gendaito.

I recently had a sword papered by the NBTHK. It is mumei with ayasugi hada and a straight hamon. They simply papered it to 'Gassan'. Does this mean that they think it is Gassan, but have no idea of the time period? I thought they would have said 'Ko-Gassan' if it were early or 'Gassan Sadakatsu Den', 'Sadakazu Den', etc if later. Does the NBTHK ever put Ko on their attributions? I have also heard that 'Ko-Gassan' was up until a specific time (e.g. end of Nambokucho period), then there was a period of just 'Gassan' before the school disappears until shinshinto times (when they then tended to line it up with a master and then put Den on the end if they couldn't assign it exactly).

Merci beaucoup Thierry.

Thanks very much Thierry :D Is there any description of this tsuba?

Does anyone have a copy of Willis Hawley's 'Tsubas in Sourthern California' (Japanese Sword Club of Southern California, 1973). I am looking for a scan of a tsuba by Seiryuken Tomohide of the Mito Tamagawa school. The tsuba features two Chinese characters looking at Mt. Fuji and I believe it might be no. 417 in this publication. Thanks for any help.

I have heard that swordsmith's horimono are deeper and not as refined/delicate as professional horimono engravers. Is this correct?

Thanks for this information. I don't know much about horimono. Are most of them done by swordsmiths or by dedicated craftsman who specialize in such carving? Is there any way to tell the difference?

I notice alot of horimono on Osaka Shinto and Osaka Shinshinto swords (especially dragons around ken). Is there any reason for this?

Hi, I'm looking for some information on later generations of the Sa Yasuyoshi school. I have what I believe is a shinshinto tanto signed Choshu Yasuyoshi. I notice in Hawleys that there is one person working around 1701. Any info or oshigata would be much appreciated. Arigatou gozaimasu.