Matsunoki

I had a very quick look on YouTube for Japanese Surrender and there are numerous videos. Also just put “Japanese surrender Missouri” into Google and selected “videos” and a lot appeared. Could take ages to view them all but you’ve probably done that already. I started to look at some and quickly got hooked!……need to get on with something else now! Good luck. Colin

The tsuba appears to have the remains of a classic Japanese inlaid design which (for want of a better term) I’d call “Greek key”. The inlay appears to be all over including the narrow dividers between the sukashi design. The inlay is probably brass, unlikely to be gold. So, could this be what was once a “solid plate” tsuba that has had the (pretty rough quality) sukashi added later? It happened a lot I think. Just a thought. All the best. Colin

Huge sword!

Hi Okan…..how did you know the correct scale to use? Can’t see how you could scale it without knowing the size of the sword he was holding. I’m puzzled!!! Have you just made the 64 cm sword the same size as the one he is holding?

Hi Piers In my experience these Meiji mounted shibayama pieces usually contain either a crude untempered blade of awkward sugata or one of either very modest quality or one with some serious problems. The hamon is often simply a polishing effect similar to Hadori. Can you see any hardened hamon on this one? This example is not a “knock-out” mounting…..the inlay is very sparse etc. They were produced from mid meiji onwards to sell to the Gaijin in Japan at that time. Some can be mind bogglingly opulent and those ones stand a chance of having a half decent blade. In a previous life I used to restore such items for some of the noted dealers……it was painstaking work carving hundreds of pieces in a variety of shells etc …….and emphasises just how much effort (often women and children) went in to producing such showy things. All the best. Colin

Hello Haig Your are correct, you have a Tanto dagger that looks like it was once an attractive example. Don’t know how much you know about Japanese blades…..they have a hardened border of steel along the edge which should curve around to follow the shape of the tip. The tip is called a kissaki. That hardened edge around the tip is called a Boshi. If the tip is badly chipped it is possible that the hardened edge simply disappears off the end of the blade. That is bad news from a value perspective as it cannot be repaired. If however the hardened edge was wide enough to survive the bad chip ie some of it remains then it might be salvageable. As Ray says…..it needs to be looked at. The saya (sheath or scabbard) and the tsuka (handle) can also be repaired with vary levels of success. It is all highly specialised work. can you show any clear closeup images of the tip area….say the last 2 inches?

I also suspect an amateur polish or a very severe polish done to remove flaws. I don’t see how it could have anything to do with straightening the blade. A togishi would use a variety of tools and methods to straighten a blade but none of them would result in this appearance/outcome.

I suggested earlier in this thread that the word Splendid had no scientific meaning….and it doesn’t.m The dictionary definition posted by Franco was “impressive, magnificent”…….these are also very subjective words. We could go around in circles here for ages and get nowhere. My understanding (possibly wrong but it’s what I was told by a Mukansa polisher when visiting my abode) is that the formation and appearance of the nioiguchi is influenced by and depends on many things, the actual forging method, the composition and structure of the iron/ steel(s) used, quenching temperature (steel and water) etc etc. Add to that the age/school and condition of the blade, the skill of the polisher etc and we end up with a large range of nioiguchi appearances. They can be sharp, thin, wide, diffuse, dull, bright…….but all can be a technically well made nioiguchi ie consistent in appearance and with no skips or gaps. Some of us would like a thin sharp crisp bright nioiguchi on an itosuguha hamon, others might like a more diffuse example following a wild choji midare hamon. The variety is quite wide. So, let peace break out…..a nioi guchi could be “splendid” from a technical forging perspective or it could be “splendid”from a personal artistic preference perspective. I believe the Japanese use many rather artistic, esoteric and somewhat vague words to describe many Nihonto features which I’m sure could be debated ad nauseam……let us accept “splendid” in a similar fashion. Just my 50p worth! fire away….. Colin

If you already knew the answer why ask the question?

Hello again from the UK. Please can I ask for your help on this one? It’s another typical UK piece that has “had a life”. A few running repairs eg to tsuka Ito etc but it’s quite a pretty little thing with its shakudo Omori style mounts and crane lacquered saya. As usual, not in polish but at least mostly visible. My feeling is Koto…..brutal suriage, hamachi lost through many polishes. Still elegant with fairly coarse o-hada, masses of ko nie and ji nie, full length suguha muneyaki also nie laden. Not much (visible) activity actually within the hamon which is still very healthy and nowhere near dropping off. The ji is very dark in colour.The images have been photoshopped to try and show the details. Nagasa 22.5 cm (overall 31.5 cm) motohaba 2.2 cm motokasane 5.36mm (very slim) nakago kasane 6.16mm at widest

Don’t know……is that a faint hamon I see just above the habaki in 4th image? Section of an old gunto repurposed/ tarted up?

Hello Bruce. How do we look at our member map? Thanks. Colin

Hello Dale. Thanks again for all the detective work……very interesting……but still we can’t be sure can we🙂🙂? Of the 4 you have sent links to, the third one (shakudo Nanako with rats and scroll) is probably close enough to work but it’s in Japan and I’m not buying in Japan right now. There is no EMS from Japan to UK, only sea freight…..and I’m not keen on wondering if/when something might arrive. You mentioned one that you had…..any chance of seeing it - if available? PM me if you prefer. all the best. Colin.

It does rather resemble (vaguely!) the style of Japanese wrapping called Jabara string wrap often found on quite nice items. I think that’s what it’s called. Quite complicated to do.

Thanks again Jean ……And that is both the “pain and the ecstasy” of swords and tsuba……most often, we can never be really sure can we? If nothing else it teaches me to accept uncertainty …..which is good ……because usually I really like certainty! I feel “possibly” or “probably” are appropriate here. Anyway, nice as it is, the tsuba does not really suit the sword so I am now looking for something that “goes”…..preferably mixed metal with mice. Needle in a haystack? Will probably sell this one in due course. ………..great fun though. All the best. Colin

Hello Dale grateful thanks for your time and very helpful comments. With my very modest tsuba knowledge I would tend to agree that it was made this way, I can see no signs of reworking although of course the artisan would have been more than capable of concealing them. It just feels “right”. I acquired it mounted on a very nice large and heavy wakizashi. The rest of the koshirae is lovely quality and not recently “mucked around with” so I’m guessing it’s been on that sword for a while. As far as I know the sword has been in a European collection for some time. I will post the whole sword on the forum in due course once I’ve translated the Mei (or more likely asked for help in so doing!) All the best. Colin.

The word “splendid” is not a precise scientific term as far as I know. It therefore does not have a precise scientific meaning. It therefore follows that it is a matter of personal taste and opinion which in the world of Nihonto is really pretty common. To ask for an “explanation” is unscientific and is like asking “what is a splendid meal?” Opinions will thankfully vary.

Glen, Jean that was quick! I had seen the thread regarding “modified tsuba” but didn’t occur to me that this might be one. Makes perfect sense. Any ideas re age/ school? very kind of you, many thanks Colin

Hello from the UK Can I please ask for your help in identifying this iron tsuba? I’ve never seen similar before. The patina is very dark and looks genuine and it appears to have quite some age. I am wondering if it is a storage/sake jar? Although quite small It is mounted on a very good large wakizashi with lovely koshirae. It has the remains of an old collection ?? label adjacent to nakago ana. Anything you can tell me will be gratefully received. Many thanks. Colin H 6.9cm w 4.8cm Thickness 0.5cm

Somewhere (can’t find it now) I’ve seen a photo of hundreds of swords being run over by a tank. Thankfully Cadwell had an open mind and a lot of compassion or it could have been so much worse.

This statement is itself the opinion of someone without knowing. Who knows if Darcy attended shinsa……but why try to insult someone who has contributed constructively to this forum and who, very sadly has passed away and is not here to defend himself! That is not respectful and should have no place on this forum.

This isn’t Hotei. It’s a Shinto priest cleaning a large temple bell. See the image I posted above.

The image is of a priest cleaning a large shrine bell.