Bazza

A mate asked me to lunch a few days ago for my first visit to his house. Now, I know this bloke well. He has 4 rather nice swords that are above the batting average for a beginner. However, as he was showing me over his old, rambling house that was a once long ago haven for artists of various persuasions, we went down a flight of stairs to a large ground floor room that seemed hardly used apart from a Great Wall of Books. In the gloom on a mantle-piece I saw a kake with a sword on it immediately recognisable by its lack of a drag as a Type 95 I wasn't aware he owned. Having asked permission I picked it up and noticed THE BEST original copper handle I have ever seen. Totally unmolested and with a beautiful, bronze-like patina. No photo sorry as I wasn't prepared. However, I did note that the serial number was 4250. I shall remember it in case it ever becomes available. BaZZa.

G'day Dan, The 'kozuka' you refer to is actually called a kogatana (ko-katana - lit. a 'little sword'), while the decorative handle is the actual kozuka (ko-tsuka - lit. 'little handle'). The bent kogatana has very poorly incised characters that mean nothing at all, and in and of themselves suggest a non-Japanese blade. There are literally thousands of reproduction kogatana many from the Philippines and elsewhere and almost as many worthless, genuine antique items. If the wakizashi signature is not recorded, as Jacques says, it is called MEIKAN MORE -unknown smith. It is of course a quite genuine blade of about the mid-Edo period, plus or minus!! You may find a signature in an obscure Japanese language book. In short, a real, ridgy-didge sword of no great quality as these things go, but certainly a worthwhile collectible. BaZZa (Melbourne, Australia)

WOW!! My middle name happens to be 'DICK'. I loved the bits I 'loved' and only twigged further on that it was a 7-year old thread. I don't remember ever seeing it before, but a fantastically good read and catchup Piers. I do remember seeing a yari nakago jiri with an oblique cut - it was either this one or another one somewhere else. BaZZa.

Jeremiah wrote: > I know some folks with 100-300 swords. Never ends for them. I call these folk "Estates-in-Waiting"!! BaZZa.

The fingerprints were free??? BaZZa.

So, where is the Demon??? He's always somewhere, even if obliquely. BaZZa.

I would on occasion wander into work with a colleague observing "You don't look your best Barry", to which I would reply "I've had an attack of empty bottle". BaZZa.

This thread will inevitably lead to discussion of gimei tameshimei. Gimei tameshimei are (I think, sample of two) hirazogan rather then inlaid in good calligraphy. Also later in the Edo period tameshimei were simply engraved like a regular mei and it is arguable how these can be verified as true. I used to collect tameshimei too and will add them here as I find them in my paper photocopy database. BaZZa.

The kissaki features uchizori, reverse curvature, surely hallmarking it as an utsushi. BaZZa.

Aaron, FWIW, the habaki looks as if it has been damaged previously, but at the same time the bluish tinge where it butts up to the tsuba suggests an oxidation colour of a couple hundred years more or less. This is a colour I have on some very old habaki of swords I have. It is an oxidation colour due to age and being near the scabbard opening and ought not be polished off. However, at the same time the habaki surface has a 'newish' look as if it has been polished within the last hundred years (i.e., since the end of WW2) and the silver has repatinated. BaZZa.

On the Nihonto Club website there is a smith: MAS17 Masaaki Higo Tensho (1573-1592) 肥後國松倉住日本一正明 higo kuni matsukura ju nihon ichi masaaki https://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths/meisearch?type=All&mei_op=contains&mei=matsukura BaZZa.

Of course, this is an endless discussion, though I enjoyed it immensely as our luminaries engaged their pens, and as I mentally ran through those swords I have been lucky enough to find in some 55 years searching in my own 'paddock', the highest ranked being TokuHo!! The thought that occurs to me is this - if I found such a work as Shugyosha posits, say o-suriage mumei katana and not in the best condition, would I recognise it for what it is???? Seeing the recently discovered Norishige in my own hands I'm more confident in saying yes, maybe. I then wonder what I might have missed along the way due to inexperience and lack of knowledge and condition in the blade and sold off to fund the next find out of the woodwork? Having pondered all this, I'm with the small fry, but wouldn't be interested in studying and collecting anything else, not for the World... My experience so far led me to recognise a bedraggled Shodai Sukehiro katana, an equally bedraggled possible Mutsu no Kami Tadayoshi wakizashi, and all this may yet be preparation for a forthcoming discovery - if I live long enough!! As John Yumoto once closed a letter to me more years ago than I care to remember 'Gambatte kudasai'. BaZZa.

More so if one is aware of the depredations of some museums and their 'conservers'... BaZZa.

As I recollect (from the Board somewhere. some time) the sword was by the Shinshintou smith Takahashi Naganobu?? BaZZa.

"... can somebody help me for identifying the theme or the Kao?" Should this question have been " ...the theme of the tsuba?" ?? The KAO is the KAO, a glyph, it has no intrinsic meaning in and of itself I would opine (thrusting neck out). BaZZa.

WOW!!! What a story, almost unbelievable. Reminds me that even a blind squirrel can find the occasional acorn... Thanks for sharing Adam, very much enjoyed. BaZza.

Colin, if you do anything other than 'the right thing' I assure you that in the fullness of time you will regret it. As you get, make that grow, older and you accumulate experience and judging expertise with regard to sugata and the state of good vs not so good (or even bad) polish your senses of appreciation will let you know whether an earlier decision (i.e., now) was the right thing or not. This is a road I have traveled for decades and there is no easy solution other than to travel the road as one sees it. It is exciting with occasional head-butting against walls, but the experience is priceless - and there will be regrets... BaZZa.

I have mentioned before about seeing an article in my time about "exploding yari", The gist was exactly as IanB describes, but went further describing (a?) yari where the point had separated 'explosively' from the body of the point due to the stresses. I have handled a sankaku yari by SAGAMI no KAMI MASATSUNE where the slight curve was toward the flat side of the body. Wish I could remember where I read that article with photos... BaZZa.

Brian, IMHO very definitely a field made sword that ended up as someone's souvenir and of truly minimal worth. As a 'pretend Nihontou' it is the worst of the worst. Geraint said it, the habaki is the tell-all, as is the tsuba, as is the nakago finish. As for Ken Maddock's piece, Ron Hartman once found a wakizashi dressed up and used a a Filipino cane cutting 'knife'. There might be something in Ken's piece if cheap enough to see if the nakago is signed, or even a halfway decent mumei piece. BaZZa.

I'm sure I once read somewhere that Oda Nobunaga reputedly said, referring to his army, that he would rather have 100 yari in good hands than one very expensive sword (except for his own, of course). I guess this is military 'value for money'! BaZZa.

Make mine whisky tonight!!! BaZZa.

Maybe its not a shoshin Nagamitsu??!! BaZZa.

It wouldn't be this bloke would it??? https://www.whitehouse.gov/.../presidents/william-howard-taft William Howard Taft was elected the 27th President of the United States (1909-1913) and later became the tenth Chief Justice of the United States (1921-1930), the only person to have served in both of these offices. He was in Yokohama in 1905 and was an enthusiastic supporter of Japan. He was Chief Justice of the United States 1921 - 1930 and could well have been in Japan in 1924. It may be that 'Taft' is another 'Smith' in the USA - I wouldn't know. Grasping at straws - is there a container for those?? BaZZa.

Interesting article sent to me by a friend: https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/Japanese-bamboo-art/index.html BaZza.

Ahhhhh, Bruno, WOW!! Just shows what a correct White Balance and exposure setting can do for contrast and colour. Bravo!!! It certainly looks a million dollars now. Thanks for showing it. I love it. Best, BaZZa.