Bazza

A 'souvenir' tachi fits the bill for me. The (dremmelled?) go-san-kiri mon on the habaki is d-r-e-a-d-f-u-l. I wouldn't want it at any price, so no valuation from me. BaZZa.

THE DUCK'S GUTS MUST READ... https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/35486-a-word-about-amateur-polishing/#comment-367040 BaZZa Who has been through this 'argument' dozens of times over some decades. The phrase that comes to mind is "There are none so blind as those who do not want to see".

Luca, nice, NIO btw. Are these papered?? I think they are Unno Shomin school, Mito province. See Legacy Art here: https://www.legacysw...-unno-school-menuki/ Note Ted Tenold's comment: The meticulously placed star shaped chikaragane around the posts are yet another qualitative touch that immediately show the dedication to craftsmanship through details, and a hallmark Unno touch. I must say, though, that I don't see the level of detail exhibited in the Legacy Art menuki. I have a pair of NIO in shakudo, also Mito, that have heavy posts. BaZZa.

Dirk O wrote: > 細野惣左衛門政守 - Hosono Sōzaemon Masamori MAAATE, just love this, love it to bits. Is there a sword with it, or is it a loner in the world?? BaZZa.

Alex, sooner or later in collecting Nihontou one has to 'bite the bullet' and buy. $1,000 is a good starter IMHO. I would buy it and send to a good polisher (search the Board for discussion on polishers) and beware a cheap deal. A 'cheap' polish gives you what you pay for - disappointment in the long run as your knowledge and experience grow. I've been there and done that. Vajo wrote "Its a nice shinto katana my guess". I agree and FWIW think it could be earlier Shintou than later. To find out all it costs is money, and when it comes to good Nihontou it pays to be not shy about money... You will win some and lose some, but you do have to get your feet wet. BaZZa.

Dear All, in my web travels I came across this, which I thought would be of interest to some: https://www.2aussiet...rs.com/osaka-castle/ BaZZa.

I guess that would make it a horrormono!! BaZZa.

Kyle, how about a closeup photo of the signature, please?? If its a shodai Kunisuke has anyone ever thought of a KINTSUGI process for restoring a good sword as a study piece. One would have to sink $$$$$ but we sword ffolke are nutty enthusiasts... BaZZa.

It would look good at a distance - - - - - - 5 miles... BaZZa.

Winchester/Brian, Thanks for your comments. I have seen three circular copper tsuba that are I think 'modern' with such holes. These have long puzzled me. When I organise myself I'll put some photos up in a new thread BaZZa.

I'm absolutely intrigued with the hole where the kozuka hitsu is usually placed. Anyone??? More than curiosity I have a solid reason for asking. BaZZa.

Bob, how fortunate you are. Its quite wonderful to see a sword come out of the woodwork unmolested. I have very much enjoyed seeing your sword and for any advice you are in the best hands here on NMB. BaZZa. Melbourne, Australia.

Cola, the length of the blade and tang suggest this is a KINNOTOU of the Bakumatsu period ca 1850. Do a google search to find out more and also search the Board with KINNOTO (omit the U for the search) BaZZa.

karatekutya Sir, Hope you saw this from your other "rusty nakago treatment" thread awa mywei's reading of the mei: Hizen Kuni Yoshikane was a Shinshintou swordsmith ca 1865: https://www.samuraim...u-hozon-certificate/ Can we see more pics of the blade itself, please??? BaZZa. EDIT to add that there is a lot of detail in the link about the swordsmith YOSHIKANE that is well worth reading.

Hizen Kuni Yoshikane was a Shinshintou swordsmith ca 1865: https://www.samuraim...u-hozon-certificate/ Can we see more pics of the blade itself, please??? BaZZa.

KANEFUSA?? BaZZa.

Is it time we did a survey of our Members here??? (hic!) BooZar. aka BaZZa.

I've been gazing at these images for 15 minutes or so. For interest, if one clicks on the image it enlarges, but if your cursor turns into a + sign and one clicks on that the image is further enlarged in a new window. Can anyone comment on the ground of the tsuba? It looks like a leaf or plant surface with a layer of tiny eggs - I nearly wrote 'shimmer' because the effect is so subtle it defies my ability to express it, but it is so purposeful it must have a name. Another simile the springs to mind is of 'goose bumps' on skin exposed to the cold, low, little bumps close together. Spell binding effect. BaZZa.

Jon, as for the last paragraph are you able please to give some references, particularly regarding "Post 1750 there was a very sudden breakdown in social cohesion and a very significant uptick in violent conflict across Japanese society… ". I recall a book from my undergrad days titled (I think) "Samurai Poverty of the Bakumatsu period" or some such title. Poverty in a ruling class seems a given for an "uptick in violent conflict across Japanese society". A B&W film I recall seeing years ago showed a lot of violence. A pistol in the film indicated it was probably set in the Bakumatsu period. BaZZa.

"It" is also from the munemachi not the hamachi. I would ask the vendor to clean the area then rephotograph it to clear up the question. BaZZa.

The key is the character 於 - 'oite' or 'at', indicating I think that Kanenaga was away from his usual place of residence/work and made this blade whilst visiting Seki. BaZZa.

Just browsing and found this very interesting link: https://www.atlasobs...apanese-living-dolls BaZZa.

Rolland, a thoroughly absorbing and excellent read, thank you. You wrote: > What puzzles me is the enigmatic "orphan" mekugi ana on the left side. It is empty > and has no counterpart on the right. I've seen something similar in other teppo's photos. > I found this mekugi ana very useful for removing the karakuri, but what was its real purpose? In my experience with the 6 teppou in my collection its real purpose is exactly what you used it for - gently removing the karakuri. Best regards, BaZZa.

Kiril wrote: > Lots of Hasebe and Masamune will not have a "quality nioiguchi", in fact it can be quite difficult to observe As I was reading through the discussion the thought came to me: "I know 'best' here means from an 'art' point of view, but from a battle perspective do the points mentioned one way or another matter???" BaZZa.

Ahhhh, Steve, a hint of trouble in google's camp. I've been having trouble with google for quite some time and thought it might be a 'local' problem, i.e., me!! Or Microsoft wanting to promote Bing. i note that some google searches default to Bing, and others wind up at a dead end of "That site is unavailable at present". Others wind up at "air..." something. Sorry now I don't have a dossier of issues, but more then interesting to read your comment. BaZZa.