Larason2

I'm sorry that happened to you, but thanks for sharing those fascinating pictures!

I hope you are able to sell this sword for what you want, however you can't always get the money spent on a polish back. Also, a sword's value depends also on what fittings come with it. If the fittings are not as desirable or it doesn't have a shirasaya, the sword will not be worth as much. Because of market conditions, Japanese swords are selling for much less than the cost to produce them new. I think others are trying to politely suggest these things to you.

Good first attempt! It's not easy, I know because I'm starting down the same road myself! Currently I'm still working on the wrought iron blank! Folding it five times is not an easy task! Keep up the good work!

I've had a package stuck in customs for months before (3 months in my case). In my case it was Canadian customs. Just keep getting the shipper to follow up on it, and keep calling customs about it. You'll get it eventually. I guess mail theft is possible, but that's never happened to me.

I think the radial yasurime is usually yamakichibei, rather than katchushi. I also agree they are sakura blossoms. Nice piece though!

It's also the wrong shape. Too oblong laterally. Also, look at the piece that chipped out under the bottom fish. Cast iron is brittle, and is more likely to fragment off like that.

The mekugi-ana in the nakago isn't symmetrical, and it has a ridge around it, so it certainly wasn't punched. The kissaki is definitely the wrong shape, and the shinogi just dissapears to nothing toward the tip. I agree likely a reproduction, and one that has been heavily damaged by the grinding.

I think I can already predict the next will be the companion made by Ford Hallam! Both of these are gorgeous pieces, but good on you for commissioning the partner from Ford! I watched the video and was amazed. That video was part of the reason I wanted to get into making tsuba!

Personally I wouldn't put a new engraving on an old blade, but for me it would mostly be for preserving the past. It might seem like a more economical way to do it, but as has been shown above, getting a professional engraver in Japan to engrave a horimono on a blade is not an economical undertaking! If it were me, I'd get a new gendaito to do it on. As mentioned, there is also substantial difficulties buying the sword, finding the right engraver, successfully commissioning them to do it, waiting until they are able to get it done, then having it shipped out of Japan. This will probably entail multiple journeys to Japan unless you put it all into the hands of a dealer there. Still, I think it can result in a very worthwhile piece if you have the patience and the money!

I think it could be cast. There's just too many midline defects in the cutouts that look like they are flash. Also, there is the appearance of hammering along the edge of the nakago ana, but they didn't actually move any metal in. The attention to detail is also lacking, uneven cutting around the cutouts, most of the piece is in one plane, poor definition on the plants. The bevels on the cutouts are all different and don't look intentional. The gap around the bottom sekigane doesn't make sense - usually cutouts are square, and the copper is forged into it perfectly. The mimi doesn't have facets, which is a sign it was hammered. So overall, it is not a high quality piece. If you like it though, it could be a good piece for you!

Interesting. Tsuba from Kyoto and Osaka commonly start with the 木 character (means "wood"). Would this tosogu have been in the workshop of Tomioka Tessai (the characters for "tessai" can be the same for both)? That was the pseudonym for a famous Edo painter. His real name was Tomioka Yusuke, and he was also from Kyoto. To my knowledge though, Tomioka didn't make any tsuba. He was a prolific art teacher with many students though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomioka_Tessai

There have been cases discussed here where a blade was thought to be gimei, the mei removed, and then the blade papered to the smith of the mei that was removed. So, as has been repeated above, the best way to be sure is to send it off to shinsa. You probably won't lose your sword, but you will probably be without it for a long time! I'm not actually that aware of the process myself, but I would guess you need to find a reputable agent in Japan that can submit it on your behalf. Sending it to Japan is a challenge because of import laws, and sending it back is a challenge because of export laws, so it's not a quick process, and it's not cheap. To be honest though, you still have a gorgeous sword, and I would say it's still pretty darn good quality in a good polish. If you love it, and don't care that much who made it, then just enjoy it. Good smiths sometimes made gimei if they needed the money, and a client only wanted a sword from the named smith. If they did that, as mentioned above, they used one of their best pieces. Your sword looks like it was still made by a very good smith. If you bought from a reputable sword dealer, you probably paid the gimei price. If they had thought it was actually mutsu no kami, they would have papered it, and gotten many times the price. If you tell us how much you paid, we can tell you if you paid the mutsu no kami price, or the gimei price! If you can't enjoy it without having a bit more information about who really made it, then shinsa is the way to go. Be aware that even they make mistakes, and have made false positive and false negative calls in the past. They are still probably the gold standard for evaluating swords though (NBTHK). If it were mine, I would just enjoy it! It's gorgeous and that hamon is exactly my taste. I also really like the style of your fittings and the ishime saya. You'd have to pay a lot of money to get a sword made that nice today. No matter what, this sword is a winner.

I believe it's a reproduction. The blade isn't a typical shape for a yari, it doesn't really have any hada/activity (pattern of spots/details on the blade), and it doesn't have a hamon, so probably not differentially hardened. The habaki (metal piece at the base of the blade) is one piece metal, looks like brass, and doesn't have a very refined finish. The nakago (tang) is the wrong shape, it should be flat throughout. The pole is covered by paint which has worn off, definitely not urushi.

I agree it's a tricky one. I tried to look it up in Wada Tsunashiro's book, but I didn't find any matches there. It's a really nice piece though, and I agree the signature looks legitimate. The style looks to me to be late Edo, but it might be a piece made by a modern tosogu in that style.

Nice deal! Worth the lost shut eye for sure!

Sounds like it was an issue with the shipping company. They do change their policies from time to time, and not always for the better!

Likely being taken as a souvenir by a soldier is what I meant by military history. I agree there is no evidence it was requisitioned for use by the Japanese military.

Remington gun cleaning oil is frequently recommended for cleaning swords, but I would be careful to make sure it doesn't have any solvents in it. That's why WD40 isn't recommended. You can just use mineral oil, but I agree oil with a bit of clove oil in it smells good, and it is what is traditional.

I wouldn't trust the person who tells you a sword with a signature on the nakago is "mumei." They clearly don't know what that word means. As for medicine rust, you should tell him that when steel rusts, it makes small pock marks.

It's a good deal no matter what, but the blade is in pretty rough shape. With a $2000 polish it would look quite presentable, but I don't think it will be worth that much if you polish it! I would just oil it and keep it in your collection. It has some value as an authentic Japanese blade with military history.

Depends on the tsuba. If it's papered and considered an important cultural property then yes, you need permission to export it. If there's any doubt, better to check with the ministry than export it and wish you did.

It's an interesting thought, because famously Japanese traditional woodworking and architecture doesn't use nails. The joints are cut precisely, and if they need fasteners they use wooden pegs. So I'd imagine that nails are a specific reference to Western culture.

The signature looks like others from the same smith online, which suggests its not gimei (unless they're all gimei!)

It's weird for a katana to be so straight, as the others have said. The metallurgy of this piece is also strange. It's made from a single piece of folded steel, albeit of good quality and having a decent polish. The geometry is strange for a katana, it feels too boxy and not triangular enough for me. The hamon is almost dangerously close to the edge in places, suggesting it was done that way to avoid it bending out of shape during quenching. Not sure when it was made, but I can't see any other explanation than sword cane. At least it is a pretty nice one!

It looks legit, I like the hamon. Smith was from the Edo period. It's hard to say much else without closer up views of the blade.