cabowen

Do you know who polished it?

I sympathize and understand your desire to learn more about the sword, so I am going to try and say this as delicately as possible: you can not reasonably expect people to answer these questions from photos on the internet with any degree of certainty; to think otherwise is, well, ignorant... You have been advised both publicly and privately to submit the sword to Japanese experts at one of the upcoming shinsa. They will answer these questions with a degree of expertise you simply will not get from Jimbo, Willie, or any other internet sword slick who provides you with their expert opinion from your photos. You are wasting your time and kidding yourself by pursuing this further on line. If you seriously want to learn more, and receive information that is almost certainly correct, submit the sword to shinsa. No. It belongs in a bag as it has been. That is the reason it is still in decent condition and you still have all your fingers. Displayed swords are dangerous, period, and not just to people but to the sword itself. Keep in somewhere safe, dry, in a bag. Oil it per the instructions on the jss-us site. Handle it as little as possible, don't touch the blade with your fingers, don't rub or clean it with anything other than what is recommended on the jss-us site. It wouldn't hurt to handle the fittings with cotton gloves on. Did I mention to handle it as little as possible?

You are welcome... I would say maybe later shinto or early shinshinto, based on the patina....

Most niji mei gassan are koto....This looks like shinshinto work.....or maybe a signature added later to a cut down blade....???

Hello- Very nice sword indeed. I would submit both the blade and the koshirae separately to shinsa. If you would like more information on the shinsa we are sponsoring in Minneapolis this October, please see the link in my signature. We are offering a service to submit blades for those that can't attend the event for a fee of $75US plus return shipping as well. Email me privately if you have any other questions. By the way, not so sure the blade is shinshinto. You need to post more photos of the nakago, to include both sides from a bit closer than the one you have already posted here.....

ask for your money back....

there are always exceptions....I would bet that if someone were to look through all the Juyo-to they would find one, or more. The newer the sword, the more it decreases the value. With old swords, if the maker is famous and there are few extant examples, it has a lessor impact. With Shinto and Shinshinto, it will drastically reduce the value in comparison to ubu works by the same smith. As for gendai-to, I wouldn't buy one at any price....

Look at the front edge- the copper underneath at the edge is dented and damaged, like some pounded on the habaki to remove it. What may have happened was the habaki was damaged trying to remove it as some point and then at a later point, the foil, now loosened, was ripped back when putting it into the saya. I have never seen a foil habaki peel like this unless already damaged. I do not like foil habaki and always order solid silver.....You could probably remove the foil from this habaki and clean up the copper underneath enough to make it serviceable.....

Spend $3000-$4000 for a nice, in polish, signed example. Don't have that kind of money? I would start saving....

A couple of comments: First, swords should be stored in a horizontal position. If you keep them vertical as in a gun safe, the oil will run down the blade with the possibility of it pooling in the tip. Shirasaya will get tight in the dry months. If they are properly made, it isn't a problem. Don't store them with glasses of water. If you live in a very humid climate, like Japan, dessicant is a good idea. I am not familiar with the bullfrog product and wouldn't use it without confirmation from the manufacturer that it will not adversely effect the blade or shirasaya.... Lacquered shirasaya are indeed bad. Lacquer requires a humid environment or it cracks, exactly opposite of what is best for the blade. This is why shirasaya exist- to separate the lacquered koshirae from the blade so they can both be stored in the correct environment. Lacquered shirasaya are rarely seen and when found are usually toys.

Definitely similar though being mumei, and having seen a few Masamitsu blades, I am not sure if I would bet the ranch on it being Masamitsu....

I had a blade by Masamitsu and it was nothing like this sword, though maybe your experience has been different....This looks more like Mino or a derivative like Echizen, Owari, etc. to me.....

It looks like a pretty nice sword otherwise and suspect that it would easily be worth much more than $1000 without the flaw. With the flaw, it seems like a fair price to me, but it is your money and you are the one that has to look at it....

I too have been told that Satsuma-age is a pun. But it always refers to cutting the end of the sword, not regular suriage from the nakago, so perhaps there is more to it.... I have also been told that it is a bit derogatory- that Satsuma was considered rural and unsophisticated and cutting the end of the sword off is considered something only done by rubes....

Glad to hear you were able to meet with Jimmy. Horikawa Kuniyasu is one possibility though I believe the shape of the blade is not quite correct. If I remember correctly, Kuniyasu worked in Keicho shinto when the blades were a bit broad with extended kissaki. This blade has a small kissaki more like that seen in Kanbun shinto. Here is what is written on the far right: 天長地久 国家安全 武運長久 Tencho Chikyu means everlasting, enduring Koka Anzen means safety of the country Bu'un chokyu means continued luck with the fortunes of war So the whole thing means something like "everlasting safety of the country and the continuing good fortune in war" I already translated the left side, which as I said, means "drink blood, chew bones". Again, shinsa is the best answer. If you need any info on the October shinsa, let me know....

If they hadn't cut the groove it could have possibly been repaired/hidden with an umegane but now that it is in the groove, so to speak, I think you are pretty much stuck with it.....

looks like the right column says 139 can't make out the left side... edit: it could be 129 as George notes or maybe 139-some of the paper is missing so it is uncertain...

it is not considered a fatal flaw, only cosmetic.

The flaw appears to be a combination of a fukure (blister) and a kitae-ware (forging flaw). It is most likely the reason the bo-hi was cut. Sometimes, if one is lucky, these types of flaws, if in the shinogi-ji, can be removed by cutting a bo-hi. But sometimes not.... The blade has been shortened quite a bit so that the sori is not original. Shinshinto blades were not, in general, straight, but there were late blades made to fit cane mountings that were quite straight, so it is not unheard of....

First of all, you mention on the other sword forum that you have spoken to Jimmy Hayashi about polishing your sword and that he lives 20 miles away from you. For heaven's sake why don't you simply take the sword over to his place and have him look at it? There is no one in the US who can give you a better opinion than Mr. Hayashi and you can't honestly believe that anyone can realistically tell you anything definite from photos. Here is one take: on the face of it, it would seem to be an older sword that has been greatly shortened. The smith's name、Kuniyasu, was signed in a different hand than the patriotic phrase. There is also a phrase meaning "drink blood, chew bone" left of the patriotic phrase that seems to be in a third hand....The inclusion of this phrase is very unusual and the reason the Chinese person was "scared". There are instances of newer blades made to appear like older ones; while this would appear to be an older blade, the steel almost seems both too tightly forged and featureless and the hamon also rather featureless for this to be in fact an old sword. The patina around the signature seems too smooth and fresh as well. On the other hand, it may be due to the lighting and photography. If it is in fact a very old sword, it is most certainly a good one, regardless of the validity of the signature. I would urge you to first show the blade to Jimmy, then, if you require documentation, submit the sword to shinsa for a definitive opinion. The sword could be quite old and valuable, or maybe not. While you will undoubtedly get a variety of opinions by posting photos on the net, in truth, even seasoned experts will not be able to give you any definitive information as to the age and value without seeing the sword in hand. There will be a shinsa (professional sword appraisal) in Minneapolis in October of this year which I am sponsoring. The Japanese experts who will be there have the expertise and experience you will not find elsewhere outside of Japan. If you have any questions about the shinsa, feel free to email me.

I think it is a good example of Satsuma-age so for that reason something can be learned here....It was probably broken cutting something and reshaped...If it was originally made like this, it still shows what a Satsuma-age would look like...

I think he is pointing out that the mei is bogus, as in Chinese or the like....and thus the package is crap from the start....

you thought right......

no, it is tsunenao...

Seki Kaneshige