Mark

post some pictures, we will take a look and tell you what we can

it appears to be signed katana-mei so unless a school that signed that way in Nambokucho I would think it is Muromachi. from the shape maybe Sue-koto to Keicho period

Stephen not sure if I clearly understand what eBay is charging you for but I know they charge the final value fee on the amount the buyer pays you for shipping cost. I think they did that because some people tried to beat their fees buy selling items for a low amount but charge huge shipping cost to save on fees (EX sell a sword for $100 but charge $500 for shipping so buyer pays $600 but seller only paid fees on $100), so since a few were trying to game the system they changed it for all of us

orphan fuchi, signed Tsunenao seems a good match for the reference $100 if anyone needs it, or happy to buy a matching kashira. It looks better in hand, the flash and super close up were not kind.

it is a wood base covered with same' of the tanned skin of a giant ray, they use the shin from the belly. Japan is an island so they have an abundance of marine life so use ray skin sort of like we use leather as we have cattle

you are right, it is army not navy. these were made from early 1900's till mid 1930's. hard to say when, my guess is later. I think $500-800 range in the condition

I think correct except my translation differs in the name and exact year Tadamitsu and I think 1488

James Stephen listed a number of links, if you google the translation you will find a lot on him. If you stick with this you will buy some books that have a lot of information

Stephen I did not see your post, we were typing at the same time. I figure so many people just ask without trying and James had actually given it a shot so I would help him out. at least he can do some research and learn from that

James glad you gave it a try, good job. Bungo (no) Kami Minamoto Masayasu you might try looking him up and if you do not find information yourself let me know and I will tell you more but I do not want to stop you learning yourself

you should check the previous posts. I think there is a lot of information and comments. Be careful when considering who you use. It is wise to ask here. Ask some on this board if they have used this service.

all the ones I have had are normal counter clockwise to remove --- not to say yours might be different but I have had dozens

Jean I understand that in certain years there were a lot of swords that passed Juyo, others there were few that passed. The standards seem to change. At the beginning it was hard to pass, then in the late 70's -1980's-90's there were a lot that passed each year, then in recent years it has tightened up again and fewer pass. If you know that then it makes sense that a blade that passed when it was standards were "loose" might not pass now. So if I see a sword for sale that passed in a year when things were "tight" I would not give it a second thought, but if it passed in a year when there were a lot of swords passed then I would give the sword a second look and pay more attention to the sword understanding that there were great swords that passed that year but maybe some lower quality ones made it as well. The number that passed each year is in the Juyo Zufu for that year so if you have a set of the zufu, or access to them, you can make a quick list of the number that passed each year. I do not have such a list but would like to have the numbers if anyone has it. I just keep in mine the dates and figure it that way. If you can tell the quality of a sword then it is not so important, but if you are a dealer, or are unsure then some background helps. I figure great swords make it each year, so there are great swords in each group, it just varies how many lesser swords made it as well. The old adage -- "buy the sword not the paper" applies

paper looks fine to me, no signs it is fake.

Danny's website has a nice section that breaks down the papers and what they say, see the image for TH paper below Hozon, he has it all translated http://www.nihontocraft.com/japanese_sw ... se_sword_4 does that help?

if you want the best reference for Yasutsugu Grey's wesite says he ca get you a copy of the Taikan http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.c ... an-dr-sato

the first generation (seems that is who you are asking about) is very famous. made many great blades that are very valuable. very high ranking (depending on source) many people collect him, so sought after I have seen $10,000 to 50,000 but I am sure there are higher and lower there is a lot of info on him online as he is famous

welcome Sean just as a note, NMB requires you sign with at least your first name. I see your name on the into thread, but just remember to sign all your posts . I am sure some members will add a brief translation. But as far as an appraisal: I was told that the value is set by what a willing buyer paid a willing seller on the open market, and since you bought these at an open auction it would seem that the high bid sets the high value for the items. Unless there is something hidden I would think what you paid is the top of the value as you were the high bidder.

thanks!

Hoanh he did post a link and pictures see his first post I think -- if all the communication is through eBay they have a record of what is agreed to. You are protected. If I get a commitment from a seller that he will "refund full price when item is returned" I have cancelled a transaction and make sure I have tracking for the return. If you do not like that let Eric know, and return it, have him confirm (through eBay) that he has it and will refund when cancelled, then you can cancel it and he will send a refund or ebay has all the info, you will be fine. A seller does not want to send a refund unless the sale is cancelled because if the buyer does not agree to cancel he is out fees. I have never had an issue if everything is through eBay as they bend over backward to help buyers

wow, maybe I made a mistake by posting a reply. I was trying to be neutral. Yes I know Eric, but I know Mike, Grey, Barry, and a bunch of the other NMB members. I do not owe Eric any special treatment. I reread the description, I do not see it described as "being in perfect condition ", I see it described as " light surface scuffs/scratches/stains here & there". All descriptions/opinions can vary a bit. If you would have posted a link to this sword before you bid then we could have given our opinion on the mei if you wished or comment on its collectability/desirability. There are swords I have that other members probably do not care for and they have ones I would not have bought. All swords are different. If you want a sword in perfect condition you should only buy a sword that is in new fresh Japanese (or professional) polish, with a paper. I do not mean to discourage you as I (and most of us) went through the same learning process and made plenty of mistakes but I do not see the long term value of a thread arguing about the differences of opinions on exact condition when the seller has taken it back. It seems a fair outcome. If you search past threads there is plenty of advise to avoid eBay unless you are confident of your ability to tell a treasure from the trash.

difficult situation. I agree with Chris' comments. If you buy a sword on ebay with a famous name, from someone knowledgeable (just check other items and feedback, if someone has sold a lot of swords it is likely he knows what he is doing) you should expect it is gimei. If the mei was correct the sword is worth a lot more than double what you paid. So if you think you know what you are doing and it is a genuine signature you more than doubled your money. I have made mistakes and sold great blades cheap (check past threads), Eric and all of has probably done the same. If the seller is refunding the price that seems very fair, if you had not bid maybe the under bidder would have won the sword and been happy, so the seller looses a sale. If you are only out return shipping that seems reasonable and I would just consider it the cost of learning. I have spent plenty of money on swords I should not have bought over the years and lost, but I learned from the experience and figure it was just part of the learning curve. To buy off ebay and expect to get a treasure every time is unrealistic. I would would think Brian's deleting the thread as it is better for everyone as the situation resolved itself.

thank you Piers and Moriyama san. I would never have figured that out, so something like messenger of the Chemical (gas?) Hazmat team in the Second Ward.

I have a sash or something similar, I am guessing it is military, maybe something like officer of the day etc, but I could be way off track. any help appreciated. thanks for looking!

welcome the NMB rules require you sign a post with your name. You are wise to check, in my opinion there are not WWII or earlier Japanese swords. I am sure others will add their thoughts