Mark

poorly written, maybe Kanehiro but i am not sure http://cgi.ebay.com/SIGNED-SAMURAI-KATA ... 43a5e3a7dc

from shape etc (do not think i even know the length - unless i missed it) probably made circa 1800, maybe a bit older, maybe newer. It is not made prior to 1200, not prior to 1300, etc. Where are you located?

from the picture hard to tell if you are seeingthe actual temper pattern or the hadori. If i had to guess i would say it is gunome but has been poorly polished so you see the hadori

there is too little information provided to be sure exactly what smith made it, Nobuyoshi was a name used by dozens of makers. You could submit it to shinsa and the information you recieve should identify the group and time period to help you narrow it down

sad to see and hear the news. I hope the best for all dealing with this disaster

There are a few people (at least 3 i can think of) in th U.S. who i would have remove/restore a nakago

Milt good to hear from you.

Eric i do not think there is a "standard" even for army. I have seen army mons on the fuchi, menuki and where they usually are on the end fitting. I have seen navy on the same areas. as i side note i have an army fuchi with a "mon" on ebay now, i do not see them located there very often http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... :MESELX:IT

looks like there is more to the inscription. If so i think it is Nagasone (kotetsu) one of the most famous shinto makers, there is a lot of info on him available on the web

i will be at the show and have a few tables. Please come by and introduce yourself. This is a great show and i encourage any thinking about it to make plans to attent. You can learn a lot in a few days of hands on examination and person to person questions

Rick when you say "you came across this" i ASSUME, wrongly, that you saw it locally or maybe found it and now own it. I would prefer you include a link to a website if it is owned by someone else that way i can understand what i am commenting on. I am happy to help someone learn about their own sword, and do not mind commenting on something owned by others, but i think it is only fair and honest to let us know what the situation is before we comment. As previously noted this sword has aleardy been discussed

i hope everything works out. As Calos points out Aoi Arts has one section to sell blades that are Nihonto and one would expect they are "Art swords" to be apperciated and valued as art or collectible, they also have the "practical or For Use" section and these are marketed to be used as a weapon, not as Nihonto or art so if they are functional that seems the important factor. The price paid for a sword may not be based on its "art or collectibe" features, there are very expensive blades made to be used (much more expensive that antique Nihonto) So one thing to remeber is that if Aoi Arts lists the blade under "for use" section he may have been concerned with how it would function, its apperance may have been of secondary importance......... not sure as i do not use swords and have never bought one for use, just my experiance seeing swords for sale

skull and bones represent battle of Sekigahara not rare but are collectible so you do not see them available that often

when someone asks a question i sometimes ask " do you own the item" before giving an opinion. It seems bad form to get in the middle of someones deal. I want new collectors to learn and expand their interest in Japanese swords so do not want anyone to have a bad experiance. That being said i started before info was so easily available and i made bad decisions, sort of the the school of hard knocks. Not sure if easy is too easy or making a mistake kills interest so it is a tough balance

i have no trouble unless the files are too big. i posted one this morning

at least the LAST SAMURAI seemed to turn some to think about swords, i noticed an increase in interest in samurai swords after the movie came out.... anything that boosts interst in samurai swords is a plus

looks to me like hs says he is 73, not 71... maybe i am seeing double

hard to say value from a few pictures. If forced to guess i would say $1500-3500. I do not think insurnace is that important, the sword has sentimental value so there is not reason to replace it, i think it better to spend the money securing it, maybe buy a fire resistant gun safe and mount it to the floor or wall, that way you have little chance of it being stolen or damaged.

very nice sword. It is a pre war civilian sword. May have been carried by an army officer but it is not an army model. The tang shape and patina look Shinshinto (1800's). Take good care of it.

from the pictures it looks like a tachi from early Showa, i have seen several and many have Showa period Gimei blades with big Shinto and shinshinto names

looks like the way Mantetsu blades are dated

It looks old to me. in my first post i said it could be the age you thought. If i saw the tsuba without the signature or name i would have thought maybe 300 years old.

Nobuiye tsuba that i have seen in the past have had a different "look" or "feel". I would expect the tsuba to be thicker, the steel usually looks "deeper" and the color is a deep somewhat slightly dull black. I guess nothing is imposible but if i saw it for sale based on what i see i would only buy it as something to mount. There will be a shinsa in the US later this year and Japan is an easy option for fittings shinsa. If you think it is "real" after getting opinions here and elsewhere then best to submit it

not sure exactly what you mean by "real". In my opinion: It is a real tsuba It could possibly be made in the 16th century It may have been made by someone named Nobuiye It was not made by the famous maker by that name

Mike where are you located? maybe there is a study group in your area we could direct you to.