pcfarrar

Hi, Anyone have any idea for an age/school for this sukashi tsuba? Thanks, Peter

Looks like the hagire is about 2/3 of the way up so all you would have left is a tanto. I believe some of the better polishers can hide hagire by forcing the metal over it. But that sort of expense would not be cost effective on this sword.

Look at the so called Kunimitsu Kamakura tanto he's selling at the moment. It's clearly not old at all, 19th century at most. His descriptions are just full of made up rubbish and outright lies. He then goes on to state "Huge Investment potential in this fine quality antique for the discerning investor" :lol:

Any chance of someone posting a scan of page 615 of the Shinto Taikan. I just got a tachi signed on the ura "Rakuyo ju" and the omote "Shinano no Kami Minamoto Nobuyoshi". My mei is a very close match the scan Ludolf posted. Thanks, Peter

I think samurai_sword1185 is the new name for mackstar (a known seller of trash) be careful!

Thanks Moriyama san! Does anyone know the origin of this bag. Is this the bag the flags were sold in during ww2? The flag itself is quite small only the size of a sheet of paper.

Hi, I got this pouch with a ww2 Japanese flag, can anyone translate the inscription on the pouch? Thanks, Peter

Some of the estimates on the swords seem to be very optimistic.

You would have to be crazy to spend $6000 on an antique blade for cutting. It would be far better and safer to have purchased a shinsakuto. Plenty of second hand ones around at this price.

http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/

Can anyone explain the process of making rice glue? Thanks, Peter

I think its pretty clear its a gimei. Compare the strokes its nothing like the examples posted and also note the placement of the mekugi-ana. Also look at the nakago-jiri the shape is just not quite right.

I also found this one, that was forged 8 years before mine. Looks like the charm was quite common on Kinmichi swords. http://www.sho-shin.com/kintan.htm

Thanks! What does this actually mean, is the sword supposed to protect against lightning?

Hi, Can anyone tell me what the 2 kanji mean underneath the kiku mon on my kinmichi wak? I just cant figure them out. Thanks, Peter

http://www.samurai-nippon.net/ has some good swords at resonable prices. Anyone done business with him in the past?

Looks like the shinogi, and not a fatal flaw. But it definitely appears to have a hagire a few cm from the habaki in the bottom right pic. I can't believe someone has paid $2000 for it :lol:

Can we have a few more close up shots of the fittings please.

The wak he's selling at $500 isn't so bad. Looks like a Bungo Takada.

I think he means historian333 on ebay. I've personally bought a few project blades off him. One was a gimei sukesada tanto that polished up very nicely and as far as I remember everything else I've had off him has polished ok. Pretty much all of them I've sold on or traded. Nothing really worth keeping.

I've got a Sukesada to get polished first but as soon as that's done I'll put this one in. Should be good when polished I hope. It has a very distinctive hamon and not one you see too often which was why I bought it!

Thanks Stephen that gave me an idea. Picture now with photoshop fade correction applied, slightly easier to read.

Sorry for the rubbish pictures but these are the best I can get. This shows the monouchi of the blade which has distinct mushroom shaped choji with lots of sunagashi running between the heads. It is the same on both sides. The nioguchi is very wide and is lined with tons of ko-nie very similar to a 2nd gen tadahiro wak I have. There is masame hada running through the hamon. The blade also has a short sugu yakidashi on both sides. The only smith I can find who seems a possible match is a Fujiwara Yoshikuni working in Mino around 1650. Anyone have a oshigata of this guy I can compare with.

I tried but it didn't really come out any better. Underneath the army kanji it looks like a bit like a Ju and then after that number 30. I just cant get the other 2 kanji which presumably correspond to a regiment or something.

Nice looking sword. I would say muromachi based on the shape. The hamon is quite similar to an early muromachi Yamato blade I have. My only slight concern is what looks to be a large umegane near the kissaki. Hard to be sure on the picture but it does look like one.