Loki

Japanese swordsmith apprenticeship is advertised with five day weeks for five years with no pay | Daily Mail Online This highlights the long road ahead and the sacrifices required to becoming a smith.

Hi, it has been known for a long time that blades signed by Kunimori were made in bulk by a smith in Shizuoka prefecture named Mitsukoshi Hiromasa, and that information was provided by Yasuhiro's own son. I guess this is why the blade at shinsa was awarded a pink slip. This information was discovered by Chris Bowen and I find it amazing that the myth continues to this day, there is a Kunimori blade on eBay which is relisted regularly - ho hum. Link here http://www.swordforum.com/forums/showthread.php?35068-Ikkansai-Kunimori-alias-Yasuhiro Best wishes for 2016 and I hope everyone has a great sword year, Phill

Hi, The only time I have seen gold inlaid in a blade is this one mentioned on the T-Ken society http://www.to-ken.com/full.php?article=sr000081&type=swordRegister But the oshigata is in black and white. There are picture in BW Robinsons book I think. Rare but done occasionally.

Hi, I think the best way to remember Jean's advice is the 3 P's - Polished, Perfect, Papered! However, if you come across something in a flea market or junk shop for a couple of hundred dollars, that looks interesting but needs restoring, you won't pass it up! )))

On the displaying side of your question, if you have a shira-saya made and tsunagi for the koshirae then if you display on a katana kake the blade goes above the fittings.

Hi Chris, Unless I am going blind I can't see the measurements (nagasa, etc.) of the blade. Thanks, Phill

At work so no access to text books, so definitely a last attempt, going for :::cue drum roll::: Wakasa Fuyuhiro

Last gasp - Tsunahiro 1st Gen.

Shimada Sukemune?

Hi, there is some info on Jinsoo Kims website, http://www.jp-sword.com/ if you click on "special research" and then select "Yasukuni Blades" from the top of the page. Might not add much to the info in the book.

Hi all, Yet another question about gendai stamped blades, aplogies in advance. I have just acquired a blade by Kanehide that has two small stamps on the nakago mune. The first is the NA stamp and the second is a HO stamp. I seem to remember a discussion about the HO stamp earlier in the year on this forum but I can't find it now. Does anyone have any idea what the significance of the HO stamp is and why it would appear with the NA stamp? Many thanks for any replies. Regards and best wishes..

Hi Jock, Just sent you an email in response to your post. Thanks :D

I thought it had finally been established that Kunimori blades were not made by Miyaguchi, only signed by him. According to his son, who helped hold the blades while his father cut the signatures, they were made in bulk by a smith in Shizuoka prefecture named Mitsukoshi Hiromasa, using western steel. Apparently they were forge welded, but the exact nature of their construction is not known. They were known to have been made of western steel, this is not in dispute....This came to light some years ago...

Everytime a Showa period tachi comes up for sale it invariably contains a showa stamped blade. These blades are not made of traditional tamahagane so why is such good koshirae used on inferior blades? Any thoughts? Thanks...

Not a Yasukuni piece but this link shows an interesting habaki on an Ikkansai Kunimori blade http://www.jp-sword.com/files/gunto/examples.html