Jim P

Hi Kevin, I don’t post much these days but I thought this was funny!! they sell samurai jeans So a bit of advice if a sword shop sell swords for 16k and sells samurai jeans too it should give you a big ? https://www.samuraim...ory/ryukyu-ai-denim/ It has been said repeatedly on this board be suspicious of old papers coming out of Japan Also, he gives a good rendition of the Ujisada story but he does not state its by him Only this blade is attributed to Ujisada

HiJohn, That is wakasa nuri lacquer work. kam does it, https://jigokustudios.com.au/lacquering/

Hi Ray I thought Sue-Bizen too, like Morimitsu look at the boshi and hada found on a similar one on aoi https://www.aoijapan.net/katana-bishu-osafune-morimitsu-sakusue-bizen/ but a quick look at Sue-Bizen and you get mostly Torii Sori but you see Koshi Sori { Bizen Sori } in this sword so its off the norm for a later time it’s probably from the early Sue-Bizen ? but I can’t shake the feeling its got a lot of shinto in it ?

Hi Tom,If sharpness or a dull edge was of great importance then that's something that would be on papers which it’s not nor do most of the nihonto sites in Japan speak of sharp or a dull blade take Aoi Art for example because it depends what the sword is cutting. If they ground them like razors they would not do well on Japanese armour that's why we speak about the meat of a blade kitchen knives are flat ground swords are usually convex for good reasons a lot less chips and cracks. A polisher will always try to keep the meat or bevel of a blade I would take a dull Gorō Nyūdō Masamune over a sharp Komonjo special every time.

Thanks Steve, Now that's an interesting two wakizashi daisho

Hi Mark, You need to take some better photos the ones you posted will not tell us much. I would take the story with a pinch of salt same for the family crest also the papers ? are not from one of the main line appraisal orgs { NBTHK ,NTHK } they may be fine but you may find that if you put them in to NBTHK or NTHK you may not get the same result as papered daisho are very rare. So looking forward to photos of the bare blades this will help members see traits like sugata. hada, and hamon and you will get much better reply's PS photo 3 in your last post of the Wakizashi it looks like hamon runs off at the Kissaki but it may be the photo or my bad eyesight

Hi George, Thanks mate, you're a legend, owe you a beer next time you are down this way I will let you know what info comes up Now that I Know who he is Yasunori did some good quality horimono and IMHO has skill in cutting that interesting mei :thumbsup:

Hi Ian,That's what I was looking for not much chance its gimei but wonted to get something to compare it too don't have the book so if one of the members has it and can post or PM with the page that would be great. Again thanks guys

Thank you, George and Steve

HI guys, Need some help with a hard one Thanks to Bazza and Steve M for their thoughts {Second character on the rhs is SHUU, the first being the province?. there is horimono on the blade so one of the lhs characters I think reads HORI DO SAKU ("also made the carving").} but not much on the rest at this point thoughts ?

Hi Bazza..You are right but in this crazy state you can leave the post office and if stopped by the Vic cops and with no membership it can be a bad day

Whats the question ? If sending to Victoria you have to have a membership to a sword club to own a sword http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/26367-item-held-in-customs/?hl=%2Bsword+%2Baustralia&do=findComment&comment=266214

Hi that's Adrian's site he also runs the Sydney Token Kai, he is OK and trustworthy he ran the last 2 NTHK shinsa in Australia and has posted on the NMB

Hi Alex. I think your tsuba is still in the UK if you put SOUTH NORWOOD PDO in google the UK comes up did you put a postcode on the parcel ? it should look like this NORWOOD SOUTH, SA 5067 in Australia if not it will go local hope that helps

Hi Marco, Right way up and the Bishu Kuni Ju Osafune Hikobei Sukesada Jean posted from aoi what do you think ?

Hi Chris,IMHO, Don't know why you are using this blade to sharpen your skills, paulb has it right "looks Showa" sometimes you have to look at the seller this guy sells a lot of stuff that does not sell in Japan a quick look at the site tells you a lot If they thought edo they would tell you,what did the add say ?

Hi Sil, Have a look at the strokes inside the kuni they don't match also look at the strokes on the one above the 3 lines not centered it may be that the small differences are changes over time? but IMHO don't think so. Only shinsa can help with blades like this unless you can find some more Oshigata from Index of Japanese Swordsmiths Kunitsugu (国次), 4th gen., Bunmei (文明, 1469-1487), Etchū– „Uda Kunitsugu“ (宇多国次), „Uda Kunitsugu saku“ (宇多国次作), Uda school, he lived in Etchū´s Kaganomiya (鏡宮), priest name „Jōkō“ (浄幸), gunome-midare or suguha,chūjō-saku

Hi Sil,IMHO, I think I would take the view that it could be gimei ? or by a different smith have a look at the Oshigata for the 4th from koto meikan and fujishiros K310 does not look like a good match so had a look at 3rd or 5th also no good have a look at some of the kanji eg, kuni is done with small differences that don't match the Oshigata for all of them and you can see differences in the other kanji hope that helps

Hi Sil, Is that your first name ? Had a quick look one of the other guys may have better references this is what I got Hawley list KUN1473 as 2nd generation. Fujishiros K310 does not look like a good match looks like they got the info from Nihonto Club as they list it as Kunitsugu (4th gen) but does not match So, the rare nakamura samurai Sword needs more research

Hi Brian, {Couldn't live in a country like that} Give it time our world is going nuts! what you see in the shows is just a taste of whats happening it seems oz has lost its way and for some of us that remember when there was some sanity its hard to accept

Hi Bruce, Thanks for the page

Hi Ian, Can you remember what page it was ? I don't have the book as its not my field of interest and like Steve I thought that they would be Type 32. Steve thanks for the added info

Hi Guys, I have been asked to try and get some info on Swords that were acquired from Japan during the late 1880's to early 1900's. These weapons were apparently acquired from the Japanese Tokyo Arsenal and have posted parts of his email for your thoughts From the Historical museum, I was approached by a member of the public seeking some family history items. He has an avid interest in the arms and weaponry of the Australian military and asked if we might have any information, or examples of a batch and Swords acquired from Japan during the late 1880's to early 1900's. These weapons were apparently acquired from the Japanese Tokyo Arsenal during a period of severe budgetary restraint imposed by the effects of the great depression I have found Parliamentary records which prove that a sample batch of Japanese swords was ordered by the Victorian Government in 1892 and that some 65 of these were imported into Victoria early in 1893. The Parliamentary record from Hansard dated Thursday 14 November 1901 confirms that the Victorian Government imported, as a sample, some swords from Japan and that 15 of these were allocated to the infantry and 50 to Cadet Corps officers. What type of swords do you think would have been imported ? Thanks

Hi Luis, I also thought waklizashi came later, I also remember reading Otanto or sunobi tanto were the companions to tachi or a Kodach as a indoor sword in the Nambokucho the problem is there is some who call them waklizashi both are right but for me and a lot of others Jeans explanation is how I would have explained it If I remember correctly the word Waklizashi came in to use after Nambokucho? Luis,you will find facts can be hard to pin down in the nihonto world. It is very easy to form a negative on the net and we all misinterpret from time to time when we don't know how that person expresses their thoughts. I can tell you Jeans only motive was to try and help so I think you have misinterpreted how the info was presented. I think you will have to send it to someone who can see it in hand as it stands you still may have a sword worth polishing