W K Clifford

tsubas of this size, if never mounted then i understand they are collectibles like gold watched not meant for actual use. but the intriguing thing about the specimen i posted above is that it was clearly mounted, using obviously very strangely shaped seppa. what could it be mounted on? perhaps extremely long tachi? i do not think pole weapons are a possibility, it would look comical.

signed: 肥後同田貫延寿宗廣 see the discussion here: http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?t=94706 I think the mei on yours looks right, though a bit faded.

I concur. Definitely not kai gunto koshiare. Tsuka-maki is very dubious.

the second one is obviously of Kaneiye school, what about the first one? traditional theme?

not my tsuba, not my hands either. But still, this one must be at least 10 cm wide, right? what school? period? for those who want to join the bidding war: http://www.artfact.com/auction-lot/two-Japanese-mixed-metal-vases,-meiji-period.-l-0-c-e9bad9ff52

I think the old chap might be playing a charade here: 九花城 (nine flowers city) 一色町 (one color district) possible?

basically the right line is the address of the smith, the first line on the left says the smith is 58 years old, then the signature. I do not know how to interpret the address, 九花城? which city is that? I am sure Morita san will have more to say.

More pictures: tsuka, nakago (habaki looks nice too), and horimono. there are activities in hamon but not easy to detect in the curretn polish.

ah? Is it possible? Do you know any other example?

the first was dated 1835 by this smith, third generation Hamabe school: http://www.samuraishokai.jp/sword/08303.html

Thank you all for the replies! I have added a few more pictures. The blade is also kind of interesting, several grooves and a polished down grassy style kanji horimono, which reads 南無阿彌陀佛. Will post some picture of the blade later (don't have good ones now and I need to get hold of camera too)

I guess this is katatemaki. however it is not fabric. I am not sure what material it is. perhaps hardened paper with paint? it is not leather, I think. Any thoughts? The menukis look good. But how are they attached to the tsuka? perhaps glued? Fuchi and kashira look crude. They are copper, I think, but no decorations except some kind of texture. I posted a couple of pictures of the tsuba in this thread: http://www.nihontomessageboard.com/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8823&p=72851&hilit=koto+mino&sid=f41d3932c40004171ce86bf323242009&sid=f41d3932c40004171ce86bf323242009#p72851 typical Mino-bori autumn flowers theme. dimensions are 65mm wide, 70mm long and 3mm thick. Actually it could be leather (it is flaky and hardened now). the Kashira and the Kojiri are round, so would these make it Higo-Koshirae?

I am pretty sure it is 车 on the left. What is on the right, well, I give up. Here is a list from 康熙字典 that contains almost all kanji with 车 on the left that were EVER used: http://tool.httpcn.com/Html/KangXi/BuShou/7_196.html

Thank you, John. I found the phonetic transcription of 燒落, it is Yakiotoshi, a type of 燒出 Yakidashi. I roughly understand the meaning of these terms, but I am looking for a detailed explanation, with pictures, of (the interrelation) of these concepts. For example, it is not easy to do Yakiotoshi since it easily leads to 水影 mizukage, so I heard. But I would like to see an example of this, etc.

I see. Actually, can anyone provide a (link of) detailed explanation of these tree terms: 烧落, 水影, 再刃, preferably with pictures!

再刃 = saiha, doesn't this disqualify the sword automatically in shinsa?

sorry, my bad, got lazy. Eric posted a sample to compare with in the other (now locked) thread. I would add that the mei in question is obviously of inferior quality and obviously tries to imitate the authentic one. I agree with all those who've pointed out that gimei does not mean bad blade. If you can tell how good the blade is with the nakago covered, then, you probably do not need help here That is why I said don't buy.

don't buy it....gimei

these pictures are not helping, dude. The second and the fourth are the same yari, which is the one in the second link I gave above. the first one is the yari in the first link I gave. And the meis on these two are close enough. The mei in the third picture is the one in question. It is a bit different (but also close). In fact, may be I am just being paranoid...

No... I did not mean that. Actually the strokes in your mei are pretty close to the other two, only stylish variations. so I think a little research is called for, that is all I am saying.

not sure I understand you, but your Yari is supposed to be signed by the same smith. mei being carved differently, well, is a problem, isn't it?

http://www.nihontomessageboard.com/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4598 http://log.bidders.co.jp/item/135215658 your mei does not match with the above two, though, mind you

what do you mean probably, you trying to be polite?

活龍軒 (literally means lively dragon pavilion or something like that. there was this tradition that intellectuals and craftsmen gave euphoric names to their residences) 宗政 (name of the artist, as John pointed out) 鐫 ( means "carved it") 唐草圖, literally means Tang dynasty [style] grass (or floral) pattern. Apparently this is a traditional decorative theme.

before i say anything perhaps i should clarify that i did NOT buy this sword. i am merely curious... By "match" you mean the same kanji in the same order? Variations are highly possible. The ways, or the styles, the kanjis are written or carved do match, at least close examination is called for.