Lindus

provided by an ancient Cornishman Hiya Roy :D HALLO BALDY Was talking to Les re his trip,sounds like you have cracked it old man,well deserved. Take care Roy & SUE

Thanks Keith Have to say am embarrased that after 40+ years I did not know what it was Will check with Carlo. all I need now is to turn up a "Little Crow" as a friend did recently,later copy but in Kyu gunto mounts and from a dealer who listed it as "Japanese officers sword with odd looking blade"!!!! Roy

Thank you gentlemen, that was great service, should any member want a translation of Ancient Cornish..... Regards Roy

As the previous thread on the translation section has been locked due to some spat between a married couple{Just an assumption based on 43 years of marriage.... . I would again ask for some input on Warabite, I now appreciate that these are not uncommon but this relic mounted along with coins & ivory turning up in The UK, would examples be in any British museums, just how often do they turn up in the west et al. I asked my friend how her husband came about this, seems when he was a reader at oxford in the 20's he was loaned out to a German aristocrat who was settling in England. This to catalogue the mans collection, at the end a number of Chinese and Japanese items were given to him, a small collection of swords,books,woodblock prints including a Sharako and amongst other things this item. No intention of selling as this has been on my wish list for two decades....without actually knowing what it is..... Thanks in advance Roy

This has been with me a while, no one has ever been able to translate,so impressed with the ability of you people I am pretty sure it will again astound both Jean and Me....... Regards Roy

Thanks David Yes it is nice,shame about the condition but really that is not so important as on the sword it shows well. Regards Roy

Hi Colin Dimensions are..... Thckness at seppa dia...4mm " " Mimi....3mm Size ...7.5cm Each face is pretty much identical,see attached. Thanks Roy

Certainly does, by the way when I clicked on the link Norton jumped up and said the site was unsafe virus wise. Many thanks for that Roy

Once again many thanks, it does seem appropriate. Roy

The reverse on both are clear,agree and add that it is a shame we shall never know who applied the sayagaki. Regards Roy

Not being a Tsuba man I never really loked at this untill around 20 years after aquiring,it is mounte on asword by Sukenaga and at the time although the sword was civil but with a combat cover. Can any enlighten me as to age and school etc?. Thanks Roy

Amongst a number of items that came with a sword many years ago were from an officer in the Royal Ulster Fusliers who was seconded to the 5th Ghurka rifles, is a pin backed badge, enamelled and could be in silver. It sat in a bag along with Sake bowls, military badges,old photgraphs and even a British officers Binoculars from the family of this officer, non of which had at the time been of any interes to me,during a reconstruction of the old home I found box,s of stuff that atb the time had been of little interest.......................This badge was in the pile, checked it out and found that it is called "Gensui" and given to retired senior officers,can any of the memborship elaborate on this as I did not have any surrender details that included the badge. Since then I have had a number of request to sell which were declined as I would prefer to keep as a package with the sword{Koto, Suriage,mei "Yasu Tsugu"} Any input would be splendid. Thanks Roy

Thank you gentlemen It is odd as my interest deminish's items po up and it is there again...................now this an item from a now deceased old friend Dr F.A.Turk came my way via Stella Turk,it adorned their Tiny property along with Sheraku prints,small collection of swords from a German "Princeling" (I quote) in the 20's as well as all coins from shells to gold coins from Japans history. The bonus for me is that the rekindled Interest has led me inward and will now try to find in my huge pile of photographs and notes things such as the sword by a smith from Oki Island that had engraved on the Kabuto Gane a parachute holding wings and the cherry blossom of the typical Shin Gunto...............to most sword people of my day {40 plus years ago} meant nothing and our only book in english was John Yumoto who I think stated that nothing in gunto mounts would be of interest!!!. As you may see from the page of oshigata and notes that I have found and publishe on my poor amateur web site, some military swords that have apssed through my hands in forty years had I at the time the knowledge, would still be with me. My first gunto sword signed "Hibano Kinmichi" is now in the US as are many others, I was fortunate to at the time to have worked for First National Securites and traveled the south west of the UK, always posted in local papers where and which hotel I would be satying at,on many occasion the fellow guest would be startled by old military men wandering into reception carrying a sword or two...................enough of my meandering, sadly my collecting days draw to a close but I wish that I had retained more of the epemeria that came with military swords,at the time it was only the blades that werte of interest,eg, the sword from major Gadson.MC.MBE.MID who's medals and even an audio description of the battle where he won his military cross, all of which I re discovered 30 years later in a box of medals and pictures. Another is a senior officers sword from an officer in the |Royal Ulster Rifles who served with the Ghurkas,Captain Mulcahy-Morgan had a wonderfull career but had it not been for a change in our property development it would all have been dumped...We are all Nihonto addicts but please do not make my early mistake in not asking for recent history on Gunto, the small amount I have retrieved have been have been of{Perhaps only to me} enormous pleasure and like two signed war fans {sadly the swords are long gone} added another dimension to Nihonto collecting. One fan signed with a message from a general Kawamura who was later hanged for war crimes is a tinyphot graph of history that will now dissapear. Finally as I am boreing with this "oof topic" meandering, I rember my old chum Ron Gregory saying that of all his swords both civil and military, the best blades and most interesting storys were of course Kyu,Kai & Shin guntomine are similar, just wish that the internet and this site had been around at the time. Sorry to bore you all but today has revived a lifetime of interest........................ Roy

Would that be something like this? (later day copy) http://www.samurai-nippon.net/26/ Not dissimilar Hamon..seeattached.

sorry missed one.

I Tried the link but no email came up, is this what you requested?. The O. Tanto has a mei with "Kane Fusa", two characters only. Thanks for the translation of the long inscription, does that include all 23 characters?. Roy

You knew I would ask this......... but what is a "warabite To".....I know I shall regrette asking this but it has been a great day so what the hell......

in addition...................Some days just cannot get better.

As you found it so easy with Mr Farrers sayagaki I would ask that you do what has eluded me in total for some years....Also as Sundays go I have been gifted an item that I have "Lusted" after for over twenty five years,I know it is outside the forum guidlines but would really like to include for help...... N01 is a n o'tanto NO2 is a Katana NO3...........................................my treasure

Showed it to Ron Greory and Dick Fuller many years ago,same thought that the stamp had been applied twice and possibly a variant form of the Tan...................Think I'll go fishing also usually a fruitless exercise Thanks anyway folks Roy

Attached is one I never did find out about,Unsigned Katana with full length HI and fine hanyaki hamon. Mounted in Kyu Gunto army mounts and with two Mon.

Thanks Gentlemen for your input it was a great help, having spent a nearly fruitless day searching the web I found three tanto with similar mei and one with a "Made for" to a native Japanese buyer or as a presentation, but no history other than it is possible that the family are now knife makers for the restraunt trade. As to its history. If COATS,possibly an American officer in Japan around 1920 {from a US newspaper article dated 1919} COUTTS, The British bank, were in Japan around 1900 {History of Couts bank} COTES, possible Dr W.C.Cotes,UK medic c1890/1910. Whatever it is a nice curio and I think we have come to the end of this Thread Many thanks to all Regards Roy

Or perhaps it is unusual that the inscription is on the bladewhich of course it had to be as the nakago is sealed in. In your 96 archive, a tanto with a similar mei appears...........who knows, positive factor is that perhaps the owners of the blade was a Naval or Army Lt in Japan around 1920. Thanks for putting me right Roy

This is a reply from Sumie Kashima. Dear Mr. Roy Lindus. I am sorry for the delay of my answer. I have leaved my computer for some days. The inscription can read, “Mr. Doubleu Zay Coats” (I don’t know exact spering.) “made by Kikuichi Kanenaga” The meaning is, Kikuichi Kanenaga made the blade for Mr. D. Z. C. But inscribing such thing in the blade is a little strange in Japanese tradition. Sincerely yours. Sumie Kashima, operator of Usagiya. http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/

Thank you for that. I tried to photograph as is but had to chalk it in,this of course hides the chisel cuts. Although the detail is now lost in time the two sticks were alledged to have been presented two the man and wife when leaving either a Japanese university or teaching hospital in the Meiji period. Your thoughts on the mei being cut by other than a Japanese , how likely as the blade although in only fair polish has what appears to be a choji/gunome hamon. some nie can be seen while the walking sticks are made with the European curled handle and covered in wood bark. Thanks for the thoughts on the smith I will check him out. Regards Roy