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Here is the part of the shaft that in a yari would be called the "tachiuchi (tachiuke)" which is the the reinforced area. In a yari the rings are called "dogane" and the wrapping would be "kaburamaki (chidome)" , but I have seen the wrapping on a naginata called "sendan maki''. I do not know which if any of the yari terms apply to the naginata. I see the word "sakawa" being used to describe the large metal fittings like on the tip of this example, on a yari this fitting would be called the "gyakuwa". Any opinions?

Thanks Dirk, 150 Japanese Polearm Terms by Hawley $312.79 and Japanese polearms by Knutsen $135.00...ouch!

Does anyone have a complete glossary of terms for the parts of the naginata shaft. The ones I have found just list one or two parts and do not list names of all the parts.

John and keith, thanks for the info, very interesting. Henk, nothing to be jealous of, mostly low to mid quality samurai items, once in a while a really nice item sneaks in, always willing to share pictures though.....now there are SOME members who do have items worth coveting!!!! I just know there are some really high quality naginata lurking out there, maybe we will get a peak of one or more.

Trevor, just in case....go to your profile, on the options section click "edit profile", you will see a box labeled "real name". type an appropriate name and save....as for your question, are you asking for web sites that are safe to purchase swords from? If so just sites in Japan or anywere..........welcome!

Keith, it is signed, I have been told it the mei translates as "Kazusa no Shigeyasu saku kore".

Not very accurate in my opinion. First you would need a magnet to be able to tell the metal from leather armor pieces. If you notice the shin guards (suneate) are mounted on the shoulders!!! He talked about the "missing gloves", not sure what he meant as the armored sleeves (kote) appear to have their finger guards (tekko) intact, the kote looks like a high quality item and possibly what is called "kaga" style. The chest armor (dou) looks to be made of small individual scales (hon kozane), but it would have to be closely examined to see it they were real scales or just large metal plates cut to look like scales (false scales or kiritsuke-kozane). The helmet (kabuto) looks like it could a 64 plate with raised rivets (64 Ken Ko-boshi kabuto). The facial armor (menpo) looks to be very high quality with textured lines and what looks like some sort of gold inlay or overlay. The appraiser stated that the armor was probably from the 1800s but depending on what a close examination showed it could be quite a bit older, or at least some parts such as the helmet bowl (hachi). Not many people in the world can really do a cursory look at a samurai armor and get it right the first time. It is not something you can take a class on. Anyone else care to take a crack at it?

Any pictures of the dou?

In that case can you provide more pictures or either item, plenty of people here who can give you a thumbs up or down but not without some more pictures. I am sure if anyone knows of a better deal they will let you know also.

Very few naginata are for sale at any one time compared to swords. Most do not have an original shaft and many are not even in shirasaya. The ones I have seen for sale that were reasonably priced get sold. I have a couple, I think they look great in a collection along with yari. Being able to actually hold one of these weapons is an experience that few people ever get to do.

The seam looks hand sewn, and it looks to be in good condition, a good item for re-enactments. I believe there are several non silk fabrics besides hemp that were used for clothing.

Brian, This is a great way to get the idea across, by not only explaining the difference but by also posting images of each type at the same time. Anyone seeing this will have no doubt if they are looking at poor, medium or excellent nanako in the future.

Look at the details of the daisho you mentioned, the same shill bidder that bids on all this sellers more expensive items including both swords and motorcycle items is bidding up the daisho..p***r( 31)...and Do you see any images of these flaws? or any good images of the blades? There is something wrong here with this seller and when he had some swords for sale awhile back he did the same thing, same shill bidder, no clear pictures of the blades. When something seems funny it usually is....im just saying.....

it looks like something besides silver paint, some sort of plating maybe.

That is a good topic George. On top of that how are swords determined to be "dai mei" or "dai saku mei" as opposed to gimei? How are these types of legitimate signatures dealt with at shinza etc, I have not been able to find this explained any were. Dai Mei :This is a signature of a smith which is chiselled on a nakago by his family or students, with his permission. It is regarded as a genuine signature. Dai Saku Mei :Swords made in a smith's style by his students with his permission were often signed personally by the smith. This is called dai saku mei and is regarded as genuine.

Thanks Ian for taking the time to post these pictures, a very interesting yari. Without mekugi-ana how is the blade secured to the shaft and does the shaft have any sign of having a mekugi-ana in the past.

This seller is using at least one shill bidder if not more, take a look at this bidder... p***r( 31)... 100% of bids are with this seller and has bid on motorcycle parts and swords previously offered by this seller as well as the items listed currently.....but nothing from anyone else!!!

Here is what Trevor Absolon from toraba.com has to say about Japanese dealers, Trevor has his business in Japan and has a lot of ties to Japan, this is from his guide to buying Japanese armor but it just as easily applies to all Japanese antiques. He bases his assessment on many years of experience. He is of the opinion that while some Japanese dealers are deceptive many just do not know anything about what they sell and it is up to the buyer to know the difference. http://reviews.ebay.com/Protection-From ... 0004400504

Well thats an honest statement, everyone here has done that I am sure at some point, can you post a link to the listing or paste the sellers description of this tsuka to see if it matches what you purchased.

Ron, I could not agree with you more, learning about other samurai items and perhaps acquiring some of them along with nihonto is a good way to expand you appreciation of the samurai culture. In armor this hexagon pattern is called kikko. I am sure it was taken directly from observing the pattern of the armored shell of a tortoise.

Piers, your loyal retainer will kneel down so that you can use his back as your platform, simple really. From modern picture I have seen of re-enactments of samurai on horse back the saddles seemed to be quite secure.

That was the "Return of the Samurai" exhibit in Victoria Canada. viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8017 http://s831.photobucket.com/albums/zz23 ... ?start=all

Morita san, you are correct of course, thank you for the translation! Here is the sashimono.

Another bukuro? Not sure what to call this slip cover made of paper but I cant imagine that many still exhist. It contains a very unusual item, not sure how old either item is but they both look old, I was told "Edo period".