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Hello collectors. I have a great handmade gendaito sword for sale. The nakago literally says it was made with tamahagane--which makes it pretty cool. In this case, you don't have to guess traditionally made or not? 'Made with Tamahagane'--uh, let me guess. I am double-checking my translation of the mei. I get 'Noshu ju Seki Sato Sukemitsu Nobumitsu Tamahagane kore tsukuru'. But I would like to make sure I have it EXACTLY right. Can you guys help me out with an exact translation? Thank you. --Matt Brice 715-557-16888

I am taking a bit of a leap and am auctioning off 3 swords. Each ends on eBay on Sunday night. Please take a look at them. You can contact me here in the message board, through eBay, or direct info@stcroixblades.com. Here are the links: 1. https://www.ebay.com/itm/362762540154 2. https://www.ebay.com/itm/362762540156 3. https://www.ebay.com/itm/113898616059 --Matt Brice www.StCroixBlades.com

Just because they are so hard to find--here are photos of a desirable Imperial Household dagger I just picked up. Enjoy. --Matt Brice www.StCroixBlades.com

Dear NMB Members: I recently acquired this nice iron Bushu ju Masafusa tsuba with some other pieces from a collector who purchased this piece in the very early 1980's. It comes with a custom fitted box. I am going to offer it to the NMB members first for a couple of days, then likely upload it to Ebay. There are no papers with it. The piece measures approximately 2-7/8ths inches high by 2-3/4 inches wide. The price is $800. Buyer pays all shipping and insurance costs. Payment by Paypal ("Friends and Family). PM me with any questions. Thanks for looking. Sorry for the sideways images. I saved them in the right configuration, but when I upload them to the NMB, they are uploading sideways. I took the photos with my cellphone. Regards, Bill E. Sheehan (Yoshimichi) Attached Thumbnails

I hope no one objects to listing a tea bowl on a sword site. I think there is quite a lot of cross-over between nihonto and yakimono. The arrival of a new tea bowl or sake cup is said to impact tv and Internet usage here just the way the arrival of a new sword does. This bowl is full of age and interest and I'd like it to go to someone who also appreciates swords. It's got plenty of ancient repairs and filled cracks but the koudai is vigorous, the 'door' like a hole in a wet rag, the 'skin' as scaly as a lizard's. 294 gms. The mark from the tool used to remove from the kiln shown in last pic. Sound and usable! Box and ribbon are new 11.7 x 6 cms approx US$100 excl shipping with track trace ins from Tokyo 194 0215 Payment by paypal

FOR SALE: I have a sword available that has the highest class Army mounts. Everything on this sword is of the highest quality. Not the least of which is the red sharkskin-covered saya. It has the over-sized tsuba, contrasting color seppa, premium sarute, family mon, etc. The blade is a nihonto--it is signed Kaneyoshi. This sword is available for $7995 obo. This sword has the highest quality Army mounts to be found. --Matt Brice www.StCroixBlades.com

Dear collectors, traders and relations Great Spring Sale at “Japan Sword Art” Five nihonto can leave my collection with discounts between 20 and 45% !!!!! For more details see attachment or go to: www.japanswordart.com Best regards, Egbert.

The first kanji is confusing me. ______mitsu. Help! Thank you. --Matt B.

Military Collectors -- a heads up, I have listed a rare Iida Lock sword in the For Sale section. These are impossible enough to find, and will be of interest to many military sword collectors--so take a look. Thanks! --Matthew Brice www.StCroixBlades.com

O-Tanto/Ko-Wakizashi for sale Signed Kane Masu... very similar to the one featured as Tanto of the Quarter in Bushido Magazine (pictured). There are many generations of this smith spanning late Koto into Shinto. I am not sure which one made this sword and so am also uncertain about the exact age. Mino School- Gunome temper with itame hada. A few spots of loose grain and some minor chips but otherwise quite sound. Well cut grooves. Measures 41.7 cm total length. Nagasa is 30.3 cm. 2.7 cm wide It can be enjoyed as is or if polished would be quite lovely. The saya is a bit longer (46.1 cm) than the blade but it is original as far as I can tell. Same on the handle is high quality. Fuchi is ishime (stone pattern) shibuichi. Habaki is good quality silver foil. Again, worthy of completion with tsuba, menuki and a new wrap job. SOLD Ships worldwide.

As most of might have noticed my website (www.tsubaotaku.com) has become non-commercial. I have started the process of designing a new commercial website that will have eBay integration for a startup business focused on Japanese fine art and antiques. The concept is centered around the Rain Dragon of Japanese mythology. Stay tuned as I make towards my goal and more information becomes available.

I have posted 6 new swords on the website--please take a look! https://stcroixblades.com/shop/Japanese-swords/ Thank you. --Matt Brice

I'm selling this 160 years old antique tanto. I bought it 10 years ago from Kuraya Hashimoto in Kyoto (http://kyotokyoto.jp/shop/sc010/index.html). I have all the original receipts. More pictures in here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mdlj6rvebqvc2h9/AABsd6AWIC5dsBMsWG5kGm-Sa?dl=0 I have taken good care for it all this time and it's in excellent condition. But I haven't really had anywhere to display it for the past few years. Will include a care taking kit, a stand, and a little ornamental pouch as seen in one of the pictures. As a price indication, well, I paid about 2000e for the whole set, including import & tax fees. But feel free to make an offer or ask for more info. Been selling this thing locally for quite some time now so could let it go for a bit less possibly... Well, you can PM me or e-mail me direct at anssi.hyytiainen@saunalahti.fi. -Anssi

Few bits out of collection on ebay. But I can talk direct https://ebay.com/usr/tosogu_antiques P.S. Maybe it should be moved to ebay section...

Like Fred Geyer noted in his post--here as well is a cheap plug for a hard-to-find late war army nco sword. https://www.ebay.com/itm/113120580776 Thank you. --Matt Brice www.StCroixBlades.com

Dear All The following is a group of swords I have for sale. Please email me at jswords@mcn.net for information or images. If you PM me I may not get it opened soon. Best to use my email address above. later david in Montana USA For Sale 7th Feb 2018 1. Katana, 27.5 inch, Shinshinto (early 1800’s), Yukimitsu 行光 Great strong blade with bohi, active suguha hamon with masame hada. Small chip and rust area at kissisak Mounted in shingunto mounts (WWII Japanese army officers mounts) with Leather covering wood saya Asking $1750 inventory 8/17/1 2. Katana, 29 9/16 inch (75.1 cm), shinto (or earlier), Mumei, Papers to Shinto Echizen Seki Nice long blade with suguha-midare with lots of activity (short nijuba , hakikake and other) Itame hada. Shingunto mounts (mismatched seppa) has silver mon on kashira. Asking $2150 inventory 11/17/1 3. Ito-no-maki Tachi, with 26.3 inch blade, (showa stamp) Noshu Seki ju Toki Sukenobu saku The blade is in fair polish with gunome hamon. Mounts are WWII period tachi mounts with new gold brown ito with brown lacquered saya. The tachi sageo is tied on the saya. Tsuka with dragon menuki. Asking $2750 inventory 3/13/1 4. Katana, 25 7/8 inch, Showato (late 1930’s to 1940’s) Very clean blade with gunome hamon and a GREAT dragon horimono on omote And a sanscript character on the ura side. Mounts are civilian WWII mounts with a black lacquered saya with a canvas cover Asking $3250 inventory 8/17/3 5. Katana, 32 1/16 inch (81.4 cm), Koto (1532 period), Heienjo Nobuyoshi Mounted tsuba round iron with horses, fuchi/kashira mismatched with flower menuki 6 small chips (1 mm or less) and kissaki point is broken (about 2 mm) Gunomi-midari w/nie and itame hada. Boshi has a very long turnback. Some loose hada And some rust staining Asking $3250 inventory 10/17/1 6. Jumonji yari, 6 7/8 inch on pole currently restoring pole Heianjo Fujiwari Morikuni Asking $2250 7. ?? Wakizashi, 17 3/8 inch, Shinto most likely, Project blade, lots of tempering, lots of activity Copper habaki and poor fitting saya (part of shirasaya) Asking $500 7/31/14 8. Efu style Tachi koshirae late Edo/Showa period No blade Asking $1150 Inventory 8/16/1 9. O-tanto, 13 1/8 inch, Suekoto most likely papered Soshu Tsunahiro Soshu like blade in great polish with hitatusra hamon with tobiyaki and muneyaki Itame hada and some mokume. Mounted with black saya with light brown highlights Shakudo tsuba with gold rims, Fuchi/kashira and menuki are horse. Asking $3500 inventory 11/16/1 10. hold BJ -- Nagimaki naoshi 15 5/8 inch, Shinto most likely Great saya with gold cranes with shakudo fuchi/kashira with cranes Menuki are gold sea turtles Asking $1750 April 2017 11. Tanto, 10 1/8 inch Kanehide early 1500’s koto Blade has a suguha hamon with many scratches, hirazukuri shape (Uchi-zori) Brown/red saya, with matching iron fuchi/kashira with geometric pattern, Tsuba with higo gold inlay Asking $950 inventory 6/17/1 12. ?? Wakizashi, 17.5 inch, Koto/Shinto maybe Seki Project blade, sandpapered Iron tsuba, saya and silver foil habaki Asking $400 inventory 4/14/6 13. Katana, 25.5 inch, Norinaga, koto Suguha midare with lots of nie above hamon (poor polish) Iron tsuba wo village and trees, fuchi/kashira do not match Crane menuki Asking $850 inventory 6/17/2 14. Katana, 26 ¼ inch, Izumo ju Kumohide saku?? Unshu/Kumohide. Very nice choji-midare like choji midare of the Koto Osafune school Asking $1750 inventory 6/16/20 5. Katana 25 7/8 inch, Shinto? Silver habaki, Gunome midare crab claws, itame hada? Ura muneware about 5 inch from habaki, Omote couple hadaware about 6 inch from habaki, Very good polish one on mune about 2 inch from kissaki Very good shakudo F/K very narrow diamonds on tsuka w/brocade under Black lacqueree saya w/kojiri, silver foil habaki Asking $1450 Inventory 7/17/Z1 26. Katana 25.25 inch mumei Suguha-midare, itame hada Asking $950 Inventory 7/17/Z4 27. Katana 25 3/4 inch Mumei Midari suguha 1940’s?, Masume hada oil tempered? Older handachi F/K in iron Asking $750 Inventory 7/17/Z7 28. Katana 25 3/4 inch Naganuma Yoshifusa　長沼由房 Very clean blade, saya 2 seppa, habaki & Fuchi only Gunome w/ osuguha?, wide hamon, oil tempered (1940’s) Asking $750 Inventory 7/17/Z10 29. Wakizashi 17 3/8 inch Mumei koto? Gunome midare itame hada?, Okissaki Good polish, Added silver foil 2 piece habaki has modern saya Asking $875 Inventory 7/17/Z11 30. Wakizashi 17 9/16 inch Mumei, late koto? Omote is kiriha/ura is shinogi-zukuri------katakrirha-zukuri Shirasaya, Gunome-midare w/ Large hills about 2 inches apart Shinae (wrinkles in shinogiji on ura side) Asking $950 Inventory 7/17/Z12 31. Wakizashi 15.1 inch Katsuie Koto Fujiwara ju Katsuie, AKA – Kashu ju Katsuie, Mounted Asking $1750 Inventory 10/16/1

Gassan Sadakazu tanto, with Bakumatsu style koshirae, with fittings by Shoami Masamitsu. Double Tokubetsu Kicho certification, one for the blade and one for the koshirae Age: Shinshinto, Edo Jidai, Bakumatsu Nagasa: 27,4cm Sori: 0,3cm Moto-haba: 2,8cm Saki-haba: 2,0cm Moto-kasane: 0,7cm Saki-kasane: 0,5cm Mei: 月山貞一造 - Gassan Sadakazu tsukuru (Kao) and commission Certificates: koshirae (Tokubetsu Kicho, 04/05/1970, specially precious item), Tanto (Tokubetsu Kicho, 5/4/1970, specially precious item). Description: Shinshinto period tantou signed Gassan Sadakazu, mounted in typical Bakumatsu koshirae. U no kubi zukuri sugata, powerful masame hada with scattered sparkling nie, suguha hotsure hamon that lead to an average kaeri boshi. This tantou is among Sadakazu's first period blades, Yamato style. Most important the presence of the commission inscribed on the tang, indicating the highest quality level. This blade's nakago is signed with Gassan Sadakazu tsukuru mei , owl's kao with sada character inside and commission. Koshirae is of highest level, typical of Bakumatsu period, with kodogu made of shakudo, shibuichi, gold and silver. Details are incredibly fine made by master Shoami Masamitsu, which signature with kao in inscribed on the back of kozuka. Every kodogu is of the highest level, from tsuba's pitting to kojiri's peony, from details on fuchi and kashira to the scene depicted on kozuka where a monkey, a rabbit and a frog are sitted around the go table. The kogatana is signed 日本鍛冶宗匠雷除伊賀守藤原金道 - nihon kaji sōsho raijo iga no kami fujiwara kinmichi (wazamono), 2nd generation, Kan'ei period 1624-1644, which real name was Mishina Kanbei; on the blade is inscibed a chrisantemum. The hada is itame mixed with masame, while hamon is gunome midare. The tsunagi is skillfully crafted, with detachable habaki made of magnolia. Gassan Sadakazu is ranked JoJoSaku and both certificates are of Tokubetsu Kicho level. Since this is my first item here the price is €8900 + shipping

Hello. Could I get some help translation on this gendai tanto by Toshihide? I would very much appreciate your help! --Matt Brice

Hello. I am asking for help from those of you who may read Japanese translating the kanji on both sides of the blade on a sword I own. Any help would be greatly appreciated! --Matt

Good evening nmb, Here today, i bring a relatively big sale of tosogu, including 15 tsubas (quite a few ko kinko) and some spare parts. Warning, here comes a big chunk of text about my life that you can simply skip if you want ( i would ) My name is José Ubaldo López, here at the forum dominnimod, and here today, this sale puts an end to a stage of my life. I have been member of this forum since january 2016, even though i think i had been lurking for a year before joining. I think i might be on the group of the youngest members on this forum since im currently 18, and i have to say, this forum is priceless. The mix of infinite knoledge plus the huge quantity of members willing to share and help have make me feel like home here. I don't know what it is, but there's is something enigmatic and tragic about art and nihonto that instantly caught my attention 3 years ago and still does. Every piece of koshirae, every blade is unique , reflecting the skill of someone who lived, loved, thought and felt the same way we do around 1000 to 200 years ago. It kindda feels like the animals at the zoo or circus, like they don't belong here but haven't the ability to simply return to their masters and owners. During these past 3 years i have really enjoyed reading and studying pieces, however, i'm now obliged to reduce my collection to just a pair of tsubas. I have made some mistakes and now i have to pay for them. I choosed wrong my studies(public relations) at university, got very bored and a bit depressed and had to drop out. Now i'm going to try to study engineering which is what i really wanted to study but ran away fearing from failure, as it is said to be quite dificult. However i know understand that i rather suffer studying maths, at least i won't be bored Because of this, now i need some money and it's also better to travel lightweight without many attachments. So here i bring the collection i built in around 3 years, result of selling my old toys and hunting on the deeps of fleabay for good deals. Here is the pdf i made in some days, inspired by the ones of Grev https://es.scribd.com/document/367016046/Winter-2017-Sale Imporant things: -Almost half of the tsubas come with box. -If they don't have box, a small bag will be included to store it ( it's not exactly like the one on the photo but close enough) -Every purchase include a Free extra little thing. -Quality of the photos on the pdf is quite terrible, so if you need ones better, ask me for more. -I have to sell them so if you see something you like, don't hesitate to make an offer! And thats all, -Payment method: Paypal (Family and friends on Europe). And to friends on Overseas i will pay the taxes. -Shipping method: Correos(standard national spanish courier): Fast and cheap, around 20 for a tsuba, i should consult it. Could also use some other method. Have a nice day and happy christmas!

For sale are four very different Tsuba. 1. Moon behind clouds: a nice Wabi-Sabi piece, signed "Mitsushige Bushu (no) ju", very pleasing in hand, dimensions 81mm x 76mm x 4,8mm; 220,- Euro 2. Sukashi Tsuba showing the motif of 16 rings (according to Haynes this is the Mon of the Wakizaka Family who lived in Tatsumo in Harima Province). Unsigned, dimensions: 70mm x 70mm, x 5mm, SOLD 3. Sukashi Tsuba showing a group of Pines, unsigned, good iron, nice choocolate brown patina, dimensions 75mm high x 75mm wide x 5mm thick, 220,- Euro 4. Tsuba with a No-Mask and different music instruments (drum, flute...), a lacquer box and a court hat inlayed in different soft metal, dimensions 67 x 65 x 4mm, mask is very detailed; 280,- Euro PayPal: add 4% fee Shipping: Germany: 5,00 Euro Europe: 17,00 Euro Outside Europe; 30,00 Euro

https://www.japanische-schwert-galerie.de/pages/de/antik/katana--waki.--tanto.php?action=more&id=508&wb_6508_session_id=3166a20b17557bd290cdc26d0c78cae4 I've found a german website that only sells antique nihonto that are worthy of preservation. There is a sword (linked above) claimed to be made by a swordsmith called Kamino Nagatoshi who is said to have lived in the Hyuuga/Miyazaki prefecture, in the Bunmei era (1469-1487) in the Muromachi period. My problem is that I couldn't find any information about this smith in any of the avaiable online swordsmith indexes (in english). I've tried everything and I'm clueless. I don't know how or where I should continue my research. Do you know anything about him?

Hi There, I posted this Katana in the Translation section for help with authentication. So far it seems to have been identified as a Fuyuhiro Saku with Shaomi Tsuba in good condition. I am an auctioneer from Ontario Canada, and this item is listed on my website for auction closing Thursday October 12th at 7PM (GMT-5). Anyone interested in bidding simply go to this website and follow the prompts. International Shipping can be arranged if you are the winning bidder: http://kwauctions.hibid.com/catalog/112683/-71---consignment-auction-thurs--oct-12--warehouse-pickup-/ Any questions feel free to email me directly at info@kwauctions.ca, any additional information (age, value, etc) would be appreciated. Best Regards, Ian Watson KW Auctions

Hi There, I am an auctioneer in Canada who has been commissioned to sell this blade. It appears authentic but I have no idea about the age or value and was hoping someone on here might be willing to help give some background information or approximate value if applicable. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Ian W

A NBTHK Hozon Wakizashi sword from personal collection for sale. This sword comes with its official NBTHK judgement paper. Mumei but the NBTHK attributes the blade to Bungo TAKADA (豊後高田) smiths, from late Muromachi period (c. 1558 - 1570) I believe. This sword is in good polish and overall health blade condition. The blade remains in good shape, and its suguha hamon and steel grains are clearly visible. There are only a couple of minor kizu (one small fukure, few light oxidation spots, and few surface scratches) detectable, but the blade is of course free of hagire or any major flaws (see attached pics). This sword comes with its own Shirasaya mountings. Nagasa is 52.7cm (20.76 inches). Total length while in shirasaya is 79.5cm (31.5). The blade weighs 750g (1.65 lbs). Asking price $2,500 USD or best offer. You may make your offer via my ebay listing page: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Authentic-Japanese-sword-w-NBTHK-judgement-paper-Bungo-Takada-wakizashi/272629139341 Or email me at: kuw148@psu.edu (Sword pics taken with my cellphone camera, please forgave my lackluster photography skill) Front side of the blade: Backside: Kissaki region, front and back: Nakago: NBTHK judgement paper (held against window light to show its watermark security feature): Blade in shirasaya: