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Hello fellow NMB members! In anticipation of several events and change-ups in my inventory of nihonto, I am putting these out here for sale. Prices are negotiable, I am open to fair offers, and even partial trades where indicated. If you want more pictures of a particular item, I will do my best to accommodate! Shipping/insurance will be discussed but generally CONUS will be the simplest and quickest to receive. Shipping will be USPS for CONUS and the rates are usually no more than $100 with full insurance. All swords will be 'mummified' in bubble-wrap, cardboard.. whatever I deem necessary to make sure it gets to you in the same condition that I sent it out. Out-of-country sales will depend on your local laws. All sales are final. Please use your best judgement. I'll oblige and do my best to deliver satisfactory photos and excellent shipping. None of these blades are papered, most are considered projects. They are in the condition that they were received in by me, with only gentle application of choji. They all have potential to be restored fully and will be free of fatal flaws as far as possible within my experience. Polishing, like on any project, can reveal flaws after the fact. For those, I am not responsible. If you have an opinion on a sword or believe something is in error, please DM me and I will correct it. I am not an expert, nor will I ever be. If it is about the quality of my photographs, I will do my best to get you more if that is your interest. I apologize for my usual rough-shod photography skills; there is not much I can do about that... short of getting a professional setup or a new phone; but the photos should be enough to get you an idea of sugata and condition. Again, more are available via DMs. If it is just commentary about the quality of said photos, then keep it to yourself s'il vous plait! Lastly, each sale will net the NMB a $50 donation to help our beloved NMB with its planned upgrades. To reserve a piece for purchase, please put a reply here in this thread and/or then DM me directly. First come, first served! FINALLY, without further ado: 1. 28" katana in shirasaya. Signed "Tsuda Echizen no Kami Sukehiro", would need a polish to fully appreciate. Signature is unlikely to be first generation, more likely second or third or gimei. Notare hamon, unknown hada. Appears suriage. I predicate my opinion on the mei based on the fact that it is missing the classic long osaka-yakidashi of the first generation; instead only possessing a short one that disappears into the nakago. However, I have been known to be wrong. Will consider partial trade up to $1k in value. Asking price is $2500. 2. 19" wakizashi in substitute saya. Signed "Bizen no Kami Osafune Naga[xxxx]" with the rest having been cut off. Likely to be Bizen Nagamitsu since the work seems most appropriate for him. Sleepy old polish with lots of beautiful activity visible still. Pre-1530. Haven't had a chance to do deep research on this one to narrow it down. Has a fukure/ware flaw in the spine. Suriage. No partial trade on this one. Asking price is $1800. 3. 27" katana in partially restored gunto mounts. Mumei, but likely to be Yamato. Needs a polish as previous owner acid-polished it. Gold-plate habaki, silver mon on tsuka. Blade is likely to be late 1500/early 1600's. Several pits that are unlikely to come out with a polish but still a fine blade. Ubu. Paper stock saya. Partial trade up to $500. Asking price is $2200. 4. 23.25" o-suriage early to mid Kamakura tachi in assembled mounts. Mumei. Likely to be Bizen den. Circa 1200's. Decent assembled mounts with gold-trimmed Omori fuchigashira and Namban tsuba. This is a greatly o-suriaged blade, likely having been cut down somewhere in the Muromachi period. The boshi on this one is a little thin, but still present. In recent polish. The opinions on this piece come straight from my polisher; before that, I thought it a late Muromachi/early Edo boy's blade. A rare piece to be sure. No partial trade on this one. Asking price is $3450. 5. 24.5" katana in remnants of WWII leather-cased mounts. Signed "Kunihiro". Almost certainly a gimei since nearly ANY Kunihiro is a big big name smith, with most of them working late Kamakura. The biggest name Kunihiro worked in the 1600's strangely. There is a remote possibility it is one of them, but the placement of the mei leads me to believe it is gimei. However, it is still an older blade that is likely to be late Kamakura/Muromachi. Suriage with 2 mekugi-ana. Notare hamon. Could use a polish to revive the masame hada. Has kirikomi. Nice tsuba. Partial trade up to $700. Asking price is $2200. 6. 26" katana of WWII origin. Mumei, no stamps. It is my opinion that this blade is Showato, but it does show some signs of hand-forging including a very thick particle line in the hamon. It is in a somewhat amateur-ish polish with some warping of the geometry but would make for a very fine wall hanger. A good piece to find mounts for. It is a very interesting styled gunome. Paper stock saya. No Partial trade on this one. Asking price is $1000. 7. 17" wakizashi in American-made saya. Signed "Nobukuni" - the particulars of this signature, particularly the kanji used purport it to be one of the Oei Nobukuni, which if believed to be true would make for a very nice restoration project. Two meguki-ana. It does have a Soshu-esque hamon in it and a sugata that suggests an old blade. However, there are a few areas of damage to the edge and an S-bend in the blade. Ergo... the low price on this one. No partial trade on this one. Asking price is $700. 8. 11.25" tanto in restored mounts. Mumei. Kanmuri-otoshi shape, which along with the nakago, suggests the Nambokucho era. 2 mekugi-ana. BEAUTIFUL mounts which suggest that the habaki is not original. The saya is a striped alternating shiny and matte black lacquer with horn accents. Gorgeous hand-painted red wooden grain pattern tsuka. Why they would paint the wood grain as opposed to use real wood or a veneer? Your guess is as good as mine. Rare shape would make for a fun project. Unknown school since hada is not visible. Hamon appears to be a very straight and well-executed suguha. No partial trade on this one. Asking price is $1500. 9. 26" katana of WWII origin. Mumei, no stamps. No mounts but habaki and paper tube saya. Unlike #6, this one is clearly a gendaito. It has evident particle activity in both the hamon and hada scattered about. The gunome pattern is much more orderly and well-arranged. There is no evidence of the characteristic dark shadows that one would see in showato. The blade has a nice gold-plate habaki. Condition is solid but with several nail catchers and a solid patina covering the whole blade. A Mino-Seki blade with the appropriate yasurime. Strangely two mekugi-ana, with the top one showing a rough burr that would make it unlikely to be used; my theory being that this blade was ordered for one set of mounts and then changed before final fitting to another mount set. No partial trade on this one. Asking price is $1300. (Limit hit, will upload #9 below!) Thanks for looking! ~Chris

Hello Everyone! After 1.5 years in my possession, the kodachi I had acquired is now being sent for shinsa! Wish me luck as we anxiously wait! In other news, to celebrate this occasion, I took new photos of the blade. Feel free to send your thoughts! All the best, Nich

Hi and Merry Christmas to all, For me one of the more interesting pieces that got back to me this year is this interesting blade with 70 cm nagasa, and shallow sori. Before the restoration, the blade had a nanbokucho bizen feel to it with utsuri, ko-itame, midare-based hamon with nie and some chikei. After the polish the blade show now numerous magic hataraki that points toward soshu-den. I would describe the hamon, to be have been painted with a thick brush, a mist of ara-nie that swirls in the wind. I appoligize to many photos. I would appreciate everyone thoughts on this blade, and it will be interesting what a future shinsa will attribute it to. If you have any kantei points towards a smith or school pleae let me know I would describe the hamon, to be have been painted with a thick brush, a mist that swirls in the wind. I appoligize to many photos. Mostly itame hada, with some mokume and a bit of masame (I may be wrong) closer to the nagako. Utsuri is very destinct. There is dark streaks in the metal, that follows the grain. General overview photos. Kissaki - Boshi is hard to photograph - it changes depending on the light and angle. Possible ichimai-bōshi. More photos in next post.

I recently purchased this nihonto. I am fairly certain that it is a suriage or o-suriage tachi. The polish is quite old and not in perfect condition. It may need a togishi in the future. The question is, is the blade worth it? In general, the blade is in good condition. Only the kissaki and yokote are not perfect. The yokote is still visible to the naked eye, but it is difficult to see. I am not sure what type of kissaki it is, but I suspect it is a ko kissaki. The hamon is a narrow variant of suguha. I am not sure if it is ko-suguha or something similar. The blade is definitely a suriage or o-suriage. -The Nagasa is: 64.5 cm -The Sori is a Koshi-Sori with 2.1 cm (keep in mind that the Sori was probably a more pronounced Koshi Sori before the Suriage) -The motohaba is 2.8 cm -The kasane is 0.5 cm -The sakihaba is 1.4 cm -Hada is visible, but I am too unqualified to recognize what type it is. Based on the following facts, I suspect that it is a Kamakura Suriage Tachi. Possibly Yamashiro-Den. -The taper is quite large at 2.8 - 1.4 cm (approximately 50%). -Koshi Sori with 2.1 cm after Suriage -The small Kissaki -The shape of the blade in general -The narrow Suguha Hamon with a fine, even structure -The blade is somewhat worn, as it has been polished many times over the centuries -The blade comes from a WW2 estate of a British officer What would you say this blade is? Would you agree with my assessment? If not, what speaks against my assumption? More pictures are in the Google Drive Link bellow: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Vv8AONTTp7lESMnLQmmedIBCryMmHgYd?usp=sharing

After some time, I was finally able to get my hands on a kodachi (yay!) and I'm excited to show it!

A fine papered 16th Century Katana by (Heianjo) Nagamitsu. This Koto period sword would make an important addition to any collection. This katana is in excellent polish. It is accompanied by beautiful mounts. The fuchi and kurikata have a matching gold floral motif. The kashira is polished horn. The tsuba is very interesting–it is made of lacquered wood. The plugs in the hitsu-ana are fine textured gold. A complementing silk sageo is threaded through the kurikata. A wood tsunagi (with habaki) was made for the mounts. The blade is in a handsome shirasaya. The shirasaya is wrapped with bamboo accents. The blade measures 68 cm (26.8 in). The 2-piece habaki is wrapped in gold foil. This Koto period sword is accompanied by NBTHK Tokubetsu Kicho papers. CONDITION: The blade is in excellent polish. The hamon and boshi are healthy. The koshirae is in exceptional condition. $6650 View additional photos by visiting http://StCroixBlades.com --Matthew Brice

Type: Wakizashi Ubu, Suriage or O-Suriage : Ubu Mei : (Mumei, Signature) : Bizen Ju (?Mitsu?) Papered or not and by whom? : Not Era/Age : Koto/Muromachi (~1500) Shirasaya, Koshirae or Bare Blade? : Koshirae + Shirasaya Nagasa: 49.7 cm. Sori: 1.5 cm. Moto-haba: 2.7 cm. Saki-haba: 1.7 cm. Moto-gasane: 0.7 cm. Saki-gasane: 0.5 cm. Flaws : Old hadaware fix (please check pictures) Sword Location : Poland EU Will ship to : Anywhere Payment Methods Accepted : Bank2bank wire-transfer (USD) Price and Currency : 2650$ + shipment costs. Other Info and Full Description : Hi, I'm looking to sell my Koto Bizen Osafune Wakizashi. Decent polish and very good (IMHO) overall condition. It comes with beautiful Koshirae (renovated, Fuchi/Kashira/Menuki/Tsuba/Kojiri are from early Edo period). If you are interested, please ask and I will do my best to answer. I can also post additional pictures or videos if needed. My asking price is equal to what I have paid, no earnings here.

An ō-tanto or ko-wakizashi with NBTHK Hozon to Fuyuhiro. Measurements: Nagasa: 31 cm (12.2 inch) Motogasane: 6 mm (0.236 inch) Motohabaa: 2.7 cm (1.06 inch) Blade characteristics: Deki: Nioi deki, Hamon: ko-midare Activities: chikei, shirake utsuri, koshiba Hada: itame. About koshiba: Koshiba is a feature of the hamon that you can find only in ubu blades. It is a milder part of the hamon at the beginning of the it,and it lacks a clear nioi-guchi. It can be found only be found only on 12th-13th century blades (if a natural result of yaki-ire) or on blades from the 15th century if it's designed. I have not found any evidence that it was a feature of Fuyuhiro. You can read about koshiba here: http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/yakiotoshi.html#koshiba Drawing of koshiba by Kojima Hiroshi (Kei'un Naohiro) Important remarks: 1. Boshi is not very distinct (see pics on Dropbox) 2. There is a delamination close to the mune. You can see it in my photos on Dropbox. 3. Chikei are clearly visible in the koshiba, and they are very beautiful. Chikei consist of streaks of nie and must not be confused with hada. 4. The sword comes in a shirasaya and with copper habaki. 5. The polish is sashikomi. 6. This sword is not a piece of art, but a real weapon. However, it is full of interesting activities, that are difficult to see in my pics. 7. Personally I think this might be a much older sword than Fuyuhiro. The school did not produce koshiba. Bu, to all intent and purpose, the NBTHK has "made" this sword a Fuyuhiro. The magic of papers... About Fuyuhiro: Fyuhuhiro were a lineage of smiths in the Wakasa province. The first Fuyuhiro is said to have been a pupil of Sōshū Hirotsugu. He florished in the Kōshō era (1455-1457). Earlier generations worked in hoso-suguha, sugu gunome midare and notare gunome. Later generations worked often in hitatsura. More pictures: This sword is hellishlu dificult to photograph, I heva tried my best, but the results are so-so... https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/xa3bm1jp1p12emsoc9ufp/AJdYi07qqcL6v23a3QRDqfI?rlkey=zywer9px6a1mb97hr5lcy87b0&dl=0 Price: EUR 1,050 incl. shipping to EU or US, others please ask Payment: Wire transer in EUR to a European bank account or in US$ to a US bank account (domestic transfer) Paypal possible, friends and family, otherwise buyer pays the PayPal fees on top of the price Shipping: Priority mail, registered, with tracking. Any courier service at extra charge (if they ship swords at all)

While not a masterpiece, this wakizashi offers a lot of pleasurable study. It is koto, most likely sue-Seki, but who knows, with this flamboyance it might paper to goodness knows who, if you insist on papers, that is While I dare not hope that it's Magaroku Kanemoto or Kanetsugu or Kanemichi (but who knows), I can guarantee you hours of fun analysing those sunagashi and other activities (see description below) Measurements: nagasa: 46 cm kasane: 6 mm motohaba: 2.85 cm sakihaba: 1.8 cm Hamon: Ura: kobushigata choji clusters with deep, rounded “fist-shaped” choji Omote:, the hamon is more linear with uma-no-ha (horse tooth)-like sharp peaks, and shows intense sunagashi running through and around the peaks. This asymmetry — one side being wild and organic, the other sharp and tooth-like — is deliberate and part of the smith’s design (like in Kanetsugu or Kanemichi work) Nie activity: There is dense nie, especially near the kissaki, bordering on arai-nie but without looking coarse — suggesting skilled control. Presence of sunagashi and some kinsuji-like activity (imozuru, to be precise) Boshi The boshi has midare-komi structure and hakikake in line with late Muromachi to early Edo work by good Mino smiths. Hada: Itame, coarse grain in one place as seen in the pictures The blade comes in good polish, however, the tip misses a teeny weeny fragment, hard to see when you hold the blade in hand, but blown out of proportions, so to speak, in my pictures. Also tiny teeny nail catchers in the kissaki. Again, almost invisible. But, with all that this lovely blade (which comes in shirasaya) is priced to sell. All yours for: Sold Below are pictures, I have taken them in two different light conditions. If you want to see them all, here is a Dropbox link. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/j56a8i2tghbh7l0ny3l9c/AGmJYNGmyJ0TyXzwbgQP5WM?rlkey=uoki51pyu7mi7jwrx08py30ed&dl=0

I am listing my Juyo Token blade for sale with the consent of my instructor, Tatsuhiko Konno-sensei. This is a fine example of a Taima blade (mumei) dating from the late Kamakura period. This blade was awarded Juyo Token at the 67th NBTHK evaluation. The blade comes with a shirasaya, oshigata, and a double-layer, gold-plated habaki. Type (Tachi, Katana, Wakizashi, Tanto, Naginata, Other) : Katana Ubu, Suriage or O-Suriage : Suriage Mei : (Mumei, Signature) : Mumei Papered or not and by whom? : Juyo Token, 67th NBTHK Era/Age : Late Kamakura Period Shirasaya, Koshirae or Bare Blade? : Shirasaya Weight: 610 g Nagasa/Blade Length : 61.9 cm Sori : 1.3 cm Mekugi-ana: 3 Width at base: 3.0 cm Width at tip: 2.2 cm Thickness: 0.6 cm Hamon Type : Suguha Jihada : Mokume-hada Other Hataraki Visible : Nioi-guchi Flaws : N/A Other Info and Full Description : The blade was judged as belonging to the Taima school. The Taima school is one of the 5 Yamato schools, along with Hosho, Senjuin, Shikkake, and Tegai. Yamato den swords are quite uncommon, and those of the Taima are especially uncommon. Despite (or perhaps partially due to) their rarity, Taima blades often trickle up to Juyo status. This blade has a large suriage, but the fundamental characteristics of the blade are clear to see. Namely, the polish brings out the fantastic Taima school mokume hada - on a personal note, I have studied many blades under my instructor, and have never seen one with such beautiful and apparent hada as this. The hamon of the blade is of course suguha, but has a deep nioi-guchi. I like to think of suguha hamon as a ZNKR seitei kata - though standard in outward appearance between many blades, the execution truly distinguishes masters. I hope this blade may become a fine part of your collection. Sword Location : Seattle, WA Will ship to : US (need to research for overseas, my first time!) Payment Methods Accepted : Bank Wire (open to discussion) Price and Currency : $22,000 USD This is a price I will have to consult with my instructor on, but am open to discussion. Unfortunately, given the current political climate in the US, there may be a hefty surcharge on any blades coming in the future.

Wakizashi - Mumei attributed to Shitahara Length: 54.3 cm (1.79 Shaku) Sori: 1.7 cm Motohaba: 2.9 cm Sakihaba: 2.0 cm Moto-kasane: 7.5 mm Description: Shitahara from the late Muromachi period. The blade is in immaculate condition without any hint of reshaping. It is Ubu and unsigned. Jigane is itame mixed with mokume, ji-nie and chikei present. Hamon is wide suguha style gunome with slight notare. Activities in the hamon includes hotsure, kuichigai-ba, ko-ashi, yō, kinsuji, and sunagashi. Additional photos: https://1drv.ms/f/c/...azhk4Ne9b7A?e=eNUqqc Asking for $950 USD or best offer + free shipping between USA and Canada. Will have to ship with private couriers due to Canada Post on strike (e.g. FedEx, UPS, Purolator).

ALL Japanese Swords on StCroixBlades.com site ON SALE starting now! https://stcroixblade...hop/Japanese-swords/ Additional Japanese Swords ON SALE in St. Croix Blades' eBay Store! (you don't need to be an eBay member to purchase--just Contact St. Croix Blades on our site, or by emailing info@stcroixblades.com, or calling/texting 715-557-1688). https://www.ebay.com...ificSeller=1&_sop=16 If you have any questions, let me know. Sincerely, Matthew Brice St. Croix Blades

Hi everyone, while browsing for swords, as one does, I stumbled across this piece that has in its description celebratory tanto from Muromachi period called "iwaizashi" I would like to ask studied people from this forum that would be able to explain if there is any truth to the statement ? The description states that presented tanto was made as a gift for celebratory occasions and is engraved with chiyotsuru inscription. I will add the full description with pictures below This tanto is a celebratory dagger made in the Muromachi period and called "iwaizashi," and is a rare piece that is rarely found on the market. It was made as a gift for celebratory occasions and was very auspicious, and this piece is engraved with a chiyotsuru inscription. Chiyotsuru is a school of swordsmiths that flourished from the Nanbokucho period to the Muromachi period (1336-1573), also known as the Echizen Rai school, because it was founded by Chiyotsuru Kuniyasu, a member of the Rai Kuniyasu school, who migrated to the Echizen region. Since the crane (tsuru) has been a symbol of good fortune in Japan since ancient times, it is believed that they asked Chiyotsuru, which means crane that lives a thousand years, to create a celebratory dagger. As in any other collecting field buy the thing not the story, and I really like tha blade itself but if the story proves somewhat true it would be a strong contender for my next purchase. So I share it with all of you good people here, the people more studied than my self. Have a great day everyone.

Hello I’m inquiring about the Japanese term for the hamon with such utsuri and the schools that introduced and made it. thank you j

While studying Muramasa blades, I recently came across a blade on a Japanese sword auction site (no, not Yahoo Auctions, Aucfree, or anything similar) with JTK paperwork attributing the sword to later generation Muramasa with an age around the Tensho era of Japan. I'm familiar with Tensho Muramasa (sandai), but I am unfamiliar with the reliability of the JTK. Can anyone give any insight on the validity of the blade? THe blade does appear to have tanago-jiri nakago, alongside an o-notare nioiguchi, but I lack knowledge on Muramasa's horimono, alongside the difference between Tensho Muramasa and Sengo Masashige. Any help would be much appreciated! Sincerely, Zoglet PS- If substantiated by the details, please don't snatch up the sword. Finders keepers, and this looks like a stunning blade to me (my partner happens to also love the blade's appearance)

Recently I got my hands on a koto sword in shirasaya with sayagaki from Hon'ami Nishu (recognized the kao marking), but I've only been able to translate bits and pieces of the sayagaki. I would deeply appreciate any assistance on translating the sword's sayagaki, sending what I could not translate myself. Thank you so much to everyone on here! Sincerely, Zoglet

Hello gents, I offer a beautiful Naginata Naoshi Wakizashi, that I currently received back from the NTHK shinsa in Chicago last month. The blade is mumei. The Naginata Naoshi was attributed to Boshu Nio Kiyozane, who worked in the first half of the 15th century around 1440. Here are the measurements: Nagasa: 41cm Nakago Nagasa: 12,8cm Motohaba: 2,7cm Sakihaba: 2,5cm Sori: 1,2cm Motokasane: 0,3cm The workmanship is influenced by Yamato and Soshu den. The sword was originally made as a Naginata, but later shortened to its current length, so it became a Naginata Naoshi with a shobuzukuri construction. The blade has a itame hada mixed with a burl mokume hada, which becomes a straighter Yamato style masame hada through the edge. The hamon is made in suguha notare with a deep nioi guchi of prevalent nie. This complex hamon ends in a beautiful yakizume boshi. Additional activities inside the wakizashi are yabashiri, ji nie, nijuba and inazuma. The overall condition of this sword is excellent to near mint. The old Japanese polish is quite good. There is a larger ware on one side of the blade, but it is nether fatal nor disturbing. This blade comes with a high quality edo period koshirae. The worksheet of the NTHK shinsa is included in this sale. As soon as I receive the kanteisho from Japan, I will send it to the new owner. The wakizashi stays currently with me in Germany and can be shipped worldwide with DHL premium international. My asking price is 2900€ or best offer. Payment should be done via paypal friends and family, or with a transaction directly to my bank account.

I was doing a few different things around the house this afternoon including the cleaning my Japanese swords today before the seasonal change early next week and the coming of Summer. Here are some better photos of the Koto Kanemoto Katana that I received back from the polisher in February (previous topics are in this discussion group). I am no longer a Japanese sword dealer but can still take great photos. Here are a few resized for upload to NMB. Enjoy and feel free to discuss it politely.

Type (Tachi, Katana, Wakizashi, Tanto, Naginata, Other) : Katana Ubu, Suriage or O-Suriage : Ubu or close to ubu Mei : (Mumei, Signature) : Taira Nagamori (平長盛) Papered or not and by whom? : NBTHK Hozon Era/Age : Muromachi Period Shirasaya, Koshirae or Bare Blade? : Shirasaya & koshirae Nagasa/Blade Length : 71cm / 27.95 inches Sori : 1.7cm / 0.6 in Motohaba : 2.69cm / 1.05 in Kasane : 0.8cm / 0.31 in Hamon Type : based on suguha in nie deki, plentiful ashi, hakikake boshi Jihada : itame-nagare mixed with masame and o-hada Other Hataraki Visible : ji-nie Flaws : conspicuous Masame-ware, conspicuous rough hada and o-hada, small ware near kissaki on ura side Sword Location : Georgia, USA Will ship to : Anywhere. Buyer assumes full responsibility for getting the sword through import customs and/or any legal issues with receiving a sword in the receiving county Payment Methods Accepted : Zelle, Paypal Price and Currency : $3250 USD OBO + calculated shipping Other Info and Full Description : A long kanmuri-otoshi or nagamaki-naoshi-zukuri katana signed Taira Nagamori. In shirasaya with koshirae. NBTHK Hozon. I've done my best to take useful photographs but I am happy to answer questions or take additional photos. I will be listing this on eBay at some point, but it's offered for less here minus the fees.

As promised the second addition, this one for the Bizen crowd. This sword is o-suriage mumei with gonome choji-ba hamon, ko-nie, and utsuri. The better photos are again courtesy of @Ray Singer (that may be a trend with these) with some of my own thrown in... I know I need a darker background. Happy to provide any photos of specific areas if my skills allow. nagasa 69.9cm moto-haba 3.2cm kasane 6mm There is varying opinion on attribution: The NTHK attributed the blade to Hidekage, Eikyō era; there is a remnant of an old kinpunmei (see photo) that might be mitsu 光; and a previous owner was told it could be Nanbokucho Omiya. Attributions all in the same general style but vary from Nanbokucho to early Muromachi. In hand it has a lot of heft to it. I do plan to send to NBTHK shinsa once global shipping is more reliable and will update the thread then. The blade has a lot of heft and a lot of activity to see in hand that I am not good at describing quite yet. This was a forum purchase so some of you may have seen glimpses of it before. (The black line in the boshi is a relfection, not a ware)

Hello. This is my first post here, so I thought I would start by showing off my most recent acquisition. This is a small ken. It is double edged with a suguha hamon, and is unfortunately mumei. The blade is quite tired, as you will see in the following images, though does still retain quite a nice polish. The habaki is copper, wrapped in silver, and may not be original. The entire piece is in shirasaya, which does appear to be rather old as well. Judging by the appearance of the blade and nakago, as well as some consultation with an expert, this small ken may be from the Nanboku-chō to early Muromachi Period, though I am not certain. What are your thoughts? I may end up putting it up for trade eventually. Imgur link, due to the files being too large: https://imgur.io/a/PeNGViN

I just wanted to start this new topic about the polishing of my Kanemoto Katana, which has been in the works for over a year. I just received an update from the polisher. The dark spots in the ji and ha have been cleaned, as well as the rust specks on the mune (see before restoration photo below). He is now working with the uchigomori stone for those areas, he will then move on to shiage. At this point I am so far down the "rabbit hole" I will disclose who the professional Japanese sword polisher is. It is Woody Hall who is based out of Las Vegas. Once I get the sword in hand, I will post photos to this topic on NMB. Have a wonderful week everyone.

First off, I hope those of you at the Chicago show are having a great time on day 1. Hope to make it to one once I am back State-side. For those of us stuck at home, as promised the last in the series and it is for the Soshu crowd -- This sword is an osuriage wakizashi which appears to be a Nanbokucho-period naginata/nagamaki-naoshi. With ato-bori bo-hi and the kaeri looks intact to me. Although a commenter did think it was rather a shobu zukuri tanto or ko-wakazashi. It has itame jihada with nie arcing out of the hamon becoming chikei in the ji. The hamon is midare, with some gonome-midare. Like the Bizen in #2 I do plan to send this to NBTHK shinsa once global shipping is more reliable and will update the thread then. This was also featured on the forum for purchase so some of you may have seen glimpses of it before (hint hint to those looking for a first piece, some great deals here on the NMB with some patience ). Again credit to @Ray Singer for the better photos. to everyone for taking a look, I hope the series provided some examples of various smiths and traditions until we can all get out and view more swords comfortably again. Nagasa: 41.1cm moto-haba: 31mm 7mm thick at the shinogi The sword has two old attributions: an early 1962 green paper to Naoe Shizu and an old sayagaki from Honami Koson to Sa Kunihiro. (Those are lights reflected int he boshi along the edge...)

Hello. Can anyone read grass writing? I could really use your help. Thank you! —Matt www.StCroixBlades.com

Hello all, acquired a few pieces over the past year's mix of COVID lock-downs and while eagerly waiting for the latest to arrive thought I would start a few threads to share the blades with fellow members and provide some more searchable examples of these smiths for the NMB. Also maybe start some discussion if anyone sees anything interesting. The first is a papered NBTHK TH to Ko-Mihara with a sayagaki from Tanobe Sensei. Photos are courtesy of @Ray Singer and will get an in-hand update/photos once it arrives hopefully this week… delayed due to an issue at the DPO transit point . Without a full translation yet but looks like Tanobe-sensei commented that it a representative example of the sword, dates to Nanbokucho jidai, is osuriage mumei, and yuhin (exceptional work). I had been on the lookout for a blade in this style with some helpful advice and comments on other pieces from @paulb . nagasa: 66.3cm moto-haba: 28mm saki-haba: 18mm kasane: 6.5mm The next two pieces to be posted await post-COVID shinsa but have other attributions that might spur some debate.