Found a new tanto :D

[bobtail44]

Just bought this tanto off a WW2 vets son. It was handed in with a few others to police by someone important after the war and he took them back to the US with him in a big box. That was all the information the son had because he had no interest in swords or WW2. When I saw it I said it take it for 2k which blew his mind. Gamble on my part but you only live once and he wasn't sure if he wanted to sell it.

I'd love to know what the horimono says as well as your thoughts on the mei. It is obviously very very old and was part of an important persons family collection.

 

Thanks

 

T Spencer

[cabowen]

Horimono reads Hachiman Daibosatsu

 

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachiman for details.

 

Is this mumei?

[bobtail44]

thats the mei

 

T Spencer

[bobtail44]

Horimono reads Hachiman Daibosatsu

 

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachiman for details.

 

Is this mumei?

 

Thanks very much for translating the horimono!

 

T Spencer

[cabowen]

I think I will leave the mei to you to figure out as it is not very difficult.

[bobtail44]

yeah but what are your thoughts on it? id love to figure out which one it is in my hawley

 

T Spencer

[cabowen]

The gimei one....

[Stephen]

gimei Masamune, still a very lovely tanto, a keeper as they would say, and hey you can say you own a Masamune!!

[bobtail44]

How come it is assumed to be gimei? I understand that there were a few smiths with that name, or were they all smiths signing someone else name?

 

T Spencer

[runagmc]

Soshu Masamune (the most famous smith of all time) is maybe the most common gimei found... so when you see this mei, it should always be considered gimei until verified by one of the sword societies...

[Brian]

It is a good point though. Gimei is always assumed in these cases. Even if there were a number of other smiths signing that way.

I can't really answer why. Probably because of the odds I guess. Far more gimei than works by these other smiths?

I would live to know how many nijimei swords have papers to some other Masamune. That might be telling indeed.

 

Brian

[leo]

For a war relic this bears a very good polish. Did it come in a shirasaya?

 

Regards,

Martin

[Dr Fox]

How come it is assumed to be gimei? I understand that there were a few smiths with that name, or were they all smiths signing someone else name?

 

T Spencer

 

I think its because that smith is considered the Holy Grail. And no one really expects to find the grail, its collectively considered that it can't happen.

[bobtail44]

For a war relic this bears a very good polish. Did it come in a shirasaya?

 

Regards,

Martin

 

Well its polish is what I would call average in hand. Due to its age the horimono has been worn down a bit through polishing. The shirasaya is very old and the most well made one I have ever seen. Id say the shirasaya is valuable in its own right. It was obviously never taken into combat but was handed into a police station in Japan at the end of the war with a few other swords. That info is from the vets son that acquired it. The others are already sold/traded away and I don't think he was even thinking about selling this one as it was one he considered very important. It has a large complex hamon that would show better if it was in better polish but is very hard to capture on my limited camera.

 

T Spencer

[Stephen]

ENJOY the Tanto and not dwell on the mei

[bobtail44]

ENJOY the Tanto and not dwell on the mei

 

I enjoy all this, from the treasure hunting to the information on it. If I keep collecting masamune blades I might get lucky ;D

 

Trent Spencer