Pinmaster Posted December 14, 2015 Report Posted December 14, 2015 Ok, I expecting a good thrashing over this one that I picked up on Ebay. I did not expect to win and should have "bought books" like everyone says. Anyway, I bought this for the blade and should have waited until I had read more books. I may have 13 days to return this one and the clock is ticking. Thoughts? I have been pointed out to some good books and will order them soon. Suggested by a nice fella here on the site: Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords by Nagayama Kokan and some by Markus Sesko. The seller came here for the mei translation in November. In lieu of using this as wall art or a garden hoe... is this worth keeping or a total mess? I have been made aware that it has a lot of forging issues which I can live with as a rookie… However, if it s a “fake” and not what it was described as I may be able to return it to the seller via Ebay. Sellers’ description Auction is for an antique Japanese wakizashi sword. I've been told the signature indicates it was crafted by Fujiwara Masayuki, which would date it back to around the 1680s. Thoughts? Many thanks, Mike Quote
Mark Posted December 14, 2015 Report Posted December 14, 2015 looks like a "real" Japanese sword. It is antique, at least 100 years old, not sure exact age but 1600's a possibility. It has cosmetic flaws but I do not see anything fatal. Not a modern fake Quote
ROKUJURO Posted December 14, 2015 Report Posted December 14, 2015 Mike,it is your decision and your money so nobody can decide for you. But as far as it is possible to form an opinion after the photos alone, it looks like a genuine blade to me with some deep WARE (openings, welding issues) in the SHINOGI-JI, but in otherwise decent condition. The MEI is indeed what you were told but I have no comparison nor competence to comment on SHOSHIN or GIMEI.A full size photo of the TSUBA would have been nice. The NAKAGO-ANA has suffered a very bad treatment with a rasp, it seems. That may lead to the assumption that this 'ensemble' was put together from parts that were at hand.But again, depending on what you want and what the price was, the package as a whole might be o.k. Quote
Pinmaster Posted December 14, 2015 Author Report Posted December 14, 2015 looks like a "real" Japanese sword. It is antique, at least 100 years old, not sure exact age but 1600's a possibility. It has cosmetic flaws but I do not see anything fatal. Not a modern fake Ok, I may hang on to it and use it as a know better next time experience. I just wanted an antique blade and if it is 100+ years old I will hang on to it and move on to an upgrade later. Quote
Pinmaster Posted December 14, 2015 Author Report Posted December 14, 2015 Mike, it is your decision and your money so nobody can decide for you. But as far as it is possible to form an opinion after the photos alone, it looks like a genuine blade to me with some deep WARE (openings, welding issues) in the SHINOGI-JI, but in otherwise decent condition. The MEI is indeed what you were told but I have no comparison nor competence to comment on SHOSHIN or GIMEI. A full size photo of the TSUBA would have been nice. The NAKAGO-ANA has suffered a very bad treatment with a rasp, it seems. That may lead to the assumption that this 'ensemble' was likely put together from parts that were at hand. But again, depending on what you want and what the price was, the package as a whole might be o.k. Thanks for that information Jean C. I have included a pic of the whole Tusba (both sides) Quote
Stephen Posted December 14, 2015 Report Posted December 14, 2015 The holes can be filled. check Kunitaro sans service. Quote
Greg F Posted December 14, 2015 Report Posted December 14, 2015 Hi Mike, Good to hear you are investing in books. Do you have the tsuka and saya? Any pics if you do. Cheers. Greg Quote
Pinmaster Posted December 15, 2015 Author Report Posted December 15, 2015 The holes can be filled. check Kunitaro sans service. Hi Mike, Good to hear you are investing in books. Do you have the tsuka and saya? Any pics if you do. Cheers. Greg Thanks Stephen, would this blade be worth a polish? I will look into Kunitaro San Greg, I have posted pics below. The only interesting item to me is the Fuchi... it is copper and has good patina. The scene is of a monkey, a water buffalo, rabbits, and maybe a rat lol. The Tuska looks new and the menuki are copper but are very simple in design. Let meknow what you think please. Many thanks, Mike Quote
Grey Doffin Posted December 15, 2015 Report Posted December 15, 2015 I doubt very much it makes sense to buy a polish for this blade. Leave it as is, enjoy it for what it is, and when the time comes to move on (and it will) you won't be too far under water. Grey 1 Quote
jason_mazzy Posted December 15, 2015 Report Posted December 15, 2015 its an old blade in fine polish. I'm not sure what you paid but if not too much you have a nice study piece and an authentic samurai's sword. Quote
Pinmaster Posted December 15, 2015 Author Report Posted December 15, 2015 its an old blade in fine polish. I'm not sure what you paid but if not too much you have a nice study piece and an authentic samurai's sword. Thanks right now it is a $500 learning tool it seems. Quote
Nihonto Chicken Posted December 15, 2015 Report Posted December 15, 2015 For $500, you did okay. Beginner's luck? If so, don't count on it again, buy and study books as you indicate you will. Dunno whether the mei is shoshin or gimei, or whether it really matters for this blade. The sword appears to be in decent polish, not worth considering a repolish at this time. The ware (lamination openings) are in the shinogi ji, so less detrimental than if lower down near the ha. Now if they are from overpolishing (skin steel worn away, exposing more coarsely laminated core steel), then that's a bad, often considered a fatal flaw. If on the other hand they are just imperfections in the skin steel, then while somewhat detrimental, they're not a show stopper. I suspect the latter is the case. Enjoy the outfit, and when you're ready to move up based on better knowledge, you may well break even on this item. Good fortune. Quote
SAS Posted December 15, 2015 Report Posted December 15, 2015 At that price I think you did well. Polish is fine for this level of sword. Enjoy it and use it as a milestone in your nihonto experience. Quote
Shugyosha Posted December 15, 2015 Report Posted December 15, 2015 Mike, At that price you've done OK. Lot's of people on here have done worse when starting out and I'm one of them. Best, John 1 Quote
Greg F Posted December 15, 2015 Report Posted December 15, 2015 Mike the only thing I would do apart from keeping the blade slightly oiled is maybe have the tsuka rewraped. For $500 you have got a deal. Read up and enjoy. Cheers. Greg Quote
Geraint Posted December 15, 2015 Report Posted December 15, 2015 Dear Mike, Not much to add except that the fuchi is almost certainly iron, and that I would go for a rewrap with perhaps a better horn kashira. Looking forward to your next one. All the best. Quote
Pinmaster Posted December 16, 2015 Author Report Posted December 16, 2015 Now that the site is back up and running... I wanted to thank everyone that replied. Very nice of the folks here to share their knowledge and experience. Quote
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