Is this sword what I think it is, or is it better than I thought?

[Mark Millman]

Folks,

 

I have what I believe to be a gunto with factory-made blade (of the 1.200-per-year variety, rather than an elite artisan's 2-per-year or a mass-production factory's 12,000-per-year) with a marked nakago.  It's been suggested that the blade may be better than I think it is; the person making this suggestion recommended I ask for opinions here.  I note that he did not tell me his reasons for thinking it's a better blade than I think it is.  He only said, "This has many signs to me that it might be of a higher quality . . . ".

 

I've attached photos, in particular of the inscription on the tang.  It seems to me that it's been cut with a chisel rather than engraved, which to me suggests that this blade is no better than I think; but I'll appreciate any insights you have to offer.  Also, in addition to some old corrosion the blade appears to have been badly polished, so that there are fine scratches along its length and the hamon that I'd otherwise expect to see is not visible; so I'm afraid that you're not likely to get many clues there.  If these images don't show enough detail, please feel free to ask for higher-resolution ones . . . though those are too big to post more than a couple here, so I'll probably have to e-mail them to you.

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

 

Best,

 

Mark Millman

[Shamsy]

Hi Mark,

 

You'll find a lot of very knowledgeable people here who can help. They will be able to give you advice on photographing the blade and identifying the Smith.

 

I will caution though that you should place the blade on soft material for future photos. Blade care and etiquette is a large priority on the site.

 

I myself have only a passing knowledge of nihonto, so I'll leave you in others hands.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Hi Mark looks like an older Shinto blade in nicer early Type 98 mounts. Need better shots of the tang and signature to tell you more.

[Mark Millman]

Dear Shamsy,

 

Thank you for your concern.  Does linoleum not count as a soft material?  You'll note that in the other shots, the blade remains in the scabbard.

 

Best,

 

Mark

[Mark Millman]

Dear PNSSHOGUN,

 

I've tried to attach 3-MB versions of the nakago images to this post, but the site seems to automatically reduce their size to 85 kB, despite the implication of the attachment instructions (which say that a post can have a maximum of 6.75 MB of attachments, with a maximum single-file size of over 6 MB).  If you'd like to see higher-resolution photos, please PM me with an e-mail address to which I can send them.  Also, if you'd like to have other images, you'll have to tell me what to shoot.  I was only concerned with getting clear and legible photos of the inscription in these pictures.

 

Best,

 

Mark

[David Flynn]

Something (no) Kami Hiroshige.

[Austo1]

Hitachi no Kami Mune Shige

Circa 1600's

[Shamsy]

I had to look up what linoleum is (in Aus it's shortened to lino - we shorten everything, stops flies getting in your mouth ), but I thought it looked like porcelain tiles in the picture. Anything reasonably soft, clean and free from heavy chemicals is good. Lino isn't too bad and it sounds like you might have a nice, traditionally made sword there.

[David Flynn]

Better eyes than me, Doug.

[Brian]

Dear PNSSHOGUN,

 

I've tried to attach 3-MB versions of the nakago images to this post, but the site seems to automatically reduce their size to 85 kB, despite the implication of the attachment instructions (which say that a post can have a maximum of 6.75 MB of attachments, with a maximum single-file size of over 6 MB).

Images above are around 500kb, which is more than enough for nakago images. You don't need 3 meg pics.

Mind you, it helps to crop so that 80% of the picture isn't background.

The attached pic is 1000x1800 pix, and is only 200kb...and shows that this is more than enough for general use.

[Ed]

Yep, signed Hitachi no Kami Muneshige. Two generations worked approximately 1661-1704. Shoshin or gimei = ???

 

Unless you have a better than average camera and understand how to use it, shooting against a white background is one of the worst choices you can make.  The camera sees the white background and in turn the subject comes out dark (see your photo).

 

Here are some tips in the event you ever try again.  http://yakiba.com/Article_PhotoTips.htm

[Stephen]

Floor is a floor it doesn't matter what material, its very disrespectful to put it on the floor. Its for feet to walk on hence the disrespect.

[Mark Millman]

Dear Stephen,

 

Regrettably, there are unavoidable constraints involved. Namely, the floor is the only place in my apartment where even mediocre photography of sword-sized items can be done. Also, do not practitioners of JSA place their swords on the floors of their dojos? Clearly, there is some question of context.

 

Best,

 

Mark Millman

[Mark Millman]

Folks,

 

Thanks to all of you who provided information about this blade's origin and history; its quality is (as you can tell from my initial post) an unexpected bonus. I greatly appreciate your kind help.

 

Best,

 

Mark Millman

[Stephen]

No coffee table? Dining table? Bed?

When you learn to take photo's you wont have to be so far away. JSA place the sword beside or in front in respect. Stick around you'll learn. Have fun.