sword help!!

[Crosiv]

i have a sword given to me by a friend, just wanting to know if it was worth putting money into.

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J. Rose

[sanjuro]

Hi whoever you are.

 

Two things:

1. Please sign your name to your posts as per the rules of the forum.

2. A sword consists of a lot more than just the nakago that you have shown in your photographs. The signature means nothing without the rest of the blade since it could be a false signature or perhaps not. Photographs of the entire sword and detail of the point, the temperline etc are necessary to give you some idea if the sword is worth restoring.

[Crosiv]

first, sorry about the signature, i have never posted on a forum before now, and thought it did it automatically. second, here are pics of the sword itself.

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J. Rose

 

Pictures downloaded, edited, cropped and resolution reduced by Admin. Folks..we really don't need pics that are 1400x1200 size, 480 dpi, and mostly show carpet. Please optimise pictures.

[sanjuro]

J.

 

Now we have something to work with........... aside from the signature that I have not translated, you have what appears to be a suriage blade (cut down in length from the tang end). The curvature, long point and high ridgeline suggest it may be an older blade. As to the restoration of it, only a polisher can do the job required and remove all the rust and accumulated rubbish on the blade. Others here will probably add to what I am saying, but initially you need to clean this blade and re oil it to prevent further deterioration. In the FAQ section there are instructions on how the cleaning and reoiling should be done, and what you will need in order to do it properly. If you run into problems, ask and one of us will give you a run down.

[John A Stuart]

It looks like a blow torch has been used near the monouchi. It is a Bungo (Hoshu) sword made in Mie, it looks sort of like Shigenaga (hard to read, need better pics ). John

[Crosiv]

with the rust, it is hard to get better pics, would it help if i drew the inscriptions and posted them? if not, is there a better way to make the inscriptions stand out better without compromising the sword? i did try to put bigger pics on the board, however they were too big and not supported. if anyone needs the bigger pics, i can email them to them. and as far as the burn mark, yes a blow torch of some sort has been applied to the sword (not by me or my friend, done before it was ever given to him). the reason for the burn mark (as far as i can assume) is that there is a bend in the sword and this was an attempt to repair it. this is why i am trying to find out as much as i can about the sword to see if it is even worth fixing.

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J. Rose

[sanjuro]

If that is the case, then the sword is ruined. The torch would have destroyed the temper. They can be retempered and polished but you end up with a very different blade from the original and the process is not cheap.

[Crosiv]

well, i guess it's a good thing i didn't pay any money for it then. however, the curiosity is still eating at me. i don't want anyone to waste any time that they don't have, but if they happen to want to calm my curiosity, i would love to know more about the sword for history sake.

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J. Rose

[Justin Grant]

I can't tell by the "bluing" of the "torch" section. It depends on how hot they got it when trying to repair if it did any damage. But Keith is most always correct, and it can be a killer to the sword, and as he stated, it can be repaired, but will present a completely different sword in the end.

 

I would say a trained polisher will know.. Start there.... PM for names.

Justin

[Veli]

Hi!

 

Darn hard to see, so I am just drafting here:

 

Hoshu Sanju ju Kaimoto (X X )Yukihisa

 

Dated Keicho (roku?) nen (hachi?) Gatsu Hi Yukihisa (August 1601)

 

Anyone see better?

 

BR, Veli

[John A Stuart]

Hoshu Sanju ju Kaimoto Fujiwara Yukihisa. Good eyes, Veli. John

[Veli]

Hi John,

 

Omote might also read Yukinaga... The heating damage looks bad, unfortunately...

 

On the ura, there is still something after Yukihisa: X Saku???

 

BR, Veli

[Stephen]

is it heat dammage or reflection..i cant tell

[reinhard]

My guess would be:

 

Hoshu Mie (no) ju Kai hon Fujiwara YUKINAGA

 

Keicho roku nen ...gatsu hi YUKIHISA...saku

 

meaning:

 

Fujiwara YUKINAGA, resident of Mie in Bungo province, originally from Kai province

(this is probably the YUK 351 (first generation) in Hawley's compilation)

 

Sixth year of Keicho era (1601)....month, day, YUKIHISA....made this

 

Eventually a joint work (gassaku).

 

reinhard

[Nobody]

My guess:

 

豊州三重住甲斐本藤原行長 (Hoshu Mie ju Kaimoto Fujiwara Yukinaga) - Fujiwara Yukinaga of Kaimoto living in Mie of Hoshu.

Kaimoto is the name of the smith group and also the place where they lived.

 

慶長六年 x 月日 行久之作 (Keicho roku nen, x gatsu-hi, Yukihisa kore o tsukuru) - In the x month of the 6th year of Keicho, Yukihisa made this.

[Crosiv]

i appreciate all of the info and help, however, i still have no idea if this sword is worth putting any money into. if someone has any idea of it's worth (don't need an exact cost, just an approx. cost), then i can determine if i want to spend the time/money on it. i would also like to know if it is a semi-rare sword, or common sword. thanks to all who have spent their valuable time on this subject.

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J. Rose

[Lee Bray]

Whilst John's opinion is a valuable tool and a great resource(seriously - no condescension on my part), I'd have to say that one picture of a stain on the monouchi taken from a distance should not dismiss the sword.

It may be heat, it may be rust, it may be some muppet decided to try and cold blue the blade and had second thoughts.

I just noticed the admin crop of the pics so maybe the details were viewable earlier but I wouldn't write it off just yet because of that.

[Veli]

Mr. Rose,

 

Did I understand correctly that there still is a bend at the location of the supposed burn mark? Is the supposed blowtorch damage equally visible on both sides of the blade?

 

BR, Veli

[Lee Bray]

Ah, I overlooked Mr.Rose's comment on the burn mark and bend and stand corrected.