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I am feeling trapped by a pair of fat-tailed squirrels so I have decided - naturally – to share my situation with this fine community. The beasts that are vexing me are a really nice pair of menuki (Ezo style, I’d say) that came to be with a nice katana koshirae but that retain NO HINT of the original wrap. The fact that the menuki were not lost amazes me, but there they are. And I am not a menuki fancier, but these guys look darn good. They are so nice, indeed, that I have never pushed ahead with getting the tsuka re-wrapped. Are there menuki TOO GOOD to use? Peter

My eulogy was supposed to have been posted to the website for the Kokusai Nihon Katchu Bugu Shinko Kyokai. Unfortunately, the person in charge of the administration was not doing his job, and our previous site has come under hostile control. The dangers of trusting people with such responsibilities. What most people don't know is that it is frowned upon to make such announcements without permission from the family for at least 45 days of the passing. I will be visiting his grave in the next week as it is the proper time to do so. No replies are necessary. If you choose to read thank you. The eulogy: My name is Andrew Mancabelli I work under the name Miura Anjin . This name was given to me by my teacher, Miura Hiromichi (sometimes referred to as Miura Kouhou), a Japanese armor maker, with ancestry of the Miura peninsula. I am his successor. His teacher was Morita Asajiro, a craftsman who was born of and studied under samurai artisans who could trace their art back to the Edo period. He is survived by two sons with their spouses and two grand sons and a grand daughter. Miura sensei was born in June 1938 and passed away shortly after his 84th birthday July 2022. He was a designated intangible cultural property of the greater Tokyo area, Itabashi Ward. The only armor maker to hold such a Title. I spent half of my adult life in close proximity to Miura Hiromichi as his understudy and during that time I probably knew him better than anybody. There was not a more loyal person to him than myself. Japanese relationships are a very complex thing and difficult to understand especially for a foreigner. Most foreigners who spend time in Japan never really understand how they are viewed by Japanese people, or even by those who they assume to have developed an intimate relationship with. I had enough fights, sit downs and cry-throughs with my teacher to be able to say that I did have a deep/intimate connection akin to family. The way he treated me on many occasions reminded me of how my own father treated me growing up. I say this because I knew Miura Hiromichi intimately, his ins and outs and his difficult points. Rather than write a bunch of generic facts that are commonly known about him, or the circumstances surrounding his death for an obituary, I think it would be better to share some stories that most people DONT know about him as a “eulogy” to paint a fuller picture of who he was in the greater context of the world and leave a more personalized version of his character while he was alive. This is what I would want done for me upon my death, and I think that he would appreciate it. Some are stories he told me and some are stories that I witnessed first hand. Miura sensei was a very handsome man in his youth. He loved movies and Hollywood and actually tried out for a movie in Japan. In those days they chose actors based on appearance. He showed up with 300 other young guys. They divided them into groups based on how handsome they were and slowly made the cuts narrowing it down to the cream. he made it to the last three. They took his phone number but in those days his family only had one phone and if you missed the call, you lost the role. He always said that he must have missed the call or somebody was on the phone when they called. Incidentally the guy who got the role became very famous. I remember when we did a TV show with Kayama Yuzo (famous for Sanjuro, Akahige, etc.) Miura sensei told him the story. (At that point i heard it a million times) Yuzo said jokingly that Kurosawa told him to be a singer because his acting was no good. Anyway it turned out to be very good advice. He was born the year of the tiger 1938 and died the year of the tiger 2022 shortly after his birthday making a perfect full circle. People say that a tiger leads a generally solitary life and has a ferocious temper. Though he occasionally liked to party, Id say it is relatively accurate. I’m pretty much the same and it’s probably why we understood each other. He had two police medals. Miura sensei once stopped a robbery and on another occasion stopped an assault. In each case, he helped the police to apprehend the criminals and was awarded a special medal for his service both times. Mainoumi the famous sumo wrestler broke his stool. When Mainoumi visited for a TV interview, he spied the Edo period campaign stool in his house and asked if he could sit on it. Miura sensei said yes its strong go ahead. The leather broke and he fell flat on his butt. It was the one time he didn’t get angry for somebody breaking his things. He was friends with emperor Akihito. There was a little seen photograph in his living room of he and his wife with the emperor. It is very rare because the royal family as a rule does not sign signatures or allow photography. However, miura sensei’s son Nagato attended Gakushuin University and became best friends with Akihito’s second son. They played on the same softball team together and during the matches they would converse. Miura sensei always said the emperor came over to make conversation because his wife was so beautiful and he wanted to talk to her. He knew Yukio Mishima. In the 1960s Mishima would attend the annual re-enactment festival. He was often making the rounds between Traditional cultural activities and craftsmen. At the re-enactments, Miura sensei carried his helmet and dressed him in his armor. He once told me; “I always knew there was something wrong with that guy. Japanese people’s eyes curve down like this, but Mishima’s eyes went up like this!” He had a fiery temper. There are few who know that better than myself but the funniest episode was when Takada Nobuhiko (the pro wrestler) did a show with us. Miura sensei blew up over something and Takada san immediately stood at attention. Then afterward Takada san turned to me and said “That old guy is scary isn’t he?” I answered “You get used to it.” He also yelled at several Television stations crews and kicked one out of his house. They still came back. Usually with beer and sake. Though there were a few people who visited from time to time, he only had one deshi (understudy). He said the longest anybody lasted (aside from myself) was a couple weeks. (He was very critical and harsh in his standards) Before becoming an elementary school teacher, his second son helped with some projects, but he only had one deshi that he gave dokuritsu (“freedom”- an artisans right of passage) his named successor, Andrew Mancabelli, or as he called me “Anjin”(he couldnt pronounce my name properly) he said that I should use the name Miura Anjin and gave me permission to use his family name. Miura Anjin koubo is the living legacy and the name of my company. Though he worked and became famous for Japanese armor, he was very interested in western armor as well. He thought about being a western armor maker but his older brother Shigetoshi beat him to the punch and so he became a Japanese armor maker. He never stopped his adoration for western armor and kept a small collection. He hated crowded trains and attributed his inspiration to work from home to the crowded commutes into inner Tokyo which he despised. He was in the Japan self defense forces. Once when we participated in shooting matchlocks, he boasted about his training with the M-Garand in the self defense forces when he was younger. However, when he shot his first matchlock, he was so surprised by the smoke/explosion , that he dropped the gun and ran away with the match still attached to his wrist. He never shot a matchlock again. Incidentally, the same day one of the other participants nearly shot himself in the head. Luckily the bullet only went into the roof of the range. He could be in the guiness book of records for completed armor life works. In his lifetime he completed between 30-40 solid works. Most people dont understand that a yoroi can take years to finish and smaller projects can take many months. The parts and materials are difficult to find and extremely costly without a sponsor. He he likely produced the most o-yoroi of any armorer since the Muromachi period. He was uncompromising. He was known for walking out of a restaurant after one bite of food if he thought it was not up to snuff. His sons told me that once when they were very hungry, right before they got the food in their mouths, he said “Its no good! Dont eat it! Lets go!” And they left(he actually paid the bill but left the food). This same level of scrutiny was held to his own work and like me, he was a perfectionist. He paid extra for the best materials. His words to me were that there were “No Shortcuts”. I live by those words. He loved western culture. Especially American movies. In his latter years when he couldn’t leave his home, we would watch some classics such as quo vadis, ben hur, shane, etc. and he could even sing a broken version of several western movie themes that he tried to teach me. He had a Cowboy hat that hung on his wall, and when we were on a trip in Dallas, Ann Barbier-Mueller took him to a western store. He wanted the southern grey infantry hat which he wore from then all the way home. You should have seen the looks he got. People couldn’t figure it out the Japanese guy in the rebel hat. Ann also bought him an extra large size holster which he adjusted to his size once back in Japan. I always wondered if he put it on when nobody was looking and practiced drawing. He loved the knights of the round table, and the era of chivalry. I can’t help but think that if he could choose a time and place to be reborn it would be medieval Europe as a knight. He never had a mobile phone. He didn’t really need one as he spent most of his time at home working, and his customers contacted or visited him. I can’t really imagine him having used a cell phone actually. He loved his wife very much. He often told me about her. When I first met him, he was in a very bad place. He had all but stopped making armor and I can’t help but feel his depression was due to the tragic loss of his wife. He credited his success to her as she was the bread winner for the family as a piano teacher until he got himself established. She was very patient. After he started teaching me he came out of his slump and produced the last series of work in his life which was a group of helmets based on various insects that he liked. One thing that most people can’t imagine is that my teacher took a lot of criticism for teaching a foreigner. Certain people constantly attacked me and my character without even knowing me simply because I wasn’t born Japanese. Some so called friends stole his materials or manipulated him to sell them to prevent me from getting them, and some even claimed that they made it themselves. It hurt me that he was not able to stand up for me due to the racist politics in the community, but the fact that he taught me and named me his successor speaks more than words. And regards to the taken items: he told me that I didn’t really need them because I was capable of making and doing them myself and the people who took them were NOT capable. And that I was entrusted with what was important: his knowledge and legacy. I have enshrined what I could of his material culture in my library and have made it available to researchers or aspiring craftsmen. These stories are just a few stories of my life with my teacher. If anyone would like to hear more, I’ll be would happy to tell more in person. I just hope that I have helped the people who were interested in his life to know more sides of him. I know that when somebody passes, people may try to use their death for political purpose. I know that he would have liked to greet his friends who he knew and respected once more. And the rest…. he would have said that he didn’t care to hear their opinions at all; be they good or bad. Japanese Version: 三浦先生へのユーロジー 現在、三浦按針の襲名で活躍しております、アンドリュー・マンカベリーです。この襲名は、恩師であり、甲冑師であり、三浦半島に祖先を持つと言われる、三浦公法氏から受け継ぎました。私は彼の後継者であります。 彼の師匠、森田朝次郎氏は、江戸時代まで遡る侍職人から学んだ甲冑師であります。 三浦先生の遺族は二人の息子さんとその妻、二人の孫息子と孫娘一人です。 1938年六月生まれ、2022年七月、84歳の誕生日後まもなく亡くなりました。 甲冑師としては大変稀である、東京都板橋区無形文化財に指定されています。 私は、人生の半分を三浦先生の弟子として過ごし、彼の一番の理解者であり、とても忠実な弟子でありました。日本においての人間関係は、外国人にとって大変理解しがたいものであります。日本での滞在経験が豊富であり、日本人と親しい関係にある外国人であっても大変難しいものです。私は、三浦先生と度々口論し、時には涙を流すときもありましたが、私にとっては家族のような存在でした。三浦先生の私に対する態度は、私自身の父親を思い出させるようなものでした。私は、三浦先生の良い日も悪い日も知っています。彼の弔辞に書かれている様な一般的に知られている三浦先生ではなく、ここでは、私自身の経験と、他にはあまり知られていない三浦先生について語りたいと思います。私があの世に逝った後は、こうありたい様に、三浦先生もきっと喜ぶはずです。一部のストーリーは三浦先生が語ったものであり、また一部は私自身が経験したものです。 1. 若き頃、三浦先生は非常にハンサムな方でした。映画、特にハリウッド映画が大好きで、かつて、日本の映画のオーディションを受けたそうです。彼の若き時代は、俳優は才能や経験よりも容姿の良さで選ばれていたそうです。そのオーディションには３００人ほどの若い男性が集まったそうです。彼らは容姿の良さで分類され、最終段階まで絞れらていきました。三浦先生はなんとファイナル３まで残ったそうです。最終選考にて選ばれた男性は電話があるということでしたが、昔は携帯電話など無く、家庭に電話一つという時代であり、取り損ねると役を失うといった時代でした。三浦先生は、映画会社からの電話を取り損ねたか、家族の誰かが電話を取ったために役を逃したと、常に信じていました。偶然にも、そのオーディションで最終選考にて選ばれた男性は、後に有名な俳優になったそうです。俳優の加山雄三さんとTV 出演した際に、三浦先生が、自身のオーディション経験を彼に語っていたこと今でも覚えています（この時点では私は何百回も聞いていました）。雄三さんは、黒澤明監督から、役者としてあまり良くないから歌手になれと言われたエピソードをジョーク交じりに話していました。結果的に彼に取ってとても良いアドバイスとなったそうです。 2. 三浦先生は1938年虎年に生まれ、2022年寅年、誕生日のすぐ後に亡くなりました。寅年生まれは孤独を好み、かんしゃく持ちであると聞きました。割合に的確だと思いますが、時折、宴会好きでした。私も良く似た性格の持ち主なので、彼と気があったのだと思います。 3. 三浦先生は二つのメダルを警察から授与されています。一度目は、強盗を阻止し、二度目は暴行を阻止したそうです。事件の後も警察に協力し、犯人の逮捕につながったので、特別なメダルを警察から授与されました。 4. かの有名な相撲力士、舞の海関が三浦先生の腰掛を壊しました。舞の海関が三浦先生へのインタビューの際に自宅を訪れた際に、彼は、江戸時代の陣床几を目にし、座っていいかと尋ねたところ、三浦先生がいいですよと言って、舞の海関が座った途端に革が切れて、お尻からばったりと倒れたそうです。この時だけが、美術品を壊されても激怒しなかった唯一の出来事でした。 5. 三浦先生は天皇陛下明仁と親しい仲でした。三浦先生の居間には、彼と、彼の奥さんと、明仁天皇が一緒に写っている写真が飾られてありました。一般の人と写真を撮ったり、サインしたりということは皇室のルールでは認められていないので、その写真は非常に貴重なものであります。三浦先生の息子さんが、明仁天皇の次男である秋篠宮と学習院大学での友人であったそうで、彼らのソフトボールの試合では三浦先生は天皇陛下明仁とお話しすることがあったそうです。三浦先生の奥さんは大変美人な方だったので、天皇陛下自らがお話にきたと、三浦先生はいつも誇らしげに当時の出来事を振り返っていました。 6. 三浦先生は三島由紀夫と面識がありました。1960年代、三島由紀夫は、例年行われていた、日本の伝統芸能や職人に関わる時代祭に度々参加していたとは、よく知られていました。三浦先生はそれらの時代祭にて、三島由紀夫の兜を運び、彼の甲冑着用の手助けを行っていました。三浦先生は、当時の三島由紀夫に対し、 “やっぱりアイツは何か違う、おかしかった。普通の日本人の目はこっちによるでしょう（指で目尻を下げて）、でも、アイツの目は（目尻を上げて）こうなってた!” と、振り返っていました。 7. 三浦先生は、時に激しい気性の持ち主でもありました。それを知っているのは私を含めてわずかしかいませんでしたが、そんな中での面白いエピソードとして、プロレスラーの高田延彦さんとテレビ撮影を行った時でした。三浦先生が何らかの理由で激怒した際に、高田さんは困惑した様子で私に、“あの爺さん、怖いね”とこぼしていました。私は何気無しに“慣れてきますよ”と答えました。 さらに三浦先生はテレビ局のスタッフを怒鳴りつけ、その上スタッフの一人を家から追い出しました。 そんな仕打ちにもかかわらず、彼らはその後も多数のテレビ番組のために戻って来ています。ご機嫌とりとして、ビールとお酒を持って来るのが通例となりました。 8．三浦先生に学ぶため数々の生徒が訪れたものの、最終的に彼の弟子となった者は一人しかいませんでした。（私を除く）一番長くもった生徒は二週間だったそうです。三浦先生は職に関しては、弟子であろうが自身であろうが、大変批判的で厳しい方でした。三浦先生の次男が小学校の先生になる前に、三浦先生の仕事を手伝っていた時期もあったそうですが。しかしながら、三浦先生から最後に独立（職人の通過儀礼）を与えられ、後継者として認められた弟子は私、アンドリュー・マンカベリーだけであります。現在私の職人名である三浦按針の名は、三浦先生自らが、自身の三浦姓と私の名を組み合わせ、私の弟子として最後の日に与えられたものです。三浦先生は私の名前、アンディーを正しく発音できなかったため、私は彼からいつも“アンジ”と呼ばれていました。三浦按針工房は現在私の職場であり、彼のレガシーでもあります。 9. 三浦先生は日本甲冑師として名を馳せることになりましたが、実は西洋甲冑にも大変関心がありました。西洋甲冑師を志してみたものの、兄である三浦權利(しげとし)氏に先を取られ、日本甲冑の道に進むことになりました。その後も西洋甲冑への愛着は生涯続き、小さいながらも西洋甲冑コレクションを楽しんでいました。 10. 三浦先生は、満員電車が大の苦手で、東京首都圏への通勤をひどく嫌っていたことが、将来自宅で働きたいという決断に至ったそうです。 11. 三浦先生は自衛隊に所属していました。数年前、火縄銃射撃に参加した際に、若き頃自衛隊で行ったM１ガーランドの訓練を皆に自慢していました。しかし、彼が、最初 に火縄銃を撃った際に、あまりの力強さと煙に驚愕し、火縄銃を落とし、火縄が彼の手首に巻かれた状態にあったにも関わらず走り去ってしまいした。その以後、三浦先生が火縄銃に触ることはありませんでした。同じ日に、他の参加者が自身の頭に向かって発射してしまったそうで、幸いにも弾丸は 屋根の高さ程までしか飛ばなかったそうです。 12. 三浦先生が生涯に制作した甲冑の数は、ギネスブックにのるべきほどの数でありました。私の知っている限り、彼が生涯の制作した甲冑の数は、30〜40領でした。 鎧製作には数年、小さな部品には数ヶ月かかるということを大抵の人達は、知りません。様々な部品および材料を調達することは、スポンサー無しでは非常に困難で費用がかかるという事実を皆さんに知って頂きたいです。そのようななかで、複数の甲冑を完成させた甲冑師は、室町時代以来、三浦先生だけであると思います。 13. 三浦先生は、全く妥協しない、頑固な人でした。レストランで、彼の注文した料理が彼の口に一口でも合わなかった場合は、出ていくという頑なさ知られていました。三浦先生の息子さんの思い出では、レストランにて大変空腹だったにも関わらず、彼らが注文した料理を口にする前に、三浦先生が “まずい、ダメダメダメ、食べるな! 行こう!” と言って店を後にすることが度々あったそうです。(料理に手をつけないにも関わらず、勘定はいつも払っていたそうです) 。これらの出来事からも理解できるように、三浦先生の完璧主義は自身の職人業にも、弟子へも要求されました。私自身も妥協知らずの完璧主義者なので、彼は素晴らしい師匠でした。三浦先生は、最上級の原料や素材には惜しみなく代金を払っていました。彼のいつもの口癖は“近道はないよ！”でした。この口癖は、私の人生の指針でもあります。 14. 三浦先生は、西洋文化、ウエスタン、特にアメリカ映画が大好きでした。晩年、三浦先生が外に出ることが億劫になっていた頃、クォ・ヴァディス(Quo Vadis)、シェーン(Shane)、ベン・ハーなどのクラッシック映画をよく一緒に見ていました。数々のウエスタン映画のテーマソングを途切れ途切れにも歌うことができ、私も教わりました。 15. 三浦先生の壁には、アメリカ、ダラス滞在中、アン・バービエ・ミューラーさんに案内して頂いたウエスタンストアにて購入したカウボーイハットが飾られてありました。三浦先生は、南北戦争中、南軍兵士が被っていた灰色の帽子がとても気に入り、ダラスの空港から日本に到着するまでの間、ずっと被っていました。その姿はとても滑稽で、米南部兵の帽子をかぶった日本の老人を周りの人々が不思議に眺めていました。さらに アンさんからプレゼントされたXL サイズのホルスターを、日本に帰国後、自身のサイズに仕立て直していました。誰も見ていないところでピストルを抜く練習をしていたのかもしれません。 16. 三浦先生は、アーサー王物語、円卓の騎士、騎士道をこよなく尊敬していました。もし生まれ変わったら、彼はきっと中世ヨーロッパの騎士として生まれ変わることを望むでしょう。 17. 三浦先生は生涯、携帯電話を持っていませんでした。自宅で働き、外に出ることがほとんどなく、顧客は彼に直接連絡し、訪問していたので、ほぼ全く必要なかったようです。とは言っても、彼が携帯電話を使っている姿は私には想像できません。 18. 三浦先生は、今は亡き奥さんをこの上なく愛していました。いつも彼女のことを話してくれました。私が三浦先生と最初に出会った頃、彼は心身ともに良い状態ではありませんでした。彼はその頃、既に甲冑作りから離れていました。最愛の奥さんが亡くなって生きる気力を無くしてしまったのでしょう。三浦先生は、自身の甲冑師としての成功は彼女の手柄であるといつも私に語っていました。彼女はピアノの先生として、三浦先生が独立するまで家計を支えていたそうです。大変辛抱強い方のようでした。私が彼の弟子となり、修行が始まると、彼の甲冑作りへの情熱が舞い戻ったようです。その後は、 彼の最後の集大成となる、彼の好みの昆虫をモチーフとした数々の兜を精力的に製作していました。 あまり知られていない事実として、三浦先生は、外人を弟子にとったことにかなり周りから酷評を受けていたことです。私が日本で生まれ育った日本人ではない外人という理由で、他人だけではなく、知人からも、私と三浦先生への非難は絶えることがなかったです。三浦先生の友人を名乗る人々が、彼の作品が私の手に渡らないよう、彼をごまかして低価格で彼の作品を購入したり 、彼の作品を盗用盗作し自らの作品だと言い張ったりと、やりたい放題している様を見てきました。排他的で人種差別的である甲冑職人の環境に立ち向かうことが出来ず、私へ対する批判に表向きに立ち向かうことが出来なかった時が度々あり、思い出す度に心が痛みます。しかし、三浦先生が私を弟子として受け入れ、一人前の甲冑師になる為に時間と知識を費やし、最後には彼の後継者と認めてくれたという事実は、どんな言葉や約束よりも意味深いものであります。 先にふれました、三浦先生の盗用、盗作された作品につきましては、三浦先生曰く、彼らのような職人には自ら立派な作品を製作する能力がないのでこういう悪事を働くのだということです。私には自分で立派な作品を生み出す技術があるのだから、あまり気にするなと言ってくれました。三浦先生の知識とレガシーを受け継ぎ、甲冑師をして良い仕事をしてゆくことが、私が後継者として委ねられた任務です。甲冑研究者、および将来の職人希望の方々の研究目的ために、私のライブラリーには、三浦先生が残した数々の遺品を祀ってあります。 これらのストーリーは、私が恩師と過ごした人生での、ほんの一部の逸話であります。もしよければ、その他のエピソードを別の機会に喜んでお話しさせて頂きます。このユーロジーが、多く人々に、あまり知られていない三浦先生の一面を紹介し、彼の功績を知っていただく機会になればと願っています。三浦先生は、きっともう一度、敬愛する同志に最後の挨拶をしたかったはずです。その他の三浦先生があまりよく思ってなかった人々に対して、良し悪しに関わらず、彼らの意見などどうでもいいというでしょう。

Hello everyone, just realized I forgot to post an introduction here! My name is Christian (you can call me Chris ). I currently reside in New Haven Connecticut. I was introduced into Nihonto through my interest in Japanese martial arts (used to do Judo and now practice Brazilian Jiu Jitsu). Very new to the subject and very eager to learn as much as I can from all of you fine folk. Please feel free to correct me if I ever say something wrong or suggest something incorrect, I'd like to be a good student and am always open to advice! I'm currently working through reading a the topics from the FAQ and looking for some of the recommended reading on amazon and the like so I truly am very very new to the hobby. I am the custodian of a single piece (a mumei wakizashi) and am currently mostly trying to be a good custodian for it. The community seems great so far and I am very excited to participate here!

Bookends https://www.jauce.com/auction/b1085576207

Dear All. Late to the thread but I have just come across this one, https://sanmei.com/contents/media/A29297_T5672_PUP3F.html Seems like it might have something to offer here. All the best.

Hello from a sunny windy UK. I really like this tsuba. It also left home at the same time as my previously listed wasp nest piece but now, along with the wasps, it has also returned, and here it stays. I was so pleased to get it back. The beasts are depicted in nice crisp detail and very high relief with a somewhat grumpy demeanour and overall the tsuba is a bit of a weighty handful. The colour is a consistent very dark brown, almost black in some light. Your ideas re age, school etc would be most welcome. I have found another similar piece that looks to have been spoiled by later harsh gilding and I know there is a separate thread for these critters but I was trying to get as many opinions as possible hence separate thread. Thanks for looking. H8.3cm W7.9 cm Thickness 6.5mm

Very interesting koto tanto with a long dragon horimono much in the style of Bizen Kagemitsu. Fine itame hada and bright notare-based hamon in ko-nie with some fine sunagashi. The blade appears to be suriage but has a mei of Jitsu’a. Markus Sesko's bio for this smith is below. The blade has old Koshu Tokubetsu Kicho ninteisho, but needs to go to Tanobe-sensei and/or the NBTHK for a more current evaluation. At minimum, I agree with the time period, that this is plausibly a late Kamakura tanto and one which shows high quality workmanship. JITSU´A (実阿), Karyaku (嘉暦, 1326-1329), Chikuzen – “Jitsu’a” (実阿), “Jitsu´a saku” (実阿作), “Chikuzen no Kuni Umi Jitsu´a saku” (筑前国宇美実阿作), according to tradition the son of Sairen (西蓮) and the father of Ō-Sa (大左), some sources list two generations Jitsu´a and forward the following approach: The 1st gen. Jitsu’a was supposedly working around Ninji (仁治, 1240-1243) and Kangen (寛元, 1243-1247) in Bungo province and belonged there to the local lineage of Chōen (長円). The son of this 1st gen. was Sairen. When Sairen moved from Bungo to Hakata (博多) in Chikuzen province, his son followed him and eventually settled in Umi (宇美) and this son was the 2nd gen. Jitsu´a. Anyway, we only know date signatures of the second year Karyaku (1327), the third year Genkō (元弘, 1332), and the second year of Kenmu (建武, 1335). His blades have a rather wide mihaba, itame-nagare with a tendency to shirake, the hada can also stand out, the jigane looks soft, the hamon is a suguha with kinsuji interwoven in the ha-hada along the habuchi, Jitsu´a signed the character for “Jitsu” in the old manner (實), jō-saku ◎ $6,500 (plus shipping & PayPal). Please message me or email me directly with questions at raymondsinger@gmail.com. Best regards, Ray

Chris, thank you for your introduction and welcome on board the NMB! The subject is contagious but fun!

真 is a valid variant of 真. So 政真 is fine for Masazane. But... I can't find this smith when I do a quick search online.

Hi Peter, That set has a look and a patina as well as a feel of both age and real use. You may well be looking at a set that is quite old (pre Edo or early Edo period). Personally I could be inclined to “honor” their maker and their original purpose in using them in a re-wrapped quality Tsuka. When ever you handle your Tsuka you will enjoy the connection that is transferred through all that time that has passed. In April 2022 the tread below discussed similar Menuki. All the best. Soren

I think the ohmura study clarifies this by saying " there was a first class mounting and a second grade mounting" probably due to the officers ability to pay . And limited resources at the time. A note to Mr Malcolm Cox: I stand corrected I meant no disrespect only found it that in respect to toyokawa swordsmiths there is so little known about them.

@Bruce Pennington @Jcstroud "in retrospect pg 10 of Malcolm Cox s pdf about naval stainless toyokawa circled anchor stamped blades states no blades of this sort were found after 1944 and only two were signed !! ?????" your statement is out of context....there is a note below the table which means not found in this current compilation, it obviously does not mean "ever found any where in the world at any time"!!!

Yeah, I can think of about 1000 reasons why. Here's another one I dug up. Similar, but a little different flavor, yet with another crude nakago.

Looks like 渡辺吉武: Watanabe Yoshitake, a Seki tosho

@Bridges I have had several of these and they have always had a low quality, crude blade in them (see attached photos). I think the chances of scoring an old nihonto in this kind of koshirae is extraordinarily low. I think it's more accurate to call the tsuba and saya 'crudely mass-produced' instead of 'civil'. @Bridges I don't like to comment on other peoples deals, but I would recommend being wary of some of the valuation advice you may be getting here. Feel free to reach out directly with questions, happy to help.

Hi there! My Aunt's dad apparently received this sword at the end of WWII from a Japanese officer while he was serving there, and I have been appointed the task of researching it. I know nothing about Japanese swords but I thought it would be a fun challenge. However I have already spent two weeks on this and I am desperate for some help. Firstly, I apologize for not knowing all of the Japanese terms for everything, I'm learning. *Some of the gold inlay had fallen out so I used a drawing app to fill in the missing parts on these photos. So far I believe it is saying "in the Autumn, leap 8th month of Genna", sooo like 1623-1624ish? However, I'm unsure of the era because the second kanji of what I think is Genna (元和) is written as 味, not 和. I am lost already. I could be sooo wrong about this, but I think the next kanji, 雒, is referring to Kyoto? It's an alternative form of 洛, which according to Wiktionary (I know, I know) is often used to refer to Kyoto. The next one, I have NO idea about. I've spent days hunting around. It looks like a trident. After that, I believe 䑓野重 is referring to Rendaino, an old cemetery established just north of Heian-kyō, famous partly for being the site of one of Miyamoto Musashi's battles. As for the rest of the line, I'm too burnt out to try, especially as I have no idea what that last character is. Please help?? And for the sword-smith, I recognize 伊賀守作 as Iga no Kami made, but isn't this only referring to the title of the sword-smith and not specifying who it actually is? Is this even real or am I wasting my time? Any help would be much appreciated! *Also I'm awaiting pics of the blade from my uncle. Thanks so much, Mickie

A recent study sword this past weekend a wakizashi-size sword signed tachi-mei NOBUHISA. The sword has good age, possibly Kamakura, based on the nakago. Interestingly, The mei appears above a very old (original) mekugi-ana as was often done on early swords. The sword is a little machi okura which make this "original" ana set 4-fingers down from what would have been the original ha machi, again an early trait. The sword has had nice nie hataraki brough out with finger stones running along a slightly narrow hamon of, let's call it a midare hamon. Utsuri can be seen "hanging down" from the narrow shinogi-ji. I have no photos of the sword because of its out-of-polish condition. A knowledgeable opinion was expressed earlier judging the sword to possibly be a ko-dachi of the Mokusa-kaji who made swords in Mutsu Province since Heian times. My question today is where to find more information on this group of swordsmiths. I found several listed in the Meikan but being in Japanese text, I cannot read these entries. An interesting sword that may eventually be sent to Japan for answers and restoration, if that's warrented. Any comments will be most welcomed, especiatlly where to find additional info on this Mutsu group. Ron STL

Good find Geraint. Definitely a locking mechanism on that tanto!

Yes, I think its four (四).

Very interesting find Geraint, thanks for sharing!

Bruce : In response to speculation on page 46 of the leathernecks magazine you find a quote"they have a cold disdain for mass produced machine made swords" It seems understandable at the time.

Hello Colin H., Nice tsuba and in answer to the above questions I think your tsuba looks to be the work of the Ito School of Musashi Province (around Edo) circa the late Edo Period early to mid-19th Century.

Thanks Mal! J & J - I finished surveying my files. I have 28 souvenir on file. 25 with Anchor stamp; 3 no anchor Of the 25 - 17 had smooth kabutogane; 2- unknown; 6 Textured kabutogane (none with sakaura) Of the 3 - all 3 were textured, and 1 had sakura on the sides and top. So my theory is disproved. We're back to not knowing if the different kabutogane styles mean that Tenshozan was using surplus (textured) and making new (un-textured); or is there a possibility that Tenshozan and Japanese Sword Co, were making souvenirs; or Tenshozan made them all, but had a couple or 3 parts suppliers (Japanese Sword Co could have been one of them).

JC: Sorry for any confusion. I was trying to follow-up with Bruce's postulate. As far as the existence of a souvenir sword, there is no doubt. The documentation speaks for itself. As to whether or not one could have been carried into battle... I guess nothing is impossible. I can think of one scenario where a soldier might buy a souvenir sword at a PX in 1950 then get sent straight to Korea. Or be in Korea in 1950, go on leave to Tokyo and buy a sword then. I suppose he could then carry the souvenir sword into battle. But that is a lot of "ifs" and frankly not very likely. John C.

Looks like an o-suriage hirazukuri wakizashi... Would truly need an in-hand examination and maybe a window?? BaZZa.

Boy that Nakago would be a real bummer to see.

Don't feel bad for me Dave, I paid a lot less than what I sold them for. Cha-ching. But that does give me some extra insight in knowing what they are truly worth. Not really what I collect per se, but if one is sourcing late war variants, ya kinda gotta embrace the misfortune?

Ed, listen to John & Rob. 天皇 = Tennō = emperor. 昭和十七年 = 1942. @Shamsy

Ed: I think this post may need to go into the Fake Type 95 NCO thread in the Military Swords forum. Not sure if these pics are already over there. John C.

Sean, Taking care of Japanese swords is a challenge. "Former glory" and "period correct" are easier to say than they are to address. In fact, a nice Higo shinto like your sword may have had a couple of different sets of fittings at any one moment, not to mention replacements as owners and tastes changed. There is NO simple answer to what a good, middle rank sword should/did/might look like. As the current owner, your tastes matter. You get to decide what style/fashion/type you prefer. And, in any case, restoration is NOT something you can do. You need an expert's skills and the advice of a dealer who can (for a price) provide you with fittings that are right for 1) the sword,and 2) your plan. And be patient! Finding the people and the pieces needed for this project will take a long time. It will happen away from you and will follow a schedule that you do not command. You will probably want to meet other collectors who can help you find and make the contacts you will need. Oh, and that is FUN. You may even discover other stuff that you will want! Peter

I use https://www.librarycat.org/. It is powered by Library Thing. Great for books in English, as I don't have books in any other language, I don't have any experience on how it works with them. Personal accounts are free.

Piers, my story was just about luck and money. Yours is about pleasure and enjoyment and the ghosts of times past. That is indeed the true power of art. Wonderful words.

Reminds me of an experience many years ago at an antiques stall in Fukuyama. There was a drawer stuffed full of rolled, bent and worm-eaten ukiyo-e prints. I had a quick look and saw they were 12 Utagawa Kunisada prints telling the story of the Kanadehon Chushingura. (47 Ronin) Quickly I decided to buy them, and the dealer rolled them up and stuffed them in a bag for me. Later I walked round to a temple nearby where the priest always let me park my car. He was a famous collector of Edo Bidoro glass, Chirimen-e, etc., who used to lend his collections to museums around the country. As I rang the bell and thanked him for letting me park, I showed him my purchases. He opened the bag and shouted, "Who wrapped these in newspaper!?!? Take me to the dealer at once, and I'll give him a piece of my mind! These are 初刷りShozuri first runs", I remember him saying. He threw the newspaper wrapping onto the ground in disgust. Nothing like the story above, I agree, on another level, but I was happy, and spent many happy evenings repairing them with removable backing of colo(u)red washi paper to disguise the worm holes. Coming up for air occasionally I saw this old house through Edo eyes, a time slip that enveloped me completely as I walked the corridor to the habakari closet. The power of art! *The artist name escapes me and I don't have them here with me at the moment. Toyokuni Kunisada? Found this which looks the same, with the zigzag edges. Kunisada Utagawa 1786-1865 - 47 Ronin - Kanadehon Chushingura Act.1 - artelino

This blade is dated Meireki 2 which means that Kunimichi was 81 years old (the last known blade of him is from meireki 3), so it could be a daimei. I have my little idea.

Hi, Theme is: One of eight views of Edo(Tokyo) suburbs. Autumn Moon on the Tamagawa river.

Really nice example with excellent detail, congrats

Good evening Colin, Lovely and rather cool tsuba. I really enjoy your postings, taste and the invitation to flex one’s mind around the art of tsuba. And this one with the design and motive of a Tiger-fish got me to remember a another design with a rather cool Tiger-fish Kabuto (helmet). Could be the beginning of collecting a full set of Tiger-fish armor, armaments and fittings 😜👍 All the best Soren

Hi all, Sorry a bit late into the conversation. I shoot an original Teppo in competition here in the UK. Most of us here shoot originals as they are well built and nicely proportioned. Below is my target from last weekends National competition at Wedgnock Ranges in Warwickshire. 50m Off Hand. This scores as a 91. Best Jon

Hi Dominik, Utagawa Hiroshige Autumn Moon on Tama River Original was c.1838

This one just ended recently, and sold for some big numbers, but I'm not surprised. Looks even better than the Owari one from the Tokyo museum that Steve posted.

July of Meiji 36(?)............but those numbers are messed up. If it's 36, (but with that one shot it's not really possible to be definite), then 1903.

This Daisho has now been SOLD!**

Dear Miura san, The papers used for Christies upcoming auction are not made by your organisation in Japan??

Miura san, First time I have heard of this issue here, and thank you for bringing this to our attention. You can count on the forum for support, please let me know either here or in private if we can assist any any other way. It did not take much research online to see that the UK organization is run by David Thatcher. I'll leave it at that. https://suite.endole.co.uk/insight/company/14572429-kokusai-nihon-kachu-bugu-shinko-kyokai-limited https://uk.linkedin.com/in/yoroishi Quite a predicament.

If it can help, after a quick research i found a company registered in the UK with the name "KOKUSAI NIHON KACHU BUGU SHINKO KYOKAI LIMITED" here https://www.companysearchesmadesimple.com/company/uk/14572429/kokusai-nihon-kachu-bugu-shinko-kyokai-limited/ As you can see there's also the following address : 10 John Street STRATFORD-UPON-AVON CV37 6UB Which is a building owned by https://leighgraham.co.uk/ So you might question them about it

(zaimei) Yamashiro no kuni Rai Kunitoshi Hon'a + Kao

Now this guy doesn't look very cute! Freddy Krueger meets the Wolverine! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_weasel Kamaitachi (the slashing sickle-weasel that haunts the mountains) from Kyōka Hyaku Monogatari [what is he, an early model leaf-shredder? ]

Kind of scary if you think about it. Not far off for a monkey to figure out that sharp metal can be used as a weapon. One figures it out and he shows all his friends. Get shanked by a monkey.....

Being stuck up on the roof gables in all weathers?

You never see a happy Shachi - what got them so upset!