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2 I brought back from Japan. Nothing too amazing, but I like them.

Recent Hartman collection auction.

Hi Dale, I think that the gentleman collector that you refer to as being named adjacent to the back b/w view of the tiger is Donald Stoehr. There are a number of obituary notices for him, if the same person, but I have not seen anything that references a specific interest in Nihonto or fittings. To the best of my knowledge, the tiger pair were split ( under contentious circumstances ) in the early 2000s. It is quite likely that the original and still missing piece ended up with an east European or Russian collector after the Nagel auction. This was getting on for 20 years ago and so it could have changed hands multiple times since then. Images of the Utsushi that Ford made have been freely available on the internet for many years also. Sites like pinterest have shown it for a long time, so it is no wonder the Chinese fakers have picked up on it. Obviously, it was only after the views of the back of the tiger tsuba became known to us that it was possible to compare Ford's Utsushi with the original. The more complicated treatment of the point where the tiger sits was an interpretation of the available information from the front view ie. in that area, almost nothing. I remember having long telephone and Skype conversations with Ford about that area on the piece , and eventually deciding to go with the paws and exposed bamboo framing, all of which were very difficult to blend convincingly. As I am sure you are well aware, there is more background information and commentary to see on the 'A series of fittings' thread - for those who are unaware or would like to revisit, the relevant Item Nos. are 306 and 307. Best Bob

I also hate the term “machine made.” It gets carelessly thrown around on places like Reddit when people ask for gunto IDs. IMO the only Japanese WWII blades that can accurately be called “machine made” are Type 95s, zoheito, and possibly the navy stainless blades (I’ve never been able to find good info on how these were actually made). Typical officer showato were “hand” forged to shape from bar stock by smiths using power hammers. Every blade is slightly different, and sayas and fittings do not freely interchange. They’re non-traditional because they aren’t made of tamahagane or orishigane and are oil quenched. Not because they’re not “hand forged”. Gendai smiths used power hammers too. If the use of power hammers makes a sword “machine made,” then most gendaito are “machine made.”

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@Aegon I understand where you're coming from because I used to have the same idea when I was new to world of Japanese swords. The thrill of testing a sword’s sharpness and putting it to use can be very tempting when you don't fully understand this art. However, the more I studied and learnt, I realized that using old swords isn’t okay, unless you're living in Japan and have no other choice. These swords, crafted by skilled hands in a different time, were passed down through generations, surviving wars, conflicts, and history itself because of the careful and responsible owners that cared for them. When we use an old or antique sword, we unintentionally serve our own desires at the expense of the sword’s lifespan. Each time a blade is sharpened or struck against a target, we diminish its original integrity. In a way, the sword ends up serving our ego, rather than us being humble stewards of its history. By taking care of these swords, rather than using them, we honor the people who crafted and preserved them before us. Their care is the reason we can enjoy these pieces today. I’ve come to appreciate that my role is not be the final destination of the the swords I aquire, but to preserve them so that future generations can experience their beauty and craftsmanship just as we do now. It's not just about ownership, but stewardship and there's something deeply rewarding in that perspective Frankly speaking, with the abundance of affordable reproduction swords available for iaido and tameshigiri it would be plain careless to use anything historical for that purpose. And I wouldn't be proud to tell anyone of it, as it would only highlight my ignorance On another note, I wish you the best of luck with that tsuka and saya project of yours 👍

Make sure to open a police case. This is the only way these guys will eventually get what they deserve.

It's amazing how a little 'patina' can get museums so excited, when there are SOOO many examples from the period that are in pristine condition. 'Richly decorated' is stretching it. To spend money on a 'restoration' is a fallacy when the funds could be better spent on some high quality polishes of other blades. I find it hard to imagine what it looked like pre-restoration. Some things are just a lost cause.

I think I may have solved a mystery that caused the late Ford Hallam to "recreate" a "lost tsuba" - I believe I found that lost tsuba in Hawley's "TSUBAS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA" Page 301 of that picture book. In the book there is an odd view of the ura side of a guard which should have been flipped over - to me it is obviously the same tsuba that was "missing" or so close to it that it makes no difference. Remember the book was published in 1973 so it is impossible for the image to be of the utsushi made by Ford. See this blog from 2009 https://followingthe...-cat-out-of-bag.html What do you think? Was Hallam looking on the wrong continent and the tiger was in California all along? There is a signature on the Hawley image but it is not clear enough to read, Ford may have assumed that the small guard he had access to was made and signed by the same maker as the larger piece, but he did not have the ura view to back this up. Anyone know a collector from California by the name of "Stoehr" ? He may know of the whereabouts of the lost guard. [PS. Ever notice the title of Hawley's picture book is WRONG - no such thing as tsubas surely he knew the plural of tsuba was still tsuba!]

I think it is much better that Ford came up with his own slant on the design - makes it unique and not a slavish copy. That is the true Japanese expression of utsushi after all. Lets leave the lousy copying to the Chinese - who, lets face it, are not that great at it! [Yes I know I will never make it through immigration control if I ever visited China!]

Shannon, the signature on this TSUBA is upside-down which for me is a clear sign of a fake.

Experimenting with my new macro lens and cheap IKEA LED lighting this evening and got some nice images of the Jie formations on the Senjuin. I had to downsize the images to get them to upload onto NMB, but at native resolution they look great. Amazing how effective a $5 LED light can be. I have added the high rez versions of the images here, and a few others, to my Google Drive gallery. https://drive.google...j-eZWYtgSKfamVWFUlsO

Yoshimitsu?

No “Machine made“ is a term that I hate. Yet, it is a common term often used in the sword collecting world. After the China incident the Japanese military decided to go back to samurai styled swords, there was a massive need to produce a lot of swords to replace the old Western style sword. This created a shortage that the industry had to meet. Modern technology with hydraulic powered machines, allowed them to create more swords than they used to be able to do using traditional techniques. Steel cutting machines, hydraulic hammers, allowed Smith’s to produce many more swords per week and per month. Oil quenching allowed them to produce blades , without cracking. All of this in today’s world created the terminology of the “machine made” sword. The NCO blades used the most machinery, if you want to say it that way. They used machines to roll a single type of steel and cut it into workable sizes, that could then be hydraulically hammered. All of this process involved people that worked the machines and worked the blades. None of it was automated. All of the blades were polished by hand and mounted in fittings by hand.

和泉守兼重 Izumi no kami Kaneshige 特別保存刀剣 Tokubetsu Hozon Izumi no Kami Kaneshige was an influential swordsmith active in the early Edo period and is well-known as the master of Nagasone Kotetsu 長曽祢虎徹. Born in Echizen Province (越前国 、present-day northeastern Fukui Prefecture), he moved to Edo around the beginning of the Kan'ei era (1624–1644) and became a court swordsmith for the Tōdō family in Ise Province (modern Mie Prefecture). There is a legend that he was introduced to the Tōdō family with the help of the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, who was a personal acquaintance of Kaneshige. It is said that the two swords beloved by Musashi were inscribed with the signature "Izumi no Kami Fujiwara Kaneshige," but their current whereabouts are unknown. Regarding the workmanship, Kaneshige's swords typically feature a shallow curvature with straight hamon or gunome-midare patterns. Some blades exhibit a Mino-style undulating wave pattern mixed with pointed shapes. The steel used is characterized by a combination of "koitamehada" (small itame pattern) and "masamehada" (straight grain), showing influences from the style of the first-generation Echizen Yasutsugu. The signatures found on his works include "Izumi no Kami Fujiwara Kaneshige," "Izumi Daijō Fujiwara Kaneshige," and "Kazusa no Suke Kaneshige." Price: 18,900 USD included shipping. NAGASA：70.8cm MOTOHABA：3.1cm MOTOKASANE：7mm SAKIHABA：2.15cm SAKIKASANE：5mm If you want more detail photo . plz PM me ro send Email: kevinkuo0419@gmail.com

Hello all link to download the DTI 2024 catalog: https://www.toukenku...logue_20241010-2.pdf enjoy M.

Hi guys, with the slow pace of this thread, I have decided to steal/borrow a simular themed from tosugu. so how us your minty military gems. ill start, surrenderd in Burneo 1945 with full documation on both sides PS, I know your going to say its not a gunto, but you get the idea

Dear members, I am offering here an early Ko-Kinko Kogai with a box, around late 16th century. It is very well preserved and is made of Yamagane, as was typical for the period. The motif is cherry blossoms in sukidashi-bori over a punched background with clear traces of urushi. The back of the kogai has subtle sujikai-yasurime. Price: 285,00 €, excl postage and PayPal Kindest regards

A bold claim, along with the statement regarding a similar Tsuba in the Boston museum. "A closely related shibuichi tsuba with waves {omitting the crane and turtle} by Omori Teruhide is in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 11.5454." The tsuba. The Lanes Armoury | A Beautiful Omori School Tsuba Turbulant Sea With Crashing Waves and A Crane Swooping Over Turtle Below.. Edo Period Boston tsuba.....Tsuba with design of waves and spray – Results – Advanced Search Objects – Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (mfa.org)

Hi Brian There's no comparison in the quality of carving of the waves between those 2 tsuba. Would love to know what makes them so confident with the description. Otherwise would have expected something like "in the style of" Would be expecting those guys to have a £2500 price tag for a genuine Omori wave tsuba

It also might get flagged if the thief sells it to a Pawn Shop if you have a police report.

Hello Frank, You will get more responses if you post this in the Military Swords thread. I see that this paint has age to it, however, this is not the hue of red normally found on period correct pieces. Looks like Bubba painted it in his garage sometime post-war. The traces of red paint on the saya fittings indicate this was not done with care and thus probably not original. See the below link for often encountered period saya colors. Conway http://ohmura-study.net/904.html

I don't think you can judge much from those pics. I don't see mass produced here. Smiths were quite capable of doing very repeated and precise patterns. Just look at a good sanbonsugi hamon. The polish isn't helping evaluation here. It is obscuring much of what you would want to see including the hada. I wouldn't be confident in calling oil or water quenched from that state of polish. But Mino traditionally made can't be ruled out.

Dale You are correct about finding the image after he made it From memory there is a area at the bottom that Ford made that was more complicated/difficult to make

Kencho sama - A permit is required for art objects of a certain value - this is one time I went over budget a little...

Thanks for posting Maurice.

I can't express my gratitude about how Franco's has helped me. The fact that he loves it and is going to cherish it is my best dream. A very trusted buyer you should have no worries. Once again thank you my friend.

Type (Tachi, Katana, Wakizashi, Tanto, Naginata, Other) : wakizashi Ubu, Suriage or O-Suriage : Ubu Mei : (Mumei, Signature) : Hizen Kuni Ju Fujiwara Tadahiro Papered or not and by whom? : NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Era/Age : Shirasaya, Koshirae or Bare Blade? : Shirasaya Nagasa/Blade Length : 41.8 Sori : - Hamon Type : Gunome mixed Choji Jihada : Ko-itame Other Hataraki Visible : - Flaws : Sword Location : Tokyo Will ship to : USA,UK,HONGKONG,JP. Payment Methods Accepted : BANK transfer Price and Currency : 23,200 USD Other Info and Full Description : 肥前国住藤原忠広 Hizen no kuni ju fujiwara tadahiro On sale, Only serious buyer pls DM for asking price and details This sword was crafted by the first-generation "肥前忠吉 Hizen Tadayoshi." In 1624 (the first year of the Kan'ei era), at the age of 53, he was granted the title "武蔵大掾 Musashi Daijo" and subsequently changed his signature to "武蔵大掾忠廣 Musashi Daijo Tadahiro." The mei on this katana does not include his official title, but it is said that when the Nabeshima clan used swords as offerings to the shogunate and other important figures, they gave specific orders to omit the title, calling it the "献上銘 Kenjo-mei", a simplified eight-character inscription. The blade shows a well-forged ko-itame hada (small wood grain pattern), with clear and refined layers of ji-nie (small crystalline particles). The hamon (temper line) features a gunome mixed with choji patterns, with a bright appearance due to the attached nie.

iPhone… I just email photos to myself and it automatically asks me if I want to resize and save. Not sure if android offers this.

早春譜 – Early spring 岩本昆寛作 – Iwamoto Konkan made.

I keep seeing great Tsuba and each one reminds ne of another. Here are a couple of similar ones.

This very nice piece from @rkg

Late to the party! Attempting to get some 3D quality…

Thanks for posting this Erik I hadn't seen this item before. Other above me will know lot more than me about fine details. Unfortunately for me the blade is very uninspiring in size & shape, as well as in condition. I think the only reason for the price is that it has the den Norishige attribution. Give it something like Kodai Hōju or generic Uda (Muromachi attributions), and it would be 3,000-4,000$. I know financially this would be an opportunity for many to get a Norishige attributed blade, as they tend to go for very high prices as mentioned above. However I would personally aim for better quality & condition item for much lesser smith for that amount of money, as I would see it as much more enjoyable option.

If we are to believe all the advertising - this guard dates from Late Kamakura Period (1278-1288 A.D.) https://www.samuraim...nteisho-certificate/ this one from 1572 https://www.samuraim...k-hozon-certificate/ or something really fresh made last week https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145100278538 I guess without some form of metal dating - age is often a guess.

Well, my collection is humble. I have but two guntos: a nice gendai kai gunto by Kuwayama Kanetaka in 1944, and a fine kyu gunto with a blade that strikes me as machine made...but is in the kind of mounts I'm told were designed to take older blades. I'll do a thread about the kyu gunto some day, but here they both are, for now. (Please forgive the modern hangers and sword knot on the kai gunto; I do have an eye out for authentic ones.) I also have an NCO sword. Is that considered a gunto?

Hi Hamish Thank you for your kind words. "Only" one million yen but as someone else once said, take those ratings with a pinch of salt. I think Chris Bowen in a previous thread mention him as one of the best smiths of the showa era and I'm bound to agree. If interested here's a link where this sword is discussed. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/12684-gendaito-ota-chikahide/ This goes to show what's said so many times before, don't buy because of ratings, fame or name alone. Each sword must be judged on its own merits. Come on guys let those nice Gunto of yours coming.

Ray, I'd regret selling that one too! Great looking blade!

Not high class...

Shodai and Nidai minamoto Yoshichika with cuttingtest by hakudo

Bruce - I've been using my "Japanese Art Signatures" book for several months trying to figure it out. I can't seem to come up with anything that makes sense. I'll keep plugging away at it though!

I greatly regret selling this one. It was a beautifully made gendaito by Sa Nobumitsu with an exceptionally nice nambokucho style sugata with o-kissaki. Hopefully it's in good hands today. Best regards, Ray

Hamish - I'm lovin' this! Thanks for starting the thread! Martin - Have you gotten the Ka-mon translated? I found the bottom character is "Murakami", a Samuri name from old, but I don't know the top 2 characters.

very nice guys, keep them coming. lets try and convert a few purists. I wish to see list early mint type 32, with matching numbers below 10,000 custom shin guntos mint generals grade Kyu gunto

All are very beautifull. Great stuff!

Mine aren't "mint" either, but I love my collection, so far: Dad's Spring, 1941, Mantetsu Koa Isshin NCO Guntos: Copper handle #2643; Alluminum tsuka #92605, and Wooden tsuka #211894 Navy Takayama-to in combat saya Sukekuni April 1945 Type 3 Fuji Family Mon, unsigned Koto blade in Navy sharksin saya 1918 Otsu Cavalry Sword

Here is my Kawashima Tadayoshi. It has a field grade officer's tassel, family mon, sukashi tsuba and very rare leather covered saya. Sorry the pix aren't that great.

Nice collection Chris

I don't know if i have a high class gunto. I love my little collection. Smith: Akihisa (RJT), Naotane, Yoshiharu, Kanenori, Kanesumi.

a minty Kyu gunto with a really nice blade and sword bag