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I received Markus Sesko’s translation of Fukushi Shigeo’s Tosogu Classroom Volume 4 today. Had a pleasant surprise to see my Tsuba there!

The exhibition is excellent and very extensive. its breadth and scope are such that the ten or so displayed swords play only a small part in the overall diverse narrative. Impressively, they have collated also around ten armours and as many helmets from the Royal Armouries, the Royal Collection Trust (the suit given to Alfred), several from Stibbert in Venice, Snowshill Manor (a boy suit) and clearly a very substantial private collector. The art is beautiful (excellent scrolls - some of them from 13-14c, beautiful prints including several by Hokusai, and splendid paintings, one by Tintoreto) and accentuated by numerous visual screens running film excerpts from period dramas. The abira, ozutsu, yume etc were also high quality. There is something for everyone - connoisseurs of weapons, fine art, lacquerware, Noh masks, even a gorgeous palanquin! I am sure the youngsters will be fascinated by the original Darth Vader suit lent by the Lucas Museum & Studio. I also quite liked a Toyotomi jinbaori with exotic feathers. Anyway… are there some errors in a few descriptions? Well, yes there are. But so what? The hundreds of people around me were only very briefly reading and spending more time looking, commenting and marvelling. They will hardly retain the copious and overwhelming amount of information. The overall historic representation however seemed well structured and illustrated. So, while a person with a very narrow interest in a very specific field might be disappointed, for someone who appreciates Japan and the samurai in their entirety, this is a treat.

Actually the stamps on the mune are arsenal inspection stamps - Top to bottom (名·-“Na" Nagoya Army Arsenal; ホ - “Ho” for Kokura Factory No. 1).

Khalid, the bigger question is why you would think this is a Heian blade? All the best.

That now makes 11 examples from this one Owari "Mystery master"... These clearly represent a point in time when there was an aesthetic shift away from the typically more symmetrical geometric patterns of traditional Owari and Kyo-sukashi, exploring a much looser and expressive design theory.

Yes, Nagasa: 72.0cm. The fact that it is daito length and signed katana-mei (on the katana side of the nakago) is not a good sign as far as being a legitimate mainline Hizen-to.

The sugata does not resemble Heian sugata. Personally, I would not go through the effort to see this particular sword in-hand. I think there's enough showing here to raise all the red flags necessary to make an informed decision to avoid this item. I think the blade was made relatively recently, probably outside of Japan, and in an attempt to "look old" for internet photos. All in my opinion of course. Gamble at your own risk. -Sam

It is a junker, give it a wide berth

Dear all, We hope everyone has been well. We recently had the pleasure of participating, for the second time, in the Osaka Katana-za event. It was a fantastic experience, and we would like to sincerely thank everyone who came by to say hello. It’s always a pleasure to meet fellow enthusiasts in person, and we truly enjoyed the event. Over the past few weeks, we have been busy preparing not only for Osaka Katana-za, but also for the upcoming Japan Art Fair Utrecht 2026. We are very much looking forward to meeting new faces there, as well as reconnecting with many of you again. Due to these commitments, we would like to apologise for not updating our website as frequently as we would have liked. However, we are pleased to share that we have a significant number of new items ready, which will be gradually listed over the next two months leading up to the Japan Art Fair Utrecht. We currently have over 30 new Nihonto pieces in inventory, ranging across Hozon, Tokubetsu Hozon, and Juyo-level works. If you are searching for something specific, please feel free to contact us directly. We are happy to provide detailed information, photos, and videos upon request. WhatsApp: +81 90 5616 2924 Email: info@toukentakarado.com We look forward to continuing to serve you. Warm regards, Nicholas Fu Touken Takarado

Dear John. I am sure that it could have been however I suspect that it is a late Meiji creation for the export market. Whatever it is it is certainly quite a whopper! All the best.

That's points precisely to the problem with the current system. It's set up as a sort of "dichotomous key" based on sets of relatively broad characteristics that were set up relatively early in the attempt to sort and classify tsuba. I think these criteria are too rigid and oversimplified, which directs us to put things in label boxes that are likely not correct. For example, It assumes that all "movement in design" is restricted to Shoami smiths (and some early Akasaka), which seems like a patently false assertion to me. It doesn't seem even remotely possible that they were the only smiths to use movement in their designs. So using "little to no movement in design / structured geometric designs" plus "visible evidence of folding in the plate" gets us an Owari label. This type of system does not allow for styles to evolve, unless you start throwing little qualifier words like "mostly" or "often"... which muddies the waters so much as to render the system "mostly" unusable, unless you are looking at "archetype" versions of tsuba from specific schools. To me, that's a crazy way of doing things, because it does not allow for any variation or evolution within multiple groups of smiths from large geographic areas like Owari, or take into account any aesthetic shifts in Japan's culture over time. I think I have gathered enough examples of Kanayama and Owari type tsuba that show a clear departure from the more structured geometric patterns we see in the majority of the Momoyama period, that show that a certain point in time, there was a general shift in aesthetic and artistic expression that was experienced in many regions of Japan. It was more of a general "zeitgeist" (spirit of the times) to borrow a German term that is such a good word in my opinion. With regard to Shoami specifically, most Shoami schools, where the smiths signed with "shoami", really only began in the mid to late 1600s. From various information sources, it's seems possible that the Iyo Shoami group may have started a little earlier, maybe by a decade or two. Certainly "movement" is present in many Shoami (and Akasaka) designs, but I would argue that the Shoami smiths were certainly not the originators of this type of design, but merely following in its footsteps. The designs of the tsuba I posted above don't fit with any specific style of Shoami work, and can be separated even more when you start looking at the plate characteristics, which fall entirely within an Owari type of categorization (following our supposed "dichotomous key" of classification based on broad descriptive characteristics. Also the hitsu-ana shapes do not fit with other examples of what most people view as Shoami tsuba or even ko-Shoami tsuba which tend to have more geometric shapes. Personally, I think the size differential of the hitsu-ana align better with the look of ko-Akasaka (who also had their origins from some type of Owari area lineage)... so I suspect it's possible that the ko-Akasaka and this "mystery smith" had similar Owari roots in that regard. So to make a long story more succinct, I feel that the tsuba above pre-date anything that we would consider Shoami works, and show a divergent shift within the smiths who came from an Owari area. In discussion with @Steve Waszak, we both feel this proposed period of time fits well with cultural shifts and influences that lasted a brief period of time at the very end of the Momoyama, and very beginning of the early Edo period, when there was even a rise in "distorted" modes of dress and mannerisms and went so far as to skew body posture (look up "kabukimono"). There was also a similar shift in "expressiveness" in other artisan crafts like painting and textiles.

I do not think that the “tsuka maki” was ever intended to slide off the tsuka. The fact that it has survived is a miracle because I think it is simply a continuous thick cord or twine wrap that was originally glued to the tsuka and then stabilised by a coating of thick lacquer. Possibly several coats that have then created a very rigid structure. For some reason the glue has given way and it has slid off. I have owned similar wraps on tanto…..but never had one come off!

https://www.fromjapan.co.jp/Japan/en/special/order/confirm/https%3A%2F%2Fjp.mercari.com%2Fitem%2F2JP3ZzTjeBHaSvmGRQycNb/13_1/

@Bruce Pennington my understanding with both NA and KO stamps: Na / Ho (名/ホ): externally made blades collected by Nagoya inspectors, then delivered to Kokura Arsenal, and “processed” presumably polished, in Factory No.1. Often sent elsewhere for mounting. This stamp combination started late 1941, peaked in 1942, and declined in 1943 and not seen in 1944.

Yes, what Conway said. According to @mecox, the blade was processed by both the Nagoya Army Arsenal and inspected at the Kokura 1st Factory, if I have that right. Did you get a chance to remove the brass habaki and check for a star stamp? @Scogg - Sam, want to transfer this thread over to the Military forum?

Rather than kantei papers, the pamphlet is simply an export permit for your Tadashige from the Japanese Bureau of Cultural affairs, dated Heisei 18, certifying that it will break no cultural artifact laws by its export.

Yes, unfortunately I would not put a lot of faith in the Muramasa mei however it seems to be nicely mounted in the current koshirae. I would suggest to your friend not to place the bare blade and soft metal fittings directly on a stone surface like this.

Kaneshige (no date)

Hanwei(汉威） Yasukuni guntō replica by Paul Chen (陈朝波). The tang is inscribed with “靖国为和平” (“Yasukuni for peace”). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalian_Hanwei_Metal Here is one of sword with his mei

Yasumitsu, dated November 1943.

I know I have seen it several times before (maybe even on NMB) but I don't seem to have a good image of it in my files. If you actually have the two set encyclopedia from Kanzan, that would be great, but It may have been published elsewhere as well. It's in his Owari section.

Maxime, the question is more like "Could it be SHOSHIN ?". MURAMASA is a very famous name and was often used by other smiths. If it is still a nice TANTO in good condition, I would not worry much about the MEI. You are asking 'I am curious if there is a name for this type of tsukamaki...'. Well, there is no real TSUKAMAKI. In your case, the AIKUCHI KOSHIRAE does not have a plain SAMEGAWA-covered TSUKA or a textile wrapping (= TSUKAMAKI), but something like a full cover which I haven't seen before.

No, they are often quite faint.

Neels, not much can be seen on these photos. It looks like a Japanese military sword. We have a special section for MILITARY swords where the experts will see it. The MEI (= signature) is chiseled in a hand-writing style and reading it is for our experts. The photo of it is slightly out of focus; a better one (post it in the TRANSLATION section) would make reading much easier. Detailed photos should be taken on a dark, non-reflecting background, presented as cut-outs. NAKAGO (= tang) photos always blade-tip vertically upwards, so the signature can be read. The value is determined by the prices on the market, so you will have to look there. Depending on the type of blade (machine-made up to traditionally made), the value can vary a lot! All this may sound difficult for you, but in case you expect a competent comment, the images have to be adequate.

Wouldn’t those be described as Shoami according to the idea of a „movement in design“? I also notice the different sizes of the hitsu-ana, a peculiarity frequently seen on Shoami works.

No star stamp or a trace of one. They are usually a pronounced marking.

Nice one Sam! I sure love the NCO’s! Tom

Sword is signed: Taira Sadashige and dated second month of showa 18

I would truly appreciate a photo of those kanji on the mune! Please!

和平以靖国 Peace through Yasukuni/For peace through Yasukuni

Just by way of sharing experiences with sellers. I have made two purchases in the last year or so from this seller and have been very satisfied with my dealings with them. I found them to be cordial to do business with and Yuji-san provided excellent and prompt communication. Their prices seem reasonable and the quality, at least in the purchases I made, is there. Of course one should know what one is looking at and ask questions, important in any distance transaction. Michael BC

Thanks Florian I agree 100% that there are LOTS of "particulars" that people, including the "experts" at the NBTHK, are using to make their judgements. I'm not proposing to discard everything and start over... but proposing more of a gradual refinement of pre-existing categories that were mostly conceived of by Akiyama, which essentially became a sort of ratified dogma over the years. I suspect that Akiyama's intention was to build such a foundation and have it continue to grow and evolve (especially because most of his work developed through regular meetings and discussions with other dedicated tosogu collectors at the time). I think that original intention somehow got skewed along the way, and needs a more conscious and deliberate effort to reopen the door to critical thought and grow into something even better. And that can only start with an open discussion that revolves around evidence based analysis, but also requires the participants to be aware of what has come before and what the current system is built upon. i suppose I have been pushing these thoughts on NMB for a number of years, in the hopes of pulling in as many people as possible, and hoping to push more people into this type of discussion. Thanks to digital images (even with their shortcomings due to viewing angle and lighting issues), we have access to more tsuba today than Akiyama could have ever seen in his entire lifetime... so I think it's inevitable that some of us will start to see some groupings and patterns that Akiyama did not pick up on. It's way easier for us to send each other some images of specific tsuba we have, than it was for Akiyama and his group of enthusiasts to meet in person once in a while, or send each other some oshigata rubbings! So to be honest, we can and should do more than just stay settled in with what's comfortable, and keep hanging onto those papers, even when we know the judgement seems to be off at times.

I don't think it's a Hizen Tadayoshi Gimei, I think it only a lesser known smith, what used the same name. But to be sure, you must send it to a Shinsa (NBTHK, NTHK)

I would think they are from Hanwei https://www.samurai-katana-shop.nl/en/katana-samurai-sword/buying-sword-paul-chen/forged-katana-sword/yasukuni-colonels-gunto https://www.samurai-katana-shop.nl/en/katana-samurai-sword/buying-sword-paul-chen/forged-katana-sword/yasukuni-captain-s-gunto

Either a giant has got a sukashi tsuba for sale or that tsuba came off a tiny sword! https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/406839530729

Thank you very much Hiro san!

Hi, This might be a metaphor for the games of love?（two-timing in love？） I might be cautioned by experts if I write something speculative about the content. (↓This is a very rough interpretation—just my own image. the first poem→"A horse that has run free will not accept the stirrup again." the later poem→"It was good the first time I rode it. 　　　　A young horse, once in the stirrup, cannot step back."） ( Please let me know if anything is incorrect.） 三都之内 江戸武蔵鐙 Santo no uchi Edo musashi abumi （三都=Edo,Kyoto,Osaka） 武蔵野に　 かけて遊へと 名にしおふ あふみをはまた 掛ぬ春こま　 佐倉壽美麿 musashino ni kakete asoheto nanishiohu afumi（鐙）wohamata kakenu harukoma （春駒） (NAME:Sakura Sumimaro） 大江戸に のり初よしや 武蔵あふみ かけては跡へ 引かぬ若駒　 宝館福住 ooedo ni norihatsu yoshiya musashi afumi（鐙） kaketeha atohe hikanu wakagoma (NAME:Houkan Fukuju?） The sign on the right　北渓（Totoya Hokkei 魚屋北渓 1780–1850) The mark on the left　芝山堂 Shibayama dou（publisher） （I’m an amateur, so I stay quiet when the text is difficult…!） Hiro

The sides each have different information and are not read sequentially. Hizen (no) kuni junin Yoshitada saku kore The other side converts to a date of May, 1942 (the fifth month of the 2,602nd year of the founding of the empire)

I think the collector got a good deal. I've seen them go for twice that. John C.

I took for granted the care and handling etiquette lessons taught to me by John Prough and Kodama-san [RIP both], by the NY-NJ-CT group. It is important in how you are perceived when you go to Japan and deal with dealers.

Tsuba in tsuba. A friend tells me this was the first tsuba he ever bought as a Junior High student on a trip to Kobe about 40 years ago. He uses it as a (large) Netsuke. And

SOLD

Geraint thanks for the answer! I did think it was a kijimono, didn't know those tangs were associated with a fitting style, thought it was an era distinction. Thanks for teaching me!

PRICE: €3300 (EURO) Free shipping within the EU International shipping available (extra charge: €20–40) Express insured shipping (FedEx, UPS, DHL Express, etc.) Located in the Netherlands – Pickup available Payment Methods: Various payment methods are accepted, with bank transfer preferred. Please contact via PM to discuss payment options. Any questions are welcome. Feel free to contact me anytime. PS: There is no damage to the tip of the sword; this is a piece of dust still attached to the kissaki while taking pictures (which I did not notice when taking the images). There is also a Shirasaya, as can be seen in the first image.

I'm just a new guy here, but I've had a broad taste for various historical items/collectables over the decades. I always tend to do research on educating myself about a type of item I wish to acquire a couple of years in advance, if not more. That said, when something strikes me and ticks all of my boxes, I will impulse buy. However, that does not mean I don't know exactly what I'm buying. I also tend to buy just one example of an object I want, then move on to something else. In very rare cases, I become an extreme niche collector of a VERY specific form of a thing and over decades will acquire as many as I can of it. Anyway.... Caveat emptor always applies, and most everything has a variation of a compromise, even if slight, unless you have unlimited funds AND patience. I knew about a decade ago that I one day wanted a Sengoku period nihonto. Over time, casually researching, I found myself drawn to a certain style of hamon, and jihada especially. Then via more in-depth research, I found which regions and schools and in what time periods I would narrow my search to. After this, I compiled a list of dealers/websites to monitor. Over time, I noticed trends and browsed posts online about them. All of that to say, I believe a buyer should always do their due diligence (or hire an expert curator to acquire it for them) so that they can identify attributes of an item from all available sources (written, pictorial, documentation, etc.), often contacting a seller to request additional info due to gaps they may perceive in an ad/auction/etc. It's already been said in this thread that simply over time and volume, most sellers will exhibit patterns in their listing details and feedback. In the end, it comes down to the buyer's education and the seller's integrity, should there be an issue. I made a purchase almost 5 weeks ago from Aoi, and thus far, I've found the seller to be extremely responsive, professional, and accommodating. I found the listing details and images in my swords case, to have been comprehensive enough for me to make the purchase without further inquiry. I more or less knew exactly what I was buying (signed, dated, NBTHK, condition, etc.) and anything else was just a bonus. In my case, I found the koshirae (particularly the tsuka and tsuba) to be non-offensive and complimentary. The saya didn't even matter to me at all. When the sword arrives, I expect it will be just as shown, but if there is a problem for any reason, I'm also confident this seller will not "ghost" me if I reach out with one based on our correspondence thus far and having not seen any reports of this occurring to others. Which is good enough for me, what more could you ask of a business? Of course, there are always people who will buy whatever, totally uninformed, simply based on desire in the moment and at face-value of what a listing states (truth, lies, omissions, and all - just trust me bruh). More often than not, those people are totally happy with what they receive and never think twice about it. Mostly because they just don't care or sweat the details like most of us do. At the end of the day, no one is twisting your wrist to buy anything you don't have the warm fuzzies over. If you spot something that feels off, trust your instincts and move on. - But keep in mind, even the most terrible seller could one day come across exactly what you are looking for, then what will you do....

@Mark posted this for sale back in November 2022 and the thread is now gone. To the right is what a spare hilt looks like.

And here is 300207 I think, a very long time ago, @PNSSHOGUN had asked if a consecutive number had ever been seen. This is the first i've encountered.

Thanks to Bruce's help, for the first time I have encountered consecutive serial numbers. These are on wooden handle pattern 6 swords, with the wooden saya that has the metal chape. 300207 ヘ 300208 ヘ Pretty cool to have the surrender paperwork with it too, showing it was taken in Korea in October 1945. Thanks @Bruce Pennington! -Sam