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I did spot one cast copy and possibly two guards made for replica tachi mounts. The rest are looking OK and there are one or two I would like myself! Just a suggestion, but as we are really just temporary custodians of these things - any thought of donating them to a local museum? Along with the story of how they were found would add local value to them and keep them together. [Like I say just a suggestion]

I dont have much experience yet, but I agree with Jeff. Over the past year or so I have been searching for a nice piece from the Kamakura era that peaks my interest. Plenty of Items on my wishlist sold out quickly over the past few months, most of them between 7 - 10kEuros. Some were sitting on sites for years making me think I have time to consider carefully which one to get and suddenly a lot of them were gone. Made me impulse buy a cheap Tanto I really really liked.

Hey Guys, Thanks for the expertise, was not too expensive and still looks nice. So will find it a nice place as decoration here. Regards, Kin

Some interesting ones. That cloisonné one would do well on an auction, international bidders seem to like them.

As a casual observer, with no stats to back me up, it seems good blades at 9k and up are moving. The middle level stuff is sitting and the low end seems to be scooped up.

Does not look like KAMAKURA (or HEIAN, for that matter) at all to me. It is either a blade for a SHIKOMIZUE (仕込み杖), or (very likely) a MAGURO HOCHO (= long Tuna knife).

According to Ford Hallam, the finer AMIDA YASURI was not chiseled, but scraped with a sharp tool. Another YAMAKICHI BEI: A following YAKITE KUSARASHI treatment is very likely.

Gotō Mitsumasa (kaō)

A lot of explanation. But it is STILL what I said it is, and is oil quenched. Not a Nihonto, and common in the militaria market. Nakago makes it soooo obvious. You may not like the truth here, but it remains the truth. https://www.ima-usa.com/products/original-japanese-wwii-era-tanto-dagger-in-shirasaya-resting-scabbard-traditional-handmade-blade?variant=40457944268869 And they are wrong here too...it is clearly oil quenched. https://therionarms.com/sold/com195.html

A few more crumbs... AI now tells me that Seki-shi "Ko" (the neighborhood where this building was located) is part of what is today known as Hon-machi (本町) and Sennen-chō (千年町) near Heiwa-dōri (平和通). So I guess the building was quite close to where the Seki Swordsmith's Museum is located. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Seki+Swordsmith+Museum/@35.4824856,136.9151115,18z/data=!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x60030417b19c0539:0xa08c0b4e66285ed1!2sHeiwadori,+Seki,+Gifu+501-3874,+Japan!3b1!8m2!3d35.4830386!4d136.9134498!16s%2Fg%2F1pxyw_khs!3m5!1s0x6003043dea7ba5df:0xb88094cdce501761!8m2!3d35.4818101!4d136.9164444!16s%2Fg%2F121gzx98?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDUwNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D Maybe the old building was torn down to make space for this museum??

Many interesting pieces here and none, as far I can see, is rubbish (which is a notable in a collection)...

At Aoi we had announcement that prices goes up. Every blade is different. But no wonder that prices goes up as yen is in deep hole and it only started. Dollar isn’t in great spot itself… Yen to dollar chart:

Kin, this would have been a topic for the TOSOGU section. In my opinion. it is a tourist souvenir. I hope you did not pay much.

Golden rule that applies to all antiques/works of art etc…….of any variety…. No repair is far better than bodged repair🙂 I suspect I am “teaching granny”……🙂

Good grace @eternal_newbie You're fast. I just saw it and fixed it. The seller copy/pasted their past listing for their gakumei Norishige, mislabelling the item, and this caused utter confusion in the classification system. Thanks for the report. Best, Hoshi

Here's one the that initially seems like bugged AI but turns out to be the fault of the seller using copy&paste from other listings: #328540 (https://ginza.choshuya.co.jp/sale/gj/r8/007/00_norishige.htm). It's an 1836 naginata by Taikei Naotane described in the overview as a gakumei Norishige wakizashi (the in-depth description is correct) made in Kanbun (??). I've seen a few other similar oddities on the seller's website.

An easy repair by a jeweller with low heat. Silver solder or similar. But I wouldn't bother, nothing to be gained from that.

That idea goes easy on the old ticker, Barry, and it makes sense! Thank you. (Just having a curry made by the missiz. This one’s a hit.)

People are always looking for provenance, anything that addss a bit of real history to an object If such marks were used then its my guess they would increase value as there are many people willing to believe whether provable or not. You see some swords with inscriptions that are either dubious or impossible to authenticate with owners that believe are genuine. From time to time see this scenario and think of them as “head in the sand” owners, just a thought that arises. Oh, and there are definitely people that will collect swords just because they have been used to cut through people, rather than the main interest being the sword itself. Thats the reality of people.

I would think nothing to worry about as one could support the menuki from crushing by putting in a post, or 'blob' of something like casting in a lump of 5-minute araldite or some such, or sticking in a small piece of protruding metal that would take care of the location/movement problem. It would be a rare case where you could silver solder a replacement pin. Just an idea 'on the run' before having lunch and trying to please my missus (not misses) by getting away from the computer and doing some work outside. BaZZa.

Handle sticking out, forward of the guy in upper right, with white wrapped hand.

I think the stamped mark is dai, for size large. John C.

Was hoping someone coukd help with this blade. It’s straight? Almost no Sori. The seller says it is from the lake Kamakura period. I’m not certain. Nagasa is 63 cm…..so katana length? Could anyone help?

No way to ‘prove’ the kills. Another form of gimei?… or inflated prestige/valuation?

Recently I showed a menuki with a missing central post (tubular) to a couple of people, asking whether it could/should be replaced. The answer was no, as the use of heat would affect the gilding zogan on the front. No alternative solution was suggested. This answer was not really very satisfactory. Apart from aesthetics, is it really a problem to have a missing central post in one of a pair of menuki, or am I unduly worried? Asking for a friend from Ilkla Moor baht 'at.

Kamakura can be weird in terms of nagasa. Nothing really seen here, but it can be ko Mihara or ko Hokke interpreted by seller as "late Kamakura". Theoretically.

Kojima Katsumasa. https://www.google.com/search?q="kojima+Katsumasa"+site%3Amilitaria.co.za%2Fnmb&sca_esv=591b4a927a35bf88&rlz=1C1ONGR_enUS1136US1136&biw=1536&bih=791&sxsrf=ANbL-n6Ejze1AZosn-RvdB9Fa5Sqm8r81Q%3A1778542963645&ei=c2kCaruAJ__gp84P2ar8oAM&ved=0ahUKEwj7hcPstLKUAxV_8MkDHVkVHzQQ4dUDCBE&uact=5&oq="kojima+Katsumasa"+site%3Amilitaria.co.za%2Fnmb&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiKyJrb2ppbWEgS2F0c3VtYXNhIiBzaXRlOm1pbGl0YXJpYS5jby56YS9ubWJIvghQZVjRBXABeACQAQCYAS2gAVmqAQEyuAEDyAEA-AEB-AECmAIAoAIAmAMAiAYBkgcAoAcYsgcAuAcAwgcAyAcAgAgB&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

Interesting story. We had a birthday party at our home this Saturday, and a family member was in my workshop and noticed a sword of mine. As we were talking about it he said he had a collection of tsubas and was wondering what he had and what to do with them. His parents, years ago like in the 50s or 60s bought a home. I know, get's your heart pumping as you know where this is going. They were cleaning out the basement and found a group of swords along with the tsubas. His brother has the swords, and he got the tsubas. He sent me pictures this morning. I'm looking for guidance to pass along to him. You can feel free to message me. I think he wants to sell them because he's had them for a long time and has never known how to approach doing anything with them. Is there anything that jumps out at you as "this could be worth something?" As a group if someone wanted to put a ballpark price on them that would be helpful. Fun story, and looks like some interesting ones for sure. Thanks for your help. And if there's anything in particular you'd like to see better images of let me know and I'll see what I can do. Thanks.

小林 - Kobayashi (family name)

Noted this post from @toushin1 at https://www.nihontou.jp/ on X and thought it worth seeing what others are experiencing in their recent interactions with the Japanese Sword and Tsuba Market. Are you buying? Are you selling? Have you noticed swords are moving or prices are rising?Having you noticed a shift in market sentiment in the west or in Japan? Worth finding out what others think. 美術刀剣 刀心: "Recently, the market price of Japanese swords has been rising again. While inflation and other cost increases are contributing factors, I personally believe that increased overseas demand is a major driving force behind the price increase. Our sword shop is small, so we don't experience this to the same extent, but from what I've heard from various people, larger sword shops seem to be selling a considerable number of swords overseas. The weaker yen has increased the purchasing power of people overseas, leading to a rise in demand and prices. In recent years, it's estimated that several thousand to 10,000 swords leave Japan each year and go to people overseas. I think it's very gratifying that people overseas are showing interest in Japanese swords, which can be considered symbols of Japanese spirit and culture. Furthermore, considering the current situation in Japan where interest in Japanese culture and swords has waned and fewer people own them, I feel it's wonderful that people overseas are purchasing and cherishing them. On the other hand, I worry that if this continues, excellent Japanese swords will become unattainable for Japanese people. Or perhaps, the future where people travel abroad to admire famous Japanese swords... I fear that such a future may be closer than we think. In order to prevent Japanese swords, which can be considered the very soul of Japanese culture, from becoming something distant, I hope that more people will learn about them, actually touch them, and become interested in them. We will do our best, however small our contribution may be, and we would be grateful for your support. #ProtectJapan #MadeInJapan #JapaneseCulture #JapaneseSword #JapaneseSoul"

Here is Shodai Hoan tsuba with a yakite-kusarashi (or kusarakashi -- the term is often shortened in usage) finish. The recognizable motif of a kiri-mon may be seen in the lower-left quadrant, and others appear elsewhere on the plate. I believe the effects are achieved via the process I described in my earlier post. Florian, as far as I know, the creation of amida-yasurime was often accomplished by painstakingly careful application of the chisel onto the plate, at least in the tsuba I'm familiar seeing this presentation in (e.g. some of the Owari province artists and groups, such as Yamakichibei, Toda, Fukui). Attached is a Nidai Yamakichibei tsuba where the amida-yasurime was first chiseled into the plate, and then (perhaps?) there was some application of acid afterwards to soften the effect. This is how it appears to me, anyway.

Rediscovered this old GBF thread which shows a picture of two swords in use. Can you find the second sword? Picture courtesy of "seinen," a well known researcher of Japanese training weapons. Type 11 training MG

I see a signed John Yumoto. Someone should be interested I am sure.

What a great story. Thanks for sharing. Folks here can certainly provide a lot of information if you can provide clear enough photos (front and back of each piece). They don't have to be huge in size, but clear enough to see the details and any signatures. This one here is somewhat similar to one hanging on the yellow board. I'm 99% sure that one has a signature. Another dragon one I saw is a typical cast piece, probably with the same maker's name. Regards Damon

The 12th Orlando Japanese Arts, Collectibles & Sword Show (June 26–28, 2026) continues to grow and improve every year, and this year is shaping up to be the biggest and strongest yet. This year’s featured exhibition is “Masterpieces of the Yamato Tradition,” with a special educational display curated by Ray Singer and Joe Forcine highlighting important examples from one of the most influential traditions in Nihonto history. The dealer room is shaping up to be the strongest yet: 41 table holders spread across 60+ tables Dealers and exhibitors traveling from 12 states Seven first-time exhibitors, which means fresh inventory and new material that attendees likely haven’t seen before That combination of established dealers and new faces should make for an especially strong buying, selling, and networking weekend. In addition to swords, there will be: Tsuba roundtables Sword etiquette presentations Toyama-ryu demonstrations Hōzōin-ryū sōjutsu demonstrations Bonsai and ikebana exhibitions And plenty of opportunities to talk swords with fellow collectors from around the country One of the things that makes Orlando particularly easy is logistics: the venue is just minutes from Orlando International Airport, with hotel shuttle service available. Event Details: June 26–28, 2026 DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando Airport Orlando, Florida The hotel room block closes in 11 days, so if you’re thinking about attending, now is the time to lock things in. More details here: Orlando Sword Show If you’ve never attended, this is an excellent year to start. If you’ve been before, expect a bigger room, fresh material, and one of the best educational displays the show has hosted. Hope to see many of you there.

Thanks, Hokke. The hotel says the room block closes on May 26th so there is still time to book for reservations with the reduced rate.

Watch out there tiger :] it’s a match. https://casiberia.com/product/yasukuni-captains-gunto/sh2444 https://www.samurai-katana-shop.nl/en/katana-samurai-sword/buying-sword-paul-chen/forged-katana-sword/yasukuni-captain-s-gunto @Scoggkick it to fakes @Bruce Pennington You asked for an opinion about boxed pair like week or 2 ago. And thanks for good opinion

Selling an unpapered daito signed Takahashi Naganobu dated to 1845. Very robust with nice late edo period fittings. Has a jigane that almost looks muji, but upon closer inspection it appears to be mokume. Very nice sanbonsugi hamon in an old rustic polish. No guarantee on the mei. Koshirae fits perfectly, no movement or rattle. Sword is very sharp. Specs: Nagasa: 68.9cm Motokasane: 9mm Sakikasane: 6mm Motohaba: 3.1cm Sakihaba: 2.1cm sorii: 1.8cm Looking to get 2200 shipped, price negotiable. Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/uKQcFRSSmHRh15ne7

Hi Piers! Mr O and I. Brothers from a different mother! We looks so alike! I will miss his influence on the community. On the good side..you don’t need to hide your trasures risking confiscation 😁 Anthony

Gents, thanks for your patience. I am back from a trip. All sold menuki are now packed and will be shipped tomorrow, Tuesday 12th May. Apologies for the delay and thank you for your purchase

Hi Kin, welcome to NMB. Sorry to say I find a couple of "ODD" features with this tsuba. There is an impossible sword strike mark on the omote side above the hitsu and across the seppa-dai - - impossible because such a strike would need to cut longitudinally through the blade, unless the tsuba was struck whilst dismounted [In which case why would there be a defensive strike?] Also the hitsu is well outside the seppa-dai and would not serve the purpose of slotting a kozuka or kogai into the saya - unless the saya was massively thick. Combine this with the tagane-ato on both sides of the tsuba being identically placed, as a rule punch marks tend to be on one face with occasionally extra when one side is beaten too thin. The odd divots on the seppa-dai where the signature is engraved don't add up either. The indented pattern over the surface is a fast and sloppy way of trying to look like nanako. So for me it is a tourist piece as Jean has said or maybe a paperweight. I will keep searching and see if I can find others like it.

Will be my first time attending the Orlando show. Very excited to experience it. As a 17 year practitioner of Tai Chi (body too old and painful for my old Shito-ryu karate days ) I appreciate and look forward to the demonstration along with the swords and spears demos. Sounds like a great show.

Hey Bobby, not sure if its a typo on the flyer you posted or if Hilton hasn't updated their page, but according to the Hilton page, special rate bookings can be made through May 27th.

I've added some more details that could help I guess; weight 155g, thickness 4,75mm, height 73,20mm and width 66,25mm. The crests on top and bottom side of the tsuba are also slightly misaligned when you look from the side. Hope this is helpful.

Very much looking forward to it. Will be my first Orlando show. It’s the Yamato masterpieces that really made me want to make the trip this year. Hope to see some of ya’ll there. -Sam

Original boxed tassels that have come and gone over the years: Company & Field grade General grade Field grade Kyu Gunto

Dear Jack. I think Marcin is essentially correct. As you observe most menuki have a rectangular post with four supports at each face which is silver soldered into the menuki, as distinct from brazing. I have never noted any signs of brazing but sometimes it is possible to see that the silver solder has spread around the back of the menuki. You will see variations, some round posts and sometimes a star formed support in place of the four rectangles. The back of the menuki should be slightly radiused so that they fit well against the rounded tsuka and often you will find a depression in the same to seat the post which should protrude beyond the radiused back, the post sitting in the depression helps to prevent the menuki moving out of place under the ito and supports the often thin metal of the menuki itself. Quite often you will see menuki which have been filled with a composition to provide additional support. Given the process of forming menuki, uchidashi, then it follows that the supports cannot be fitted until virtually the end of the making process, before patination. Menuki of very thin metal, often poorly trimmed and with one or more very thin posts rather like a pin are later pressings made in large quantities at the end of the Meiji period and into the 20th century. Hope that helps. All the best.

This is what I think some of them could look like. https://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?168681-Is-this-a-Japanese-sword