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Hello, everyone! I'm Liang. I currently live in Spain, although I am originally Chinese. Because I grew up using Chinese characters, it is somewhat easier for me to recognize and understand certain aspects of Japanese writing and culture. Since childhood I have always been drawn to finely made objects. Over the years I have enjoyed collecting different things, including amber, Leica cameras, silverware from Britain, the United States, and Denmark, as well as various forms of metalwork, sculpture, and some pieces of militaria. And of course, like many boys growing up, I have always had an interest in knives and firearms. Through this interest in craftsmanship I eventually discovered Japanese sword fittings. I find tosogu truly fascinating — the level of craftsmanship can be extraordinary, and the variety of subjects, schools, and techniques seems almost endless. It feels like a field that one could study and appreciate for a lifetime. While trying to learn more, I came across this forum. I have been reading many discussions here and I really appreciate the atmosphere and the knowledge generously shared by the members. I hope to learn from everyone here.

Yes, it’s an acid etched blade. Sometimes blades like this are encountered with bohi in Kyu Gunto mounts. I have a similar example in good condition early type 94 mounts. Mine is devoid of any markings on the nakago. It’s nice to see another example.

Those are some very nice pieces I would love to have in my collection, gimei or not! Everyone wants the authentic signature but as long as the piece is high quality, I don't think it matters too much.

VERY GOOD POST BY COLIN> This is my favorite _half gimei_ Purchased in 2007. Now Tokubetsu Hozon NBTHK. Signed on the front by shodai Norisuke. Signed on the back by nidai Norisuke with his early signature "Norishige". It bounced around Europe for many years as a gimei. I bought it and studied it. Over time and with Tanobe-san help, I came to feel that the 'gimei' mistakes on the front were consistent with the nidai's handwriting. This design was known to be one of the last ones done by the shodai. There is a dated one on record. As the shodai lay ill and dying one winter, it seems the nidai finished the work and partially forged his adoptive dad's signature. Thus, it passed shinsa as a daisaku finished by the nidai. If we didn't have extensive records of the shodai and nidai, this one would have been declared "GIMEI' by the public at large. Judges things by the workmanship. Some people collect signatures, but sometimes you just have to appreciate a finely made piece and ignore the signature. I too like the kozuka of Kansan sweeping. Some of the gold inlay, [on his leggings] is the work of someone very skilled. Nice kozuka. Workmanship is good. --You get sick of it, I will trade you something for it.

Welcome, and glad to have you on board. Feel free to share some of your other interests in the Izakaya. We have lots of members interested in your other hobbies too.

The question should be, “Can anyone read this eccentric (highly stylized) brush writing?” It’s not easy, Chansen. From a quick glance this is an appraisal carried out in Heisei 2, for a “wakizashi, mumei , Tsunahiro, Sagami no Kuni Jū”. There are a couple of notations (?) and the length of one Shaku and… 3(?) Sun.

Yes, I completely agree. If I am remembering correctly most of the photos of soldiers with Wakizashi are in China. Well, I bought the photos in China at least. I think I have a few more photos somewhere...

Hello everyone, I have a strong interest in Japanese sword fittings, especially kozuka. This is my first post here and I would like to share two pieces from my collection. Both kozuka are signed “Joi”, but they do not have papers, so I am not sure whether the signatures are genuine or gimei. The seal on the left kozuka (the Kanzan sweeping scene) is inlaid on a raised silver plaque. I would really appreciate any opinions or comments from more experienced collectors. Thank you. Liang

Mate - have you ever watched Border Security? Here is Australia we have screening and inspection down to an art form.

It is a typo - it is NYUDO (= Buddhist layman).

Welcome, Liang

Matt: What I really like about your pics is that several show ordinary soldiers with wakizashi sized swords as well as a pilot with a regular sized sword. Helps to dispell the myth that a shorter sword is necessarily a "tanker or pilot" sword, as proffered by so many sellers. John C.

Just me or does anyone else prefer to view the Oshigata images flipped landscape? Helps me blow them on the big screen to look at them a little more closely - although this is only valuable if I have a good resolution... to echo @Lewis B we need more high res images and I would love to start seeing some of these original images appearing online rather than scanned images as the problem with scanned images unless they come from actual photographs you start to see the printing dots.

... and a video of this blade from the Masamune no Sono Ichimon 2024 exhibition Sorry for the quality, the lighting conditions were limited https://eu.zonerama.com/Nihonto/Photo/14796705/599892574?secret=4mw04Yf9fo7i2EYh32MPkN3JO

Reading this story reminded me of an anecdote shared by Ted Tenold many years ago on this very board: I remember a story relayed to me about a Japanese swordsmith that was a visiting guest here in the US. He has made a few small tanto while here and was signing them the morning after a long night of libation. As he was inscribing the mei, he made an abrupt stop from his pace. He grunted and shook his head obviously annoyed by his misplaced strike of a single stroke. Looking up at the observers he laughed lightly and said, "In two hundred years, this is gimei!", then went back about his business. https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/4357-signature-comparisons/#findComment-38825 Useful reminders that for all their artistry and consistency, the great artisans of old were still human and subject to the same pressures as us; a slip of the hand, a bit too much sake the night before, the infirmity of age and sickness.

Hi, Liang. Neither signature looks perfectly coherent with what's reported in Sesko's "Signatures of Japanese Sword Fittings Artists", but the quality of both kozuka seems quite good to me. Since I've no experience about Jōi pieces, I refrain to comment on the genuinity of your kozuka.

Absolutely, yes. And having two large monitors next to each other means I can view most blades at "actual size" (playing with the zoom until the on-screen measurements match the measurements in the description) across the two of them. "Actual size" in quotes because the proportions will usually be at least slightly warped due to the perspective of the scanner bed or camera lens.

Fun fact: apparently ABC (the American ABC) are now producing their own version of this!

I am looking for a shinsakuto tanto in good condition My budget is set at around $1000 USD I am looking for a blade that fits my tastes, ideally gunome hamon, small to no sori, and itame hada I understand that this price range is optimistic, and I am open to any and all advice

Warrant officer in Manchuria with type 19. John C.

Grev, Hikone is a famous castle town in Goshu (the province of Ohmi) to the east of Kyoto and Lake Biwa, formerly residence of the Ii(ii) Daimyo family. In that castle town area were gathered a line of artisans which came to be known as the 'Soten'. We had a thread here recently on this subject. Authentification advice - Tosogu - Nihonto Message Board

Any markings or stamps on the nakago? My guess is this is a zohei-to.

Hi @David E, I’m going to relocate this to the ‘wanted to buy’ section.Best of luck with your search for a tanto. Best, -Sam

The unmistakeable Kotekiri-Gō.

Agree with Brian. Tanto and kirikomi are not a thing (that I have ever seen). (Now waiting for a seasoned vet to pull out a picture from a 47 year old newsletter. :-P)

Hamon is etched? Thanks for all responses. So helpful here.🙏🏻 Again, sorry for the bad/eyesore pics earlier.

No worries Harvey. Instead of putting them through a resizing program; sometimes cropping the image, or taking a screenshot on your phone will get them small enough to post. Although, as far as I can tell, everything looks good. Looks like a nice cutout tsuba. Interesting scabbard paint. What about the sword made you suspect forgery? Best of luck, -Sam

I'll post some of mine.

Whilst I love seeing high res Oshigata (although at the moment we are very much the scan rather than the original source generation) I wish we had more videos like this. Absolutely transforms the way we see and understand blades on the web. Invaluable for how we learn about and can appreciate blades from a long distance. Wish museums and the NBTHK would pick this up and do it professionally for all the swords of note in their collections and that pass through their doors.

And one of the best photographs available - the 1961 Masamune no Sono Ichimon exhibition

Kosetsu Samonji was published twice in Token Bijutsu and also twice in the En version of Token Bijutsu Here is the better En version

I’m inclined to agree that it’s too thin to be a bokuto. I’m not sure, but is there a difference between bokuto and chato? Yes, it’s got age. No, it has no holes.

Hello again ladies and gentlemen, on offer is a wonderful and exceedingly rare Den Oshu Hoju katana, of the nearly mythical Mokusa school. Type (Tachi, Katana, Wakizashi, Tanto, Naginata, Other) : katana Ubu, Suriage or O-Suriage : Ubu Mei : (Mumei, Signature) : Mumei Papered or not and by whom? : Yes, papered to Den Oshu Hoju, NTHK-NPO papers with kanteisho Era/Age : Muromachi, circa Bunmei (1469-1487) Shirasaya, Koshirae or Bare Blade? : Shirasaya Nagasa/Blade Length : 66.6cm or 26.25" Sori : 1.9cm or 0.75" Hamon Type : A well-controlled suguha with occasional undulations. Ko-maru boshi. Jihada : Long flowing itame with some masame. Very characteristic of the course boulder iron that the Mokusa school used. If you love itame/masame, then this is the blade for you! Other Hataraki Visible : Kinsuji, inazuma. I believe there is also utsuri. This blade has A LOT of activity and is an eyeful! Flaws : Ware as expected of a blade composed primarily of long itame hada, one small fukure on one side, a few trace kirikomi, a few pits. Sword Location : Indiana, USA Will ship to : USA primarily, international contingent on laws of destination country. Payment Methods Accepted : Paypal, Cashapp. Shipping options discussed at time of purchase. Price and Currency : $2400 USD Other Info and Full Description : Comes in shirasaya with integral wooden habaki. This is a beautiful and extremely rare Den Oshu Hoju blade of the Mokusa school, which has an almost mythical status of being one of the primary influences upon the Soshu den. There are almost no extant signed works by this school and very few papered blades. This blade has NTHK-NPO papers with a kanteisho sheet and score of a very respectable 71 points, even in its current condition. The polish is old but with so much to see! It features a lot of activity as well as the presence of utsuri. One important thing to note is that this blade is ubu which is a very big bonus for a blade of its age. Given that this blade has papers and is in shirasaya in decent condition, the price at $2400 is very fair and priced to sell quickly. If you are interested, please drop a message in this thread, then DM me here on the message board or email me at ChrisW7290@gmail.com First come, first served of course. ~Chris

Hi Chris, This particular topic is many months old, and the original poster has not logged on since January. If you want tariff information, there are several threads about that subject. Tariffs seemingly change with the wind, so what was relevant in August may not be relevant today. https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/53371-importing-nihonto-through-us-customs-and-tariff-info/ https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/55055-can-someone-help-me-understand-the-tariff-sitch-as-of-22026/ https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/54422-tarriff-update-tsuba-from-Japan/ https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/52348-received-a-blade-from-Japan-in-the-usa-no-tariffs/ Best of luck, -Sam

Thank you Glen @GRC ! Happy to attach the other indexes here too. Volume1_Index.pdf Volume2_Index.pdf Volume3_Index.pdf

Hmm... I was answering a topic somewhere else and remembered this anecdote by Ted Tenold: And now I'm wondering, because the dates certainly make it a possibility...

Thank you both for these thoughtful perspectives. I couldn’t agree more. In a way, this is also one of the reasons I am drawn to the Kanzan sweeping scene. Perhaps he is not only sweeping a dusty courtyard, but also suggesting something more symbolic. As collectors, maybe we should not focus only on the signature, but also on the spirit and workmanship of the piece. I would also be very interested to hear more opinions about the design and workmanship of the piece itself.

I agree totally with Curran…..some superb works have “questionable mei” but I often wonder…..are they really gimei? How can we be certain? Which ones are genuine and which not? Mei would doubtless vary as artists grew older, maybe even they even changed them deliberately …..we don’t really know. Records are a bit sparse. We do know many of these artists had teachers and pupils, perhaps even akin to many swordsmiths workshops. Iwamoto Konkan is a prime example where many wonderful works are catalogued as “after Konkan” or “school of Konkan” yet someone with immense talent made them. Who?….and why gimei something superb in its own right. Was it done with the blessing of the “master”, was it made by the master and signed by the student (as per some swords). We jump to the conclusion that it was done to deceive ie for £ but I remain hesitant to judge. Of course many pieces fall well short on technical quality or artistry and certainly we can be confident that they are indeed “wrong uns” but sometimes I wonder…… Just some wandering rambling musings🙂

Likely post war kids swordfighting. No reason for them to have been done deliberately or during real action. This is from messing around. Luckily they aren't fatal, but certainly don't add anything.

Gimei happen. They happen a lot. Sometimes the false signatures are on otherwise beautiful works. I've love two or three for the workmanship, knowing the signature wasn't authentic.

Thank you all for the helpful comments. I’m very glad to meet and learn from everyone here. Personally, I am particularly fond of the kozuka on the left, depicting Kanzan sweeping. I find the nikubori-style carving very appealing and it reminds me somewhat of the style associated with Sugiura Joi. That said, I also have doubts about the signature, which is one of the reasons I decided to post these pieces here and ask for opinions. Since joining this forum and reading many discussions, I have also realized how common gimei can be in tosogu. As a relatively new student of this field, it has been quite eye-opening to see the different perspectives people have regarding signatures and even papers. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to share their knowledge and experience.

Joi signatures are usually 11 out of 10 gimei [false signature]. You have some very nice Nara works, with what look like fairly false signatures. I'd be surprised if either passed a shinsa, but I have been surprised by shinsa more than a few times.

Superb deal. This little tidbit just adds to the soup "The nidai Masachika, Kaei (嘉永, 1848-1854), Musashi province, never signed with the same characters as his father, but instead used 正近. Of note, the nidai was executed in 1868 for producing gimei blades." Although he could equally have been beheaded for politcal allegiances. Afterall Kajihei wasn't executed for his gimei foibles. Nethertheless an interesting historical demise.

Here's your guy: "KANEMUNE (兼宗), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Kanemune” (兼宗), real name Fukumoto Koichi (福本小市), born October 14th 1902, adopted son-in-law of Fukumoto Amahide (天秀), he died on March 8th 1977, ryōkō no jōi (Akihide)" I appreciate how you feel about your grandfather and this sword that represents so much. If you haven't read up on caring for the blade, this is a good site: Japanese Sword Care

Hi Paul, Your sword is signed 福本兼宗 = Fukumoto Kanemune He was a WW2 era smith. Are there any stamps on the nakago?

My latest crossover piece - a tabako-ire with tsuba, seppa, and kashira as the kanagu. John C.

Mine is a traditional tanto style (foreground). John C.

Some nice examples shown in this thread, thanks for sharing. I haven't seen one for sale in a long time. Only have one, it was gifted to me a few years ago.