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Looks Shinshinto to me, looks like possibly Chikuzen or similar to the example of Koyama Munetsugu-den in the Connoisseurs book IMO

There were two or (more likely three) TEIMEI generations. The posted TSUBA is not in the TEIMEI/SADANAGA style, and the workmanship (not really visible in these photos) does not seem to match.

If you fellow collector's, enthusiasts and scholars would like some very nice nihonto items to study then check out the upcoming morphy auctions may 12th 2026. It looks like lots 1301-1328 are some fantastic tachi, katana, wakizashi , fuchi kashira etc.. Juyo items, TB Hozon etc. I was studying the suishinshi masahide today for some time. Here is a link to the sale. https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/A_RARE_AND_IMPORTANT_SUISHINSHI_MASAHIDE_WAKIZASHI-lot664367.aspx

A fine Ko-Gassan wakizashi with NBTHK Hozon paper Nagasa: 48.9 cm Sori: 1.1 cm Motohaba: 2.9 cm Kasane: 0.5 cm Date of registration: Showa 33 (1958) Ishikawa pref. The Gassan school of Dewa Province is one of the most respected traditions in Japanese swordmaking, with a lineage extending from the Koto period into modern times. Authentic Koto-period Gassan Wakizashi are rarely encountered on the market. Based on its workmanship, excellent Ayasugi hada and overall characteristics, including its ō-kissaki (approx. 6 cm), the blade shows traits associated with the Nanbokuchō to early Muromachi period; however, precise dating remains difficult due to the consistency of Gassan style throughout the Koto era. Price: $5,600 USD A solid, papered, and increasingly hard-to-find Ko-Gassan piece.

The most common material used for inlaid eyes in Japanese Art is translucent horn often with a darker pupil. Found on metalwork, netsuke, Shibayama, okimono etc. This is what this eye looks like to me. I’ve made 100s of them! Quick pick of something similar….

It does not appear to be acid etched, but the polish is relatively crude.

Gentlemen, $60 - "3. Japanese Dandyism: Samurai, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography" $ 30 - 4. Samurai Koshashin-chō, published by KADOKAWA. Best, Danny

I was looking at that Unji naginata yesterday, spectacular item. It is extremely rare to find such an old naginata in such healthy state as you said.

This book looks like it was first published in Taishō 15 (1926), with this edition being printed in Shōwa 9 (1934). I don't know what year the last edition was printed. According to Google AI, copyright protection in Japan was extended to 70 years beyond the death of the author. I don't know when this author (YOSHINO Takejiro) passed away, but his works might still be protected.

I apologize for the late post. I was able to ask someone else a few questions, and they said these are fine↓ 「い」or「つ」？ → 銘作も「い」らぬ　meisaku mo [i] ranu the part marked ‘軽る’ →「軽る ／＼（Iteration mark）」 I’m so relieved now！ From now on, I’ll only post things like this that I don’t have to worry about (such as classical waka poetry).

Techinically the ana can be oval/elongated and it wont compromise the security of the fit AS LONG AS the bottom of the tang fits tight and properly to the tsuka. The mekugi applies pressure downwards into the tsuka. Of course the mekugi needs to be tight and properly positioned to the bottom part of the ana

In the download section you can find the english Token Bijutsu. In 58/59 you can read a long article about the first and second generation.

Harima no Kami Fujiwara Tadakuni The date is for someone else...

Not meaning to muddy the waters here... But there is nashiji hada aka "pear skin" and several other forms of densely forged hada. As well as mu-hada "no hada". All three can appear very frequently in Shinshinto blades. This one might be a good candidate for Shinsa, just to get an expert opinion on the hada alone!

Here is another Gunsui-to signed 群永兼国作 - Gunsui Kanekuni saku. https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/38668-help-please-on-signature/#findComment-400729

Most generous of you, thank you @Danny D

群水 - Gunsui. It was a type of steel made in an electric furnace and swords made with it are sometimes called "Gunsui-to" https://www.nihontocraft.com/Gunsuihagane.html

My guess would be Taisho or maybe late Meiji given the SUYA TOKYO marking. Just my opinion and observations, but I think the European style blades were more prevalent pre-WW2.

Is that cloth material only at the end of the handle or is it applied the length of the handle? Maybe it was added as extra material to make the end cap fit more snug. The dirks are based on European designs. I wouldn’t lump dirk manufacturing techniques in with Nihonto.

Hello. It’s a Type 19 cavalry kyu gunto with a dress/ parade style blade. It’s marked on the ricasso by the manufacturer Suya Shoten.

The Japanese Sword Study Group Let’s learn about Japanese Swords! 日本刀勉強会！by TKG-Sword Study Group We are focusing on the understanding the history and craft of the Japanese sword (Nihonto) as a work of art. In our study session we will provide you with the basic hands on knowledge to comfortably hold the sword while studying its features. You will learn the manners needed to look at Japanese swords in any Sword shop in Japan. Furthermore you will learn the main characteristics and appreciation points for Nihonto, and also how to take care of the blade if you are thinking about owning one yourself. Japanese swords cannot be studied behind the glass walls of museums! With us you will be able to look in details what can be seen and admired in Japanese swords. So let’s make friends and study swords together. Although the Japanese sword is also a sharp weapon, but there will be no activities using swords for cutting or the like in this group. Japanese swords have been preserved and appreciated for over 1000 years. Let’s learn how to look at them and properly take care of them so they can last another 1000 years! We aim to have a friendly, easy going atmosphere for beginners. Location : Furei Nakano 6th Floor https://maps.app.goo.gl/8kHMxpwHqu16NFCN8 Date & Time: 25th (Sat) April 2026; 13:30-15:30 P.M. JST Note: - Content will be in English, but we also speak Japanese ! - Identity verification is required, please bring your ID-card/Passport for verification. - No Photos or video recording during session by participant, we will have a 10 minutes photo session at the end. - We will use real katana, so safety is very important, we reserve the right to cancel the session at any point if we notice any inappropriate behaviour. You are liable for your actions and any damage you might cause. - This is not a cutting lesson!!! We will teach you how to hold and look at swords, you shall not try to cut anything with the sword. - Do not bring your own sword. We will provide swords for viewing. Fee 2000 JPY per person 1000 JPY for student in Japan (Please bring your Student card)

Getting everything ready for the show. Only one more day of work helping students as a high school and college‑level private tutor in biology and chemistry before heading out. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone who can make it to the Chicago show this year. Everything I’ll be bringing has been appraised and is 100% authentic. If you have any questions, feel free to let me know.

Yours have 2 ana non-altered.

PO-I, please sign all posts at least with your first name so we could address you politely. It is a rule here on NMB. . As there were more than 30 SUKESADA swordsmiths over a long period of time, the possibility of the blade having a fake MEI (= GI MEI, not gemei) is high. You will have to study authenticated examples and compare with yours as your photos will not allow to make a reliable statement. It is not sufficient to compare the signatures; the work of the related smith has to match in the first place. This also means that the blade has to be in good condition (= polish) to see all HATARAKI. The photo quality could be improved with a dark, non-reflecting background, taken in a dark room, with light from the side. The SUGATA of your sword (if not SAIHA) could speak for an older blade or one made in that style.

Many thanks to @Jussi Ekholm for linking the Nagoya Token World sword database. https://www.touken-world.jp/search/ Fascinating collection of survivor blades, many signed, from the Koto era. Condition is optimal for study and I appreciate the effort they have put into documenting their collection. In that collection I came across a very interesting mumei TJ Senjuin blade that is similar to my kodachi. An offshoot of the Senjuin school migrated from Yamato to the Hokuriku region (encompassing the Prefectures of Ishikawa, Fukui, and Toyama). It is believed that Go Yoshihiro emerged from this group and that would correspond to the geographical region where he is said to have lived and worked and the location of Matsukura Castle in present day Toyama Prefecture. This particular example in the Token World collection bears strong resemblance to my Senjuin in terms of sugata and jitetsu, even the application of the bohi carving and ko-kissaki are quite similar. However the museums blade lacks the nie-deki forging style, chikei and fine ara nie often associated with Soshuden and Go in particular. Historically my Senjuin, with its Soshu and Yamato features, was attributed to Go Yoshihiro and as a possible transitional piece from Go's early swordmaking period, before fully embracing the Soshu style, is worthy of further study. https://www.touken-world.jp/search-noted-sword/tokubetsujuyotoken-meito/6370/ Video

There are 3 main ways of reliably creating the dark pupil. 1. a piece of black horn is inlaid into the front of the eye and then polished down…..most common. 90%+ 2. a piece of dark horn is inlaid into the back of the eye….rarely done as the effect is not as crisp 3. a hollow is created on the back of the eye and filled with black lacquer or similar…quicker thus cheaper A even cheaper method is simply to stain or lacquer the pupil onto the front of the eye but this obviously wears off very quickly when handled. They eye in question is either 2 or 3 above imo I think we can discount any possibility of injections! As for how they are securely fitted…..most are simply glued in with a variety of adhesives. Some have a deep tapered reverse to give greater surface area adhesion. Raising up a metal lip after insertion would likely damage the horn so that’s unlikely and I have never seen it done on organic material, only on other metal inlays Just for info…..the horn used can be of varying transparency depending on the desired effect….from virtually clear to dark amber to black. In addition to horn a variety of shell (mother of pearl) can be used for the eyes ……golden lip pearl, black lip pearl, bronze lip pearl etc …..all showing a range of stunning iridescent colours when finely polished. Often mistakenly described as “gem stones”.

Thanks for posting this Bryce, it would seem to align with yellow number 6 13.3. in my list as far as running numbering goes. I have absolutely no clue why there are inconsistensies in early numbering in Tokyo but it seems to have been fixed roughly after the first year. There might be some Japanese sources around this time period that will explain how the process was intended to go. I haven't really dug into that nor do I have the energy for it, this was just few evenings of checking through some thousands of NBTHK papers on the other side of globe to get the info. Even though I absolutely love books and have been collecting sword books for 20+ years, I do think regular books might be bit outdated source of information in modern society. However I do think Japanese organizations and museums will not be going digital for a long long time. I just feel in modern world every museum should be able to have their items online quite easily. This is why I absolutely love Nagoya Tōken World, you can find all of their 500+ swords here: https://www.touken-world.jp/search/ now try searching what NBTHK has in their collection, or any museum in Japan that has lot of swords. I do have my own always ongoing project with old swords: https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/53018-Japanese-old-sword-database/ there have been awesome takes on it with modern knowledge to make virtual form out of it, so information is in better form. I am just very old school and as I been on the excel file for probably 10 years it is just so logical to me. I do plan to update it to 2026 version after I come back home from Japan this summer vacation. The 2025 version had about 15,000 entries, for the current version I have matched some items to avoid duplicate entries and added many new ones, I looked my file and the current number of items is about 16,400.

We apologise for the recent lack of updates. We have now listed six new items on our website, featuring a strong mix of high-quality Koto, Shintō, Shinshintō, and modern works. Jūyō Token — Mumei (Attributed to Unji) Naginata An ubu (unshortened) mumei naginata attributed to Unji, dating to the 14th century. This is an exceptionally healthy example that has seen very few polishes, retaining an outstanding sugata together with excellent jigane and hamon. A rare opportunity to acquire a high-level Jūyō naginata in such condition. 🔗 https://www.toukentakarado.com/tk037-mumei-juyo-unji-naginata Tokubetsu Hozon Token — Mumei (Attributed to Tametsugu) Katana A Nanbokuchō-period katana with a bold and powerful sugata, displaying strong and attractive Sōshū-den characteristics throughout. A highly appealing work attributed to Tametsugu. 🔗 https://www.toukentakarado.com/tk036-mumei-tametsugu-th Yanagida Fukutsugu Daishō A purpose-made daishō by leading modern swordsmith Yanagida Fukutsugu, designated an Intangible Cultural Property holder of Moka City. Commissioned by Dr. Yoshiaki Sato for Mr. Hirata Fuhō, a 17th-generation descendant of Hirata Shōgen (Grandfather of Miyamoto Musashi). Executed in the style of Kiyomaro, both blades feature impressive ō-kissaki and commanding presence. 🔗 https://www.toukentakarado.com/tk038-yanagida-fukutsugu-daisho Tokubetsu Hozon Token — Sasshū-jū Kiyosada Wakizashi A Shinshintō-period Satsuma wakizashi with a bold and powerful sugata, representing a strong example of the Satsuma tradition. 🔗 https://www.toukentakarado.com/tk035-sasshu-ju-kiyosada-wakizashi Tokubetsu Hozon Token — Sanshū-jū Kunisuke Katana A long and dynamically shaped katana by a direct student of Koyama Munetsugu. Executed in a Bizen-influenced style with a tightly forged ko-itame jigane, and accompanied by Bakumatsu-period style koshirae. 🔗 https://www.toukentakarado.com/item-tk039-sanshu-ju-kunisuke Tokubetsu Hozon Token — Shinano no Kami Fujiwara Nobuyoshi Katana A refined Shintō katana featuring a tight ko-itame jigane and suguha hamon in fine nie-deki. Accompanied by a practical and understated ryaku tachi koshirae. 🔗 https://www.toukentakarado.com/item-tk040-shinano-no-kami-fujiwara-nobuyoshi-katana We hope you’ll take a moment to explore these new additions. Please stay tuned, as we will continue to list more of our inventory in the coming weeks. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Warm regards, Nicholas Fu Touken Takarado 🌐 www.toukentakarado.com

The date seems to be 延宝八年二月吉日. I don't have much knowledge on Shintō swords and I don't study this lineage. However from the few verified signed and Enpō dated swords by the smith I would be skeptical (granted all my references found fast are katana). To me it seems in his work the kikumon is on the signature side, not on the date side. He also signed 宝 in different way in these two examples dated to that year that I found quickly.

Probably a period modification. I have seen it done on plenty of shinshinto swords. As others have said, as long as the mekugi applies pressure to the bottom of the redrilled mekugiana, you should be fine. Also fabricating new mekugi is easy enough. How beefy is the blade?

I got informed that the tsuba i submitted to the 2026 NBSK tsuba contest ranked Nyusen. It was my first time attending this competition so overall it's a positive result. Let me introduce my work: The omote depicts plum blossoms, traditional symbols of resilience and elegant beauty, as they are the first to emerge at winter’s end, often pushing through the lingering snow. On the ura, I have engraved the haiku: 見らわても 見らわなくとも 花は咲く Mirawetemo / Mirawanakutomo / Hana wa saku (Whether seen or unseen, the flowers bloom) This serves as a gentle reminder to the bearer: one should act with integrity not for the sake of recognition, but because it is one’s nature—just as a flower blooms to fulfill its purpose, regardless of an audience. The intentionally naive, almost childlike rendering of the blossoms and calligraphy creates a deliberate juxtaposition against the raw strength of the iron and the tsuba's martial function.

Lovely work, and very much in the style that I like. Well done!

Correct John, one needs to factor in the quantity of blades that were being made. The Mantetsu was a modernized Nihontō and was water quenched. I see three basic blade construction types for this time frame: 2 or more layers and water quenched, 2 or more layers and oil quenched, and finally one piece construction (such as a Type 95) and usually oil quenched. I see the whole Imperial Japanese era (1868-1952) as falling into the realm of Japanese militaria collecting and not Nihontō collecting. This is where the collecting market is at. Your gas mileage my differ though!

The correct orientation of the cover is the second image in the link. I will share it below. Although, I think Marcin was asking for help locating and translating the copyright page, not the cover.

I can´t say if it got enlargened or not (sure looks like it though) but as a practitioner I would not swing a sword that isn´t tight in the Tsuka. Too big of a risk imo

G'day Guys, Here is an early one from a Gassan Sadakatsu in my collection that was registered in Tokyo. As others have said each district had their own numbers. Thus you get later registrations from smaller districts with very low numbers. Cheers, Bryce

This is exactly what Gemini thinks this is... The exact construction method is where it gets complex as there were a few ways this was done. Sometimes a metal "lip" was carved over the dome material to hold it in place (higher quality, more advanced construction), sometimes it was basically glued down with an adhesive (lower complexity construction). Having had a chance to look at the piece in hand with magnification, I am now leaning toward the former, more complex construction. Jean, I was curious about this as well, however there seem to be a couple of possibilities for this including the use of a small birds feather quill or utilising a very fine, hollow bamboo needle as delivery devices and letting gravity do most of the work. A plunger could also be used in tandem with the bamboo needle to "inject" urushi, usually made of tightly rolled washi paper... These were apparently called "Kuda-fude" and were used in Maki-e to drop powders and liquids into precise spots, so it does appear to be a technical possibility. Remember, we are talking about a very late piece toward the very end of the Edo Period, circa 1850-1860... Apparently Henri Joly's 'The Sword and the Tsuba' has some further information about jewelled eyes and organic inlays in late Edo Hamano and Iwama school work, so my next goal will be to get my hands on a copy of this text. EDIT: Here's an interesting and seemingly similar stylistic example I found in Joly's Catalogue of the Naunton collection... This seems to feature a similar, hyper-realistic eye in the same style as my Tengu! The brow and carving aroud the eye also seems very similar and was signed Jogetsusai Hiroyoshi (Uchikoshi school) Another fuchi kashira which sounds borderline identical to mine in design is described in Joly as follows:

There’s two Showa smiths listed in Sesko…. But I think he’s this smith from Saga: MASAKIYO (正清), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Shimane – “Masakiyo” (正清), real name Amatsu Tomita (天津富太), born 1884, he worked as rikugun-jumei-tōshō, kihin no retsu (Akihide), First Seat at the 6th Shinsaku Nihontō Denrankai (新作日本刀展覧会, 1941)

Here is an interesting Type 95 Guntō, with some "bling". I'm sharing here rather than the 95 threads, because these unique features are not factory original. Note the Habaki, leather hanger, and most interestingly those "monkey’s-fist knot" mekugi and grommet screws. https://www.ima-usa.com/products/original-wwii-Japanese-army-type-95-nco-aluminum-handle-katana-sword-with-rare-leather-hanger-matched-serial-79051?variant=41101181190213 Already sold, not sure when. -Sam

Luke, I would try to find a small blade tip that I could press between the mystery material and the ray skin to see if they are actually two different substances or if the “fabric“ is the underside of the skin and is expanding due to exposure to water. The wood looks like it is delaminating and maybe the whole thing has been exposed to water.

Hello everyone, I also wanted to share with you my result at the last NBSK contest. Last year, at my first participation, I received the “Kasaku” (佳作) award and it was a great honor for me, as well as seeing my work exhibited first at the Tetsu Museum in Sakaki machi (Nagano) and then at the Meiji Jingu in Tokyo. The results were published in last days, and I can proudly say that I have confirmed the Kasaku award for the second consecutive year, in a context where the level is extremely high and the pursuit of perfection is constant. This year, I decided to raise the bar with a more elaborate work and a more challenging execution technique: from the choice of an “archaic” hitatsura hamon, complex and highly dynamic, to the realization process itself, which led me to a nearly three-dimensional result. I worked in multiple layers, with different dilutions, using brushes and a shodō ink stick, following the teachings I received during my last trip to Japan and after countless hours of experimentation to find a balance that satisfied me. It was a process with no margin for correction. There are some imperfections but that's okay, we have to know how to accept them. It was a long process—a true pursuit of perfection—almost a form of active meditation in which time seems to lose its meaning. The choice of the kakemono (made in Japan), too, was not accidental: on the shirasaya there is an old label bearing the name of the blade, “Amanokawa” — the Milky Way — likely inspired by the long sunagashi and the brilliant nie that characterize it. For this reason, we chose a display that would evoke, even if only from afar, a starry sky. Below I leave you some photos, and thank you for your attention.

My problem with this is that the NBTHK has started just throwing into one single basket anything that is kinko and comes from that area. Kozenji and Owari Goto level workmanship vs Nagoya mono . Since 2014 or so, increasingly it is simply labeled "Owari kinko" way to dumb it down. ... way way down.

Congrats, Manuel. Both you and Francesco are rocking it! Well done to the strong Italian community too, which has fostered such strong interest and talent development. Very well done and wish you more successes in the future!

Thank you, yes they have to be traditionally made. It took several weekends to make, I don't really count hours since it's an hobby and what matters is just the final result

Actually it was my web browser that was out of date - I've updated it and everything is working again. ...so here's the NMB thread referred to above:

Faustus, I am willing to hold another TSUBA forging seminar this summer in case there was interest. My proposal for a weekend-workshop would be JULY 11th and 12th, 2026. Three (3) participants max per workshop. I will notify those directly who showed interest in that event before. I can help with finding acommodation nearby. TSUBA forging workshop 2026 GB.pdf

Seeing the monospace font (and the term "grinding process") makes me hopeful that this is a translated reply from someone in Japan describing the progress of the restoration. I've seen Google translate and other apps translate polishing or sharpening as "grinding," and also the Kashima sisters on their website describe the initial removal of material at the start of the polishing process in this manner.

The mei reads 備州長舩盛家 - Bishu Osafune Mori'ie.

Sorry to disappoint you guys, but I don't think the sword is in good hands. I think I know Eryk from local Polish marketplace. If that is the guy then it does not bode well. ... or translated from Polish.

No, it's a different problem - I get no copy/ paste options either with my mouse or keyboard right now. It's happened in the last couple of days and I can't work out what's different - it's a pretty old computer though and not running the current version of windows so it may be that.