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Ladies and gentlemen, we are making progress on all fronts! Volume 4 (660 pages) of the Tosogu Classroom project is completed and ready to go. I am initiating the orders for those who have prepaid for the set. As always, if you have any questions, or would like to inform me about an address change, please get in touch with me via markus.sesko@gmail.com.

Agreeing with most of the above. As mentioned elsewhere the name Sukesada had a kind of magic to it in the popular mind, and for a while even carried the general connotation of 'katana'. "Now, where did I put my Sukesada?"... The expression 'Tensuke' (derived from Tensho Sukesada) indicates a blade produced from such mass production at that time.

Scott: I was looking through Daruma Magazine issue 7 and found a similar bokuto "shrimp". So maybe? John C.

Any idea what this is? Does it fall into the category of Bokuto or chato? Is quite thin, carded the same on both sides, and about 13” long. Thanks for the help.

西原兼正 - Nishihara Kanemasa

ECHIZEN TOMOTSUGU O-WAKIZASHI SHINTO KYOHO c. 1716 ECHIZEN NTHK KANTEISHO SUGATA: SHINOGI ZUKURI MEI: OITE ESSHU TOMOTSUGU DATE: NONE NAGASA: 60.166cm (23.6875") OVERALL: 74.77cm (29.4375") MIHABA: 2.70cm (1.0625") KASANE: 0.635cm (0.25") SORI: 1.11cm (0.437") NAKAGO: UBU MEKUGI ANA: TWO YASURIME: SUJIKAI WITH KEISHO MUNE: IORI HADA: ITAME HAMON: KO SUGUHA BOSHI: OMARU HORIMONO OMOTE: NONE HORIMONO URA: NONE HABAKI: ONE PIECE GOLD FOIL SHIRASAYA & KOSHIRAE O-WAKIZASHI TOMOTSUGU NTHK KANTEISHO There are five generations of Echizen Tomotsugu swordsmith's listed in Hawley's. This smith is also listed in the Nihonto Meikan pg. 633, ref.: 09MC2K. The shodai or first generation worked around 1381 while the maker of this sword was most likely the last of this lineage working in the late Edo period and likely up into the early shinshinto period. This sword was attributed by the NTHK to Edo Shinto, Kyoho 1716. There are three basic designations, Katana, Wakizashi, Tanto and this a wakizashi. The term O-Wakizashi is used to emphasize its length. To meet the designation criteria for Katana, the nagasa must be 2 Shaku in length. Two Shaku equals 23.86” or 60.6044cm. The nagasa of this sword measures 60.166cm (23.6875") or 1 Shaku, 9 Sun, 8.6 Bu. It lacks a mere 1.44 Bu or 0.43635168cm (0.171792") being a Katana. The sugata is shinogi zukuri with tori-sori. The nakago is ubu with two mekugi ana and is beautifully signed, Esshu Ni Oite Tomotsugu. The yasurime is sujikai with keisho and yoko yasuri on the omote. The hada is a flawless, perfectly executed tight ko-itame which at first glance could be mistaken for muji. The hamon is suguha done in nie deki, there are chu nie and perhaps a sprinkling of ara nie in the monouchi area. The sword exhibits chu kissaki, the boshi is o-maru with hakekake. It comes in a new shirasaya with exotic wood hatome and a one-piece gold foil habaki. Koshirae with black lacquer saya. The Kojiri is horn and the Kurigata I believe is lacquered wood. The menuki are Misugane (turtles). The tsuba is a nice iron sukashi. The motif is of chidori and the four cross members could be a subtle Christian Cross(?). Comes with Kanteisho from the NTHK As with all “Sale Price” items, sale is final LIMITED TIME SALE: $1250 plus S/H and any additional associated fees (pp, wire, etc.) If you are interested in owning this sword, contact me via email only: yakiba.com@gmail.com

No, I think Ed is being very open and legit here. Katana is strictly speaking 60.6cm. But yes...it does make a difference and only adds to the value that it's that close. Nice package.

And Nick is regular attendee at the Japan Art Fair in Utrecht so would worth asking if he could bring it to Europe as part of his inventory.

Good deal! Papered mounted waki in polish with shirasaya? Beats the heck out of rusty project blades. Where are the novices looking for their first sword?

Yeah, performance is pretty low down on the list of what collectors are interested in, most of us don't regard that as a factor. We are collecting art here. They are all mostly functional.

Nick is well regarded. Plus he's one of the on-board dealers here, so they usually are highly regarded and approachable.

Yep, Sukesada was considered synonymous with Bizen swordmaking and swords in general, like how kids in the 90s would just refer to their sneakers as "Nikes" regardless of the actual brand.

Dear All, Sorry, I should have posted the original photo! This Katana is by Enju Nobusutgu, the son of Moriyoshi Tanigawa (Mukansa Smith) famous for his Kiyomaro copies. This blade was made in 1979, suppose his father made another blade that won Grand Prize in New Sword Exhibition during the same year as well. So the quality and purity of the steel can be seen with this work. Best Wishes, Charlie

I do not think so.

Given that I need to pay my polisher and a few other obligations, here is one more reduction as well as some additional pieces listed for sale. 1. 28" katana in shirasaya. $2100 -> $1900 2. 19" wakizashi in substitute saya. $1500 -> $1400 3. 27" katana in partially restored gunto mounts. $1800 -> $1700 4. 23.25" o-suriage early to mid Kamakura tachi in assembled mounts. Off the market. I have decided to get this one put in shirasaya and papered. 5. 24.5" katana in remnants of WWII leather-cased mounts. $1800 -> $1700 6. 26" katana of WWII origin. No further reduction on this one. $900 7. 17" wakizashi in American-made saya. No reduction on this one! SOLD! 8. 11.25" tanto in restored mounts. $1200 -> $1100 9. 26" katana of WWII origin. $1050 -> $1000 I have also decided to list these pieces for sale, if you are interested then please request pictures. A boy's tachi, 18" nagasa, signed to Omi no Kami Minamoto Hisamichi, with kikumon. 1st generation, 1650-1673, needs restoration but is worth having done so. In shirasaya. Silver-plate habaki. I believe this one is shoshin. $2200 A Bizen no Kuni ju Osafune Norimitsu wakizashi, dated to February 1506, 20" nagasa, in the remnants of Satsuma Rebellion mounts with classic washer menuki. Needs a polish and habaki, but the rest of the mounts are present. I suspect the habaki was shorn off by a bullet strike to the tsuba as there is a clear bullet strike on the tsuba that has bent the tsuba itself. No reason to disbelieve a signed/dated piece from this smith is anything but shoshin. $1700 A Koto katana, possibly Kamakura... at latest Muromachi based on sugata and workmanship according to polisher, 28" nagasa. Was shortened to fit Kyu-gunto mounts and is therefore o-suriage. Bohi were added on during this time. Ill-fitting silver plate habaki with kyu-gunto tsuka. No saya, I had to make a paper saya for this one. $2200 A lady's kaiken, bare blade, narrow suguha. 6.125" nagasa. Ca. 1680. A cheap little project knife. $400 A Soshu Naginata, circa 1380-1410. 18.5" nagasa. 36.25" OAL, so this one is ubu. Very much worn down but enough to bring back even still. Itame hada at the ha that turns into masame at the boshi. Could even be possibly earlier. Had a very long signature on the nakago that is completely rotted out and illegible now. $2250. A Yokoyama Sukesada wakizashi, circa Kanbun. Signed Yokoyama Kozuke no Kami Fujiwara Sukesada, probably a lesser generation? Needs more investigation. Has beautiful Yokoyama Choji/Gunome mixed hamon. Masame in ji. In original black lacquer saya with habaki and tsuba. No tsuka. $1800 A rather rare SIGNED Owari-den wakizashi, signed to Noshu-ju Ujimasa. Circa Kanbun. Damaged silver-plated habaki, bare blade. Needs a polish. Not sure how to price this one, so just tossing out the price at $1000 since I've never seen a signed Owari blade. 17.75" nagasa, ubu. Two rather rough-condition tanto in full mounts for $1,000, being sold as a pair. One is earlier, probably 1600-1650 and the other is probably 1800's. These are good for display, but would not make sense to pay for restoration. Perfect for an amateur to dabble with though I suppose. The mounts are clearly made for export. Shipping is $100 CONUS, and will include the original valuation insurance. Outside CONUS, shipping will be discussed and as reasonable as possible. You can ask any of my previous customers. I made sure things are transparent and arrive quickly. If you would like pictures of one, feel free to DM me. ~Chris

Hi Grev, the project is a joint-venture of the JSS/US and NBTHK AB and EB, and the conditions were laid out that the set will only "go live" when it is completed, i.e., all five volumes out. Until then, it will be direct order through me. Thank you for your understanding.

Here's the link to the Emura that Chandler found, just for future reference: Also, here is the entry in full from Slough:

Don't know if you have this one yet, Marcin. Long mei with general's tassel in a UK auction HERE. They know what they have and are asking a pretty penny as expected.

A teaser--soon to be formally listed, but available for purchase NOW. A fine IMPERIAL GIFT tachi. Blade is papered. This tachi was gifted by an Emperor to a member of the Imperial peerage for carry at Coronation. $19,000 plus postage (if paying via credit card or Paypal add their 3% fee) LAYAWAY available --Matthew Brice StCroixBlades.com

I would go further and say "Sukesada" was a kind of brand, too, indicating a certain consistency of quality. I think these were also exported to China, so there would have been external demand for swords inscribed with "Sukesada". No doubt there would have been sufficient commercial incentive to add the name Sukesada to any sword. Note I am not saying the sword in this post is gimei. With so many Sukesada smiths, it would take a detailed examination to determine if this was made by one of the 60 or so Sukesada smiths. I mean, there are a few whose signature style, and swordsmithing style, was distinctive enough that you could make a quick judgment, but there are a lot of Sukesada smiths, and this could be from one of the lesser smiths.

I haven’t studied tea ceremony myself, but I’ve attended 6–7 sessions during my visits to Japan. That’s what this piece brought to mind.

Just picked up a first edition, first print of the Sword and Samé by Henri L Joly and Inada Hogitaro published in 1913 as a private print of 200 books. This is the OG in terms of books published on the subject of Japanese Swords in any European Language. It all starts with this book... An incredibly scarce book I have been hoping to get one for some time and was fortunate to find it in a little English Bookshop near Cambridge. This is copy 146. I must admit I am rather excited.

There are a number of photos of Meito on sho-shin.com that are noted as being gifted to Emperor Meiji, a few of those mentioned above show up if doing a site search. Chogi Haito Sword of Emperor Meiji Chogi Nagasa: 71cm Sori: 2.3cm Standing Itame Hada with JiNie, Chikei and standing Utsuri. Bo-Hi and Sobi run the length. Gunome-Midare ba moves inside a Notare line. There is Ashi and Yo and Kinsuji through the Mid. Yakiba widens in the Monouchi. Boshi is deeply set O-Gunome Midare mound turns to an abrupt Kaeri. Suriage Nakago has two Mekugi-ana and Bo-Hi resolves in Marudome. Signed in the Ji at the bottom: Bizen-no-Kuni Osafune Ju Nagayoshi (Chogi)

I agree with these very helpful tips. I would also add that it's important to research before buying. Good resources are museum sites in the internet , and Shibui swords. And also the specialist Facebook groups though personally l have dropped many of these as many have gone from information to selling. However The Kamon Samurai Crests group is a useful resource as are Jakushi Tsuba and Asian export sword guards and Namban Tsuba. Don't be afraid of Japanese language only books as Google translate is helpful. Other books would be any on Japanese legends Japanese design motifs (Mon/Kamon) A Japanese -English character dictionary Handbook for Tsuba. Collectors or Japanese sword guards art. ,of war by Gary Murtha Early articles for Tsuba study enlarged and additionall early articles Tsuba collecting for beginners The Birmingham museum and art gallery Tsuba collection V2 and also catalogue of Tsuba in the permanent collection of the Birmingham museum and art gallery. The index of Japanese sword fittings and associated artists by Robert Haynes A brief history of Japanese sword fittings artisans Lethal elegance Handbook of Japanese sword fitting terms by Markus Sesko Translation of Tosogu no kigen by Markus Seske There are others, but the ones listed are affordable

I know a lot of you are enamored with iron tsubas, and somehow dislike the bling shakudo ones. I'm a great admirer of the latter, as I truly enjoy the meticulous works of inserts and carving, and gold tones give them relief and vibrancy. That said, I'm genuinely trying to learn how to appreciate the iron ones, which so far I don't "get". Is there a good place to start? What should I pay attention to as a criteria for quality? I've tried the iron bones thing - and I also tried to enmesh myself in the zen-like qualities of plain pieces, but...I can't. I'm thinking its an acquired taste, like coffee. Hence, I'd love if a few of could could share your story about how your learned to appreciate old iron, and what qualities you find in them that elicit a sense of aesthetic fulfillment. Where to look. Cheers Chris