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刀剱造法其理明而不畏古之冶工雖然亦不侮是唯以鍛錬去 鈍滓全鐵氣而不泥刄文陰陽相和鉾刄清利難折難撓無所疑 According to the site below, the meaning is: The principles of swordsmithing are well understood, and although I do not believe it is impossible to surpass the old masters, I cannot say that I am better than them. The most important thing in swordmaking is to continue forging (folding) the steel until all the impurities are removed, preserving the essence of the iron, and to not become preoccupied with the shape of the hamon. The blade will become pure and sharp when the yin and yang are in harmony, and it will doubtless become difficult to break, and resistant to bending. https://www.touken-world.jp/search/38586/

That is correct. I had this sayagaki written in October 2000. The description is simple, and the characters are written in Block script.

Maybe the stamp is 名匠　(Master craftsman) And the name is 貴囗　　Takayoshi? or Takamune?

The sayagaki Tanobe wrote in 2024 was a long one with blade length, date and Kao written on the reverse side. Like you say the reader will know in the subtlety of the writing whether it's a blade he likes. This is what he wrote for the Senjuin blade with Soshu and Yamato features. "This blade exhibits a graceful and slender form with a small kissaki (ko-kissaki). The grain (hada) is a flowing itame that becomes more pronounced near the temper line (hamon). It is richly covered in thick ji-nie (crystalline particles) and displays distinct chikei (dark lines of steel). The temper line is a suguha (straight) style mixed with small gunome that becomes wildly irregular (midare) in a 'grass' (kusa) pattern. It is brilliantly charged with nie, featuring frequent sunagashi (sand-drift patterns) and kinsuji (golden streaks) intertwined throughout. In several places, yubashiri (spots of concentrated nie) are formed, and the tempering in the point (boshi) transforms into a 'flame' (kaen) pattern. The workmanship presents a masterful synthesis of the Yamato and Soshu traditions. Historically, there is a strong convention to attribute blades with such exuberant irregularity—rarely seen in the other four Yamato schools—to the Senjuin lineage. In this regard, the current attribution is entirely appropriate." I personally prefer the longer script as there is more opportunity to see Tanobe's personality. The shorter ones from the early 2000's are quite matter of fact and here the chin chin cho cho is about the best you'll get in terms of an especially positive opinion. Reminds me of his predecessor Kunzan's sayagaki that were very minimalist. Good thing we have his KantoHibi Sho volumes to study.

Many thanks for your replies guys. John's one is good but unfortunately over my budget. Indeed, no skull on the one for sale on Ebay And thank you Yojimbo for these links

盡忠報國 = jinchū hōkoku = loyalty and patriotism.

late, but can be found. https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/an-interesting-tsuba-of-the-shoami-school-f0b84cbbd5 https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/a-tsuba-signed-t-shu-my-chin-ki-munenaga-05ab40080d

Hi Kevin, I like Mihara as well, they are conservative, yet elegantly forged swords, and feel well balanced to hold and train with. Here is a photo of an attributed Masanobu from my collection, I originally purchased this for iaido but now sits in my collected works.

TH currently but I will submit it for Juyo at some point in the future. I think it has a chance at a named attribution.

AMAHIDE (天秀), Bunsei (文政, 1818-1830), Musashi – “Amahide” (天秀), “Suishin´ō Amahide” (水心翁天秀), “Suishin-rō Amahide” (水心老天秀), “Suishinshi-rō Amahide” (水心子老天秀), this was the name of Suishinshi Masahide (水心子正秀) with which he signed from the first year Bunsei onwards after giving the name “Masahide” to his son Sadahide (貞秀), it is said that this name actually reads “Masahide” (天秀) and not “Amahide,” in other words, he kept the reading of his name but changed one character Big name.....interesting blade

I have had 6 sayagaki done by Tanobe recently and personally I love the new style. I have heard it is not as popular in some Japanese circles because it can be such a wall of text, but I find it quite aesthetically pleasing. I have a Juyo that is in the old structured style though. Pretty much what everyone has said, the dealers have relationships with him and he either agrees or disagrees and takes between 1-4 weeks in my experience. I am quite curious about the sayagaki length as there actually might be a bit more to it than just being a myth. I think since he dropped (at least to my knowledge) the chinchin chocho that people were using as Juyo proxy, they might be looking for another signal and using the extended sayagaki as one. I will say that the (katana length for stable comparison) sayagaki where he uses the back of the saya to put the blade length and his signature feels like it appears more on Juyo blades or Saijo Saku Tokubetsu Hozon than the shorter one sided sayagaki. Then again, it could just be that is how much he has to say about it and that's it. Here is a front side only sayagaki that is a $250,000 USD Yukimitsu Juyo: https://www.mandarinmansion.com/item/juyo-soshu-yukimitsu?__cf_chl_tk=nYvA6BSWIdJBHKc1Dzq1KFeZFonpiwyFO.csQCc9_Yg-1776104404-1.0.1.1-0SCUfTzTDWaj3zxmuJ4Ey7qagS1KzkK3jTSba5dWn78 Another good sign (and maybe the best) at least in my opinion is the use of elevating language and hataraki specific enumerations in the sayagaki. Things like "exceptional" "vivid nioiguchi" "striking" "precious and rare" "masterpiece" "best work of this smith" etc.

@nightkid I think the guard you posted is from the 1930s. At least, that’s when you see other naval anchor stamps appearing. The "anchor in sakura” stamp’s association is still unconfirmed, I believe. If you look in the pinned arsenal stamps thread, and Bruce’s stamp document in the downloads, you will see that stamp appears on Type 97 Kai Gunto fittings.

Hi Piers, for the reading of the MEI, I will have to post it in the TRANSLATION section, unless you could read it. I did not see the tiny stamp above the MEI, when I first got it. I am sorry for the bad photos; I'll try to make better ones. A very shallow "hollow grind" is something that is done in the production of kitchen knives. At home, only few people have a water-cooled stone grinding wheel with more than 100 cm in diameter! Piers, for more convenience, you absolutely should install three of them with different grit! In daily use, HOCHO are ground/sharpened on flat waterstones, and when a knife has become older, the hollow grind is long gone.

Average wakizashi, not a huge name, so honestly doesn't really matter if gimei or not, you're buying the sword here, not the name. Looks like a decent honest piece. I wouldn't worry too much about the name on it, it's not one that will likely be professionally polished and submitted for shinsa. So enjoy it for what it is, a genuine wakizashi with untested mei.

For the interest of NMB members in the greater Los Angeles and SoCal area - The Orange Country Buddhist Church will be holding their annual Hanamatsuri festival this weekend, including an exhibition of Japanese swords and fittings curated by the Nanka Token Kai, Southern California Japanese Sword Sociey. There will be some goodies on display. Admission and parking are free and there is plenty to enjoy at the event, more info here: https://www.orangecountybuddhist.org/hanamatsuri Event Details Location: Orange County Buddhist Church, 909 S. Dale Ave Day/Date: Saturday/Sunday April 18-19, 2026 Time: 1:00-7:00 PM Exhibits: Swords, Tea Ceremony, Japanese Artifacts, Bonsai, Kimekomi Dolls, Ikebana, Calligraphy and Origami. Performances: Martial Arts, Taiko Drums, Nihon Buyo (Classical Dance) and Japanese Singing Plus: Food, Beverages, Crafts, Games, and more... Free Shuttle Service: A free shuttle service will run from the Western High School parking area to the festival from 12:30 PM to 7:30 PM. The parking lot entrance is off Orange Avenue. All are welcome and we look forward to seeing you there!

Update: I have been working on updating the site since returning from Japan Tuesday night. I think most everything is current. If you see something that doesn't look right, feel free to contact me. Ed Yakiba.com

Could the eye be a natural crystal or stone? There is also enamel as an option? https://art.thewalters.org/object/51.1265.2/ Coral?

Does anyone have access to the Ashmolean Museum and a drill press? https://images.ashmolean.org/search/?searchQuery=EAX.5604

Hello, I would like to offer here this rare iron civilian Gunto Tsuba for 80€ + shipping. 74,3 x 69,7 x 5,1 mm

"ああええあああ あああええあ" is the new "chin chin, cho cho"

Tarzan?