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Dai - signed Harima Daijo Tadakuni - ubu 75 cm with koshirae Test cut - yamano Nagahisa cut 2 bodies in half dated Sho - signed Harima Daijo Tadakuni - ubu with Koshirae 43.2 cm Test cut - Yamano Nagahisa cut 2 bodies in half same date as the Katana Nagahisa was the most famous test cutter of the Edo period . Rare to find daisho with test cut on the same day

I love this sentiment. I collect because I love the aesthetics of the tsuba, and I pick pieces that I want to look at every day. I never get tired of them, and I aspire to have so many that I too will be able to rediscover them when I go digging into my cabinets.

Ishido Teruhide

You are doing it wrong, Jacques. You are supposed to say "I am but an eternal student of the sword, humble in knowledge". You friend is then supposed to chime in with "Jacques is a Scholarly Scholar! Celestial star, who shines over the True Path", etc. etc..

Over the last week I have been attempting to recatalog my small assortment of kozuka, menuki, and tsuba on this side of the planet. It's confusing because I have a different set of numbers at either end, and when I carry some backwards or forwards the numbers can clash, needing renumbering. There were a couple of tsuba I do not remember buying, and for some reason left no record of how much I paid. Aaarrrgghhh... While doing so though, I rediscovered several that I had forgotten, or was thinking that I had swapped out or sold. It was a joy to see them again, and to consider that years ago I had appreciated them enough to have chosen them back then. Some of them I would never sell, I realized, as they speak to me personally and it is not a question of market value. It was a delight to hold them in hand and to find new aspects or details to appreciate. Why collect these things, people ask? Well, one answer could be that as my Alzheimer symptoms progress, I will soon be able to experience the joys of rediscovery as often as there are weeks in the year or days in the week! "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." Endymion, John Keats.

Yes. We've been using "Kao" as the generic term for a smith's personal "trademark." There are two kinds, the inscribed kind, like this one, called kakihan; and the hot-stamped kind called kokuin.

Good going getting it, I may have to come over for tea and a look if im ever in Yorkshire.

Very nice indeed, it appears to be an Utsushi of Yokoyama Daijo Sukesada.

Thanks, I have something of a history with this particular sword... I was really invested in the sword when it came up for auction, but couldn't match the winning bid 😁 Yet somehow the sword found it's way back to me a little over a year later, in a dealers private collection.- It took 12 months of gentle negotiation before we could close a deal

Wow thank you null device. I'm still curious, is the last what is the last character. Is it "kao"?

John & Trystan are correct. Take a look at the plum blossoms on the crossguard. It is World War II Chinese collaboration sword. Many thanks for sharing the pictures of a really interesting sword variant.

Hi everyone Just wanted to bring this up because i am tired of getting negative comments from a troll who thinks it funny to to criticize my threads I had this issue from another member a while back but haven’t heard anything lately I get rid of one troll and here’s comes a another one Maybe I don’t have thick skin but I don’t need this crap I thought the idea of the forum was to share information not criticism ! Enough of my complaints I appreciate the help from others and wish everyone the very best and keeping alive the history of Japanese swords Steve

I think everyone here knows you VERY well too Jacques. Personally I'm veering more towards provocative at this point. I meant it in exactly the way Bobby says. No one said the traits are unique to Shintogo but the similarities in forging style of that Awataguchi Nobukuni tanto and an archetypical Shintogo produced tanto suggest that there had been some influence in swordmaking technology, through contact with Nobukuni or any of his close associates. Historical references put them in the same region of Japan at the same time. So you're discounting any influence by the Awataguchi school? And why is it pointless to attempt to understand and test hypotheses on the origins and influences on Shintogo's swordmaking. No one will truly know of course since there are no contemporary historical documents to consult, but that still shouldn't prevent discussion on the subject.

I’ve already thought about this more than once. I agree that at the present time we have very favorable conditions for purchasing tosogu. https://nihonto.com/nakai-koshirae/ I’ve already cited this article as an example before - it shows very clearly that for each option, such as nanako, inlay with specific metals, additional carving - there was a substantial surcharge for every request. Now, however, the work can cost less than the price of the metal itself, simply because demand for these items is low. But if we ask someone to recreate something comparable to the work of a great master, as Ford Hallam did, the price would really surprise us and would most likely be higher than that of an Edo-period piece.

3 gorgeous examples in perfect polish, each exemplifying the deki characteristic of the makers style and their School. I especially love the Yukimitsu with its fine chikei and kinsuji and that midare-utsuri on the Sanenaga is exactly what you hope to see on a koto Bizen Osafune blade. I would be proud to have any of these in my collection.

Freely translated from "Histoire des inscriptions sur les sabres japonais anciens" by Franz Baldauff - 2003.

Probably because a sword did not take a day to make, the smith did not regard a certain day as the manufacture day...but a period of time. When was it finished? On the final quench? When it came back from polish? When the koshirae was finished? I suspect the generalization was an acknowledgement that the sword was a process, and not just one day. Brian

I do like the quality of the display fabric, very Wabi-sabi or 汚れた雑巾 Kegareta zōkin?

Absolutely no, I can see when someone knows or don't know. You are far from being in this case. I have no reason to be modest. I know my limits, and you have a very long way to go before you reach them. Am I clear enough?

Hmmm… let’s see what we’ve got here… Nope, I reckon you could win this, Dale!

But UGLY goes clear to the bone! - Dorothy Parker

With the price of gold now - I am considering melting down my wedding ring! [Heck, she won't notice!]