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Just finished watching the four part series called The Samurai by Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook part of their podcast The Rest is History. For those who don't know Tom Holland, he is a brilliant British historian who eloquently breaks down world history. This series appears to have been influenced by the current Samurai Exhibition at the British Museum. It gives a wonderful account of the early history and rise of the Samurai in Japan. A must watch for anyone interested in Japanese Swords, Early Japanese Military History & Japanese Legends. I will leave a link to the episodes here: The Samurai - Episode 1 Samurai Japan was Brutal - Episode 2 Samurai Battles Were Worse Than You Think - Episode 3 The Samurai Civil War: Japan's Greatest Epic - Episode 4 Enjoy!

A little birdie told me yesterday that they now have only ¥100,000 to go before reaching the 3 million yen target. Congratulations! As part of their activities drive, there was a special panel discussion with invited swordsmiths and Togishi. A film crew from NHK turned up to cover the event. Sukesada blades from over the ages were laid out for viewing.

Hi George, Having koshirae made for a blade in shirasaya is a common desire of beginning collectors and it is almost always a bad idea. Let's say you spend $2,000 for the blade in shirasaya and another $4,000 for the kodogu and labor necessary to make the koshirae. When you are done, if the blade is nice and the koshirae is well done, you should have no trouble selling the set for $3,000 or so. When a collector wants a blade and koshirae, he wants period koshirae, not something put together yesterday by a western collector. If the aim is to have a nice blade in or with koshirae, that is what you should buy to begin with. If you want koshirae to go with your blade in shirasaya, consider buying an existing koshirae mounted on tsunagi (wood blade) to display next to your blade in shirasaya. The blade won't fit in the koshirae but it is best kept in its shirasaya anyway. This will cost much less than having koshirae made. My 2 cents, Grey

Today there was the ceremony for the NBSK contest, unfortunately I couldn't attend but a friend was so kind to send me some pictures. The exhibition will go on until August 30th.

Last year at the Las Vegas Japanese Sword Show, Brian Tschernega did a presentation on tsukamaki and discussed tsuka. He brought several old tsuka from the Muromachi period onward, and talked about them. He emphasized that old tsuka were "teachers", and that they inform and inspire modern crafstmen to better emulate how tsuka were made in the past. Preserved old tsuka can help keep those tradition alive. Obviously not all tsuka are old, but just another scenario tsuka may be traded around. It's important to keep them in the hands of people who care about their preservation and appreciate that history and craftsmanship.

Kyo is short for Kyoto. Kenjo (in this context) is sort of a general term for certain type of tsuba. Slightly more bling (with gold) for going into town type of dress up, but not a tsuba that cost an arm and leg to have. The tsuba equivalent of wearing cuff-links. Usually associated with Kyoto.

7. Rai Kunihide Katana in shirasaya with Horimoro Type: Katana Nakago: O-suriage Mumei Period: Late Kamakura-Nanbokucho period (ca. 1300-1350 AD). Papers: NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Horimono: Yes, dragon chasing fireball (both sides of the sword) Habaki: Silver Koshirae: Shirasaya Specifications: Nagasa (Cutting-edge length): 63.3 CM (2 Shaku 9 bu) Sori (Curvature): approx 1.2 cm Motohaba: To be measured Sakihaba: To be measured Kasane: To be measured (Motokasane), To be measured (Sakikasane) Weight (bare): To be measured Shinogi-zukuri Description: Attributed to den Rai Kunihide by NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers in 2023. Rai Kunihide is allegedly the son of Rai Kunitsugu, the master swordsmith who is also thought of as one of Masamune's students. Rai Kunitsugu implemented some Soshu elements into the Rai school, which traditionally is a Yamashiro-den school. Rai Kunihide has only a few signed works recorded, which consist of two tachi and three yari. Works made by Rai Kunihide show similarity to his master, Rai Kunitsugu. The NBTHK rarely attributes a mumei sword directly to Rai Kunihide; there are, in total, very few mumei swords that have been attributed to (den) Rai Kunihide, which causes Rai Kunihide swords to rarely come to the market. Most likely because there is not a lot known about Rai Kunihide, and direct attribution is only made in cases where a sword exhibits a certain mix of Soshu-den and Yamashiro-den, with, of course, the typical Rai hada. Rai Kunihide allegedly had a son Rai Hidetsugu, who only has a few existing works, which has led some speculation that Rai Kunihide and Hidetsugu were the same person. This Katana has a mostly suguha hamon, with some stunning layered hataraki, especially going towards the kissaki, with the typical Rai school itame hada, which is nicely visible, but without any shingane that is commonly seen on Rai school swords. And stunning nie that really reminds me personally of some Naoe Shizu work I have seen. The sword also has a Horimono of a dragon chasing a fireball on the ji, this is on both the omote and ura of the sword. Important to note is that they are not precisely mirrored; one goes slightly below the habaki, while the other stays well above the habaki. It is, in my opinion, very well executed and overall a good addition to the sword. What needs to be added is that this horimono was not present on the sword when it was forged; it was later applied. Seeing as it is not worn, it is likely not very old. The overall condition of the sword is quite good, with a few small kitae-ware that overall do not distract from the quality of the sword. Overall, a stunning Rai school katana in shirasaya. Price: 5900 EURO <!>ALL SWORDS ABOVE THIS TEXT ARE NOW AVAILABLE TO VIEW IN THE NETHERLANDS. IMAGES WILL BE UPLOADED WITHIN A FEW DAYS AND POSTED IN THE FOR SALE SECTION<!>

Another possible coating is a mixture of boiled linseed oil mixed with a little white spirit. Used to protect russet iron Kabuto, Menpo etc. It dries to a slightly shiny finish.

In the same way that you would not give someone a paragraph to read by providing separate images showing one letter at a time, it is much better for individuals trying to provide you with a translation to see the entire and full inscription clearly. From what I can see this may be: - Kanemoto godai (fifth generation Kanemoto) - Kanenao saku However I would much prefer to see the entire inscription of these two swords, with clear vertical images of the entire mei for each.

Hi! I think the official stroke counts of a character are calculated in their 楷書体 (Kaishotai/regular script, most of the fonts use this as their baseline, and this is the first and usually only script style taught to Chinese and Japanese children when in school). Stroke counts are used in many ways, even for fortunetelling (姓名判断/Seimeihandan/onomancy) in Japan, I think. This would be counted as one single stroke (a "hook" as we say), too. Even though it took two strokes of a chisel. Stroke counts of a Sosho/grass script character can vary vastly, as shown below. (That trippy and seemingly deformed two-stroke 兼 at the bottom-right corner is written by one of the greatest modern artists, Yu Youren, too.) The word for tiger (虎, as in Kotetsu's 虎彻, he uses this Sosho version in some of his work) in Sosho is usually written in one stroke, too. There is even a specific genre because of this called one-stroke tiger ("一笔虎"), where the one character is the only content of a whole artwork. ...wait, what was I talking about again? Anyway, I'm afraid stroke counts are very much subject to change in any style other than regular script, therefore not applicable as a tool for deciphering a Mei : (

Aoi Art currently has this Chōgi (Osafune Nagayoshi) tantō up for auction: https://sword-auction.com/ja/product/31815/as26214-tanto：-bishu-osafune-ju-nagayosi-cho-gi-jowa-6-nen-shogatu-hi-new-year-1350nbthk-tokubetsu-hozon-paperkurashiki-sword-museum-estimation-paper/ Just from a glance, it's easy to see why Chōgi is considered the least Bizen-like Bizen smith; this tantō looks almost like a work by a later mainline Soshu smith such as Hiromitsu. It is signed 備州長船住長義 貞和六年正月日 (Bishū Osafune ju Nagayoshi, Jōwa roku-nen shōgatsu-hi). There's some important context behind this particular blade and mei which is somewhat glossed over in the English listing – I've provided a basic translation here as I think this may be a useful reference point for someone someday. "Until recently, the oldest known sword by Bizen Osafune Nagayoshi was a meitō called the 'Osaka Nagayoshi' and dated Shōhei 15 (1360). That tantō was believed to have been bestowed at Osaka Castle upon Maeda Toshiie, a daimyō who was a retainer and old confidant of [Toyotomi] Hideyoshi. It was then subsequently passed down through the Maeda clan as a family heirloom. However, the tantō [listed here] was recently surfaced, and the mei—dating it to January of Jōwa 6 (1350)—predates that of the Osaka Nagayoshi by 10 years. It had long been considered to be gimei and held in reserve, but after re-evaluating it in light of Tanobe-sensei's judgement, the Japanese Sword Museum [and by extension, the NBTHK] finally authenticated it. With the Osaka Nagayoshi previously established as his earliest dated work, having a blade dated earlier [than 1360] authenticated as a work of this smith was no small feat. Henceforth, the listed tantō may now officially be recognized as the oldest extant work of Nagayoshi. * Reference: TANOBE Michihiro, The Japanese Sword – A Journey Through the Five Traditions of Japanese Sword Making: The Bizen Tradition, p. 182 (The Golden Age of Osafune Swordsmiths)"

What makes this fascinating little blade so important is its date. It appears at least a full decade earlier than what has traditionally been considered Chōgi's established working period, making it a significant piece for students of Sōden-Bizen and the development of the Chōgi school. Unfortunately, the blade is showing its age. Condition issues including ware in the ha likely explain why it has remained at the Tokubetsu Hozon level despite its rarity and research value. Could it make Jūyō someday? Anything is possible, but I would not consider it likely. That said, it is probably the most reasonably priced zaimei Chōgi to appear on the market in quite some time. The blade was previously offered by Aoi Art roughly four years ago, though I do not know the asking price at the time. @Jussi Ekholm may have that information recorded. I am also curious why the current owner is parting with it after such a relatively short period, something some collectors may understandably view as a cautionary sign. The hitatsura is another point of interest. It is an outlier within Chōgi's body of work, recalling the work of Hiromitsu and, further back, the full-temper explorations seen in some works of Yukimitsu. Yet despite the treatment, Chōgi's hand still comes through clearly. The blade retains the dynamic,Sōshū-influenced Bizen character that makes his work so distinctive. Signed and dated Nanbokuchō-period works by Chōgi and his immediate circle rarely appear on the market. Even mumei examples are encountered infrequently. By comparison, the blade pictured below was offered by Aoi Art last year and received 2025 Tokubetsu Hozon papers to Kenchō—not Den Kenchō, but Kenchō himself, generally regarded as Chōgi's foremost student. Tanobe-sensei, however, attributed the blade to Chōgi in his sayagaki. Both opinions are entirely reasonable. The condition of that blade is exceptional. The zaimei example being offered here, however, provides something the Kenchō attribution debate cannot: a firmly signed and dated reference point from the formative years of the school. For collectors of top Nanbokucho Soshu works, that carries considerable importance. The asking price is not unreasonable for what is being offered, and I would not be surprised to see it rise before the auction closes, much as the zaimei Kanemitsu did last week. If I had an extra $40,000 available in these uncertain times, I would be very tempted. For collectors of Sōshū-influenced work, Sōden-Bizen, Nanbokuchō tantō, or blades exhibiting strong Masamune-style jihada, this is certainly worthy of serious consideration. As for me, I will remain content with my little mumei example.

I expect 99% of this sort of damage is neglect and messing around, and done in modern times. Blade to blade contact is rare and unlikely from those pics. We tend to romanticize these things, but it's important to realize that it isn't a desired thing in most cases and unless can be proven 100%, it's best to not see them as a feature.

Same way people collect fuchi/kashira and menuki, keeping an entire tsuka allows you to collect all those parts already assembled. Many of us collectors have tsuka that we will never fit to a sword and collect them for the en-suite fittings.

As Jean said I signed with the kanji 古伝 which reads as "Koden" that sounds like my surname and also have a meaning of "old tradition" which fits my style of Muromachi -Early Edo style. For NBTHK contest you're required to have either a signature or a kao to submit

Whoever said that was completely different. 尾州住人真野光弘作之 (Bishu junin Mano Mitsuhiro saku kore) – A resident of Bishu (= Owari province), Mano Mitsuhiro made this.

Welcome to NMB Fred. I vote for Kyo-Kenjo [presentation] or possibly Higo style? Powerhouse museum - A5308-13 https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/182968 A Kyo-kenjo from Gary Murtha's book - notice the gold edging to the hitsu-ana and the seppa-dai

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okuri-inu Also known as okuri ōkami.

A couple of pictures of the Futasuji-hi Sadamune on display at the 29th Tokubetsu Juyo Exhibition. Special thanks to 刀剣訪問ブログ. For more info on the exhibition click here.

I can see why so many were impressed by the Norishige tanto. Thanks once again to Mr Shiotsuna

Hi Calabrese, what can be seen on that single photo does look a bit suspicious indeed. I don't get the impression of a cast TSUBA, but I would not completely exclude it. There seems to be 'something' on the surface, but the gloss could also be the result of an intense but soft brushing with something like polishing compound. The usual solvents like alcohol are on the 'soft' side, so I would try acetone (don't inhale it!) to see if something like clear paint or wax will come off. Old clear URUSHI would indeed be quite unruly.....

Hi Joeloe, welcome to the forum. Let me start by saying that you are awfully lucky. And there is no need to take this apart; it’s best to keep this type of sword assembled. What you have is a “Type 95 Gunto”. Yours was made in 1938 by Suya Shoten Co, inspected by Tokyo first army arsenal inspectors, and under kokura arsenal supervision. Yours is the first variation, often referred to as a “copper hilt”. They only made about 6750 swords of this variation before switching to an aluminum hilt. The copper hilt variation#1 Type 95 gunto is exceptionally collectible, and I have recently seen examples sell for between 3k and 6k. It’s real in my opinion. Does the scabbard have numbers at the opening that match the blade? Would you mind sharing an image of the tip/end of the scabbard also? Thanks for sharing, -Sam

You could choose any kanji with a reading close enough to your name. That's what the student helped me with when I joined a calligraphy club, and I had to carve my own signature stamp. For many non-Asians, it can mean quite a few kanji (mine was 4 for the family name, and 3 for the first name).

One for the ladies - Obi. https://www.jauce.com/auction/e1217356383 an expensive but attractive Obi!

ISP's are slowly putting measures in place to mitigate the various attempts at DDOS. It's a very complicated process, but it's going to get better, not worse. We'll be back to normal soon.

I don't want to be that guy, and please correct me if I'm wrong but the wavy shinogi line in the nakago makes me a tad suspicious of this blades origin. There's also something off about the patina on the nakago, looks a little like it's been artificially aged. I hope I'm wrong and will defer to more experienced people but I can't shake the gut feeling that this is a modern reproduction.

Constructive criticism or comments are always welcome, no offense it taken. Just to address a few points above. Way back when we moved to this hosting, we already had well over 250K attachments. Now that number is likely far more than double. No mean feat to try and move hosting. It's not something you can quickly FTP across. I also want to host here in South Africa, so when I have an issue I can pick up a phone and actually call someone. Don't want to be tens of thousands of miles away speaking to a bot. Also, the cost of hosting overseas is more than we can bear, given the funds that come in. This attach has been inconvenient, but we will get through it, and things will get back to normal. If they don't, I'll look at other options. But again, everything comes down to money. The site is well known. Everywhere. Just type into any AI chat "What is the largest Japanese sword forum in the world" The problem is that many collectors are not young anymore. They prefer to collect in person, and many are old school. Even in Japan, it is hard to change that mindset. We would love more interaction, but people prefer what they know. The younger generation prefers Facebook...instant gratification even if the data is disposable and far less reliable. We have a good membership here, that ebbs and flows, but there is still more info stored here than anywhere else. I prefer to keep this mostly on topic. I don't want to cross over to the martial arts much. There are places for that, and they deal with it better than we can. We are about the study and preservation, not so much the use. Image uploading is more than sufficient. Really it is. We can't be expected to accommodate everyone who wants to take a 50MP photo on their phone and upload it directly. We don't need billboard size photos and people need to learn to crop and edit before they upload. Currently regular members can upload 3 megs per post. Since pics can easily be brought down to under 500kb, you are able to upload enough provided you aren't trying to upload pics that are several megs each. PLUS you can then reply and do more pics, with the same limit in that thread, adding more pics. If people want more per post then they can upgrade to Gold membership. There you are allowed 7.5MB per post. More than enough. Pic max sizing is ample to view only. We don't need to scroll several pages across to see everything. I think the post limits are more than enough if people learn free image resizing and learn a little about DPI and what is sufficient. As for the customizable feed, see my post above. This is easy and worth playing with. We will be going to new software by the end of the year and there will be many more features and changes, and I think everyone will benefit.

At the end of the day, the only thing that really matters is if you personally like the sword. As long as you are not going through this process expecting financial gain or a certain level of NBTHK papers, then you won't be disappointed.

Greetings everyone! Please see the attachments for a sword I have that was made in 1993 by sword smith Yamamura Takeshi (Soushu Tsunahiro: 24th generation Masamune). Sadly, Yamamura Tsunahiro passed away on Dec. 9 in 2023 at the age of 80. Best Regards, Robert

Without seeing the blade, there is at least one sign that "points" to it being fake. Look closely at the mei. You'll notice all of the characters have rounded ends on the strokes. This is clearly made by a rotary tool. If you see that, you know immediately it is fake. John C.

Buying a blade is completely a personal thing. I like the idea that the blade chooses the owner rather than the other way round. As such one blade that tickles the fancy of one person may not tickle the fancy of others. I for example am a Soshu fan (probably the most popular category of sword collector) and others think Soshu is nice but prefer the more obscure smiths like @Jussi Ekholm. Some love blades according to their rating preferring the higher grade blades, whilst other prefer the provenance or the story behind the blade and still others (probably most again) just fall in love with the look of the blade or the smith. I can completely understand that when you start looking your list can contain blades that stretch from 1-35 million Yen. This is where the study and research into each smith starts and as such it is the start of a wonderful journey. If you do have big money available to spend then it is certainly worth being patient - there are a lot of good blades out there and the best are listed for only a short time or through friends of friends. Don't let that money burn a hole in your pocket. Find out what/who you like. Keep your ear to the ground (ask those more connected to do the same.) Follow the great apps like NihontoWatch by @Hoshi. Please do continue to share and ask questions. DM those in the community members who show the most knowledge around what you are looking at... Getting an opinion like @Andrew Ickeringill is also really worth it if you are keen on a blade. His keen eye after years of polishing great blades will give you an honest review. I can promise you most in this community are willing to share their knowledge and will help point you in the right direction. There is a blade waiting for you and I can promise you when you see it you will know. Your journey will lead you there. Excited for you bud.

To have a koshirae made you need to have all the hardware sorted first to ensure the woodwork is made to the correct dimensions and in the correct style. Plus you need to ensure the hardware fits the blade. Also it would be a waste of money to go to all that trouble and then use cheap modern fittings. Overall you are taking on an expensive task and meticulous planning and communication is needed. Is it really worth it? There is considerable scope for disappointment

Dear George. Here are a couple of links to look through. The first is all good but page 12 specifically addresses the plain black kashira part of your question. The second has a rather fine handachi which relates to your question about the hole located in the kabuto gane which is the name for the cap on handachi koshirae. https://to-ken.uk/onewebmedia/Ashmolean Presentation - Formal Koshirae vF.pdf https://to-ken.uk/resources/koshirae/ Handachi koshirae are to my mind much less common than your estimate of one third of swords and vary from the downright workman like to the highly sophisticated. Hope some of that helps. All the best.

It could be clear lacquer. I once had an iron tsuba in my early, more Western ignorant days, that had been coated with 'something'. A slightly less than ignorant friend of the time suggested xylene as a solvent that would shift whatever it was. Well, that didn't work, so I had no idea what it was apart from what I read about lacquer being insoluble in most anything. So it stayed as it was and didn't deteriorate from my 'cleaning up' penchant. BaZZa.

Musashi Masamune oshigata from Markus Sesko article on the blade

It looks like it was dropped on the tip of the kissaki. My understanding is that if the metal is still there, a qualified togishi can move the metal back into place. One of mine had a similar issue—the tip of the kissaki was bent to one side—and Woody Hall straightened it. I think it is best to have a togishi look at it before it leaves Japan.

I went to see the 29th TJ exhibition today. All items were of course really high quality and I cannot judge their difference in level. What surprised me I didnt like all that much few of the items I was really looking forward seeing, and vice versa liked few others much more I thought I would before the exhibition. This is just my personal like list of 5 preferred items and no way judging the items by level. Hōjōji naoshi Kaneuji wakizashi Kanenaga katana (the longer) Yasumitsu tachi Norishige tantō I was really looking forward seeing the Futasuji-bi Sadamune Jūyō Bunkazai but to my surprise I didn't like that or the TJ 29 Sadamune as much as I thought I would. Of course both are incredible swords. Similarily I was really looking forward seeing the signed and dated Chōgi tachi but while very high quality sword it didn't really make an impact on me. Then on the opposite side I was very impressed by the Echizen Yasutugu wakizashi.

I ve sent all my blades to Woody Hall in Hawaii for Shiage togi. His work is exceptional and he has won NBTHK awards for his Polishing. He was trained by Robert Benson who was trained by Koke Ono , a living national treasure. I also know for a fact Mike Yamazaki uses him and speaks highly of him

Never forget that polishing a sword is never harmless, it accelerates wear and tear and can reveal a flaw that might reduce its value. From what I can see, this sword has already been polished many times. It is therefore worth considering whether it needs to be polished again.

Paul Martin or Robert Hughes would be the better contacts to pursue, they won't give you cryptic responses.

If you are near Southern California, I would recommend taking it to Mike Yamasaki, who can give you good advice on the blade and the polishing process. What I can tell you today is that the blade comes with an appraisal paper (origami) from Hon'ami Kō'on, dated 1662. Kō'on says the blade comes from the Sa lineage (he doesn't specify the exact smith). The blade was already shortened and had lost its signature by this time. Then, in 1953 (maybe January, can't quite tell), Japanese sword scholar Kashima Tsutomu reaffirmed the sword was of the Sa lineage via his own appraisal. Then, in June of that same year, the NBTHK also appraised the sword as coming from the Sa lineage, and gave it a "Precious" designation (one of the designations that predates the Tokubetsu Hozon designation). The current "Sa Hiroyuki" appraisal comes from the latest NBTHK appraisal, dated 2021, in which it received the Tokubetsu Hozon designation. So, no doubt the sword is of the Sa school, but there may not be absolute consensus among the Japanese sword world as to the Hiroyuki appraisal. This may be one reason the sword currently does not have a Jūyō designation. My gut feeling is that if the sword were a super strong candidate for Jūyō, the sword dealer Seiyūdō would have submitted it themselves in order to take advantage of the potential profit that they could have received by selling it as a Jūyō blade. But I am not an expert, and that "gut feeling" is sort of a lazy person's conclusion.

Kanenori November, 1943.

Thanks Mauro. One I have that I would class as Awa.

Thank you guys for all info.' Here some pictures of the tsuka from the same koshirae as the tsuba.

On the English-speaking side, Andrew Ickeringill is a polisher who has won awards in Japan and polished many Juyo and TokuJu-level blades, including some by Go Yoshihiro. You can view examples of his work and find his contact details at his website: https://touken-togishi.com/ Unless you are a purist who only likes one specific polishing style, it's generally best to let the polisher decide, or at least suggest, what kind of polish would suit the blade's style and activities best; sometimes they may leave the decision to you when it could go either way (e.g. if both the jigane and hamon are excellent, you might need to choose between highlighting one or the other, or somewhere in between).

Often I have been surprised to find that these two 左右 look very similar in grass writing, almost indistinguishable to my eye. In this case however, the mouth part does look relatively clearer. The records often confuse the two, (gun registration cards are particularly bad), so I would not be unduly worried if they don’t match up. One suggestion might be to contact the Kunitomo Gun Museum directly for any stockmaker records. The Director there is quite friendly and willing to help. The material I use is a private research paper sold by the author only over the phone, but please see the entries for Kunitomo stock and lock makers. Note the suggested dates shown on the right. He collected municipal gun registration records directly from all over Japan, and lists his sources over several pages at the end. These are his sources for Shiga Prefecture where Kunitomo is located.

I have 5 Yoshimichi on file with kikumon (chrysanthemum). Three dated between 1711 - 1755. One was estimated to be from the 1600s. This mon does not match the others in my files, however each of them vary from the next, so that doesn't tell us much. The kikumon was a sign the smith was approved to make swords under the shogunate, and has been seen from the 1600s to the mid-1800s. You might have noticed that your fittings are missing some parts. Some collectors like to keep their swords just as they got them (Life of the sword philosophy). Other would rather find period correct parts to refit the sword. If you care to do so, you can see how yours should look by reading this site: Scabbard, spring clip, etc - Ohmura and Gunto Metal Parts - Ohmura Care and cleaning - Japanese sword Care I don't know Yoshimitsu and his work. But in general, older blades in military fittings sell in the range of $1,900 to $2,400. Lower end for gunto with missing parts and rusted blades. However, if your smith is valued, it could go much higher. The nihonto experts would have to help you in that area.

但無銘也 - However, it is unsigned.

As it turns out, a tsuba with a similar motif was discussed on the forum previously:

In the Edo period, gimei was not always interpreted according to the modern Western distinction between authentic and fake, but was part of a cultural system where imitation, transmission of tradition, genealogical prestige, and commercial value were deeply intertwined. This perspective emerges particularly clearly from Kameda-Madar's studies on the practice of utsushi. It would likely be of interest to more than one member of the NMB. https://www.academia.edu/10385390/Copying_and_Theory_in_Edo_Period_Japan_1615_1868_