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I was on the highway bus on my way home when reading this and has to wait until I get home to really reply. It is so rare we get discussion about the more rare schools such as Mōgusa. I have felt liking to northern swords for a long time maybe just the reason for it is that I live up north, that might have been the initial connection that clicked for me. I originally planned to see Hōju and Mōgusa swords this year in Japan but as my love for ōdachi is even greater I needed to adjust places I will visit so I can hopefully see several ōdachi I have not seen before during my month in Japan (currently I have seen 30 ōdachi). So perhaps I will try to do northern swords in 2027. Unfortunately there is not a lot of information about Mōgusa or Hōju schools in English. Many years ago, probably over 10 years ago when Paul Martins thejapanesesword site had a forum there was an amazing thread about Mōgusa, I still remember that dearly to this day. Unfortunately I believe all of that info is now gone for good... back then I didn't understand the need to save information as much as I do today. However I do have few Japanese books on Mōgusa, that have information that might be difficult to find. This might be bit controversial opinion but I don't think NBTHK might be the best authority on Mōgusa and Hōju swords... I am very long time NBTHK member but I think there are groups in Japan that know more about these specific swords than NBTHK. There is actually Mōgusa sword research group that publishes their magazine/publication. At one point I intended to start getting them but I am so backlogged with books and magazines I have more than enough to last for my lifetime. I know NBTHK is regarded as "the" high authority and with well earned reputation, there are still other groups with narrow focus that in my mind surpass the NBTHK knowledge in that particular field. Even though it does nothing to sword financially I would rather have the opinion of these people focusing on the specific field. Currently I think I have 11 signed Mōgusa swords in my references. Sometimes it might be difficult to judge if the smith was actually a Mōgusa smith but these are all northern smiths. I will put the swords out in my own order starting from what I presume to be the oldest (of course I might be wrong on some of these). Fusachika (閼寂) tachi - early Kamakura Tomoyasu (友安) tachi - early Kamakura Kunihira (国平) kodachi - early-middle Kamakura Mōgusa (舞草) tachi - middle Kamakura Toshiyasu (世安) tachi - late Kamakura Shigenaga (重長) ken - Nanbokuchō Mitsunaga (光長) tantō - Muromachi Mōgusa (舞草) katana - Muromachi Yukishige (行重) wakizashi - middle Muromachi Tomonaga (友長) katana - late Muromachi Tomonaga (友長) wakizashi - late Muromachi

About “advancement of knowledge” in the field: People like Mitsuru Ito and Eckhard Kremers who have published books on specific collections of tsuba from particular smiths in a more analytical manner rather than just producing a picture book of accumulated tsuba from a particular school with no real analysis included. Markus Sesko of course needs to be mentioned because of his relentless efforts in translating Japanese texts, and the many years of him posting his blogs that frequently revolved around comparative analysis of small groups of similarly themed tsuba, sometimes by the same smith, and sometimes by different smiths. I always learned something whenever I read his posts. And then there's Steve Waszak with his years of dedication to Yamakichibei and Hoan tsuba... with a definitive book on the subject sure to come sometime in the future, which I hope to play some part in as I have also been diving deep into Yamakichibei, and separating out types of acid etched tsuba that often get mislabeled as Hoan. I have also been diving deep into all things “Owari-related”, trying to sort out the mess that is Kanayama, Ohno, Owari, and Ko-Akasaka (since they clearly had Owari roots), and trying to associate these with approximate time periods, trying to tie it all to cultural and artistic trends at various points in time. I apologize if I have left out any other publishers and bloggers from the list (like the “Zenzai blog” by Keisuke Nakamura, now that I think about it… he does this too, and I’m a big fan of what he puts together) Then there’s also some thoughtful insights and sharing of information on sites like this of course! At least this forum allows for the potential for some kind of proper, positive discussion. And just as an example, I realized I had two tsuba of clear Owari lineage, but that were also obviously divergent from the typical Owari tsuba. In comparing them, I realized they were made by the same smith who has yet to be described or named in some way. After posting the pair and pointing it out online, it tuned out that Eckhard Kremers had realized the same thing about this smith when looking at specific tsuba published by Sasano. Then he and I spurred each other on to do a deep dive into other publications and accumulated image banks, and we found a bunch more by the same smith. He has produced some extraordinary, unique designs that show a lot more "movement" compared to other Owari tsuba. His tsuba have gotten a variety of attributions from different sources, but as soon as you line them up, they are clearly all done by one smith. It's the "gut feeling" mislabeling under the current system that I think (hope?) can and should be course corrected over time, by doing comparative analysis in exactly this way…. I have also identified several other groupings of tsuba that I think point to the work of individuals smiths, rather than a broad label like "Owari" or one of the other Owari-linked groupings I mentioned above. Owari was after all, a significantly large geographic area with so many smiths with different styles over the course of the 1500s and 1600s. Anyway, It’s doable, but more people need to have these thoughts in mind when they are looking at examples and gathering up images of tsuba that allow for comparison (hopefully including some oblique and side views, and not just straight on black and white images!) Blah blah blah… when will this guy shut up… sheesh? I apologize for blathering, I will stop now Oh and no, I am not just presuming to throw my name in with all those that I mentioned above, out of some sort of inflated self-worth. But I'm putting in the effort to gather evidence, and trying to make sense of it all with an open mind and a critical view... which is what I share in common with all those I mentioned above. I hope to put together some kind of publication one day, but for now, I'm still gathering information and examples, and enjoying the obsession.

（ I asked because it is a bit long.） Right（meaning) 「The Kagura of our shrine has been performed since ancient times, 　and it is even mentioned in an old poetry anthology, 拾遺和歌集the Shūi Wakashū. The waka poem composed by藤原忠房 Fujiwara noTadafusa when 宇多上皇Emperor Uda (during his time as a retired emperor)visited Kasuga Taisha in Nara.　（In 920. 延喜engi20年）」 Left（Only the first half of the waka poem is written.） （meaning) 「Today, Yaotome (shrine maidens who perform Kagura) at Kasuga Taisha are so wonderfully rare and beautiful that even the gods themselves cannot help but rejoice and praise them.」 「めつらしき けふの春日の やをとめを かみもうれしと しのはさらめや」 　me tu ra si ki ke fu no ka su ga no ya wo to me wo ka mi mo u re shi to shi no ha sa ra me ya 　（珍しき　　 今日の春日の　　 八乙女を　　　 神も嬉しと　　　 忍ばざらめや ） （mezurasiki kyou no kasuga no yawotome wo 　 kami mo ureshi to sinoba zarameya）　 The photo shows the text up to “yawotome wo.” （Emperor Uda is famous for having written in his diary that “my black cat is so cute.”） Hiro

I have several blades in my collection that have been polished in the Takeya Sashikomi shiage style (traditional Sashikomi). I assure you that the reflection of the martensitic structures is unmatched.

Have been digging a little deeper into Gō Yoshihiro blades recently - hoping to share more soon but in the mean time I found a really interesting article written in 2020 by Kurobe City that puts some flesh onto this mysterious, legendary sword smith. In the article they share some pretty incredible stories, myths and legends and even some stories and pictures from his descendants the Gō family. Yes, turns out the origin of the name Gō apparently comes from his surname Gō(郷) and it was not Gō(江) which is now used for his swords and that is only one of the amazing and super interesting tit-bits found in this article. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did. After reading it, it kind of reminded me a little of that line from Braveheart, where it is said William Wallace shot lightning bolts from his arse - that is, like all good stories there is a sense of blurring the lines between myth, legend and reality but with so little available on this enigmatic man and because we all love hearing a good story I am so grateful that these oral traditions have been collated and shared. As they say, there is always a little truth in the rumour. Enjoy. Gō Yoshihiro - The Master Swordsmith who created famous swords in Matsukura-Gō, Niigawa-gun, Etchū By Kurobe City (May 13, 2020) Gō Yoshihiro The Three Great Works Many mysteries surround the life of Gō Yoshihiro, one of the "Three Great Swordsmiths of Japan." He was a samurai who lived during the Kamakura period, estimated to have been born in 1298 (Einin 6) and died in 1325 (Shōchū 2). In his short life, he made a name for himself as a sword smith and left behind many excellent works. Although Yoshihiro's swords do not bear his signature, their high quality makes them unmistakable, and they were favoured by Sengoku warlords, including Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In the Edo period's "Kyoho Meibutsucho" a catalogue of famous swordsmiths), he is counted among the greatest three sword smiths of all time (the "The Nihon San Saku"), and his reputation remains unshaken to this day. The "Three Great Swordsmiths of Japan" refers to three sword smiths: Awataguchi Yoshimitsu (1229-1291), Gōrō Nyūdō Masamune (1264-1343), and Gō Yoshihiro. While Masamune and Yoshimitsu were professional swordsmiths, Yoshihiro was a samurai. For Yoshihiro, sword smithing was a hobby, and he died at the age of 27 (by traditional Japanese reckoning), so his time as a sword smith was extremely short. However, through his innate talent and extraordinary effort, he produced masterpieces of divine beauty. The Nihon San Saku Scroll with Gō Yoshihiro (top left), Masamune (middle right) and Yoshimitsu (bottom right). Loyalist and anti-shogunate patriot Gō Yoshihiro, was said to be a loyalist and anti-shogunate activist, who lived in Matsukura-go, Niikawa-gun, Etchū Province (present-day Uozu City). Some documents suggest he was the Lord of Matsukura Castle, but the details are unclear. At the end of the Kamakura period, when public order was in disarray and the shogunate was losing its ability to govern, Yoshihiro was a samurai under Inoue Toshikiyo, the deputy Gōvernor of Etchū Province, and there is a theory that he secretly harboured loyalist and anti-shogunate aspirations together with Toshikiyo and was acting in secret. Gō Yoshihiro, a samurai who became a nationally renowned swordsmith at a young age, went to Kamakura at the age of 21 and became an apprentice to Masamune. There, he honed his sword-making skills while also gathering intelligence on the shogunate's activities. However, the shogunate learned of Emperor Go-Daigo's plot to overthrow the shogunate, and the emperor's close associates were exiled or placed under house arrest (Shōchū Incident, 1324), and pursuers were sent throughout the country. It remains a mystery whether Gō Yoshihiro, who had returned to Matsukura in Etchū Province, committed suicide to avoid implicating his Lord Toshikiyo and Masamune, or whether he was captured and executed as a samurai close to the imperial court. What we do know is the remaining Gō family fled Matsukura with their family temple and moved to what is now Kurobe City, where they became ordinary blacksmiths. This is a hanging scroll depicting Fudo Myoo (Acala), has been passed down through the Gō family. Family tradition says it once hung in Gō Yoshihiro’s forge. The Legend of Inamuragasaki After the death of Gō Yoshihiro, Emperor Go-Daigo regained power in various regions, and in 1333 (Genko 3), Nitta Yoshisada finally attacked Kamakura. However, Kamakura was a natural stronghold, surrounded by mountains on three sides and protected by the sea in front. Unable to make progress, Yoshisada advanced to Inamuragasaki to try to attack from the sea, but his path was blocked by sheer cliffs, and furthermore, enemy ships were waiting offshore, firing arrows, so he could not break through. In the Taiheiki, it is said that at this time Yoshisada prayed to the dragon god and threw his golden-mounted sword into the sea, and the tide went out, moving the ships far away and removing the threat of arrows, so he was able to easily cross the coastline and attack, and brilliantly defeated the shogunate army. It is suggested the sword that was thrown into the sea in this episode of the attack on Kamakura may have been a sword presented by Gō Yoshihiro to Yoshisada. It is believed that Gō Yoshihiro was well-versed in astronomy and knowledgeable about the ebb and flow of tides. The story is told that he informed Nitta Yoshisada of the timing of low tide when he sent him the sword, and Yoshisada used that information 8 years later to launch his attack... if this is true, then Gō Yoshihiro was indeed a brilliant strategist! Inamuragasaki cliffs A rare sword The highly sought-after and nationally treasured sword "Inaba-Gō" is considered the finest masterpiece among Gō Yoshihiro's works. "Tomita-Gō" is considered its equal, and is also designated a national treasure. Gō "江" refers to Gō"郷", and five other swords by him—"Kuwana-Gō," "Matsui-Gō," "Murakumo-Gō," "Buzen-Gō," and "Samidare-Gō"—are designated as important cultural properties. His early works show influences from older schools such as the Yamato-den (Nara) and Yamashiro-den (Kyoto), but after studying under Masamune, he based his style on the Soshu-den (Kamakura), resulting in a refined, bright, and brilliantly beautiful style. Yoshihiro's aesthetic sense is also reflected in the blade patterns, some of which depict the landscape of the Tateyama mountain range. Because Yoshihiro's swords were favoured by warlords during the Sengoku period, most of them were treasured possessions and never seen by the public. As they were moved from place to place, many were destroyed by fire or lost. "Kurikara-Gō," said to be the beloved sword of Akechi Mitsuhide, is one of those that went missing during the turbulent times. The more we learn about the many legends surrounding him, the more we regret that Yoshihiro did not live longer. Gō Yoshihiro's swords bear no inscriptions. There are various theories as to why, including: "He was not a blacksmith who made swords for sale, but a samurai (or nobleman)"; "He often presented the swords he made as gifts, and he hesitated to assert his own identity by inscribing his name to the recipient (a person of high rank)"; and "He had absolute confidence in the swords he made, and believed that anyone who knew would be convinced that they were Gō Yoshihiro's works." We can only imagine Gō Yoshihiro's character from the works he left behind and fragmented anecdotes. Kokuho: Inaba Gō National Treasure author turned into musical In 2014, a musical featuring this great sword smith as the protagonist was performed in Uozu. Toshiro Kitahara (representative of Hatena no Machi Concert), who was in charge of production, faced a lack of materials and various difficulties, and at one point almost gave up on making the work. However, he persevered with his research, completed everything from the script to the direction from scratch, and successfully staged the performance. Flyer for the Gō Yoshihiro Musical in 2014 Memorial monument The monument to Gō Yoshihiro stands near the main keep of Matsukura Castle. It was erected to honour the 26th generation descendent of Yoshihiro who died in the line of duty in 1985 who wished such a monument erected - a wish that was fulfilled by his mother Gō Toki and the City of Uozu. It is the last known monument to be erected for one of Masamune's Ten Disciples (Masamune Jittetsu). A monument modelled after a Japanese sword anvil was also built next to it. Not many people know that Etchū Province was once a centre for sword production or that sword smith Gō Yoshihiro existed, but recently, games that personify swords have ignited a Japanese sword boom, and attention to Gō Yoshihiro has been increasing. Gō Yoshihiro only lived in his hometown Matsukura for a few years after returning from Kamakura. Although there is very little evidence of interaction with the local community and no detailed records or historical documents, it is certain that Matsukura-go in Niikawa-gun is the place where many famous swords, including his national treasures, were created. Even after 700 years, his extraordinary talent and story continues to fascinate people. Monument to Gō Yoshihiro erected by his descendants and Uozo City at Matsukura Castle in Niigawa-gun, Uozu We would like to thank Toshiro Kitahara, who is the concert representative of Hatena Town and produced the Uozu hometown musical "Gō Yoshihiro" for sharing so much information about Gō Yoshihiro. [References] Toyama Prefecture Shimoshinkawa District Office, “Shimoshinigawa County History, Vol. 2” (1908) Toyama Prefecture Youth Activities Practical Council, “People Shining in the Local Area, Vol. 1” (1962) Uozu City History Compilation Committee, “Uozu City History, Vol. 1” (1962) Nobuaki Tamagawa, “Toyama Photography Portraits” (1975) Junji Okuda and Hiroshi Yonehara, “Etchū People (Toyama Bunko 11)” (1976) Toyama Shimbun, “Etchu Hyakuke, Volume 2” (1981) Koji Nojima, “Shinkawa Monogatari” (1987) Monthly Uozu Doujinsha “Legend Uozu” (1988) Toyama Social Studies Education Research Group, “The People Who Built Toyama Prefecture” (1985) Matsukura Promotion Association, “Jusan no Sato (No. 13) Special Feature on Yoshihiro Gō” (1993) Junji Okuda, “Illustrated History of Uozu, Kurobe, and Shimoshinkawa” (2000) Hometown Development Research Institute, “Kaleidoscope No. 218 Swordsmith” Yoshihiro Gō” (2010) Toyama Prefectural Board of Education “Stories of People from Hometown and Yama” (2011) Hatena Town Concert “9th Uozu Hometown Musical Yoshihiro Gō” (2014) The original Japanese version of this article can be found on the Korobe City website here.

Here we have an outstanding example of how many years of excessive wiping can lead to a rather dull looking blade... This is the Kikko Sadamune - Sadamune's most brilliant work photographed in 1948. You would not tell this is his most beautiful sword. And here we have a photo in 1967 after it has been beautifully polished - boy does a polish make a difference - it is like a completely difference sword. Bright and clear. Not dull and boring. The Kikko Sadamune is the Sadamune sword that is most praised for it's beauty. Ironically, this is a very a-typical Sadamune sword as it moves away from his more typical Mokume-hada and adopts Gō Yoshihiro's "modern style". Like a typical Gō blade it has a shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune and well forged itame grain with, with thick ji-nie and well-defined ji-kei (patterns in the ji). The hamon (temper line) is a shallow large notare mixed with small gunome (irregular wave-like patterns), with small ashi (short lines extending from the base), generally well-defined nie with occasional coarse nie, frequent kinsuji (golden lines), and sunagashi (sand-like patterns). I hesitate to say this but if the Kikko Sadamune was not Meibutso and papered by Hon'Ami in the past as a Sadamune - if it appeared on the market today as a mumei blade I suspect it would be designated a Tokubetsu Juyo by Gō as it has almost all of the trademarks. Regardless, it is an exquisite blade and shows the power of a polish.

Sorry to reopen such an old thread more than 13 years after the oldest post but I wanted to share this kozuka I recently purchased. It is signed Aki Masa [Haynes 00041.0].

I received Markus Sesko’s translation of Fukushi Shigeo’s Tosogu Classroom Volume 4 today. Had a pleasant surprise to see my Tsuba there!

Described as geese (karigane). Regards Luca

The exhibition is excellent and very extensive. its breadth and scope are such that the ten or so displayed swords play only a small part in the overall diverse narrative. Impressively, they have collated also around ten armours and as many helmets from the Royal Armouries, the Royal Collection Trust (the suit given to Alfred), several from Stibbert in Venice, Snowshill Manor (a boy suit) and clearly a very substantial private collector. The art is beautiful (excellent scrolls - some of them from 13-14c, beautiful prints including several by Hokusai, and splendid paintings, one by Tintoreto) and accentuated by numerous visual screens running film excerpts from period dramas. The abira, ozutsu, yume etc were also high quality. There is something for everyone - connoisseurs of weapons, fine art, lacquerware, Noh masks, even a gorgeous palanquin! I am sure the youngsters will be fascinated by the original Darth Vader suit lent by the Lucas Museum & Studio. I also quite liked a Toyotomi jinbaori with exotic feathers. Anyway… are there some errors in a few descriptions? Well, yes there are. But so what? The hundreds of people around me were only very briefly reading and spending more time looking, commenting and marvelling. They will hardly retain the copious and overwhelming amount of information. The overall historic representation however seemed well structured and illustrated. So, while a person with a very narrow interest in a very specific field might be disappointed, for someone who appreciates Japan and the samurai in their entirety, this is a treat.

As a disclaimer I must say I am not a martial artist even though I dabbled few years in Japanese sword arts when I was teenager. As a ōdachi fan I will vouch many of them were indeed used in battles. So far I have seen 30 historical ōdachi in various places in Japan and I am hoping to still see many more in the future. There are however some limitations by size and by age that are my own personal feelings, I will expand more on them later on the post. Most of the ōdachi I have seen are preserved in various shrines in Japan and photography in shrine treasure rooms is forbidden. So I don't have pictures taken at the shrines apart from few where the museum staff wanted me to take a picture of the item. However in books I do have lots and lots of pictures and information. I don't know my martial arts history that well but I know in Japan there are some arts that are seen as koryū (古流) and they have strong historical standing. I believe the martial art shown in above video is Enshin-ryū (円心流), which is to my understanding classified as koryū, old historical martial art. To my limited understanding the meaning and specifics of kata in koryū is not really given outside the school. So even if you see that ōdachi is drawn from the hip in videos it could possibly be just a form of training. I believe I have seen other videos of this same person using the same sword over the years. I believe it is ōdachi with a blade length of 三尺六寸 3 shaku 6 sun which in centimeters is 109 cm. He does have impressive drawing and sheating technique and I believe he would be very seasoned martial artist. This brings me to the koshirae and how they were worn. I have recorded currently 151 ōdachi in Japan. Extremely few of them are in katana koshirae, as wearing them thrusted through the belt was not really that good option in my personal opinion, and as they were intended for battlefield use I don't see wearing them thrusted through the belt, they were already out when going to live battle or in many cases high ranking samurai had sword bearers who carried the ōdachi and allowed their master to draw it. There are however few very large Edo period swords that I classify as an ōdachi that are in katana koshirae, I can remember few from memory. - Itsukushima Jinja has 99,8 cm blade dated 1867, it was commissioned by a sumo wrestler at that time. (I have seen this sword at the shrine) - Matsubara Hachimangu had 101,3 cm blade (if I understand correctly it is dated 1644 and dedicated to the shrine when made). - Unfortunately there is only small picture but I believe the Takaoka Jinja sword 106,1 cm and 1641 dated blade that was in previous Okayama Branch restoration project might have katana koshirae, the pic I have seen is very small. However mostly the old historical ōdachi had various types of ōdachi koshirae. Many of the Edo period ōdachi that still have koshirae have an ōdachi koshirae too. Also the dating on the blades for Edo period can show how it will fit historically into timeline of Japan, as battles ceased after the early 1600's. I watched some Japanese youtube videos and in one of them it was mentioned that actually commissioning an ōdachi cost several times the normal amount of money, which is easy to understand, as the project of making a giant sword is lot more complicated than a normal sized one. This usually would mean that the person commissioning the sword must be wealthy and/or possibly a high ranking samurai. Finally comes the size of the ōdachi. These are just my personal opinions after seeing many of them live at shrines and lots and lots in books. Of course unfortunately currently handling experience is limited to modern swords. I am talking about blade lengths here, I see the length range of 3 to 4 shaku (90-120 cm) as perfectly reasonable range, there shouldn't be any issues with these. blade lengths of 4 to 5 shaku (120-150 cm) is where I see the upper end of actually usable ōdachi. When you go to blade lengths of over 5 shaku (150+ cm) I just don't see them all that reasonable for usability. As you have to calculate the tsuka in, these weapons are over 200 cm in total length and the majority of it is in blade. For usability I would rather exchange some of that blade length to handle/shaft length, arriving towards large bladed nagamaki and naginata. I think the longest ōdachi that I know has historical record of it being used in battle is the gigantic Tarōtachi (太郎太刀) of Atsuta Jingū it has blade length of 221,5 cm. There is a historical legend and provenance to back that up and there is a story for it. In my understanding the short version would be that two relatives wielding two giant ōdachi Tarōtachi and Jirōtachi, were stalling the enemy troops while wielding these on horseback. The enemy finally killed both of them but they gave time for others to get to safety. I believe they were dedicated to Atsuta Jingū in 1576. Atsuta Jingū has three ōdachi in similar koshirae Tarōtachi, Jirōtachi and Kanetake ōdachi made in 1620. As there is historical story and provenance I cannot discard the fact that the giant sword could indeed have been used in battle. In my brain I just can't figure out what would be the benefit in having these extremely long blades compared to very long blade with slightly longer handle. The post came quite a bit longer than I originally intended and had to do some fact checking as I hate making errors.

Mauro, First, let me say how sorry I am this has happened to you. As someone who has been tracking this issue for several years—and who has personally been impacted by these thefts—I can tell you that it is extremely difficult to get meaningful help once something goes missing. Despite what some people may suggest, local law enforcement and the FBI are not going to help in a situation like this. In practice, the only agency with jurisdiction is the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. However, unless a case involves theft from an actual mailbox or an assault on a carrier, these types of losses receive limited attention. The presence of insurance seems to shape their response, and if you don’t have it, they don;t care. It’s also important to understand that this problem extends well beyond Nihonto collectors. Similar losses are affecting shipments of fine art, antiques, and other high-value items. Based on patterns many of us have observed, issues often arise during handoffs—particularly between USPS, Customs, and third-party contractors responsible for air transport. When tracking shows a package “disappearing” for a period and then reappearing elsewhere, it’s often because that segment of transit is handled outside USPS systems and isn’t fully trackable. There are also troubling reports of packages being diverted after labels are removed or compromised. In theory, such items should be routed to recovery centers for identification and return. In practice, if no information about their final destination can be found, the package is categorized as “unrecoverable” and eventually sold through government auction channels. This is supposed to happen only after 90 days, but we have seen packages with swords (including a Sue-Sa/Sa Yasuyoshi wakizashi stolen en route to me a few years ago) end up in the hands of someone who purchased it at a government auction less than 30 days after it went missing. I’m afraid your best bet now is to make lots of noise with your representative in Congress and demand that they deal with USPIS. At the same time, you should carefully monitor government auction sites, as well as Reddit and other lesser-known sword forums, where people who have “legally” acquired these items sometimes seek advice on pricing their ill-gotten treasures. I’m sorry that you—and others—have to go through this. But the truth is we can no longer ship these goods around the world without using AirTags or similar devices to track them throughout their journey. I have long said that Japanese and American dealers need to raise these issues in Washington, but to my knowledge, nothing has come of it. It has gotten to the point where I no longer ship items to or buy from Japan because of the combination of shipping risks, tariffs, escalating transit costs, and unreliable customs brokers. It’s simply too much stress. But if we can’t stop this trend, the long-term impact on the hobby will not be good. So by all means, let your local post office know you’re upset—but direct your real pressure toward your member of Congress. Going forward, if you want to continue operating in this space, your best options are proactive: Put at least one tracker in every package, and ask that shippers you rely on do the same, even if it costs extra Document everything carefully before shipping Build relationships with your representative’s district and DC offices, just in case Sorry this isn’t better news. On the positive side, I was able to recover one of my items by using the insurance payout to buy it back from the person who had acquired it. Hopefully this lovely daito will appear before you have to do the same. Good luck.

My choice would be the original condition without a second thought Here are better photos from 1961

Many visitors and members of NMB have questions but are not aware of the substantial amount of information provided by members in the DOWNLOADS (link is in bar at top of main page). To assist awareness here is a list of papers I have submitted. MEC sword papers NMB.pdf

Yesterday the blades (and the assembled guests) were blessed at Imamura Gu shrine by the Priestess, before they started their new journey to the Osafuné Sword Museum where they are on temporary display. The TV crew were there to cover it. And

Single opening hamidashi https://www.bonhams.com/auction/30726/lot/109/two-shakudo-goto-school-hamidashi-tanto-tsuba-edo-period-18th-century-2/ Double opening hamidashi https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/28556 - museum that has very little information [doesn't even describe the type] https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/24987- a little more information but wrong style given [tanto] An example of a Hamidashi Hamidashi tsuba can come in almost any style and school - they are not as common as other forms, I guess they were not replaced as often as larger types [How often did people swap out their favourite personal weapon?] As I have found [and others agree] tanto/hamidashi size tsuba tend to be cheaper to collect - so a good area to start a collection? Probably there is not a lot of information on this subject currently available - but maybe you can become the next "expert" on this niche line of research? Welcome to NMB André Nice pieces at auction now https://www.jauce.com/auction/o1225373964 https://www.jauce.com/auction/g1225319208 https://www.jauce.com/auction/t1225136036 and a more "normal" tanto https://www.jauce.com/auction/s1225314995

Perhaps it might be a generalization but I think tanto sized tsuba are underrated - they require as much [or even more] work to construct, but most collectors tend to concentrate on larger guards. Bigger is not necessarily better. Maybe we need a magnifying lens mounted over these little fellows to give them the credit they deserve?

Since I will be selling a large part of my collection, here is the first piece. This Naginatanaoshi-zukuri/shaped wakizashi is mumei, but has been attributed to "Kanenobu belonged to the Naoe-Shiz I school. The hamon of this wakizashi shows gunome-midare consists of similar to Yahazu-ha and sunagashi which can be said to be "Den-Naoe Shizu," demonstrating the characteristics of Naoe Shizu. There are signs of repairs that appear to be umegane, but the work more than makes up for this. Tokubetsu Hozon sayagakı by Tanobe san. Length. 44.3cm Sori. 0.9cm Motohaba. 2.9cm Munekasane. 0.3 cm Shinogikasane. 0.7cm 3300€ +PP +shipping many pictures in the link https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1quHMHSl_W1t5hfjPdAb50gYNybmHZGY7 Currently, DHL is not shipping from Germany to the USA (thanks, Trump). The shipping value must not exceed €100.

Actually the stamps on the mune are arsenal inspection stamps - Top to bottom (名·-“Na" Nagoya Army Arsenal; ホ - “Ho” for Kokura Factory No. 1).

That now makes 11 examples from this one Owari "Mystery master"... These clearly represent a point in time when there was an aesthetic shift away from the typically more symmetrical geometric patterns of traditional Owari and Kyo-sukashi, exploring a much looser and expressive design theory.

Yes, Nagasa: 72.0cm. The fact that it is daito length and signed katana-mei (on the katana side of the nakago) is not a good sign as far as being a legitimate mainline Hizen-to.

And in a more concentrated form on a ‘funa-dansu’ ship’s safe, designed with a heavy front so that it would float door-down (relatively watertight) should the sailing ship sink. These were expensive (for me on my salary) about 20 years ago but they’re a tenth of the price nowadays. I had a set of keys made for it, and one day about 10 years ago I found an old drum lock that fitted it perfectly.

About “mass production” and crossover between schools: I'm going to start most recent and head back in time... From my personal research over the years, true mass production of the generic rote kind, really seems to have kicked into gear around 1700, mid-Edo period. There were lots of sociological, economic and technological shifts around that time that facilitated that. More rampant crossover between schools and smiths seems to have kicked in around the mid-1600s (after the establishment of Edo as a new capital city and the "sankin-kotai" which was the forced pilgrimage and residency of daimyo and their entourage of 100s-1000s of attendants including craftsman, every other year. That all started in 1635 but was expanded to include more daimyo as of 1642. So that's when many craftsmen from different schools were all in the same place at the same time, for extended periods of time and sharing ideas and techniques with one another. From my personal comparative analysis of tsuba from the same maker (of known smiths, with a known mei), from the Momoyama to early Edo period, there seems to have been more of an "exploration of a theme" in the creation of multiple variations by one smith, but they did not seem to make rote copies of any specific design (maybe some did once in a while, but I don’t have any examples of that yet). Successors in a school lineage do revisit certain themes from their predecessor/s but they seem to put their own little twist on the design, perhaps to distinguish their work from others and put their personal "stamp" on it.

About these specific tsuba: I posted these three tsuba in particular in the hopes of gleaning some input from some other eyes besides mine and the papers and/ore attributions they have (which I generally do not trust, especially when “alarm bells” start going off in my head when I see what they are labeled as). I didn’t post these thinking I know the answer, not at all. This was “crowdsourcing” with the hopes of generating discussion. These are not common tsuba at all… sure there are plenty of cloud and geese tsuba out there, but this is a pretty specific variation on the overall theme. At first these tsuba all jumped out at me as being Higo tsuba because of the hitsu-ana shape, which is quite particular to them and is often a key point to identifying one of their tsuba. I was taken aback with the ko-Akasaka papers on the second one, but there is a distinct shift in the size of the hitsu-ana and the fineness of the chiseled karigane, and the relative proportions of the sukashi thicknesses… so I could see it as being something other than Higo. Until this point, I was unaware of Akasaka smiths doing Higo style hitsu-ana, I thought they typically stuck to their own shapes. Higo did have a strong influence on Akasaka afterall… something I sometimes see some people viewing the other way around… but I have always viewed it as Higo being the influence on Akasaka. I’d like to dig into the tegane-ato around the nakago-ana to see if I can dig up some similarities with other Akasaka smiths and Higo smiths… more evidence to gather to help build a more specific case for each or maybe keep the door open... time will tell.

Unfortunately this is complicated by having many modern sources (mostly non-Japanese) of inferior uchiko; instead of powdered deer horn or burnt rice husks or whatever, most of it is both too hard and either too fine (builds up in openings or horimono and then gets inadvertently dragged out in clumps, causing those big gouges you see in the Norishige), or too coarse (creates a grid of hairline scratches that eventually obscures hada and activity, especially when viewing with an angled light source). Uchiko as the default was, if not ideal, at least workable when it was always produced by togishi and curated by dealers; now, if you're not buying from a reputable shop in Japan, you're probably going to get some mystery powder that might just leave your TokuJu blade looking like you took a buffing wheel to it.

It is possible the signature may read "Endo Ichimonji".

Dear Teodor. It is not uncommon to find a shorter wakizashi blade in a rather longer saya. I am unable to tell from your photogrh whether the saya is an original, in which case I would strongly suggest leaving it as it is, or whether it is a modern replacement. Japanese sworeds are always more subtle than you think and thouigh the fact that the saya is larger were you feel the kojiri might fit is an advantage I think rather the reverse. To make a good job of this that difference would mean correcting the shape of the saya over its entire length, destroying the lacquer in the process. As you can probably tell my feelings are strongly against attempting this. Even if the saya is a mismatched antique then best to leave it alone in my opinion. It is very easy to think that one can improve a sword by doing various small things to it, in practice this almost aways works to the detriment of the sword unless you are prepared to find Japanese trained craftsmen and pay the going rate. All the best.

I went back to my database once again and it turns out I wasn't being thorough I did find two blades at Juyo level One is an ubu Tachi with mei "Mogusa" (Ichinoseki city Bunkazai) The other is an o-suriage According to the setsumei, both are dated to the late Kamakura The JuBi Tachi Toshiyasu (some read it as Yoyasu) is descripted in detail in the Nihonto Taikan The dating is also late Kamakura

Antiques don't have a well defined price, or liquidity. Every auction generates stories how this item was for sale for 50k for a year with not a lot of interest, now it sold for 300k. It found the right buyer. Even if we just consider some abstract "value", people collect for different reasons. For myself its probably 40% interest in solving mysteries, which swords generate a plenty, 20% militarism, and 40% aesthetics. But there is a considerable number of people whose collecting is guided by specific historic or ethnic interest, or (a very considerable portion) because they believe it marks them as part of the elite, or because they believe they'll make money on it. Accordingly to some the fact that this maker was collected by a Daimyo, or that he was generally well regarded - is important. Knowing its Juyo - is important. Its "elite" by definition, in the very least. For me Juyo is like you took a perfectly good blade, added spoilers and now want a lot more money... Hm.... From purely aesthetic prospective many very high ranking smiths are not only associate with great blades. They also have a lot of bad blades. Plus condition. Plus intrinsic ambiguity with attribution. You end up with something that is very attractive to those who want to be the elite (big name), but aesthetically is so-so. Which is one of the reasons I tend to be allergic to any approach where a maker is "scored" by some formula or table, or the emphasis is made on how many Juyo he has. Plenty of high class early Kamakura smiths for whom there are couple of known blades. What's the pass ratio? How many were published-Meibutsu-whatever? Is it even in Fujishiro? By default I would take signed Mogusa over Kanemitsu anytime of the day, but that's just highlights my mystery-historical and aesthetic based preferences. Others will think very differently - and their price strategy will also be different.

Tsuba in tsuba. A friend tells me this was the first tsuba he ever bought as a Junior High student on a trip to Kobe about 40 years ago. He uses it as a (large) Netsuke. And

Kunzan believed this to be a signed Go tanto. Although attributed by the NBTHK in mid 70's to Senjuin Yoshihiro, the quality of the jiba exceeds that of the SY blades he had examined. An important reference work.

Hello all, I recently acquired a Gassan wakizashi (Hozon - Gassan) and would like to learn more about it. I would greatly appreciate your insight into identifying the period and any additional details you may notice. Thank you, and my apologies in advance for the photos.

Because it’s an award, it’s recognition, who doesn’t want recognition of their work? Samuel Colt is considered a pioneer for his work in bringing the revolver firearm mass assembly into reality. That all on its own was a great accomplishment, but do you think he turned down the Silver Telford Medal? Of course not, why would anyone turn down an award. But that award gave him no more standing or value than he would have had without it. Awards are awards……..perhaps more valuable to romantics of history than the actual recipients.

Jared, I’m sorry the information provided about titles didn’t meet your expectations. We are all here because we care about Nihonto. What’s historically important to the broader study of Nihonto isn’t always the same as what’s culturally or artistically worth preserving and respecting. All of it matters to most of us, and we feel strongly about it. With any fine art, there’s a spectrum of importance. The Mona Lisa’s significance doesn’t negate the value of a family heirloom or an older painting with more personal meaning. -Sam

Changing the subject just for a moment, but loving the thoughts of woodworkers above! Last night I was watching a programme about restoring some of the walls and ceilings of a gorgeously appointed Bunkazai temple residence somewhere in Japan. (Missed the beginning so not sure where exactly it was.) Imagine large connected tatami rooms in Nijo Jo with colourful Kano-painted fusuma and wall panels, golden, with black-lacquered beams and gold fittings everywhere. That kind of place. One problem which the priest pointed out was a long vertical split in the samite gold cloth trimming down the right side of a sliding panel. They introduced the young artisan expert, wearing a backpack of tools, who assured us he would repair it in the traditional way as he had learned from his father and grandfather before him. The guy spread out a small plastic sheet on the tatami and placed upon it his minimal tool set. He opened a small Tupperware tub and showed us the glistening 'nori' rice-paste glue, the same as traditionally used by schoolchildren. "Repairs may have to be conducted again in the same place in the future" he explained, "so nothing permanent". "In fact," he added, pulling away some yellowed paper residue from out of the crack with his tweezers, "you can see how someone has done this before." He painted the Nori glue onto both sides of a hand-sized sheet of plastic, and slipped it under the edge of the gold cloth fabric, pressing it down with some brown paper as he withdrew his slide. Half an hour of repeating this process, and he declared himself finished. Could we see the line of the 'repair', well, yes, even as the camera crew said "no". Next we moved to a high-ceilinged corridor where one square-framed ceiling panel had a similar fabric split across the painting of flowers. He climbed an A-frame stepladder and used the same process over another half an hour. The after photo still showed a hairline crack and some discolouration where the Nori had seeped through(?) but at least the material was flat, stuck back in place. Educational? Yes, for me it was.

Hanwei(汉威） Yasukuni guntō replica by Paul Chen (陈朝波). The tang is inscribed with “靖国为和平” (“Yasukuni for peace”). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalian_Hanwei_Metal Here is one of sword with his mei

Dear all, We hope everyone has been well. We recently had the pleasure of participating, for the second time, in the Osaka Katana-za event. It was a fantastic experience, and we would like to sincerely thank everyone who came by to say hello. It’s always a pleasure to meet fellow enthusiasts in person, and we truly enjoyed the event. Over the past few weeks, we have been busy preparing not only for Osaka Katana-za, but also for the upcoming Japan Art Fair Utrecht 2026. We are very much looking forward to meeting new faces there, as well as reconnecting with many of you again. Due to these commitments, we would like to apologise for not updating our website as frequently as we would have liked. However, we are pleased to share that we have a significant number of new items ready, which will be gradually listed over the next two months leading up to the Japan Art Fair Utrecht. We currently have over 30 new Nihonto pieces in inventory, ranging across Hozon, Tokubetsu Hozon, and Juyo-level works. If you are searching for something specific, please feel free to contact us directly. We are happy to provide detailed information, photos, and videos upon request. WhatsApp: +81 90 5616 2924 Email: info@toukentakarado.com We look forward to continuing to serve you. Warm regards, Nicholas Fu Touken Takarado

The sides each have different information and are not read sequentially. Hizen (no) kuni junin Yoshitada saku kore The other side converts to a date of May, 1942 (the fifth month of the 2,602nd year of the founding of the empire)

My first guess would be 国助 Kunisuke.

Odachi are indeed a fascinating subject. I was just doing my daily trawl of all things interesting when unexpectedly this Facebook reel popped into my orbit: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1526780725833444 @Jussi Ekholm may have a thing or two to say about this practitioner of the art of drawing an Odachi?? Regards, BaZZa.

Seems a wallhanger to me but I am no expert.

Most attributions are based on a gut feeling... most papers are not judged by jury but by a single member, then the paper gets signed off at the end. Most of these judgements seem to be done in minutes, without any sort of diligence or consultation to databases of any kind (which is why the NBTHK frequently contradicts itself when the same tsuba gets re-submitted for shinsa) Proofs?! There are hardly any at all for anything that is unsigned from the pre-Edo and early Edo periods. Old books, and papers are just a loose guideline... and because of the author's own lack of certainty, they deliver plenty of opportunity to muddy the waters for current collectors who want to "know what they have". Some of these attributions have done more harm than good over time. It's exactly what @FlorianB proceeded to do, that we need more of... That's precisely the the type of thing we all need to be doing (and posting ) if "we" as a collective hope to get to something "better" than the vapid system we have now. ...or we can just keep flouting the papers people buy rather than the tsuba themselves. Not that I'm saying you are doing that Florian, but there are a ton of people who do... it is a money making machine after all, if you are lucky enough to get the "more valuable" school attribution in the lottery that is the current papering system).

Hi Kevin. Glad to hear you’re enjoying the Moritaka blade! I just heard one of my swords going thru NBTHK shinsa came back as TH Ko-Kongobyoe, so I’m really looking forward to learning more about it.

Piers, I have attached a couple more pics of it's hamon. I took them in bright sunlight just for fun. Incidentally the sword is not touching the floor tiles. The sword really has become a favorite of mine, every aspect of it is so well balanced.

Saturday morning, 10 I think, some old guy will demonstrate care and handling. Free to all. Grey

and V@A visit :

Hello Adam, welcome to the forum. What you have is an authentic Japanese Type 95 Military Sword. Sometimes called a Type 95 Guntō, or Type 95 NCO sword. Yours has the stamps on the ferrule indicating it was made by Suya Shoten, inspected by Tokyo first army arsenal, and administered by Kokura Arsenal. The "東" stamp on the blade (also middle stamp on the ferrule) is for 東京第一陸軍造兵廠監督課 = Tōkyō 1st Army Arsenal Supervisory Section. According to my study and interpretation, your sword was made between April 1941 and March 1942. It looks to be in good condition, although the hanger piece at the end of the hilt (the sarute) is not factory original. It's very common for the sarute to be replaced or missing entirely, so this is not a big issue. It also looks like the scabbard number does not match the blade, this is also common, but it does hurt the value a bit from a collector standpoint. Are you able to get a close up shot of the flowers in the handle? Also the side openings of the tsuba? I like to catalog these swords, and am noting some fine details. Nice looking sword, and thank you for sharing. All the best, -Sam

Yes indeed Mauro. In fact it is my third kozuka with the same topic! ( from Internet: Lovely scene of the warrior Kojima Takanori kneeling beneath a cherry tree, having just written a poem on a tree's trunk. Takanori was a loyal supporter of the exiled Emperor Go-Daigo, and attempted to rescue him while he was being transported to a remote location. The samurai was able to sneak into the camp, but could not reach the emperor, so according to legend, he carved a poem of encouragement in Chinese for the emperor on a cherry tree. In the morning, the guards found the poem but could not read Chinese, but the emperor could, and was heartened by the message. A shower of delicate petals falls down over him in the cool evening breeze, and a full moon glows softly overheard.)

Musubi Karigane (結び雁金) is a traditional Japanese family crest (kamon) featuring a stylized wild goose whose wings are knotted or looped into a circle. It symbolizes "a bird that carries good luck and good news" and is closely associated with SAMURAI families, most notably the SANADA clan. It represents loyalty and is a variation of the Karigane (wild goose) motif. Key details about Musubi Karigane: Design & symbolism: It features a kari (wild goose), a migratory bird often linked to autumn. The bird is designed with its face facing left and its wings deformed/knotted into a circle. Samurai Crest: This crest was used by the Shinano-Sanada clan, as well as families like the Umino and Inoue. It was frequently used for armor, sword mountings (TSUBA), and other samurai gear. Variations: Often stylized as Shiri-awase Mitsu-musubi Karigane, where three knotted geese are arranged in a circle. Modern Usage: It is still recognized as a classic design in Japanese traditional arts, sometimes used on clothing or items related to Japanese history. Taken from the internet

The examples I provided are all from papered tsuba, and all NBTHK papers reported the subjects as karigane. The stylized birds with "twisted body' are reported as 結雁金 - musubikarigane.