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Relief!!!! All is ok, I have confirmation it is a case of severe technical issues!! @Spartancrest will be back in due course!! My mind is at ease, really been missing Dale!!

I'd like to announce and thank our members who are going to be assisting us with moderating certain sections. I think it will benefit us all to have more eyes on the forum, and these people have graciously offered to assist with this task. I'll still be looking for one or 2 people to assist with the Izakaya, but finding impartial and fair people who won't take a side is understandably difficult. It's also not something I wish on anyone, but we do need one or 2 people there. Jean will continue to moderate over all sections as before, being the main moderator. The following sections will be assisted with moderation by the following members: General Nihonto Related Discussion: @Scogg (Sam) Translation Assistance: @Ray Singer and @Bugyotsuji (Piers) Auctions and Online Sales: @Scogg Nihonto: @Scogg Tosogu: @Curran Katchu: @uwe Military Swords: @Bruce Pennington and @Scogg Tanegashima: @Bugyotsuji Other Japanese Arts: @Bugyotsuji Sword Shows and Community News: @Mark For Sale/WTB: @Scogg Izakaya: TBA Thanks to these members, please grant them respect, thanks and best wishes.

Paul was incredibly generous, and would often invite friends to examine his treasures in hand. He was also generous about loaning pieces for sword study events. With a collection like his, it was a considerable effort to pull out all his amazing pieces to share. I was fortunate to be invited to his home, and to bring a Japanese American engineer friend. On that occasion also present was the late Professor Arnold F, among the kindest and most sophisticated men in this field, who with Paul's permission brought another friend. Paul had prepared for this visit by having all his best pieces laid out, including his impressive matchlock collection. He and his wife hosted us all for dinner. They went to a great deal of effort to create this opportunity for us. Paul spent a lifetime carefully studying nihonto, honestly and generously sharing what he knew and what he found. Hearing Paul describe the process of purchasing the Norishige tanto, with other interested parties trying to convince him it was a gimei piece he was crazy to throw his money at, was by itself a fascinating treat. He trusted his own judgment, while at the same time realizing his judgment was fallible. Also memorable was how Paul would happily admit to being much impressed with some swords that Tanobe Michihiro would dismiss as completely unworthy of a man with Paul's exceptional collection. Paul never lost his enthusiasm for nihonto, or his generous spirit towards others who shared his interest. Paul's loss is a great loss for all who were fortunate to know him, and to our field of interest. He was an amazing and modest man, who patiently built a truly incredible collection. We can only hope that some of his treasures are acquired by people who possess Paul's generous spirit of sharing this art.

Yes, I'm aware there was a themes hiccup, and some may have been set back to the default theme. If you used another theme, just select it again in your settings or below the forum. Was doing some maintenance, and had an issue. In the next few months, we will likely update to a brand new software version, which will be exciting and offer many new features, but there will be some changes (shudder, you guys don't handle change well) but there will be plenty of advantages. In the meantime, one thing that will definitely change is that you will need to login with your registration email address as username, not your current display name. But this is a while away, so you don't need to do anything now. But prepare by checking in your profile what email address you use, so that you are prepared. This is a standard thing where all forums are going, due to the fact that publicly displayed usernames make hacking much easier, as they are readily visible. By using emails (which are not visible to anyone) you add a layer of security. I'll be updating the news over the next few months, but no need to panic now. All remains the same.

After a long and patient wait, I have just acquired my first tsuba in the composition of the Jesuit IHS Slanting Rays of Light (Shakoh) or Sacrifice for the Christian Faith (Kirishitan Ikenie). This is not a tokei tsuba (why would samurai and bushi adorn their swords with fittings depicting clock gears?). Here is my summary of this tsuba.

Generally, the ashes are put in an urn. There is a space to store the urn under the tomb. The constructions of tombs are varied. The attached image shows some examples. You might need a mason to open/close the tomb and to waterproof.

I don't think the kissaki was reshaped. I think its the original kanmuri-otoshi style. The origami doesn't mention any reshaping of the kissaki. In the section under the heading "nakago", it notes that the butt-end of the tang was cut off and is now "kuri-jiri" style. I don't think this sword would be designated Juyo if the kissaki were altered. It is still called "ubu" because the machi have not been significantly altered. I'd just note to Nathaniel not to expect consistency in sword or tosogu terminology, especially with these earlier papers. It's maddening, but one learns to live these oddities.

As a reminder, I had received a blade that was pretty badly bent (pic 1 with reference lines). There was also a noticeable gap visible between the guard and the saya (pic 2) due to the guard being bent and twisted. I decided to go ahead and try to straighten the blade and guard. The result was that it was far easier than I thought it would be (see pics 3 and 4 with reference lines). After disassembly, I clamped the blade into a vise with blocks of wood for support (sorry, no pics of the naked bent blade and guard). I used very gentle pressure and was able to straighten the blade fairly well. Seems like the metal is rather malleable. I then put the guard in the vise and, using duct tape covered pliers, straightened the twisted and bent guard. Note the gap is no longer there (see pic 5). All in all, a successful attempt. John C.

Yes, it was. I was in more than two minds to initiate it to be honest... I didn't want to find out any bad news, I also did not want to intrude on Dale's privacy, and I was also concious of using police resources. I was properly concerned though, so I made the call. The services acted very quickly, I hope Dale didn't feel intruded upon.

Hello - On September 16, 1945, the Japanese armed forces in Hong Kong surrendered and Major-General OKADA Umekichi handed over his shin gunto to the British naval officer Sir Cecil Harcourt. https://gwulo.com/node/59733/photos-of-person In 2012 I found it in the wonderful National Maritime Museum Greenwich and took the following photographs. It's rare to see a shin gunto (+sword knot!) where a general can be clearly and credibly proven as the owner. Michael

Indeed, AFU translations as well as other translated publications do have mistranslations. And it worked in both directions where somebody's Japanese wasn't quite right or somebody's English wasn't quite right, ending with something getting lost in translation. That, on top of the fact that the study of nihonto is difficult to begin with and translators are sometimes not advanced in their knowledge of nihonto. This is one reason why it is essential to double and even triple check your findings with multiple sources. p.s. this lesson of mistranslations I learned the hard way when it was pointed out by non other than Han Bing Siong in response to a JSS article I had written. A most humbling early experience that taught me to make sure that all the facts were correct, as well as the importance of having a good nihonto library being invaluable.

Two overall shots to start with. Pity I didn’t take any before shots! You would not have believed it! Generally I was building up a collection representing all the regions and gunnery schools in Japan, so I am pleased to finally get a Sakai gun. Most collectors seem to start with one, but here I am going the other way round. (I started about 25 years ago with an Awa long gun, and the next was one from Hino.) And Notice the Hikeshi no Ana chrysanthemum surround is half silver and half shinchū.

Nazar: Just wanted to pass on my total support for Ukraine in this horrible war. I'm so sorry you've had to put aside your life to fight off an aggressive invader. I hope that soon this will be in the past. Growing up in Saskatchewan, Canada, I lived within a Ukrainian expat community, many of whom arrived as a result of past horrific actions initiated by Moscow. Slava Ukraine! Robert S.

A donation will be made to the NMB upon sale here.

Mmmm... yes you would have enjoyed it, but as to buying all of them, yes and no for me. The guy who used to do all the heavy wood and metalwork on bugu like swords and guns has retired and gone into a home, having divested himself of all his equipment. This means you have to judge in advance if there's anything you cannot handle yourself, meaning the possibility of sending something away to someone who can do such work. Time consuming and not cheap. But still, it's hard to disagree. Tomorrow I have some free time so I'll take some shots. You'll have to forgive the missing pan lid, but I do have plans for that. The Mei under the barrel is a Sakai smith house I have not come across before, with the unusual reading of Nakami or Nakamizu. 半巻張 'Han makibari' suggests it might be quite old. 摂州住中水吉兵衛 Sesshu Ju Nakami(zu) Kichibei. The secret reason that I chose the cheaper one is that under the dirt I spotted among the typical Sakai copper and brass decorative inlay what looked like some silver kirigane, and possibly even some gold, very rarely found on a Tanegashima. This intrigued me and I was looking forward to finding out what was really under there. A demain... (Manyana)

Hi, About a year ago, I started the restoration of the koshirae of a nihonto I bought. The blade the original koshirae was mounted on is nothing special. The price of a polish would exceed the price it would be worth afterwards. Same with a new koshirae. But it was the first nihonto I bought, and I wanted at least to preserve the blade. The original saya and tsuka were cracked and no longer airtight. First I crafted a new tsuka core and then finished the tsuka with new antique fittings because the original kashira was lost. After the tsuka was finished, I bought honoki wood from Namikawa and started carving the saya. After months, the carving and lacquering is finished. I chose an Ishime pattern for the saya, and I think it was not a failure. The Katana kake in the background was also made by me. The next project is building a lightning solution. The current one is only a prototype to test the function. Please ignore the cables. They will be hidden afterwards. One of the pictures is a before-and-after picture, by the way. I hope you like the new koshirae and don't just dislike it, because it was not crafted by a traditionally trained artist. I did the best I can and learned lot on the way. If I were to start again, I think the build would be even better.

Joseph, I understand the mixed signals you are getting on this one, as many things about it seem legit, yet just as many are off. Maybe you can describe the different colors of the tsuka (handle) from one side to the other? Can you post a shot of the back edge of the tsuka showing the transition of the two colors? The side showing the stamps seems to be realistic copper color, where the other side appears brass. Here are some observations of the things that are off: 1. The dimples in the diamond areas should be distinct, whereas those on your sword are almost not visible. 2. The center inspector stamp on yours seems to be a "Na" of Nagoya, where it should be a "To" of Tokyo. Plus the left stamp, Suya, is close but not accurate. 3. Copper handles had the imitation wrap on the stamped side, but not of the other side, where yours shows the wrap going all the way around the base of the handle. The drag 1. It is a fine distinction, but the curvature of your drag is a bit flat for a Tokyo drag 2. The end of the scabbard is rough, and too curved for a Tokyo 3. The dip in the long edge of the drag is almost not there, compared to a Tokyo edge. The bohi (fuller groove) Hard to see in your photos, but it appears the end of the groove is rounded/tapered. Tokyo bohi end in a point that mirrors the shape of the actual blade tip. All said, I thing this is likely a really well done reproduction. But still curious about the two colors of the handle and how they transition on the edges.

I understand your confusion. The referred Japanese writing is poorly written. Kokan Nagayama explains the terms a little clearer in “The connoisseur’s Book of Japanese Swords”. According to his explanation, it should be noted that the definition of Ubu nakago includes “ … provided that the blade’s shape and length are changed only slightly, the sword is still regarded as an ubu nakago”.

The absolute best is Isshindo just up the block from Isseido - many many books on swords and fittings and a warehouse full of rare titles so if you don't see what you are looking for ask. I used to haunt the bookstores when I lived there and many places around the Kanto I would ask for sword books and they would tell me "no Isshindo bought them all"... -t

Anthony, I believe the signature is Yoshikuni, and the first two characters (top-bottom) might be E-Saka. 江坂義國. The sword looks to be of wartime manufacture. It’s in nice shape overall with higher quality fittings. Conway

A few fakes have been discussed lately on YJP. Fake Odachi, fake Awataguchi Kunitsuna - to name a few. None of these are convincing fakes, however. Convincing fakes do exist and - if you remember a few months back - we've had a Go Yoshihiro, and an Awataguchi Kuniyasu from the same 'new' vendor with Juyo papers that were exceedingly good reproductions (or real. re-issued papers). The blades were made as convincing copies, however the photos were 'too good' and it was easy to see the blank hamons and other telltale signs. The fakers put in some real effort, real investment, and achieved a 5M yen cash grab on the Go if I recall correctly. The swords were made to closely ressemble the Oshigata of the Juyo blades, including the nakago, with convincing reshaping and drilling. Now, it returns. This has either inspired a copycat, or it could also be the same 'gang' operating: They learned their lesson with the photos and the setup is now optimized to make it more difficult to tell. https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/u1175987916?lang=en&rc=yaucc - The papers look real (and match the Zufu). - The blade looks like a good match for the Oshigata (notice the hataraki). - The seller is a newbie that is cleaning up his friend's attacs (so he is naive, hehe). It's all made in a convincing way to attract bargain-hunters that want to buy gold at the price of lead. If you look closely, you will notice that the hataraki are 'painted' with hadori, the Yubashiri becomes a tobiyaki, the dimensions are slighly off, you can't discern the bright nie you'd expect with Sadamune. If you know you know, but it's a very real danger for all the YJP! chasers out there. I get the thrill, but be careful. If its too good to be true, something's wrong.

I was about to write same thing as Jacques above. It is sometimes difficult as the romanization can feature lots of various names. I also think the English translation of Fujishiro possibly has a mistranslation in this case, I believe the smith 鎮盛 is read as Shizumori as swordsmith name. Blade that Lex posted is Shigemori 重盛 - however while I cannot find that particular smith anywhere I think the name is plausible as both 盛 Mori and 重 Shige are very common in Bungo signatures. I have lots of books including the Bungo book & Nihontō Meikan, however this particular Shigemori is not found in either.

Some of the unusual features on this gun, besides the smith name. 1. The bi-metal hikeshi no ana. Sometimes you see them stacked, like the hachimanza on a kabuto, but this is half-and-half. You can see tiny pins holding each hemi-section in place. 2. The mekugi hole surrounds are Japanese apricot (梅) flowers, but each one is pinned. I cannot remember seeing such pins before; normally these were simply set into place, presumably hammered in and glued. (?) 3. Under the stock is a solitary, seemingly random, small solid gold disc, like the sun. This puzzled me for a while until it clicked. It's supposed to be a ho-ju dragonball, and the large kirigane dragon is actually chasing it. 4. The trigger is a sukashi type, unusual for Sakai, and the near sight is not a Mt Fuji style as you might expect for an Osaka gun. 5. On the top of the butt is a paulownia (Hideyoshi) kiri mon. The smith's or the owner's ancestor must have been a supporter of the Hideyoshi family at the seige of Osaka, not of the Tokugawa. Apart from these, and the various kirigane inlays in shinchu and silver, here I was happy to find a gun with the oft-missing trigger guard and ring fitment still intact. Projects. Get the bisen loose, de-rust the barrel, and make a new pan lid/guard/cover.

From what I've found, this sword was sold by a reputable dealer in July 2022 (no papers, nor claim). Then, by April 2023, it was for sale again, this time claiming the papers had been lost by a previous collector... 9 months seems like a short timeframe for getting a sword through shinsha and returned with TokuHo (only to immediately lose the certificate)? The only reference to this mei, that I can find in reference books or on the net, is this sword.

I encountered a similar case of a seemingly unlisted smith who still received Hozon papers. The smith their name is Taira Shigemori but I have not been able to find any trace of him or his signature. The Hozon papers are older, which might have something to do with it. But he was not listed in any major Taira Takada books.

Hi Howard, It's katakana phonetic syllables underneath both names. Amita Company is a fascinating story http://www.smokingsamurai.com/AMITA.html

Haha! Like to know sometimes if there are real people out there John! The short answer is yes. Two were lacking the correct registration cards and needing so many lost parts they were virtually junkers. Two were kind of OK but in filthy condition. My friend suggested suitable prices to the owner, asked if I’d like to choose one, so I chose the cheaper of the two, the one with correct paperwork and a working serpentine. The rust, mold, and heavy verdigris were daunting. He took the percussion conversion with good condition metalwork and a registration card saying the Mei was 不明 fumei. It was actually legible so it can be resubmitted to the Education Committee for alteration of registration cards. Anyway I spent the day cleaning it up and made a list of pleasing discoveries. Actually I have been looking for a suitable Sakai (Osaka) gun, so this may be the fated one! One funny thing happened. We cracked open the barrel and I said ‘Sakai’! The lady owner said “Yes?” I said “What?” She said, “My name is Sakai!” (I wonder if her family had these from generations back? The Okayama Han used to order teppō from Sakai.)

The tables for this show were sold out by June of last year. Due to the bad weather in surrounding areas, a few people had to cancel their tables. I was able to get a last minute table, and lay my stuff out for sale. I sold 5 swords on Friday afternoon. Excellent show to attend.

防州國龍軒昭邦造之 = Bōshū no Kuni Ryūken Akikuni made this 防州五龍軒昭邦造之 = Bōshū Goryūken Akikuni made this 皇紀弍千六百五年 = Kōki 2605 (1945 CE)

One could say Gene Hackman might be alive today if someone in his life was similarly concerned and motivated, now that the cause of his death and that of his wife have been released. Tragic chain of events. This was the right call fortunately with a happy ending.

You did the right thing, and I'm sure he'll appreciate that we were all concerned for him. This is exactly what welfare checks are for, and I'm seriously glad he's ok. Well done!

I have not heard from Dale via post; consequently, I have contacted the necessary authorities to see if a welfare check is possible. Reading through some of the online info, it doesn't look like I'll get too far, but awaiting their response. Edit: Had a reply from the authorities, they are progressing the query (whatever that actually means, i don't know yet)

As it is dated it is extremely rare item. I did a presentation on Kamakura & Nanbokuchō naginata few years ago. Back then I had found 38 dated Kamakura & Nanbokuchō naginata & naoshi. Now I assume I have found few more since then but I think the number still remains under 50 in total. There are actually many old naginata that are around 40 - 50 cm in blade length. It is perfectly legitimate length and I personally own one dated Nanbokuchō naginata in this length range. However this is not my preferred size and shape range. And for Aoi Art blade the fact that the nakago has been cut makes this particular piece not that desirable for myself. Naginata in general are not really appreciated in traditional Japanese collecting/appreciation lore, which will explain the lower price they usually go for. As Steve said earlier NBTHK terminology has changed over the years. As the nakago has been cut so severely I personally would see this more as naoshi than a naginata even though the blade portion would be unaltered. For example I own another Nanbokuchō naginata that I believe to be suriage, the current blade length is 49,4 cm but the nakago is still 42,5 cm, so the sword still remains as a naginata. I just checked old naginata that I have data for and I have quite a lot of them. I found only 3 Kamakura & Nanbokuchō naginata with nakago under 20 cm, they were all NBTHK Jūyō and originally with much longer nakago (personally I would question if they are still naginata with such a short tang). Also found 2 early Edo naginata with similarily short nakago. Here you can see another Naginata (this one is naoshi) by Unjū that is made around the same time. This one is much larger and appealing to me a lot more personally. By somewhat funny coincidence it was also sold by Aoi almost 15 years ago. https://web.archive.org/web/20110408142928/http:/www.aoi-art.com:80/sword/sale/10599.html One thing that I can try to figure out by looking at these two very differently sized naginata (they are only signed naginata by Unjū I have seen so far), is the fact that it seems Unjū started his signature on naginata very high up on the tang. So in case of shortening the tang lot of the mei can still be preserved.

Any requests out there? Here’s a ‘cobble-stones’ lacquer technique I’ve not come across before. to wit:

Anthony, looks to be YOSHIKUNI 義国: real name Esaka Masao (江坂正男). Born Meiji 33 (1900) May 26. Reg. Showa 17 (1942) August 24 (age 42). (“Esaka Yoshikuni” SEKI) He lived in Gifu, Kamo-gun, Tomita-mura. [Slough p.197]

All excellent choices.

Hello! A very unusual shape, shakudo inlay, fukurin made of shakudo too. I would like to know more about this tsuba. I would appreciate your comments!

@BourbonGuy Chris, as noted the mei is Noshu Seki ju Kanetaka kore saku. He is “Kanetaka” (兼高), real name Matsuda Takaichi (松田高市), from Seki, born Meiji 44 (1911) Sept 11. He was an early student of Kojima Kanemichi (小島兼道). Note there are around seven wartime smiths with name of "Kanetaka" and of these two have the same kanji as 兼高. The other one is Kuwayama Kanetaka (桑山 兼高) born 1928 and independent from 1942. (but different style of mei and yasurime filing is different (sujikai)). Your smith Matsuda was earlier, he is in 1937 Gifu list, and registered as a Seki smith on Showa 14 (1939) October 26 (age 28). His yasurime is of taka-no-ha. He is considered a "senior swordsmith" of Seki, and in 1937 national report : lived in Bugi-gun, Seki-machi, Azanaka-machi. and in 1939 at Seki-machi, Naka-machi (same address?). He had 1 deshi (student) in 1937. He trained from Taisho 13 (1924) under Kojima Kanetoki (Kanemichi) and became independent Showa 5 (1930) May. He is in the 1940 list of trained smiths by Seki Token Kaji Association. However, of note, he is not listed in 1941 exhibition, 1942 banzuke list or 1943 list by NTT/NTS associations, unusual as he was a smith of note. Possibilites are that he died or enlisted (in 1941 he would have been 30). Blades are typically not dated and have taka-no-ha yasurime filing on nakago, and are signed katana-mei. He looks to have been active in the earlier war period producing quality Showato sold through shops and not in an arsenal. His kokuin looks to have "taka". Examples: #1. [Japanese Sword Index (Stein)]: Showa stamp "Noshu Seki ju Matsuda Kanetaka saku" yasurime: taka-no-ha. #2: [ikedaart.net]: Showa stamp "Matsuda Kanetaka " yasurime: taka-no-ha. nagasa: 71.2 cm sori: 1.8 cm #3: [ Meirin Sangyo]: Seki stamp kokuin hot stamp "Noshu Matsuda Kanetaka saku" yasurime: taka-no-ha nagasa: 68.4 cm sori: 1.6 cm . #4: [auction yahoo.com]: Showa stamp "Noshu Seki ju Matsuda Kanetaka saku" yasurime: taka-no-ha nagasa: 69.4 cm shingunto koshirae. #5: [Fuller & Gregory, 1983]: Showa stamp "Noshu Seki ju Matsuda Kanetaka saku" yasurime: taka-no-ha reverse has a dedication: "Ojite Tanaka Shi Motome" (made in accordance to the request of Mr Tanaka), so is a custom work. #6: [Fuller & Gregory, 1983]: Seki stamp kokuin hot stamp. "Noshu ju Matsuda Kanetaka saku" taka-no-ha. #7: [Fuller & Gregory, 1983]: Showa stamp "Matsuda Kanetaka" taka-no-ha. #8: [Chris BourbonGuy]: no stamps reported "Noshu Seki ju Kanetaka kore saku" . takass.pptx

I'm in Japan for a little bit, my wife is here and we are going to celebrate our son's first birthday.

Nothing special, I just wanted to show everyone what my first nihonto was and talk about how your first nihonto purchase was like. My first nihonto was this 60.4cm Shinto katana by Fujiwara Tsunayuki, made in Genroku period(1688 ~ 1704). Sori is only 0.9cm, so it's quite shallow. I've bought it at about 1300$ in Yahoo Auction. That time I was really happy to buy a katana thinking that this was a bargain, but now I think the price wasn't that cheap compared to the state of the blade. As you can see it is not in a good shape - old polish, can't see boshi, so many flaws at kissaki, quite weird length for a katana, rust here and there. I'm not really sure about the tiredness; the boshi problem always ticks in my mind when I see it. At least I'm sure I won't buy blades that are in worse shape than this later. Still, it's my first nihonto! I know it's not the best blade you can get- or to be honest, even a good one- but I still want to show and talk about it with everyone. I've started to make some hobbies from it. Soon as I've got my blade, I've been searching about the smith. Searching was quite fun- one of his work had a lotus leaf horimono that really caught my eyes. Cleaning and oiling blade once a month have been my new relaxing time too! So, I think this was what my "first experience" was like. How was yours, and what nihonto did you buy?

The English version of the Yamato book just came out last November. They were available to purchase at the DTI last year. As for the other books, here’s what @Markus told me in November: “The publisher Me no Me has planned to have out the English version of the Yamashiro tradition (which I already translated) early next year, followed in spring by Bizen Part 1. The pace after that is TBD as Tanobe Sensei is currently still writing on some chapters.”

I think it is very likely to be Hiroji Okada (岡田寛二). He appears on the list of remaining personnel at the Central Research Institute in the "Manshū Railway Employees' End-of-War Records" ("満鉄社員終戦記録"). Additionally, he is mentioned in Issue No. 26 of the "Manshū Railway Central Research Institute Association Bulletin" ("満鉄中試会会報"), in a Heisei 12 (2000) article by Masashi Ishiguro titled "The Secret Story of the Escape from Dalian to Shandong After the War" ("石黒正『終戦後の大連脱出、山東行きの秘話』"). The article states:このとき相談を受けた幹部の一人が石黒正であった。5人の幹部とは、高木智雄・石川三郎・大槻茂寿・岡田寛二と石黒である。 He later served as Executive Director of Kyōwa Yūka Co., Ltd. (協和油化㈱) in 1971.

My first Nihonto is one I inherited very young. The first Nihonto I purchased for myself was one I found at a gun show. Ended up being a good sword. Now it’s going through the long process of getting a new habaki, shirasaya, and hopefully polish and papers. Here are a couple of the photos I took when I first found it. I’ve learned a lot since then! Cheers, -Sam

Yes, one of the qualities that I appreciate about the Shakoh I posted is that with a medium-sized tsuba, it is 6.5-6.75 mm thick and weighs 133 gm--a very substantial guard. Perfect for shifting the balance point of a sword towards the tsuka. I have mounted a similarly monstrous Ohno chock full of globular tekkotsu on my practice iaito to inspire my practice and to achieve the desired balance.

Great to hear Stephen!

King, Dan. “Chatting Vets, Part VI: Subject: Lt. General Okada.” Banzai Issue 127 (November 1992): pages 300–303.

Hello, Yes, I sent him a message on the group of our sword club. He replied me on Wednesday evening saying he is back, and with a joke. I didn't asked, but I guess he is probably busy and will post a message here soon.

Cheers, Paul. I’ll put up some more. Here’s a blade for today’s guest, Brian! Nagayoshi, they say! In Japanese And the blade

In the Suya 146K to 149K serial range, brass crossguards were the majority while steel was the minority. So both will show up, but just that the brass is more common. Looks OK to me. For comparison, see serial number 148224. Help with a bit of information on this type 95

EG The first was a Den Masamune Tantō. Page 2