Brian

Barry, I could be totally mistaken, but wasn't that saying "out of every 10 Kotetsu you come across, 11 of them are gimei?" :D :lol: Brian

That sounds like the wisdom of someone who spent too many hours in the bars in Thailand! :D :lol: Would be nice to see it after a decent polish that tones it down, but a lot of money to then have to remove a mei, and submit for shinsa. If it came back as a good name though, then might be worth repolishing. I'm not the type to gamble with that much money though Brian

Jock, No harm done, but I think that sometimes it isn't clear if the question is from a potential buyer, a seller or someone that owns the item. Too many times someone will register here, ask for a translation and then use it in a listing and we never hear from them again. Hence the reason why I wrote some guidelines above the translation section. I don't mind people asking, as long as the helpful members don't mind answering. But sometimes it might just prevent confusion by saying "this is a sword I am considering purchasing" or "this is one I own" etc. You don't have to post a link, as I know some don't want to alert everyone to their "bargain" but knowing it is up for sale helps us when we ask for better pics or info. Then we know you don't have it in hand, and getting extra pics won't be fast. It also allays any fears that the translation is going to be used for a listing. Just streamlines everything. I hope people will also start having a go at the kanji themselves as you did now, as this encourages learning and not just taking the easy way out. Brian PS - When you get it, post a closer and better pic of the mei so we can work out the confusing kanji.

Moriyama san, Do you think that it is the webpage that has it described incorrectly, or the book? Hawley's Mon book definitely has that listed as kashiwa, but not sure if he had it incorrect. This page: http://www.geocities.com/kazenaga23/crests.htm has the kashiwa with 3 leaves, but if you follow the Abe link, on page 3 it has this mon along with Matsuura Brian

Ken, Please sign posts with a name please (and since we have a Ken, maybe an initial too? :D ) Before anyone else asks, how about a pic of the fuchi? It is much easier taking a stab at it with the item in view. During later times, the mon represented don't always lead immediately to a family attribution. Sometimes they were used for the vaguest of reasons, and since they were frequently parted out from the swords, what you can assertain from the mon is maybe very limited. Also, the owner could have been a simple merchant. There is nothing to say that there is a link to any class of owner, especially during the later Edo period when many of these were made. By 1751, books of mon designs were published that made it possible for anyone to select a mon for their own use. Let's see the image and hopefully someone has some input. Regards, Brian Ps- I have this as the white oak (Kashiwa) mon, and it is listed as Abe and Daimyo Okabe in Musashi province in my book.

I am not convinced of that, but possibly? I'll leave him to answer that. He was maybe checking the translation, or looking for more info on the maker? Too many of us browsing eBay for fun to let items slip past unnoticed. We have seen that happen many, many times here. Brian

Jock, If you are just posting every mei that you are interested in buying, then at least tell us, or put it in the eBay section with an explanation. http://cgi.ebay.com/Japanese-Sword-Sign ... 0215779577 Brian

Stephen, Dotanuki was a Higo school of swordmakers. http://www.touken.or.jp/english/nihon_koto_shi/(52)%20No.613.htm has some info. According to: http://www.touken.or.jp/english/nihon_koto_shi/(44)%20No.599.htm "Generally speaking, the Kanabo, the Shitahara and the Dotanuki schools made very practical swords but their artistic value is not so highly estimated." When speaking of the shodai Tadayoshi, they say: Quite a bit of other info on this school on Google. Sounds like Bungo school..practicality over art :D Brian

Yep..I was hoping for some pics that aren't at such an angle. I think a few of those strokes might look a bit different if face-on. X Shige it is, not convinced on that first kanji yet though. Jock..well done on trying, and getting that second kanji. Practice makes perfect. As Stephen said, when you get 2 readings, it is just 2 different pronounciations. Experience will tell you which sounds right. Brian

Pete, You are 100% correct. The old excuse used to be that the books were in Japanese and people who didn't read any Japanese at all couldn't even look up the smith....but with there being a full English translation of many of these nowdays (including the Kinko Meikan) these reasons have fallen away. Brian

Because traditionally swords are displayed the way they are carried. In this care, tachi are carried edge down, and hence why they are displayed this way. I was just concerned about standing them on edge, but tradition overrules all else. Also, the nagako of a sword at rest usually is on the left, to show no bad intentions to grab it for use with the right hand. Brian

Jock, Try a full photo of the mei instead of this angled one. Makes it harder to see clearly. Also..why don't you have a go at it and at least have a try. http://www.nihontokanjipages.com/kanji_for_mei.html Shouldn't be too difficult. Brian

Please sign posts with at least a first name. I believe this one is Kunimitsu, although I haven't looked yet to see which one it is. Brian

I believe the question was whether or not this was a genuine tanto or not. I think most of us agree it is not a fake, just a bad quality horimono. There are plenty out there, and it is interesting to speculate on how it got there. Not everything has to be about whether you would buy it as a top example or not. Sometimes we just wonder about things. I have seen badly cut bonji on a good blade to hide flaws. Sometimes the blade isn't a bad one at all..just the later addition of an amateur carving. I would hate for us to get into the mindset that only the top stuff is worth collecting and low to mid level stuff is junk not worthy of anyone's interest. That would mean that 95% of the entire art world is wrong, whether it be a painting or a sword. Right or wrong...discuss Brian

Why on earth did you use such a complicated and intricate forum software? Who uses phpBB? :D :lol: Seriously though, it's a great forum with a lot to teach, especially about our own subject matter. Very interesting to learn more about the how and why these techniques are applied. A great vibe there too, with some interesting characters. Worth a regular visit. Brian

Mauro (Don't forget to sign all posts with a name) There are more than 50 styles of tsukamaki. Take a look at: http://home.planet.nl/~sebregts/ and http://www.tsukamaki.net/ Regards, Brian

From my own personal point of view... Swords should be judged on their own merits, looking at all the attributes we are taught to look for to judge a good blade. However not all blades come in good condition. Sometimes we see old blades in Gunto mounts with blades rusty or dark. Sometimes we come across a blade in a shop that doesn't show hataraki, hada or hamon. Not all blades are found in perfect polish. Some won't buy them in that condition, but it is not for us to say that all blades not in polish should be written off or left to die a slow death. So in these cases, guidelines (I call them that, not rules) are always helpful. Yes, there are always exceptions and will always be. But we need guidelines to assist us to get to the point where we can make a better judgement. With tsuba there are pointers that lead to a certain school. Not rules...but they help. Sometimes it is not as it seems and goes to another school. The same with swords. Nothing wrong with having guidelines, just as long as we recognise them as such, and not rules. I for one appreciate these things to look out for. Brian

Jacques.. 1 minute before me :D Hmm..I cannot say anything with any degree of certainty on this one. Brian

Looks like a wartime blade to me, but not machine made. Not 100% traditional either imho. I am not sure if that can be one loooong ware or maybe a join where an outer softer layer is meeting a harder edge layer? One of the many other construction methods using different steels that were done during WW2? We tend to think of Shin Gunto in terms of either Gendaito or oil quenched partly machine made blades, but as F&G shows, there were a host of other methods used that can border between the 2. Different constructions, different steels. Many confusing techniques that are halfway between the 2. No idea on this one 100% Brian

Malcolm did sign his name, but made the text black. Perhaps you are using a black background style and couldn't see it? Brian

I know that tachi are displayed edge down, but is that really the way to display it if it is a bare blade? Nice swords, what else are they displaying in the way of Japanese art? Brian

Why don't you have a chat with Brian Pedersen in Japan? viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2587&p=18675 Fully trained and qualified. Brian

Moriyama-san can tell a fake sword from a 3cmx3cm nakago sample? :D :D :D Good call Koichi! Well done. Brian

Aren't they all? Brian PS - Gimei probably, but still genuine horimono and nothing fake about that. Just not the best work, it fits in with the style of many of the later carvings.

For those that think that Stephen is senile and rambling incomprehensibly... :lol: :D He is refering to the fact that some people get random popups from imageshack when they click the thumbnails. I get them maybe 1 out of 10 clicks, and they don't affect my pc. Stephen...have you run Ad-aware and cleaned your pc of spyware? Also added imageshack to your browser popup blocker? I think it is a combination of these things that causes the issue. Btw....everyone should be running Ad-aware regularly on their pc's. Brian