Brian

The fukure is a flaw formed under the surface during forging. It opens up later once the sword has been polished and the surface steel has been polished away as John said. Sometimes you can see them as blisters before they open up. They can be like an iceberg...small amount showing on the surface, with a large area underneath. Nasty flaw looks-wise. Brian

Nick, I wouldn't go the iodine route. I can see no real positive aspect to it, except for giving a totally different artiificial look to the one it has now. The art of tsuba and nakago repatination is one of the most complex and closely guarded of all the procedures. If it was simple, everyone would be doing it, instead of a handful of professionals. There are many tips ranging from hanging up in an outdoors latrine, to the carrying in a pocket with a soft cloth, to the years worth of light rubbing. Ingredients range from nose and forehead oil to various noxious concoctions. I believe Ford had some info on it, on the old carving path forum. I am not sure if he has posted it on his new forum yet, I will have to check. The old thread is here: http://www.thecarvingpath.net/forum/ind ... topic=1016 It is very involved and takes a real artist to get right. Anything else just looks artificial. I wish I could give you better news, but at the end of the day this is something for a professional who is an expert on the true methods. If you do decide to give it a try yourself, make sure it is on a worn out and fairly average plain tsuba, and don't try the "quickie" methods as none are really worth much. Regards, Brian

The Japanese swordsmiths were not known for taking short-cuts or the easy way out :D :lol: Brian

Well....we've seen gimei signatures that were lesser quality than the work itself..so anything is possible :lol: Not saying it was an attempt to add a better name. Could be a broken nakago that was badly repaired. Could be the guy who did it didn't know it was a Showa smith. Could be nothing wrong with it at all, and someone was just grinder happy that day. Just saying to check out that area closer Brian

Joe, There is a good article on suraige translated by Paul Martin on the articles page here. Check out the .pdf. http://www.nihontomessageboard.com/articles/Suriage.pdf Brian

I'll emphasize that in case anyone missed it. There are some telltale grinding marks there that need to be investigated. Brian

I still need to get it myself (it's shipping that's a killer I think) but from what I understand, it is just info and dates. No pics or examples. Strictly for looking up names and basic info. Brian

Well..just in case anyone missed it and was seriously considering it. Brian

The one you just posted about sounds and looks like a modern repro :? Brian

Rick, Not an easy one to answer, as the result fills quite a few books on the subject. I do suggest reading through some of Rich's pages on Goto, which can be found here: http://www.nihontokanjipages.com/tosogu.com/?p=155 http://www.nihontokanjipages.com/tosogu.com/?p=158 http://www.nihontokanjipages.com/tosogu.com/?p=159 I think that should answer some of the questions, and provide some excellent examples. Regards, Brian

Yes...I certainly was! Wow..beautiful. Max...if yours is good, you owe the forum a round of drinks :lol: Good luck. Brian

Thanks Guido, for me that concludes it satisfactorily. Not that any other opinions weren't valid, but I think you summed it up nicely and it would be the concensus as far as I am concerned. Let's consider this one solved unless something changes dramatically? Hmm..the move to China is going to be a big loss to the Nihonto community and trade there. How fast can you unlearn Chinese? :D Will you be able to continue with your sword work there, and are you able to travel back to Japan regularly? Maybe you will be the one to finally find all those stored Japanese swords in China that I have heard about.. Brian

Maybe you should bid $1000,000 on each of the swords he has listed, to make sure no-one else can win them? If the pics are stolen from you, then eBay can't blame you for a false bid, and if they end with a sale, then he will owe eBay high listing fees, which he won't pay, and will get banned anyways? Online warfare :D Brian

Well done. He linked directly to the pics, and you used the image I made last time and substituted it. http://cgi.ebay.com/Japanese-TACHI-SWOR ... 0236905261 Nice! Brian

Hi, Here is a bit about it: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=169&p=958 You see it on Shinto sometimes, and there is a theory that it is a symbolic/religious thing. Often on yari. Brian

Max, is that a subtle wink implied there? If you got it, congrats, and can't wait to hear more about it when you get it. Brian

Well..you got me here a bit. On one hand, there are some points that indicate a PC. I would love confirmation that the mei does in fact read PC if so. However I see the mei as too well cut to be that, and the nakago looks too good to me. Also (and this is a strong point brought up by a member in a pm) there is the remains of the white painted kanji on the nakago that usually point towards a wartime (arsenal?) blade. The way the kissaki flares out is also a good shape for a wartime blade, and the lines look good. The hamon looks like an oil quenched blade. So far we have both sides, one claiming PC, the other a wartime blade. Until this is proven beyond doubt, I don't think we are discussing a Chinese fake yet. If that becomes the case, then I will lock or remove the thread. But I would like to hear more arguments if possible. Actually...theories and facts, let's keep the arguments off this one please. Bear in mind there are still many undocumented smiths out there, and just because we don't know of this smith, doesn't mean he didn't exist. However I am still open to the possibility that this is a good fake too. However it seems extreme to go to the trouble of taking a PC sword, faking the white paint and other things, and then trying to pass it as a wartime blade that doesn't go for all that much more than a PC. Just want to get more sides of the story. Tread lightly on this one though... Brian

This would have been a very interesting auction. The blade could be something really nice, or just average and unusual. Can't help thinking about the Gensui-to that Jim Dawson mentions in his book... http://www.stenger-scott.com/Export24.htm#PlateSP-1 but it is unlikely one of these got remounted in Shin-gunto mounts. Would love to see more of it. Someone contact the seller and refer him here. Brian

Congratulations and well done Morita san. I received mine a few months back. Been pretty lax in not posting a decent review, I will try and do one this weekend. It is a good book, with many sword variants that I haven't seen in print before. It is good value for money, and I think essential to the militaria dealers and those who crossover into militaty swords. Not as much for the Nihonto collectors, but it is good to be able to identify all the different mounts in case you come across an older remounted blade. I would have liked more on stamps and markings like F&G, but this remains a great book and one that belongs in the library. Brian

Jock, Bugs already apologised for any offence, and that is enough for me. He likely knows that PC does indeed produce a large range of quality, and I hear that they even make a forged and folded blade from (a version?) of tamahagane. So it is quite possible and even likely that this might be a better range from them. Don't judge purely from the stock photos that were posted. They were just to show the kanji useage. I am sure someone will link to the better range soon. This thread has already gone on far too long, so unless there is some useful info posted soon, I am going to lock it and let it slip away. Brian

Ahhh...I didn't make the connection between them, and I am sure Jock didn't either. I guess that settles it. These are quite well done apparently Brian

I also don't see the connection, in that I don't see that mei anywhere in the Paul Chen katana mei...but then I haven't examined it closely. The first mei looks vastly superior to the later Chen pics. No testing or anything here, just a connection not made. I also didn't see it as Paul Chen, however if we are confident that it reads as such, then I guess that's the end of the story. If that is the case, I would take that up with the seller strongly. Does anyone have an example of this 2 character Chen mei on any of the swords they produce? Brian PS - Once established, we will of course cease to discuss this blade, as we do not spend our time on repros. Just want to make sure everyone is 100% sure of the outcome.

I'll await confirmation from one of the better translators, but could it be a strangely written Masashige? 政 重 Otherwise the Tsugushige mentioned previously. Looks like a genuine blade, WW2. Not sure if Gendaito or not. There was a Masashige in Nagasaki. Brian

Well done and thanks for the pics and write-up Guido. As always, looks like you were a perfect host. The motto of these evenings should be "None shall escape sober!" :lol: Erol looks like he is learning the finer points of tsuba patination..."...and then you stir it around in the solution of 25 minutes until......" :D Some very esteemed guests there. I really have to make it over there again this year. Time to sell some goodies. Brian

Lee, Carlo was not correcting you. I think he was being very helpful, and pointing out how valid Darcy's points were. You seemed to be querying some of the observations, and I think he was being most polite about it. None of us knows who knows who else, and indicating someone's experience is helpful to anyone reading who isn't a regular here. The catalog pics he posted are very helpful, especially with regard to the yasuri..which are the diagonal filemarks. The input from everyone on this thread has been amazing, and about as much as you could ever hope for online imho. Thanks to everyone who posted Brian