kuromido

Hello All, Here is a tanto tsuba that I got a few months back. I believe that it is considered Mino goto but am not sure. I am also interested in is age and any other thoughts you all might have. It is : 55mm wide 60mm high 5mm thick , and heavy for its size. It has a very deep blue black to black color that is hard to get in pictures. Thanks for your help, Peter D

Hi Jan, Here are a couple observations to consider. In the first picture there looks to be a welding "puddle" mark near the top left. Next, the YASURIME (file marks) are poorly laid in and wander. Same for the shape of the tang. Third the NAKAGO-JIRI (Tang tip) looks like it was done with a belt grinder. Finally, In the last picture, The mekugi-ana was not punched in but Drilled, proofed by the ragged burrs around its edge, There also looks to be mill scale missed by the grinder near the end (the grey shiny scale at center bottom. Many years ago a wise boss and mentor told me a tip about buying antiques that I have carried with me always (although many times ignored to my peril). He said " Before anything else, train your eye for quality" In other words, dont get attached or blinded by anything before taking a sharp critical look for quality workmanship. It has always helped me from getting burned. Before that however, Heed the advise of jean, grey and others---Study first and foremost. Books are a bargain at any price, and will keep giving for years to come, Best of luck, PeterD

Hi Mark, Nice pictures! Could you give a quick rundown on how you made them? ie which settings-macro,supermacro, Distance ,lighting, moonphase and the like? Hard as I try , I cant get close to those. Thanks, PeterD

Hello John and ludolf. First I thank you for your fast responses and ludolf's indepth information on this maker. I would like to ask 100 questions but what I will ask is this, Is there a more comprehensive list of kanji. And is this what is needed to further my understanding and ability to decipher mei. I am using, jssus kanji pages,bladesharks mei chart, J.Yomoto & Murthas books and richard steins amazing list and site and I still cant find any reference to taizan or togo or Sekijoken for that matter. I understand that many kanji have multiple "readings" but how does one get started when there is no printed examples? for example, All of the references I listed show the fifth kanji as "yama" with no other readings. Is there a reference that includes "zan" for this kanji? If not , how do we arrive there? Please dont think I am questioning your translations or help in any way. Quite the contrary, I am very appreciative of all of your help and only wish to start on the road you have all traveled. If recognizing kanji is just a start, what would the next step be? Can anyone take a few moments to help a frustrated greenhorn? Sincerely, PeterD

Hi John, Thaks for the reply. Could you resend it in romanji? I still have no idea what it reads. Thanks sincerely, PeterD

Hello All, I am having some trouble with this mei and would like some help if possible. What I have (and I am sure I am way off) is" ?,take,moto,haruyama nobu mune . Any help on this mei and particularly information on the maker would be of great help. The kozuka is of fine shibuishi but somewhere along the way someone saw fit to lacquer it. Thank you in advance, PeterD

Hello from a novice, best I can do to help is: noshu ju ? I aki hira saku Good luck, PeterD

I am not surprised that it is most likely gimei given the smith (or actually not) My first thought was that the length is all wrong. 66cm with ubu nakago Anything I find of his seems to have been shortened I have a few questions if its OK. First , would the heavy hitters weigh in on the mei. (I am very interested in what makes it stand out as gimei,and am sure there is much to learn for alot of us from its disection. I am also wondering if because of this , is it a total "dont bother with it" or are gimei blades ever worth restoring? The blade is masame to aysugi hada & gunome with sunagashi & kinsuji hamon. It is in need of slight straightening and a polish. Any thoughts? Thanks , PeterD

Hello All, I am having some trouble with several kanji on this piece and would also like to see if I am reasonably close on the mei & date. I have the mei as " mino kuni ?maru?,?nao? ju kaneuji" but maru nao Makes no sense. I believe the date is "koei roku nen ku gatsu hi" or 1348 Any information about this smith/blade would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, PeterD

Quote+= can you please show me houwe a kogai slot looks like as i want to spot it for the next time Hello Jacob, The kogai slot is, as far as I know always on the omote or outward facing side of the saya. the kogai slides in under the kurikata. Thats the knob that the sageo or tying cord runs threw. Here is a picture although not the best of one in place. I hope this helps. PS, Nice first piece----and so it begins! Cheers, PeterD

Hi george, You are correct sir! The nobu is a different kanji. Wishful thinking on my part. Its back to the books. Thanks, PeterD

Thanks again George. I have known how hard it can be but never "First hand" Sorry the link would not open. Here is one that might work better (even though I will continue to look to a later smith) I can't find much online about nakago shapes and nakago-jiri in relation to schools/eras, Can anyone post some leads? Thanks again george, PeterD http://nihontoclub.com/smiths/NOB116

Hello All, I have been researching this blade the best I can and came across the "nihonto club.com" in the process. George mentioned that this blade is most likely NOB590. On the site they have an option to search by mei and in doing so I came apon NOB 116 which signs exactly as my blade. I am wondering (no offense to you george) if there are other deciding aspects that anyone might see to push the identification in one way or the other. Is NOB 116 more likely the smith because of this? Thanks to everyone, PeterD http://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths/meis ... =nobuyoshi

Dear nobody, Thats fantastic! I Thank you for the great information! I can't tell you how much my wife loved it! Now if I can just get her to let go of My kozuka. Cheers, peterD

Grey, I am still messin with croping pics, My program (Camedia) wants to hang as soon as I try to crop. I think its time to uninstall and start fresh. James, Thanks for the comp. The piece has a bird with gold plumes flowing 1/2 way down the cliff. My pic is crap so you can barely make it out. I will try again. Here is a pic of the haruaki piece front. Unusual subject matter. Any info or input would be appreciated. Thanks, PeterD

Here is the front of the masaaki kozuka. I wish I could put up a 1200 x 1600 it would be a much better picture.

Thanks rich, That is quite a site. I did not know there were so many ways to come at it. Looks like Ive got some studying to do. James, Thanks for the readings, I will go back to the tables and see where I missed them. I am excited about the Haruaki piece,there is one by him in lethal elegance and the mei is very close. I do apreciate your help and marks. I probably should post pics of the fronts----

Hello everyone, I have been trying to learn to read kanji and have found several good references to help. (D#@n this aint easy) I have had yumoto's book for some time and also have found Mr. Steins amazing site. Also the jssus has Alan Quinn's counting strokes method which has been very helpful. I am having good general success finding the name portion but am repeatedly hitting a wall on other kanji in the mei. What am I missing? Here are 2 examples. The first kozuka I have as taka,?,masa aki kao the second I could not find anywhere. The second I have as ?,? haru aki kao. Can anyone show me the path to enlightenment and fill in the blanks Any help could save the last few hairs on my head.. I appreciate everyone’s contributions to this site and hope that some year in the far--far future I might be able to do the same. Thanks--PeterD

Hello, Many thanks for the replys as well. I also thank klaus for asking the question , allowing me to confirm something I have been curious about. Cheers once again, PeterD

Hello guys, I also felt dumb as a post when I first asked the question. My friend told that "the mie and or the More artistic face faces the tsuka because when being worn the viewers will be seeing it from the handle side. He also mentioned that most later swords have the kogai-ana to the same side as the mei. Not just to be agreeable did I repeat the wiser ones response but because I now find myself in a quandry. I took this sword apart when I first bought it and did not make a point of the location when I dissmantaled it. Not noticing the tsuba's one little irregularity.....Now I am not totaly sure of how it should be. My guess would be the side "A" is the one with the yose-tagane but I would like to hear any thoughts on this. I am also curious about the 2 kogai-ana What do you make of this? Is it a rarity or not so uncommon? and is there a reason for it? Thanks, PeterD

Thanks barry (&everyone else) for the heads up! Theres always some juvenile butthead who feels the need muck things up on the net! ???

I can not access the swordsmith database? When I click it I get a 404 not allowed access message? What do I need to do ? Thanks PeterD

I have a question on the menuki on this wak. I hope it won't be viewed as unrelated as it might help in dating? The menuki are something I have never seen before. They are made of clay or pitch or another brittle material I am not aware of. They were then covered in thick silver foil. Both are damaged so I cant make out what they are. Has anyone seen menuki like these? :? Thanks, PeterD

Thanks John for the fast response! PeterD