Justin Grant

I wonder why the blade and wood would be completly rotten, but the tsuba looks to have very little damage....

All- I am reading the Satsuma Rebellion, and while a good read from a “Westernized” perspective on the conflict shortly after it happened, I have a question regarding the swords used during this conflict. I have seen swords listed for sale that have “Satsuma Rebellion” wrap, and I wondered if this special style was solely for the conflict or a style used by the Satsuma Clan as a whole. In my reading, I understand that Satsuma had “Private Schools” for the study and practice of “war”, and thought this might be the reason for the special wraps, but I am just passing an uneducated guess into the fray. What was the purpose of the wrap? What benefit was obtained from such a simple wrap? I am thinking it can’t be related solely to the functional aspect or utilitarian aspect, as some I have seen have very nice Tsuba that are nicely ornate. I am not sure if this is a field of study for people, but I am hopeful that someone here has more insight into this area and can lift this burden from me :D Thanks Justin

Thanks George! Ty will send me pictures of the nakago. I am not up on the Gunto, so the menuki placement did not stand out, that is odd. He said it has two pegs in the tsuka. Thanks for the help!

Hi All, My friend Ty is Japanese American, and his Grandfather was an officer in the US Army in WWII, and was used as a translator during the war. After the end of the war, his Grandfather was stationed in Japan and received this sword during his stay by what remained of the Japanese command staff. Ty's Grandfather has passed, and the information he has was told to him by his Aunt and Mother. He thinks the saya has been repaired/replaced but wanted to know more. I sent him some instructions on how to remove the Tsuka, so if there is a stamp or any information under it, I will be sure to post.

Thanks Malcom! I just received my Hardback copy of the Satsuma Rebellion from Barnes and Noble.

Thanks Mark- I have not seen the "appraisal", but was trying to do some research. I know there were many who signed "Hisatsugu" and was trying to narrow it down. Thanks Justin

Mark- It is the one for sale on this board viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7987

Thanks Jérôme and Veli This is the only reference book I have for Hisatsugu, anyone know of any other lists or publications?

Hi all, I am looking for information on a Muromachi era smith Hisatsugu, two kanji mei. In my Toko Taikan book, I found the following page on 514. It lists two Hisatsugu, but I am unable to understand what is written. I have attached a scan of the page if someone can help me. I am not even sure if these two references are the same Hisatsugu. I attempted to translate what I could, but it too could be wrong... Thanks! Justin

Well, that did not work. I get an error message in Italian, and I assume it says we can't download more than 4 images and I got all of the blade pictures but not the inscription... The last photo... Sorry.

I will grab them, resize them, and post here. Give me a few.

Since I am at work, and have every AV tool known to mankind, I opened the link and the photos. They are "virus" free. I opened each of them except for the zip file. Each image is 3.5+ MB each, this may be why they used Jumbo Mail to post the pictures. The nakago has a large inscription, to which, I am not qualified to read. Justin

It is my understanding (in reading) that this is not the case. The only NT's on register are in country, if an item is not accounted for, it is removed from the list of NT's. If it reappears, it is not "kept". It is somehow listed on a register as to its location. But I do not believe it is kept. I also read where if a NT is offered for sale from a private collection, the GVT gets first option at purchase, so these items are usually listed for sale at the end of the fiscal year so money is tight reducing the option of the GVT purchasing it. I could be wrong, but this is what I read on several sites that offer Shinsa services.

Could be a bad gas welding job, but not a "wire" welding job. I would lean more towards a hammer weld or forging. My guess is a thin or broken nakago at one point.

There is some truth to this. In the racing business, we use billet forged cranks. If you set/stand the crank on the flywheel flange, you can take a screwdriver and "whack" a through. It will ring like a bell. However, if it has a crack in it, it will thud. This is how we field check them. Also, there are a lot of Chinese fake cast cranks (yes racing too) that are machined to look like billet forged, and if you pull this test on them, they thud when you "whack" them. Not a perfect test, but it helps weed out most junk.

Please pardon the interruption, but I have been conversing with Cristian Laiber about a purchase and the e-mail now gets returned. If you know how to get in touch with him, let me know. Justin

I don't have a dog in this fight, but let me say this. Moss and Dave / Simon, have issues. I don't understand the reason for the issues, but they are life. If they want to stand in front of each other measuring their members, so be it. I just don't want to be privy to it, and or the results. I enjoy the topics they both bring to the table. I enjoy the results of the actual conversation, just not the white noise. As for people using real names, I am using my real name... Justin

As a "newbie" , let me put my 2 cents into this. Most new comers find this site or any informative site after the fact or in the last minutes of the final decision of a purchase. Most have "longed" for a purchase and have let the desire simmer on the back burner until some point in life when an opportunity presents its self and the purchase is made. I realize that the first thing any new comer will need to do is purchase a collection of reading material, and start the basic education. To someone that has never studied nihonto, the terms can be off-putting. Nakago, Tusba, Sori, Mei, etc. Lets face it, people jump off buildings and hope they sprout wings on the way down, few, if any, sprout wings first. The FAQ section is a great idea. When I purchased my blade, I did so without the benefit of advise before hand. If I had this information, would I have made my purchase, maybe.. But I did use the information after the fact to ensure I did not have a fake, but I was lucky.. I also would like to see a FAQ that is balanced and equal. Some collect for the pristine, some for the history, some the militaria aspect, so I would like to see all reasons to collect represented in a FAQ. Telling someone that a battle scared koto era blade is not worth collecting is passing your beliefs and style onto them. Allow enough information so they can decide what they want to collect. Make the information easy. The "Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How Come". A book listing is also a good thing, but realize, people usually find this place after a purchase in the course of researching what they already own. Be kind, be understanding, and be welcoming. There are a million ways of telling someone they purchased a fake, or "junk" that can be educational without making them feel bad. They will have that feeling by themselves, and need your support to keep them interested and moving forward. Telling people not to buy off Ebay when there is a sub-forum with Ebay in the title is also confusing. Maybe the FAQ about Ebay purchases should read, "Ebay Nihonto Purchases for Advanced Collectors". I have seen a lot of "don't do's" about Ebay, and then see where other "experienced" collectors talk of purchases and the one that go away. I guess this boils down to this, a lot of the new people find this site after a purchase is made, so make the FAQ easy to find, easy to navigate and informative. Justin

Hi Ray- I was raised Nichiren Shu, I understand Nichiren carried one for protection, and after his death it was in a shrine, but don't know much more. I was told by a priest that he doubted Nichiren would have carried one, he was not a man of voilence, even if to protect himself. So I don't know. I can't read the web page Morita-San referenced. My Japanese reading skills are not that good anymore except for prayer. I have also seen "warrior monk" "Samurai" armor with "Namu Myoho Range Kyo" inscribed on it, and wondered if this is somehow related to the Daishonin Interested to know more!

Thanks guys! I have no intention of purchasing, my other full-time hobbies (racing) has started and I am focused, financially and other wise on it. Just thought I would pass it along. I do appreciate the information. Justin

I showed this picture to several master carpenters' who are remodeling my office. Once called it "ringed" and the other called it horizontally fluted. These seems to be rather simple but "westernized" description for a rather complex word. Just our Midwestern USA translation. Your mileage may very…..

If this is the wrong area, Mea Culpa, no harm intended... I found some Meiji era items for sale Uchiko "Tool Box" http://www.kurayaantiques.com/cgi-bin/w ... 30&I2.y=15 War Fan http://www.kurayaantiques.com/cgi-bin/w ... 43&I2.y=12 Just saw these on my browsing...

I realize this is not directly related to the translation of Mei, but I have a question in terms of translation or reading Kanji that I am hoping some of you can help me with. Is there a rule (grammar) when you use the Chinese Reading of a kanji (on'yomi) and when you use the Japanese Reading of a kanji (kun'yomi)? I know names are also a completely different thing all together, but I am stuck! Thanks Justin

Ruefully shaking head…..

Thanks guys. Memorizing Kanji is one thing, reading and applying is another!