tokashikibob

Fellas, Headed out early Sat morning to a well healed auction house, suit and tie crowd.. I'm a jeans and flannel guy, as a sexy looking gunto was being offered a couple hours away. I really liked the koshirae look and as always wanted to see it in person vice online bidding. The description was very poor... i.e. WW2 blade, nice temper line, that was about it. So, after getting lost a bit, I finally got to pick up the blade and focusing my poor eyesight, I'm shocked to see combo mokume/itame all the way to the mune. Gunome hamon with sungashi. The poor description shut down the phones and internet after a grand, it was just me and one guy bidding it up in 100 dollar increments until he dropped. It was nice to get a nice blade not in need of rescue! I think the mei is Kanetada correct? If so, I do not think it is Kanetada of showa period as a clue is the only kizu on the blade is a small distinct sword strike on the mune. Is there a earlier Kanetada or is the translation off? Koshirae - I really liked the Koshirae, especially the three part tsuba. Is there any significance to this hardware? High ranking officer? I'll try post some better hada pictures when I get my good camera back tonight. Best Regards, Bob

Gentlemen, Tampa Kantei arrived today. I want to thank Mr. Chris Bowen for his superb services rendered! I hope to use his service again for next Shinsa. Best Regards, Bob P.S. Fellas, you may be interested in checking out some interesting pics of Marine goofballs and their foreign lady friends from 1904-09 Asiatic scrapbook I'm working with. http://www.okinawarelics.com/john_turner.html

Update: Wakizashi packed up and brought to USPS during a ice storm, tomorrow is supposed to be worse.... Hopefully it makes it down there by Tuesday as Mr. Bowen has a showing with it on Thursday. Maybe Chris will log in from Tampa and put a final word on it's history. Gentlemen, Packing up the Wakizashi for Tampa. I took a few more pictures of the wild hamon for your perusal. The kissaki has too much patina to see what may be there. Hopefully the sword merits some positive discussion there and is recommended for restoration. Semper Fi, Bob http://www.okinawarelics.com

Gents, In regards to the wak rescue, I have been conversing with Mr. Bowen and will use his services for next months Shinsa in Tampa. Hopefully, there will be some exciting news in the future! Best Regards, Bob http://www.okinawarelics.com

Gentlemen, Thank you all very much for all the expert information. I tried to take a few more pictures but they are not worth posting. Looking at the hamon in detail after reading thru the messages, there are a few more crab claws formations on the blade in addition to the ones pointed out before that are quite "crabby". I'll look thru the forum for polisher information and make it a priority to get this task started on the wak rescue. Best Regards, Bob

Gents, A unloved wakizashi was on the auction table the last weekend, no action on it so I picked it up for $200. Very nice hamon with kisses to the shinogi. Is that unusual? Wiping it down revealed polisher marks on the mune and under the habaki. Habaki is think silver over copper and seppa's gold over copper, kashira and fuchi nicely detailed and solid silver. I'm guessing the menuki's were pretty nice since somebody cut them out, same looks salvageable but quite old. Since I am ignorant, any ideas on the type of Tsuba? Blade has no kizu except one ding in the Ha-saki. Masame hada. One day I'd like to see this one polished and kashira restored. Best regards, Bob http://www.okinawarelics.com

Is it a rare variant because of a copper handle? I've passed on 3 NCO's this year in trades or live auction. Best Regards, Bob http://www.okinawarelics.com

I guess I should be picking up some of these instead of taking a pass when I see them. http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-WW2-Japanese-COPPER-HANDLE-NCO-SWORD-matching-numbers-all-original-/291011642067

Hoanh, Arnold, Thank you both for taking the time to write, I will be on the look out for both books as to be informed with referance books in this hobby for anything more than WW2 Gunto is the wise investment. Semper Fi, Bob

Gentlemen, Currently very ignorant on Tosogu. I bought these two for under 100 figuring they were a good buy. After looking at some of the better websites such as Nihontocraft, I am guessing the correct terms would be Tosho and Katchushi? What would be the a recommendation on a good tosogu book I should search for, to enhance my knowledge? Semper Fi, Bob http://www.okinawarelics.com

Morita-san, Ohisashiburi desu ne! Nihon de saiken taifuu ni kita to kikimashita, ki o tsukete ne, Anata no jozu na honyaku wa itsumo domo arigato gozaimasu. Katsumasa no iroiro na koto o benkyoo shite mimasu! Bob Thank again Mr. Morita for your skill kanji translation!

RukoJuro, You may be right as I am no expert! Looking at it again with a magnifying glass I'm 99% it's metal composition and not poor scatchy polish. The polish is actually quite nice, burnishing and hamon. I'll keep it in my military sword collection as I don't have a a type 44. Below is the pic other side of the nakago. I guessing 20th year of showa, 4 month? The character is odd from my cheat sheet. Thanks for looking, Bob http://www.okinawarelics.com

Headed to the auction to check out 3 Nihonto, A cut down Bizen Wak, the very nice Yoshichika, and a Type 44. I was interested in the Bizen wak but upon inspection the blade was lifeless, fittings cobbled together, the Yoshichika was very nice with the addition of a silver family mon, wavy hamon and no hada. I didn't think much about the minty 44 beforehand, but upon inspection it did not have any inspection stamps and possessed a tight ko-itame hada. I picked it up, along with a old iron tsuba I'll post later. Any info on this Swordsmith fellas? Thanks again for all you experts do! Semper Fi, Bobhttp://www.okinawarelics.com

Fellas, Thanks for all the keen schooling! I didn't buy it, I just get to help get stuff ready at a couple country auctions once in awhile, so I can bid on it when it comes up since I'm just a floor helper. Sometimes I do all right with old Imari vases and plates and chinese pottery sometimes not :lol: I was hoping it was a art piece but there's always next auction! Semper Fi, Bob http://www.okinawarelics.com

Fellas, Haven't posted in awhile since all I've handled have been Showto for quite awhile. This Tsuba showed up with a bunch of asian pottery. Any opinions on era, quality? Thank you in advance for your opine! Semper Fi, Bob http://www.okinawarelics.com

Nice Job, I remember reading your post in the past and watching those TachibanaMaru videos and as you stated a story never told. I sent the video back then to a few WW2 Marine Combat Vets who are still big into history on the Pacific and they did not know about the subject. You took a risk and it payed off handsomely, Great Job! Now find another rescue! Semper Fi, Bob http://www.okinawarelics.com

Could it possible it is a Kaneyoshi made piece? "Kaneyoshi was a Yamato Tegai maker who signed Kaneyoshi (包吉). His given name was Seijiro, and having been a believer of the Hokke sect of Buddhism, had a Buddhist name of Zenjo(Zenryo) and belonged to …..temple that was located in the western part of Seki which at some point relocated to the center of Seki later. Among the mino-mono, his has the most beautiful sugata and has a very strong Yamato den influence." According to the Nihonto Meikan there are then at least 9 generations of Kaneyoshi smiths until the Bakumatsu period and the last Kaneyoshi who would become one of the men who sewed the seeds for modern sword-making.

Gentlemen, Checked out this small yari the other day in a antique shop, but having trouble with the last character. Is it Seiji X? I'll post some more pictures if I purchase it. Thank you very much, Bob http://www.okinawarelics.com

A couple of Okinawan guys started to dig out nice caches of weapons starting in late 90's. Some Japanese vets came back and thru word of mouth asked these two to dig out buried gear they left in the last days of the battle. They worked many of the easy to get to caves. Then word got out, we looked for harder to find places. All the videos of the surrendering guys has them coming out in lion cloths, makes sense that these guys took off all the gear so they may not get shot. Anyway, seems that some would bury the stuff about 5 feet down in the cave. Lots of coins, compasses, watches and personal gear too. Good times, a few more years and everything will be dust. Semper Fi, Bob http://www.okinawarelics.com

Can't imagine how many strokes across the stones it would take to put a tip on. A question I have but have not run across the answer too is: Who did the sword shortening? A forger or a polisher? And how was this done?

Brian, Again, that's for the insight and knowledge. Maybe someday I will be able to afford a resto, but it will probably fall to somebody else in the future. I'll keep my eyes open for some edo kani menuki and have the handle repaired and enjoy it for awhile. All said, the parts and pieces were worth the price paid. Reading the board for awhile now, I have learned early on, the price of a polish is a luxury for personal enjoyment not to be recouped financially in this economic period. Semper Fi, Bob

Everybody, Thank you very much for the quality information and comments. Sorry in advance for the crummy photo's I've asked Santa for a new camera! I pulled out Yumoto and Sinclaire to refresh myself with the terms and characteristics. The Nakago's yasuri-me has ichi-monji on one side and kiri-suji-chigai on the other. Stange? Very faint I might add. The cutting edge is approx 25 inches and 31 overall. No ha-giri, the pic has some debris from the saya. Cleaned off the blade and oiled it, hamon has a few patches of suna giri on each side and is quite wide. Also, The Mune is quite high at the nakago which I take to mean a healthy blade. No openings or flaws in the Jihada, unlike most of the others I see. I'll have to take it to a show for one of you guys or a Togishi to take a look at the tip, but it looks like there is hamon left for a retip, but I'm no expert. The Tsuba's kanji strokes are perfect. I have a sloppy signed Kuni Hiro that you can tell was signed by hand, but this one if it was done by hand was done perfectly and with care. Thanks again for the interest and information! Semper Fi, Bob http://www.okinawarelics.com

Gents, Picked up this sword today, as I collect gunto blades it was quite interesting to look at quality fittings up close. The tsuba is quite a nice work of art as far as the craftsmanship. Is the kanji trying to tell me something about it's place in Nihonto? Another interesting part I'm not familiar with was with the drag on the scabbard. The metal has much detailed artwork involved. Also, are the various diamond patterns on the fuchi family mons? I'm told the menki were gold and that's why they are gone. Such a shame. Blade is robust with a tight itame pattern and large hamon, somebody snapped the tip but looks to not be a fatal flaw as the hamon is quite wide, unsigned, 3 ana. Being a novice any feedback is most appreciated! Semper Fi, Bob P.S. anybody have some extra cording? http://www.okinawarelics.com

Recently what I expect to have been a special blade came to a small town auction. I went, and checked out a Bizen blade. It was pretty awesome and did some self study being able to handle it and look closely at it with a loupe for a long time. it was defect free, in need of minor polish, and if you looked hard enough under light with magnification it looked to be a very handsome mokume under the tarnish. There were phone bids on hand, I was the only on floor bidder. Actually the only one who picked up the piece. I had to finally drop and eventually two phone bidders drove it up past 7 grand. the winner took it for 8 grand total out of Virginia. Semper Fi, Bob P.S. Belive it or not, it was a garage sale find sold by the Marine Vet himself http://www.okinawarelics.com

Gentlemen, Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge. I really enjoy the board and learning aspects of this hobby from seasoned pros. Cleaned and oiled this sword up, it looks to be mokume in places but hard to tell due to all the fingerprints and lack of polish and me being a novice. No arsenal stamp. Black laquered saya, copper maple leaf menki , non-gunto fuchi, kashira, Blade has that older metallic color vice shiny under the habaki as referanced to older Nihonto in some books. I'll have to bring it to a show to have you guys take a look someday. Questions: - Does the chippy style Mei belong only in the Showa era? Would it be found in earlier works also? - What is the proper kizu term for a small, smooth, black spot in the jigane? Is it a bit of carbon? Semper Fi, Bob