gtstcactus

More pics... Is it normal for the mekugiana holes to be lined with copper or other metals?

Hi People, I've just picked up my mumei wakizashi in shirasaya that I posted some mediocre pics of a while ago. I have done my best with my very average camera to provide better pictures. Please don't shoot me if they aren't good enough! It was last polished in Japan, which is where the shirasaya was made also. From what I can tell / see it has a long notare hamon. I'm struggling to see hada with it in hand (or I don't know what I'm looking at), but I thought it could be muji. I don't think it is masame-hada. There are 2 mekugiana with the possible remains of a third on the very end of the nakago. One of the mekugiana appears to be lined with copper or something similar. The mune is iorimune. The curvature is rather shallow. I think the boshi looks like notarekomi. It is quite possibly suriage or o-suriage. Retempering was suggested by a couple of folk on here, but another couple said not so.... I can't make out any yasurime on the tang, could this be due to age? It has a 523mm nagasa, overall length 669mm. It has a 2 piece copper habaki. Could anyone put a likely time period on when it may have been made. Also could anyone indicate an area or possibe school it may have come from? Is it common for the hamon to go so high in the blade I see in 1 or 2 places it meets the shinogi line....

i have 2 cameras I can use for photos... 1 is my digicam 10-12Megapixels its a kodak so nothing flash... or I have my webcan which does highdef x4 what ever that means.... I don't know much about cameras... Can anyone give me some pointers on the best way to photo blades, so the pictures can actually add some use to a thread instead of just getting replies like your pictures are crap, can't tell anything from them except it is a sword of some Japanese origin... I want to get a good shot of hamon, kissaki, machi, tang and the blade to see if people here can see things I can't... I've tried different times of day, different lighting, different angles but still end result is sub-standard pics... any help appreciated....

No it's not.... just a pic I was looking at... I decided to compare it with my limited references and noticed the difference in the 2 books I looked at... Just thought someone might help me expand my limited knowledge.

Hey, I have been looking at this pic and a few others of this blade.... I hope the attatched pic is enough for someone to tell me.... I was thinking gunome is the hamon pattern but after looking at sato and yumotos' books I'm a tad unsure as there sketches differ a tad... I think it looks like what sato shows as gunome, yumoto I feel shows gunome as slightly less curved more zig-zag... I don't think it is doran or sanbon-sugi.... If someone could set me straight I'd appreciate it!

Yes thats right you can, however they it seems they were all making swords about 200-300 years before the chap I'm interested in and in a different part of Japan.

Hi, Does anyone have any information on a Yukitsugu of Bungo? Mid - late 1500's I've searched the database but came up with nobody from the right place / time. I don't have any references with this chap in them...

I'm in the process of obtaining F&G's books..... I'm interested in Japanese military blades as well as nihonto. Japanese naval dirks / daggers, shin-gunto, kyu gunto, police sabres, etc..... I'm interested in Japanese edged weapons that have been used, as much as I'm interested in art swords...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 500wt_1156 I worked out the kokura (tokyo) arsenal mark on the fuchi.... I can't really make out the stamp on the blade. Can anyone make it out? Is it the tokyo 1st inspection mark? Is the x in the circle on the fuchi the Iijima inspection mark? I've looked around thats what I think they are. It looks real to me, now can someone grade my homework?

I just been through my best book for translations (not sure that it's the best) and Yoshifusa has a different kanji, granted the one in yamatos book was active in bizen in 1213. Now after seeing your translation and reading the kanji pages I've just got my head around stroke counts (not quite accurate at it but close) and was able to find the mei myself.... Now I can find Showa 20 and january I think. The 5th character is year? the last is day? What day? Now you might say now see you could have done that yourself but it was actually a good excersice for me even with you giving the answer first. Thanks again

Thanks guys, sorry I looked through one of my books but failed this time..... I do manage to get them sometimes but I'm still really new at translations.... Now you've told me what it says I will still try and match it in my references (forgot about kanji pages) as it helps to see it and go oh yeah thats it..... thanks again

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 926wt_1139 Could anyone translate the 2 sets of kanji on this sword? I had a look thru my limted selection of references and drew a blank...

Hey people, I am interested in books on Japanese Gunto, and other military blades such as naval dirks etc, police sabres, civilian daggers etc. I'm interested in any good books on the subject... 2 that I know of are: Japanese Military and Civil Swords and Dirks Military Swords of Japan 1868-1945 by Richard Fuller and Ron Gregory Are these books good? Do they contain a lot of info or are they just pictorials? I'm quite interested in old blades or I guess nihonto mounted in military mounts and any info that I can find on the practice. Can anyone suggest other good books on the subject?

Someone will always have made a better/different nihonto..... yes a nihonto is an art object, of course it can't be replaced by a new shiny 4 or 5 hundred year old blade but it could be replaced by an old one.....

Is it really any different than say when buying a new computer and going to a tech / pc forum and asking a few questions, getting opinions on few models..... Nobody seems to mind then..... No one gets upset at the cactus forum about people discussing cacti for sale

Thank you!

No problems, but now it's my time to say this :

George, that sword is not one concerned in this situation. However if one says they are considering purchasing something (as you remember me saying), then is it not simple logic that it is a sale item? If it were not a sale item, one would not be considering purchasing it..... The swords were for auction, the auction ended, after auctions an offer was made (I considered purchasing) but decided not to purchase before seeing the swords, the seller contacted me thru the question section of one of my auctions with their email and an offer to purchase 2 of his 3 swords (not the one with the mei and tenmei, that was for sale by someone else), I sought members advice, then this afternoon I get the email about the posting of the swords, and told they not for sale anymore etc.... SO I WAS NOT POSTING ABOUT A CURRENT AUCTION. I POSTED ABOUT AN AUCTION THAT HAD ENDED, AND THE SELLER CONTACTED ME PRIVATELY ABOUT PURCHASING THE SWORDS. HE OBVIOUSLY SPOTTED THE POSTS YESTERDAY, AND HAS THROWN A WOBBLY NOT BOTHERING TO GET FACTS STRAIGHT ABOUT WHEN THREADS WERE POSTED. I POSTED AROUND 24 HOURS AFTER AUCTIONS ENDED.

No I won't rush into anything, I'll just be happy with the Wakizashi in shirasaya. It's nicer than the 1st sword I purchased, even if not perfect.... The militaria auction usually has between 6-12 Japanese swords, I'm keen just to go and look as much as anything... I'll give some serious thought to the shinsa in sydney.... I've been wanting to get back there for 15 years!

I just checked the times of the threads I started and the times the auctions ended. I actually started all the threads a day after the auctions finished.... I was offered the swords out of auction and sort members advice..... I only just thought to check the times. I'll provide a link to the finished auctions if requested to do so to prove so. So to make it clear I was not posting about a live auction. I have sold a blade which was discussed on here and not a lot nice said about it. Didn't affect the sale of it at all as best I can tell.

It would seem that the seller of the 3 of the swords I posted about is very angry about his swords being discussed. He seems to think that they were duscussed while the auctions were running. The threads were started a day after the auctions ended when I was offered the swords out of auction. He has said "I was very disapointed to see my swords for auction on the sword chat line while the auction was live! There are a lot of good people who know a lot about Japanese swords on this chat there is also a lot that know next to nothing and thay can all leave a post weather thay know what thay are saying or not. And a lot of people just watch!These people may have seen my auctions and were put off buy you puting my auctions up there.And all the silly things said by all. No Swords for sale Please do not! bid on any of my auctions again . Bernard I can only conclude that the good members here have exposed the swords for the low quality pieces they are. I am no longer welcome to see them, purchase them or bid on his auctions... It would seem the experience and knowledge of the members here may saved me $3000.... If someone reacts like that about their public auction being discussed in a public place, after it has ended I don't think I want to deal with them. So a big thank you to all who told me not to rush in..... It stopped my clicking the 2nd chance button, but I was still going to look... Now I'll keep that money and get a few more books and wait for the militaria auction in April, or maybe later. Thanks again Jason

Would it be rude to ask what sort money this piece would fetch? It's a really nice blade piece IMHO.

I'm not totally relying on any one member or persons input..... Getting info from members here is a bit like a supplement to reading the books, and physically inspecting the sword if possible. There are 4 mekugiana holes in the tang. This one is not in my city so I can't inspect it in person. The photo of the date was taken after the mei, so there may be some issues there, regarding why the mei is hard to see, or you could be right and it's a fraud... George I thank you for your post, you have given your response, and given me clear and consice reasons for your thinking, this is more helpful than it's crap stear clear....

heres the pic of the date

Here is the picture of the date..........