Ian B3HR2UH

David , your friend didn't get what he thought he was getting . This is horrible. Ian Brooks

Stegel , are you just going to tease us with the one shot of yours ! How about some more photos and details . Ian Brooks

Everything about this sword . other than the mei which is well cut and looks old , points to this being a showa or gendai blade . Ian brooks

I wish that I could claim that it was my photographic memory Bob but it wasn't . Toso Soran has photos of a lot of pieces from private collections so I thought it worth having a look in given the hakogaki. The T indicates that it was in the collection of Tanaka Kunichiro . I have a second copy of Toso Soran so will send you a PM . Ian Brooks

Hi Bob , this piece was in Dr Torigoye's book Toso Soran . I haven't compared the pictures side by side but thought you would be interested to see it .Your picture is much better ! It is a lovely piece. Ian Brooks

Hi Chris , have a look at the Control of Weapons Regulations 2011 , which are on line and also at the Vic Police Control of weapons site . This doesn't fit the definition of a sword any longer . It is probably now a knife, which from memory, is a controlled weapon ( as opposed to a prohibited weapon ) . You can possess this without a licence provided you have a lawful excuse ie to scale fish ,use in the kitchen or to hold a koshirae together . It falls into the same category as your Wiltshire stay sharp knife. Ian Brooks

Whilst the sword is probably gimei ,I think , it would be foolish to remove the mei before you send it to shinsa . There are twelve generations of Yasutsugu so you never know what a Shinsa panel might say . I also think it would be equally foolish to get this repolished . The current polish looks good and a new polish would only be warranted if the mei was genuine . You will never get your polish money back on an unsigned shinto piece where some wally has messed around with both sides of the nakago. Also , unless you have this polished by a Japanese trained polisher then the chances are high that the polish you get back will be worse than what is there now. You have a nice piece take your own advice and leave it alone.. Ian Brooks

It is a crap sword whether it is right or not . The yasurimei look a lot coarser than those in Christian's examples . Ian Brooks

Well done Mark. Perhaps draw peoples attention to the unusual head on the animal . Ian Brooks

It is a fake don't waste your time . If you must try, wrap the blade ( so it is not damaged ) put it in a vice and then use a block of wood and hammer to hit the tsuba . When you have the handle off you will have discovered nothing other to confirm that what you have is a Chinese fake . My best advice is to move it on . Ian Brooks

As usual a lot of discussion about a pretty unworthy object . It looks to me like it was originally a silvered copper or brass tsuba ( or maybe even silver ) like that in the Walters Museum . Someone has glued a leather cover over the body of the tsuba , for some unknown reason , and then popped the shakudo (?) and gilt (?) plate back on the top . Seems to be Meiji or later to me . Ian Brooks

Bob , it is a nice book and if you didn't have many tsuba books then it would be well worth having. However if you have an number of other books by Sato and /or Wakayama then I would give it a miss because much of the contents of Tsuba Kansho Jiten will be in those other books . Ian

Thanks Brian , that worked . Ian

There were at one time some book indexes on the message board site . I can't find them . Are they still here somewhere ? Also does anyone have an index to Toso Kodogu Koza by Wakayama or to Kanzan Token Koza ?

Hi Bob , you asked about Tsuba Kansho Jiten . Like any other book by Sato Kanzan the pieces shown are also in lots of other books . For example there are twenty two tsuba by Kaneiye pictured all of which I am sure could be found in other references . Grey Doffin implies that it contains iron tsuba but there are also plenty of Kinko items shown . There are some pieces though that I don't recall seeing elsewhere such as the unusual one attached . Ian Brooks

Pippo , even if you bought this off a man who bought it back from the islands ( thus knowing it was around in 1945 ) you still have no real way of knowing if it was A) A piece made by the Japanese whilst stationed in the SW Pacific. B ) Something made locally for collaborating local forces C) A " jeep spring " made by Australian or other allies with the intention of selling it to a sucker as the real thing. I have had a number of similar dogs over the years but you just can't tell into which category they fit . The workmanship is so poor that you would assume B) or C) Ian Brooks

Dear Mr. Morita , Thank you for your opinion it is greatly appreciated by me . Would an English translation be along the lines of " This was given at the wish of Lord Yoshisato ( or Lord Yoshitada )" ? or "Gift of Lord Yoshitada" . Your contributions to the board are invaluable and it would be a much poorer place without you. Ian Brooks

Michael , that groove and habaki tell me that this is almost certainly a mass produced late blade that is not even tempered . I would give it a big miss . Something better is sure to turn up . Ian Brooks

Thanks Steve much appreciated . Interestingly there is an habaki with the same gift inscription illustrated in one of Shibata's handbooks . The blade was originally very long but is now suriage and the horimono is now on the nakago. You will enjoy seeing it when you get down here John . A gunto handle but with a hamidashi tsuba on it . All original as I got it off a vet who bought it back from Balikpapan . Ian

I would be grateful for any opinions on the characters on this habaki . The date side I am confident reads Meiji four ( 1871 )(year ? ) Kanotohitsuji hachi gatsu . The other side I am less sure about . I think the right hand column reads Giri Ko , which possibly means a Lords debt of gratitude. The left hand column I am even less sure about but think it reads Kore shitama , which possibly means this permits to commit suicide . Ian Brooks

How times have changed . Fifty years ago I was advertising to buy swords in the newspapers . Returned soldiers would ring me and I would go to their homes and look at what they had for sale . I well remember one night I had four swords to look at . Every one of them was ,what I still call them , a metal hilter . I wasn't exactly devastated but felt pretty unlucky . I didn't make an offer on any of them although I could have probably got half of them for twenty dollars each . How big a fool do I feel now. Ian Brooks

Hello Bjorn , I think that your tsuba is a classy quality piece but that the fuchi kashira are far from being that . In my opinion you need something of comparable quality to go with that tsuba. Ian Brooks

I came across this one a few years ago . It is a same saya that has been painted or lacquered black . The same has not been filled and then rubbed back . I have never seen this before and to my eyes it looked like it was original . . Ian Brooks

I thought you might like to see this one John . It is a really well mounted katana and they have put a leather cover over the lacquered saya . They have then wrapped a sageo over the leather cover . I have never seen this before . The tassel has then been wrapped over the sageo , It was like this when I bought it forty five years ago and as there is no other form of attachment I think it must always have been attached like this. Ian Brooks

Another one on a Kyu gunto . Ian Brooks