Ian B3HR2UH

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

Hi John , with all the forging flaws ( particularly those shown in the fourth and fifth photos ) you should give this a miss . It is no doubt old , maybe late Koto or shinto , but not collectable . Ian Brooks

I was pleased to see Trystan had posted a photo of one of my sword collecting hero's Han Bing Siong . Here is another shot of him taken examining a sword in Ron Gregory's sword room in the 1970's. Ron was of course one of the authors of the books on Japanese Military Swords . Ian Brooks

According to the NBTHK " Myoju's extant works are extremely few in number and of tachi there is only one example known ". That is a Juyo Bunkazai piece made in 1598 . Don't get your hopes up ! Ian Brooks

Ditto , you would expect the main decoration , in this case the hut and geese , to be on the outside of the sword and facing forward when worn . Ian Brooks

RF ,I have only handled one genuine Naotane . The mei and nakago on that sword were beautiful , works of art in themselves . I am afraid that the piece you are looking at is not in the same league . I don't think that it has a snowflakes hope in hell of being a genuine Naotane . Ian Brooks

Many thanks for posting this Michael . I have always wondered what one of the American shows would look like and yours is the first decent photographic coverage that I can recall seeing . You were lucky to be there. Ian brooks

Juan , I am even more certain than John that this is an hagire .I am 100 % sure that this is what it is I am afraid . Ian Brooks

Isn't the description of these being a set a misnomer as the menuki and kozuka are by different hands ? Ian Brooks

The mon is on upside down, I think, so I would be very suspicious of it . Ian Brooks

That is a really interesting piece Phil . Col Aikyo commanded the Japanese forces in the North Sarawak and Brunei area. He surrendered his sword to Brigadier Windeyer on the 20th Sept 1945 . There are photos of the surrender and of the sword on the Australian war memorial website . Colonel Aikyo hung himself from the ridge pole of his tent in the Prisoner of war compound at Labuan in late October 1945 . It appears that a photograph of his body in situ exists if you are gruesome . A document entitled the Japanese order of battle records that Col Aikyo was the commander of the Borneo Fuel depot . This possibly means that he was not a career officer but someone with specialist skills who was commissioned during the war. My quick reading of the relationship between the Japanese and the Dyaks indicates that they didn't interact during the occupation . When the allies landed though the Dyaks seem to have strongly supported them . There is a reference in the book The Final Campaigns to Dyaks arriving at an Australian camp with the heads of six Japanese ! Ian Brooks

I have seen a number of Generals swords with impeccable provenance, all being in the hands of the families of the men that they were surrendered to . Not a mantetsu in sight . Personally I would be very sceptical of a Generals sword with a mantetsu in it . Makes sense as most men who held that rank would have been commissioned years before Mantetsu blades were being made . That is to say they would already have their sword . Having said that in the Australian War Memorial there is a sword surrendered by General Kanda on Bouganville which has an Emura blade in it . A contemporary description of the sword indicated that it looked like it had just come out of stores ie it was too new looking to have been worn by the General . Perhaps Generals had a few extra swords to present to worthy subordinates. There is a letter in the War Memorial published in Fuller and Gregory ( I think ) that suggests this is the case. I did come across General Kandas Fukuto which had an old blade in it, although I couldn't get the tsuka off . Brigadier Garrett who had received this sword had given it to his driver . Unfortunately the widow wasn't interested in selling ! Ian Brooks

And another photo

Hi Peter , I have one of these . This is only the second one that I have seen . The tsuba on mine is different though . I had previously asked Richard Fuller and Jim Dawson if they had ever seen one and they hadn't, so it is a pretty rare item . I had assumed that mine was unique until I saw your post . A photo of the kabuto gane is attached . Ian Brooks

This one of mine is somewhat similar Bruce Ian Brooks

Nothing points to this being original it is a reproduction . Rubbish as the title says Ian Brooks

A couple more mei . Ian brooks

Johan , I regret not adding that I think your Kiyonaga piece is a good one . Ian Brooks

Johan , If Steve cannot read your kogatana mei then no one else here other than Japanese members will be able to do so . The reason people have difficulty with this signature is because it is so poorly written .This poor writing speaks volumes about the quality of the blade. Being blunt it is not a good piece (and I am being kind here) . Ian Brooks

It looks very suspicious to me . Look at the almost new saya lining, binding and paint on the saya. On the other hand the fittings show age and as Bruce points out the seppa and tsuba come from a sword that had a retention strap .I would bet the woodwork underneath the fuchi is new as well. All put together I think, Ian Brooks

I am surprised that it has gone unremarked upon that Darcy Brockbank has a Juyo Tosogu Futatokorimono with menuki by Somin for sale. This shows why he is the pre-eminent western dealer. I had imagined that these were probably the only genuine pieces by Somin outside of Japan. Last week however I had the pleasure of looking at the catalogue of the museum of decorative art Copenhagen. Lot 1156 is a stunning kozuka with a design of fireflies also by Somin. The author Ogasawara Nobuo obviously accepts these as genuine as he also does with Lot 1157 a tsuba with katakiribori engraving . I hope that my copy of the photograph does this magnificent piece justice . If you haven't already done so, do yourself a favor and have a look at Darcy's menuki. Ian Brooks