Geraint

Dear Bruce. Here are a couple of links to help you on your way. https://www.aoijapan.net/wakizashi-bichu-kami-tachibana-yasuhiro-the-1st-generation/ https://nihonto.com/5-1-17/ The seller who suggested 1300 is flying a kite, trying to link to the Kiku Ichimonji swords, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiku-ichimonji All the best.

Dear Rob. The sword is on handachi mounts, reminiscent of a tachi but still carried in the obi as a katana. All the best.

Dear Max. I did not mean to imply that your tsuba was not genuine. It is. This is not a modern casting, it is, as far as we can tell late Edo or perhaps earlier. If you look at the nanako under a magnifying glass you should see that it is quite well done compared to other examples from this group. Indeed sometimes these fetch quite good prices at auction and you quite often see them mounted on koshirae. The better ones are really quite appealing. With tsuba one needs to train the eyes and a detailed examination of your tsuba compared with say this one, should help you get started. https://nihonto.com/3-1-22/ Don't assume that you will ever finish this journey, there is far more to learn than can be encompassed in one lifetime, that is part of the delight! All the best.

Dear Max. Several schools of tsuba makers used designs many times. In this case your tsuba appears to be what would be called Nagoya mono or thing made in Nagoya. These are made from an alloy different to shakudo which you will see has a brownish tinge to it. Around the nakago ana there are usually quite distinctive tagane ato or punch marks. The quality varies a great deal, some are quite well done and some are embarrassing. In general the difference between these and a good kinko are the base material and crispness of execution, Nagoya mono are to a greater or lesser extent somewhat blurred and lack precision, see the waves at the top of your tsuba as an example. The quality of nanako also varies but is generally low. Signatures such as these two have are generally to be ignored. Have a look here for more information, Hope that helps. All the best.

Wonderful koshirae Bruce, thank you for sharing. The method of fixing the mei on the menuki is called tanzaku and is not that uncommon. All the best.

Dear Marcin. Three online examples all show a well shaped nakago. which this does not seem to be, with sujikai yasurime and kurijiri. The mei is cut with a more relaxed and flowing style than this example displays. I suppose it is possible that there is another Norihide.......... All the best.

Thank you for the correction Moriyama san. That, of course, makes much more sense. All the best. Geraint

Dear Brandon. Just to get the ball rolling, your tsuba is in copper with a specific technique known as katakiribori describing the engraving. The first two characters of the signature read Soten, the third is a kao or personal monogram. If you do some research then you will quickly see that the Soten school has a particular style that became very popular but is very different to your tsuba. Others with more knowledge of the school will be able to tell us if this is genuine or if the signature is fake. Either way this is a pleasant tsuba and it will probably have started you down the rabbit hole. Enjoy! All the best Geraint.

Dear G. Well so far this is not a military sword but rather a katana in samurai mounts. At the top of the page is a link to image resizing software that might help with adding more images but from what we have the scabbard or saya is covered with lacquered same, a type of ray skin. The soft metal fittings on the hilt ar probably shakudo, a Japanese alloy that is usually patinated to a blue=black colour though someone has had a go with the metal polish and ruined that. You need to take the sword apart, a routine process for Japanese swords but this one might be a tad awkward if it has been in storage for a long time. Some research will tell you how to do this but basically there is a single tapered bamboo peg through the hilt or tsuka, push or tap this from the smaller end and when it is out you should be able to remove the tsuka, keep a note of the order in which the parts come off. There may be a signature, there may not but don't do more than a gentle wipe with a cloth and send us the photographs. Looking forward to seeing what emerges. All the best. Geraint

Dear Brendan. Some information on your smith, I regret I did not record the source, apologies for that. A search will almost certainly get you more information. . 兼高 Kanetaka (松田 高市 Matsuda Takaichi) Born: Meiji 44 (1911) Sept 16; Reg: Showa 14 (1939) Oct 26. 1937: Bugi-gun, Seki-machi, Aza naka-machi. 1939: Seki-machi, Naka-machi. Deshi in 1937: 1. History: trained from Taisho 13 (1924) under Kojima Kanetoki (Kanemichi). Independent Showa 5 (1930) May. Hawley: KAN 2419 Example mei: Kanetaka 兼高 Noshu Seki ju Matsuda Kanetaka saku 濃州関住松田兼高作 All the best.

Dear Jack. I cannot speak to your menuki, no photograph, but the examples that Jake posted have honzogan or true inlay gold stripes. No paint here! You can see that the fur marks are made across the shakudo and gold in places. All the best.

Dear Colin. I can quite see where you are going with the Umetada idea; brush stroke shapes to flat inlay. Equally Kaga zogan with the flat inlay in a soft metal base, however the design elements do not suggest Kaga to me. Rather they recall the sort of work one might see in Yokoya school designs in katakiri bori which would fit with the dates of your maker. All the best.

Not helping Matt but just for information I have both Kai gunto and Shingunto with older wakizashi blades. Is that what we have here? All the best.

The miss assembly goes further than just upside-down, the outer sleeve of the habaki is the right way up the inside is reversed. I am surprised that worked but it seems to have. I bet the smith is groaning, you get your work published and then someone does that to it. All the best.

Dear Dave. GPT is doing you no favours here, nothing to do with bayonets. However I can through no light on the habaki, it is something I have not seen in more years of study than I care to reveal. Looking forward to what this throws up. All the best.