Geraint

Dear Grev. I can't see enough of the boshi and hamon to make any confident assertions but the style of the mei would suggest to me Shinto so far. I would do some digging around Yokoyama Sukesada and see what comes up. I'm quite sure that others will chime in on this one. Look forward to any conclusions. All the best.

Dear Matt. Speaking personally I would leave this one where it is. The plate does not seem to have any age and the irregularity of the whole design leaves me cold. The seppa dai is not seppa dai shaped and the overall crudeness of the sukashi looks pretty rough. What interests you about it? All the best

Dear Stuart. Welcome to NMB! Do post some photographs and I'm sure someone will be able to help you out with the notation on the shirasaya. Do you know what your Uncle got up to during the war? Sometimes people who were there didn't manage to talk about it very much. All the best.

Dear Koltira. Welcome! Just to add that this is a nice koshirae with very attractive fuchi kashira and, as you say, silver foiled habaki and gold foiled seppa. All in all a very attractive sword. Enjoy it! All the best.

Dear Dale. In your first reply the tsuba you show is one made by Kevin Adams after a Myochin design. And just so you know the Yahoo link takes me to a page that tells me that this service is not available in the UK or the Eu. Vitaly, I'm sure you know this site already but..... https://www.shibuiswords.com/tsuba.htm If you go to the Akasaka section you will see that tsuba by this group often give away their construction with visible lines on the edges of the plate and one or two other things to look out for. It's very tempting to assume that similar designs must come from the same group but that is not always a good assumption. Keep up the good work. All the best.

Welcome Dimitri! That's a nice looking wakizashi koshirae and a nice tanegashima. Can we see some more photographs? All the best.

Dear Adam. You have really answered your own question; it's either a gimei from the Shinshinto period or the seller is incorrect. (I suppose another option is gimei from the Shinto but Koyama smiths did Bizen den so....) There are quite a few papered blades on line to compare it with but things to note are the position of the mei on the nakago and the condition of the nakago. It is possible that the seller submitted the blade to shinsa who came up with this conclusion. Might be worth your while to link to the sale and others can then add to your perceptions. All the best.

Dear Vitaly. Yes, this is signed Echizen Kinai saku and is one of their standard designs. Given the size of the ryohitsu it seems to be rather small. All the best. (Beaten to the punch by Glen's much more detailed analysis.)

Dear Nick. Welcome to NMB. What sort of help are you looking for? A lot depends on some factors that you have not mentioned, is it coming out of Japan? I assume that it is because it has the registration papers with it, torokusho. Does it have authentication papers and if so who from? What is it being sold as? And of course, how much is being asked for it? Opinions will differ but from what I can see so far this is a mumei or unsigned sword that would now be classified as a wakizashi, a short sword. It seems from these images to be Koto, pre 1600. It has an unusual sugata, the overall shape of the blade, and might at one time have been a naginata or polearm. It seems to have a raised shinogi, the ridge running down the blade. It also has several flaws that from the images don't appear to be disastrous but should affect the value a little. So, it is a genuine Japanese sword. probably from the koto period, (but bear in mind that late koto swords are often not considered especially desirable - old does not always mean good in this hobby), and it is in shirasaya, the plain wooden mounts. Please feel free to ask more specific questions and throw out some more information, plenty of help here. All the best.

Dear Chris. Start with the habaki. All the best.

Dear All. Late to the thread but I have just come across this one, https://sanmei.com/contents/media/A29297_T5672_PUP3F.html Seems like it might have something to offer here. All the best.

Dear Okan. Compare here, https://www.samuraimuseum.jp/shop/product/antique-Japanese-sword-katana-signed-by-igano-kami-kinmichi-nbthk-hozon-certificate/ Nice thing to have! All the best.

Dear Matt. Sorry to hear of your unpleasant experience, however, over the years I have kept an eye out for Yoshitake blades and own a couple. They did very good work and the ones I have seen have always been stunning. They seem to have produced quite a few polearms of various styles. If you can bear to I would love to see some more of your gorgeous naginata. All the best.

Dear All. Some random thoughts: Collectables do come and go, art less so. My late father in law got burnt, pardon the pun, with cigarette cards. He collected when there was a market and had some fine and rare sets which sold for peanuts because smoking related collectables had fallen through the floor. These may come back into fashion as their age becomes greater and they become scarcer. How many times have you overheard in an antique shop, "Oh my grandparents had some of these but we threw them out!" Japanese swords are inextricably entwined with Samurai culture in a way that many modern collectables are not. The heroic warrior is a figure who has endured in culture, just look at the number and popularity of the films, TV shows and games which revolve around such idealised characters. In that context the samurai have a pretty secure future and so do their swords. From time to time I have the privilege of being invited into schools and colleges to talk about arms and armour; (it helps that both my girls are history teachers). Most recently I spoke with a groupof students using swords as a vehicle for discussing Japan and colonialism. I can assure you that there is no lack of interest, indeed fascination among them. The demand for selfies wearing the Hineno kabuto that I take in is high, among staff and students! The feedback from students and sometimes parents is also very positive. I am sure that affordability is an issue, especially at the moment, and the generous supply of fakes will put some off but I have no doubt that there will be a new generation of collectors. If not, well so what? I made life choices that ensured I would never have the money to collect serious swords and fittings but over the years I have had endless hours of pleasure with what I have collected and researched. From time to time I do consider what will happen to it all and would hope to at least recoup what I have spent over the years but if I or my executors don't then what does it matter? I'm very sure that they will do better than they would if I had played golf and spent the same amount of money on that. No offense to the golfers among us but I'm sure you catch my drift. I've had, and for the moment continue to have, an absolute blast studying and collecting. I spent money on it when I could and enjoyed every minute. Well, that's enough of that! All the best.

Dear James. Welcome to NMB. Your sword is indeed a Japanese sword and from the images so far is an older blade as opposed to one made during the War. Older blades were used for a variety of reasons and, while it is tempting to believe that it is a family blade often they were contingency blades gathered for the war effort. You can clearly see that it is machi okuri, the steps on the nakago where the habaki fits have been moved up. This has been done without shortening the tip of the nakago so what you have is a mumei or un signed sword.. In that condition it is not going to be possible to tell you much more but a shot of the whole blade with the habaki removed might allow a suggestion as to it's age. Is it in standard military mounts? All the best.

Dear Colin. Nothing generic about that one for me, a nicely carved dragon with some movement, interesting clouds and not a design that I've seen before. Nice tsuba! All the best.

Hi John. The face of the kozuka depicts Shoki, the demon queller, who carries a ken. In spite of his fearsome name Shoki is often shown in a rather humorous way with oni hiding from him. This one seems to be hanging from a bell behind his back. All the best.

Thank you so much Moriyama san. Unfortunately the quality does not justify that mei. Ho, hum, still pleasant enough. All the best.

Dear All. Picked up a kozuka which I rather liked but when it comes to fittings artists I have trouble working out who I am looking at. I think this reads Hiromoto Masasane but would love some help on that. Many thanks for any help. All the best.

Dear Chris. Welcome to NMB! I very much fear that your ken has been ruinously treated by a previous custodian. Looking at the area just above the habaki it seems that someone has drastically thinned down the blade, probably in an effort to remove pitting, and that they too could not remove the habaki. You may be able to remove it but possibly not. When you suggest that the blade still retains a polish I think you might just be seeing whatever that last owner did to the blade and therefore none of the features that would confirm it's age is likely to be visible. Keep it lightly oiled and enjoy it for what it is. All the best.

Dear Vitaly. Just in case you don't know this, each habaki is specific to each sword, you will almost certainly not find one that will fit so you would need to have one made for your blade. Add to that that it won't necessarily fit the saya and you have quite a skilled job on your hands, (or in someone else's). It is often suggested that certain swords are not worth spending money on but I can understand the desire to see it in better shape. Why not just give it a sageo and live with it for a bit? In a year you might feel differently about it. All the best.

Nigel, I think Bazza has edited and reoriented yours. It's a nice looking sword with pleasant koshirae. The handwriting isn't a good match so I would suggest buying it for what it is, not what it might be. All the best.

Dear Ron. I am sorry that I can't answer your question but surely this is a wari kogai rather than an umbari? Either way it is beautiful! All the best.

Just to add, the existing wrap is incorrect in that the crossovers of the ito all go in the same direction rather than alternating. As well as the other stuff. All the best.

Dear Joe. Let me spare Jaques the necessity of replying. Put this image besides yours, the differences should be obvious. Enjoy your sword for what it is. All the best.