Geraint

Ironically it's not Magaroku but Magoroku.................... Slip of the keyboard I'm sure. All the best.

Dear Eric. First of all, this looks like a really nice sword so whatever you conclude about the mei it is still a lovely thing to have. (I'd love to see some more detailed shots of the koshirae if you wouldn't mind sharing). I am by no means an expert and I am sure that others will add to what I am saying on this one. I think you are wise to be suspicious about that mon, the cutting, even allowing for a little distortion from that dent on the edge of the nakago, looks feeble. So that introduces two possibilities; is the mei also wrong and the sword therefore gimei, or is there a possibility that the mei is right but someone felt the need to add the mon? Personally I'm not convinced by the calligraphy, but all the oshigata I have seen have been by the early generations. If you have not already come across it this is a useful article, https://www.nihonto.com/the-yasutsugu-school-康継系/ Towards the end there is a diagram of many of the different generation's mei which I find useful. You might like to take a close look at the mei in the bottom right, it's as close as I can get to yours. Ultimately our opinions are just that, the decision will be whether you chose to send this for shinsa or not. As a starting point some more pictures of the blade might help, as would a good clear shot of the entire nakago, sans habaki. I look forward to what others have to say on this one but, as I said, either way it is a very nice sword. All the best.

Dear Tony. I really like that koshirae!. All the best.

Dear Steve. As regards the 'original polish', when a blade is polished the nakago is left as is, in other words not polished at all. As all polishes remove metal then this can often be seen in older swords where the thickness of the back of the blade changes just above the nakago. Metal has been removed from the blade, not the nakago, and so the blade thins noticeably just above the nakago. In this case the idea that the polish is original means that you are seeing the sword as it was made, everything will be healthy rather than tired. A blade that has seen several polishes is thinner, narrower, may have changed its curvature and may reveal core steel. As for the hamon, you are right, this is what the smith chose to do. There are a huge variety of hamon patterns, easy to look up. Many smiths are known for a particular style, others will produce work in a variety of styles. If you have a look at the thread Ray linked, specifically his description of the hamon, you will see that in the case of that sword the hamon contains a mixture of features. By the by, also have a look at the photograph that shows ubu ba, an unsharpened section a few centimetres from the ha machi. If your sword is in original polish then it is quite likely that it will also have this feature. All the best.

Dear Mark. That's really nice koshirae, the texturing of the iron and gold detailing it very pleasant. It does qualify as handachi though in rather refined form compared to the usual. The menuki, I think, are kylin and there is a lot of information here, https://www.mandarinmansion.com/article/nanban-tsuba about Namban tsuba. Your tsuba references the theme discussed here, All the best.

Dear Jeff. Where to start? If nothing else then you are going to gain a whole new respect for the craftsmen that make koshirae by going through this process. As with any craft doing it is not what counts, doing it well is a different ball game. If your wakizashi is 27" nagasa then it's a katana, nagasa is from the kissaki or point, to the hamachi, the step on the back of the blade against which the habaki sits. If your blade came in proper shirasaya then a simple comparison with the size of the tsuka would show up any issues, but the first photo seems to show an awful big aperture for the nakago! If you are going for a full same wrap then the difference between the size of the fuchi and the tsuka core needs to allow for the same, the shims that define the finished shape of the tsuka and the ito, and you are right, that sometimes makes the tsuka very thin. Last point for now, the shitodome in your kashira are upside down at the moment, but I'm sure you knew that. All the best.

Dear Charles. Nice sword and the moment of opening the package is always fun. As it is papered to late Edo Kanesaki you might try looking at the Inshu Kanesaki lineage, they were making Mino den works at this time and the regular gunome might fit. All the best.

Grev, I surmise that the saihai, with it's tassel, is matched with taiko and a pair of drumsticks, both used in signalling during battles. All the best.

Hi Grev. With regard to the Chosu tsuba the festive banner is a saihai, a command baton carried when in armour, so the theme would be a martial one, command baton and war drum. All the best.

Dear Bob. I love the Sado tsuba! The copper inserts on the other one are surely there to 'plump up' the seppa sai to fit a particular koshirae, I havew seen this on one side of the seppa dai before but I think this is the first time I have seen it all round. All the best.

It is difficult to tell but perhaps the mei has been chalked/powdered at some time? All the best.

Dear Brian. I'm sure you have already checked his out but.... Hawley lists two, one Mino, Yamashiro 1675, part of the Sanami group and another, (Though this is Hawley so perhaps the same guy?) Owari, 1665, a student of Kinmichi, also signing Sadatoshi. These are SAD 73 and 74 Both are recorded as signing Echizen no Kami Minamoto Sadamichi but titles are awarded as and when so not always present in a mei. Takanoha yasurime would suggest Mino but then, it is the Echizen Seki school! Whoever made it he knew his craft, it's lovely! All the best.

Dear Gareth. What a nice find! Nice Gunto in good condition, family mon in silver, chain hanger plus the documents bag, pierced tsuba and sakura latch, nice looking same and sarute, and all the associated British badges. What do you see in the blade? I am guessing that it's not signed? All the best.

Dear All. Not wishing to detract from the thread with regard to the Gunzuko ito colour, the strands on the saya, as opposed to the tsuka look very much like a bootlace to me. All the best.

Dear Gleb. That's a sweet little tanto! Lots of Kuniyuki smiths to chose from, what are the sizes please? Nice tanto in polish and with a nice koshirae, (though I have to admit that tsuka could do with a proper wrap). If it is yours then enjoy!

Dear Bryan. Trystan has translated the writing on the shirasaya and the sword matches this. Hoshu Takada ju Fujiwara Yukihisa saku. Forgive me if this is obvious but that translates to something like, Made by Yukihisa of the Fujiwara in Takada in Bungo province. In this case it is quite likely that the sword did not have any additional kanji though it is tempting to think one or two might have been erased above the ones that are there now. This means that it is an older sword made by a prolific school, the Bungo Takada school. My references list four smiths, working between 1480 and 1661, my personal guess would be that this is a Koto sword so perhaps one of the two working round 1570 - 1580. It is quite common for the sayagaki to be written well after the sword was made and in this case it was written to confirm the mei as Yukihisa but also to add that he was from the Bungo Takada school. All the best.

Dear Jean. It's a shape sometimes encountered in very late tsuba type objects made for export, some Shibayama tsuba show it. Which confirms your assessment that it was never intended to be functional. All the best.

Dear Gareth. Try something like, Bizen Osafune ju Yokoyama Kagasuke Fujiwara Sukenaga. Generally the smiths from this line have a particular style of calligraphy, choppy short strokes, and quite distinctive. By contrast this seems much more regular so do some checking with papered examples and see what you think. All the best.

Dear Mark. That doesn't look like a standard Showa blade from the single image, can we see more of it please? All the best.

Dear Mark. The marks on the seppa are from a punch that was used to spread the metal a little so that it would be a good fit on the tang, nakago. Jean's comments are bang on the money, just a side note that Uwe already translated the tsuba mei, " the tsuba (sword guard) was made by “大高寛長” (Ōtaka Hironaga), a late Edo artist from the Bushū-Itō school." Keep up the good work! All the best.

Here's one . Posted it some while ago. All the best.

Dear Mark. There is a lot to learn now you have embarked on this journey! Here are some thoughts to help make sense of what you have discovered so far. The tsuka or hilt is usually wrapped in tsuka ito, the flat silk braid that you will see on most swords. The sageo is another braid that fits through the kurikata and is used to secure the saya to the obi or belt. Japanese tradition makes it perfectly acceptable to have all these restored and to replace the koiguchi. From what I can see in your photographs the edge damage is not too serious and would in most cases be removed by a proper polish, rarely the polisher will opt to leave some if too much metal would have to be removed to get them out. They are almost certainly caused by mis use rather than combat for a variety of reasons. From what we can see your word is ubu, unaltered; this means the nakago or tang is as it was originally made. You have not yet told us the measurements, the most useful being the nagasa which is the distance from the tip to the notch on the back of the blade where the habaki or blade collar sits. It is not going to be possible to get an exact answer as to who made the sword and when unless you go down the route of polish and then authentication papers in Japan but there are some things we can deduce. Keep in mind that false or fake signatures, gimei, are a very common thing in the world of Japanese swords and that big names are especially tempting targets. You have already discovered that there are many generations signing this way and have ruled out the first two so we are pretty certain that this sword was made between 1600 and 1850. Have a good look at the boshi, which is the hardened edge or hamon in the kissaki or tip. If the line of the hamon smooths into a line following the curve of the tip of the blade then it is most likely a Shinto period sword, 1600 - 1800. If the line is irregular or in some way a continuation of the hamon pattern then it might be a Shinshinto blade. 1800 - 1860. Some examples here, http://www.touken-matsumoto.jp/en/info/boshi_patterns Enough for now? Others will advise you about properly trained craftsmen who can do the restoration for you in the US All the best.

Dear Mark. I'm fairly sure that Jean means noshi, originally strips of dried abalone cut and tied as a gift, now more often paper versions of the same thing. The tsuba seems very nice and all in all o does the sword. So far we are missing the hilt ornaments, the menuki, but the rest of the mountings seem to deserve proper restoration, as does the sword. The tang, nakago, has what are called higaki yasurime, these are the decorative file marks which match the signature and confirm the origin of the sword as the Mino tradition of sword making. The patterned edge or hamon also confirms this as it is in sanbontsugi pattern or three cedars which is classic Mino. Proper restoration is going to be a costly and slow process, take it easy and ask here for advice as you go. A first stage might be to source some good menuki and have the hilt re wrapped. Once that is done you have a complete sword to enjoy. Sooner or later you are going to have to decide whether to get the sword properly polished or not. This is a highly skilled and therefore expensive process. It would be quite alright to leave this and simply keep the blade lightly oiled, avoiding touching it with your fingers at all costs. A poor polish will ruin the sword, a good one is expensive so you might want to hold off on that and simply get the mounts done so that you can enjpoy owning the seord. All the best.

Welcome Mark! I am looking forward to more pictures especially as I think the fuchi is rather nice. Overall shots of the blade might help us date it a little more but it is very common for swords to be much earlier than the mountings they are in so it is quite likely that the blade is somewhat earlier than the fittings. More pictures please. All the best.

Dear Gwyn. If your question is a more general one then the answer is that as Japan modernised her armed forces at the end of the 19th century they adopted European style sword mounts, hence the Kyugunto. After experience in combat with these swords, (and I suspect the rise of Nationalism), they moved to Shin and Kai gunto style which are much more reminiscent of tachi. Forgive me if that is stating the obvious. All the best.