Geraint

Dear Katie. Welcome to NMB. Sorry to say that the tsuba is a cast reproduction but the sword is signed Kunimasa. More pictures would help identify it further. All the best.

Dear John. I think that the idea is that someone has stuffed a glass jar into the iron object to turn it into a candle holder......... No? All the best.

Dear Dee. I am sorry that answers have not been forthcoming, perhaps at the least this post will stimulate others who know much more than I but here are a scant few references for you. In 'A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armour in All Countries and in All Times', by George Cameron Stone,(Universally known as Stone's glossary for obvious reasons!), one Japanese example is listed under 'muzzle', p460. In, 'Arms and Armour of the Samurai', Bottomley and Hopson. 1988, two are illustrated on p10 and attributed to the Kyoto Arashiyama Museum, referencing that catalogue they seem to be the only two in the museum. I understand that the Arashiyama collection was disposed of some years ago. One other example features in the catalogue of the Dai Token Ichi annual exhibition catalogue for 2006. illustrated on page 125. On the whole they seem to be rather rare survivors. I hope this information is of some use to you. To add, I think bamen may mislead your search as this usually refers to face armour for a horse, the equivalent of European chanfron. Laurent suggests Kuchikago, (and quotes the Bottomley and Hopson reference). All the best.

Dear Michael. As with any technology adoption is a gradual process rather than a sudden one, assigning a specific date to any such change is problematic. You may find this interesting, https://www.Japan.travel/Japan-heritage/popular/izumo's-ancient-tatara-ironmaking-heritage-shimane-iron-sword Also perhaps this summary, https://www.touken.or.jp/english/explanation/informationcorner.html We are drifting a little from your original enquiry but it is all interesting in relation to sword production. All the best.

Dear Steve. Just to add the tsuba is a cast copy,(straight lines all over the seppa dai and blurred mei). The photographs are not detailed enough to tell much about the fittings but it is not uncommon to find swords quickly militarised by the addition of a hanger and a sarute, probably originally a leather combat cover. All the best.

Dear Alves. Just to tease out some more detail, the tsuba of a sword has little to do with the blade itself in most cases so we would need pictures of the blade to tell you what we can about that. As far as the tsuba itself goes then Shoami is the school and Kanenori the name of the maker, for comparison here is a somewhat similar one, https://searchcollection.asianart.org/people/260/shoami-kanenori And another here, It seems that he was quite fond of this style. All the best.

Dear Ramin. In this case the sugat of the sword is entirely intentional and probably never had a yokote. If you look closely you wi;; see that the blade starts near the habaki in almost normal shape but then the shinogi ji slopes suddenly down toward the mune in a shape reminiscent of a naginata. Without yokote this would be called a kanumuri otoshi style blade, compare here for the basics. https://www.japaneseswordindex.com/glossary.htm An unusual sugata for a katana. All the best.

Dear Michael. This one appears to be Bizen no kuni Osafune ju Kawachi no Kami Sukesada. Compare here, https://www.toukenkomachi.com/index_en_tachi&katana_A020623.html See what you think, and I am sure others will chime in here, but the kiku is not well cut and is on the wrong side I think. All the best.

Hamfish, you tease! From what we know so far this is clearly a Sue Bizen uchigatana signed by the famous Sukesada who in addition to being a smith was also a doctor, hence the poorly inscribed mei. Looking forward to seeing more. All the best.

Dear All. Loom at the shape of the blade in image 1. Tells you all you need to know. All the best.

Have a check around Choshu ju Masasada? All the best.

Dear Lewis. Possibly weird looking but o soraku zukuri sugata. Not something that has ever attracted me I must admit. All the best.

Dear Steve. Look up Matsuda Kanetaka. I have one by him and like it a lot. All the best.

Dear Dale. It is common to find perfectly genuine swords with the signature of a well known maker added. Compare the signatures side by side and see what you think. Note for example that the date on your sword is aligned in a different part of the nakago/tang. The mountings for the sword are attractive in their own right and together this makes an interesting package so don't do anything hasty, just avoid touching the blade with your fingers, (it quickly rusts), and wipe a little light oil on it, just a very thin coat. This sword is not in military mounts, sometimes these come with a surrender tag from the owner, and so there is no real possibility of returning it unless you have some paperwork to go with it. It would be nice to see a shot of the whole blade, the whole mount and the tsuba/guard if you could. All the best.

Dear All. Apparently nothing wrong with Colin's memory, this from Christie's sale 16th/17th June 1997. Thought I had seen it but took me a minute or two to find it. Rather unhelpful catalogue description: 'A wakizashi and a rare lacquered stand of Ryujin. Mei Yamato no kami Yoshimichi, 17th century. ....with a rare lacquered wood stand of a standing Ryujin holding a tama. (Slight damage) 19th century. The stand 103cms high.' The pre sale estimate was a steep £15,000 to £20,000 though it appears not to have sold at this time. (Woops! Mistake on the estimate now corrected.) All the best,

Dear Paris. Just to get you started these are usually called Amida yasurime, no idea what the sukashi element is. All the best.

Dear Steve. 'I am a late Meiji confection put together for the tourist market, more or less in the form of a much more expensive tanto koshirae with a blade form never seen before but guaranteed to appeal to the gaijin especially now that I have dodgy horimono added and a little Shibayama style inlay on my saya.' There are some fabulous tanto koshirae made by great Meiji craftsmen and often to be found for sale in the larger auction houses, generally speaking they command very high prices as the works of art that they no doubt are but they are not the same as tanto carried by samurai. This one is a lowball copy, don't get your hopes up. To be honest, the internet is so full of misleading information on this one that I hesitate to post a link. However you might find some information on kwaiken and mamori katana. Basically a kwaiken is a mounting almost totally devoid of fittings but often with a bevel on one side of the kashira so that when carried inside the kimono the owner can tell by feel which is the edge and which the back. Mamori katana or tanto are more specialised versions of this. One shown below.

Dear Giordy. In terms of 'getting your eye in' you could do a lot worse than spend an evening, or two, or three working your way through this thread. Some wonderful things and a curated selection of fittings which will be thoroughly enjoyable to look through. All the best.

Easy Daniel. Moriyama san is one of our most respected members and is generous with his time in assisting us. As he has said the first year of Koka does not start with the beginning of the year but in the twelfth month, ie there is no second month of the first year of Koka. I see Moriyama san has beaten me to it. All the best.

Dear Daniel. Welcome to NMB. As I am sure you already know famous swordsmiths are a target for gimei signatures. Fortunately certain smiths or schools adopted distinctive styles of cutting mei, the Yokoyama are a particularly distinctive school in this regard. It is therefore relatively easy to find papered examples of this smith's signature and to make comparisons. Bear in mind that you are looking at several things; the shape of the nakago, the position of the mei in relation to the nakago and the mekugi ana, yasurime and nakago jiri. With those things in mind compare your sword with examples such as this, https://nihontocraft.com/Yokoyama_Sukenaga_Wakizashi.htm Remember that a sword which is gimei is not necessarily a poor blade. If you wish to pursue studies of Yokoyama school then might I suggest as a starting point this book, https://www.abebooks.co.uk/first-edition/Cutting-Edge-Japanese-Swords-British-Museum/31809028143/bd I belive one of the JSS/USArt and the Sword volumes is also useful in this regard. All the best.

Dear Steve. A handachi mounted sword the blade signed Tadamitsu saku. Tsuba is upside down. All the best.

Dear Steve. Harimono, horimono, horrormono, the carving is bad whatever you call it. Bonji on one side, easy to look up, not always easy to match. You have of course noted the peculiar sugata, unusually wide shinogi on one side, almost as if someone intended to add that wide horimono.......... Mei looks like it is trying to be Kanekado, theway the kanji are chased looks pretty weak, compare here, https://nihontoantiques.com/project/seki-kanekado-fss-904-katana Others may have a different take but I am suspecting a sword tarted up for export to the gaijin. All the best.

Dear Steve. Not to rain on your parade but the habaki is of a type called ganseki, illustrated here along with several other styles. http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/habaki.html All the best.

Dear Burt. Your photography is really good, I wish I could capture some of these features. The diagram you show is very dated and indeed even in this one the dotted line for slag inclusions points to the gourd shaped darker area. Slag inclusions typically show as a dark spot or area, not ridges.The marks on your blade are mukade shinae, often caused by having a bent sword straightened. Just to add to what Sam has suggested, polishers usually place a demarcation like the one in the red box at the point where the kaeri or return of the hamon in the kissaki, meets the mune. If you follow the line of the boshi you may see this. Much more detailed information about flaws,9 and indeed so much more that might be of use to you on this site), here, http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/flaws.html There is so much to learn and so much to see, that's partly why this study is so fascinating! Enjoy the journey. (I see that Sam beat me to it!) All the best

Dear Jusyn. I am wondering if the treatment suggest mist partially obscuring the Torii and temple. (I am having trouble with the angle of the torii, visually I find it disturbing!) All the best.