Geraint

Dear David, I can see why you think that, it seems as though the kikusui overlaps the mei doesn't it. However it might be unlikely as the blade has been published and papered as it is, unless the text says that it's ato bori. I suppose the idea that the mei was cut and then the kikusui added by the smith would allow both for it to have been added and still genuine. All the best.

Dear Peter. Sadaoki saku. Have a look at this one. http://www.Japanese-sword-katana.jp/katana/1710-1123.htm Should have said these two, scroll down for a wakizashi as well. All the best.

Dear Greg, Everyone is going to want a shot of the whole blade minus fittings and Steve is going to want to see if the machi line up. I think they do and that what you have is a perfectly genuine wakizashi, albeit out of polish, mumei and in need of a re wrap. Copper tsuba and quite nice saya. I think I can see a generous suguha and boshi so all good there. Quite a narrow shinogi ji. If you want to bring this old soldier back then it is going to be a labour of love, not for profit. Personally I would have a hard time resisting the urge but most people would counsel against it. Enjoy! All the best.

Dear Ivan. Welcome to the board and to the start of an intriguing hobby. The good news is that your tanto is a Japanese blade though clearly opinions differ as to the age. The mounts are of a type that is relatively common for tanto but I suspect they are quite recent, at least the menuki are, (Hilt ornaments). If you want better information then an in hand viewing by someone who knows what they are looking for is the best way forward. Depends on where you are in the country but I would reccomend either the Token Society, http://to-ken.uk/ or the Northern Token Society. http://www.northerntokensociety.org.uk Both are welcoming and have considerable expertise among their membership. (Well the second link isn't working for me but it's easy enough to search.) Enjoy! All the best.

Dear James. Try this, http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/4764-sword-markings/ All the best.

Dear Peter. Some random thoughts to add to what Luis has suggested. It's unsigned and for the period that's a problem. The koshirae is weak, lots of nice shiny gold laquer but the fittings are pretty low grade, the sort of standard that often finds it's way onto handachi koshirae. Most of the fittings do not match the hangers. The tsuba did not start life as a tachi tsuba and the tsuka is a bit crude in its shaping. Interesting that we have papers for the tsuba and menuki but not the whiole koshirae which you might expect for an original koshirae. Compare to say this one, http://www.nihonto.com/7-23-14/ I am sure that Tsuruta san has taken all this into account in setting the price. It may still sell inside Japan but most collectors with near £20k to spend would probably be more selective I imagine. (Dear Moderators, my apologies if this contravenes the guidelines on discussing auctions please feel free to delete.) All the best.

Dear Xavier. Since no one else is jumping in on this one can I suggest that as long as you rinse the cloth well and dry it thoroughly there should be no problem. By the by if you go to FAQ at the top of the page there is a link to cleaning information which might help. All the best.

Thank you for posting these Piers, if you have any more then please keep them coming. All the best.

Dear John. "Hada seems very rustic" Well it would do considering what has happened to it. In my view any attempt to define a geographic location based on an out of polish sword is doomed from the start. In Japanese polish the sword would look very different and hence a radically different judgement might be made.

Good news indeed!

Dear Glaytham. (Please add your name to your posts as per board rules). The fittings are run of the mill at best and the fact that the sword has three mekugi ana in the tang suggest that the fittings are not original to the blade. No dramas as remounting blades has gone on for a long time. However one of the three holes looks very new and it is possible therefor that the mounts have been added quite recently to this blade. Most of the interest here is in the blade itself. Time to do some research. Enjoy.

Dear Glaytham. And whatever you do don't be tempted to clean it! The oxidation on the tang is important to preserve as it is, any cleaning will devalue the blade by a considerable degree. Enjoy finding out about this sword and, who knows, maybe becoming a nihontophile. All the best.

Dear All. This may interest. http://www.mandarinmansion.com/chinese-trousse-set-glass-trinkets All the best.

Dear Grev. Usually Chinese, as I think this one is. Usually two bone chopsticks and a knife, does the ear cleaner thingy fit well and look as though it was made for this set? (Found a set with one like this in it, not sure what it's for.) I'll get a photo of one I have for you in a bit. (Well, wrong order but there you go!) Look up Chinese trousse and you'll get a ton of images. All the best.

Dear Krystian. You might find the information here, (OK, keep getting a 404 error on this one so try it this way.). www.shibuiswords.com of some use. Scroll down to Tsuba Collective and right at the bottom of that page is a link to Nihonto and tosogu origami. There is a ton of information on fittings on the rest of the site. All the best.

Hi Dave and welcome. Please sign all your posts with a first name. I am seeing Fujiwara Masanori. Might be Kanenori, (I thinkit is!) here's one to compare, http://www.nihontocraft.com/Echizen_Kanenori_Katana.html though it's not this smith. Lots of smiths signing this way so overall shots of the blade might help us to narrow down period of manufacture and hence get closer to the smith. Looking forward to seeing it all. All the best.

Wow Luis! That's really built up the sense of anticipation when Robert opens the parcel. All the best.

Dear Luke. Welcome to the forum and down the rabbit hole! There are several variations of the Kunisuke mei and the one you have might be one of about ten. There were several in Aki and others in other places. It is not the mei of Kawachi no kami Kunisuke which is the obvious first port of call. Pretty sword and nice koshirae so a good start. Enjoy! All the best. (That Grey is hot of the start line!)

Dear Matt. My first reaction was that this was a class of horimono known as, "temptthegaijin", added to make the sword more saleable in late Meiji. Whatever the origin, as Luis says, not something that most collectors would want to own. All the best.

Dear Chris. "So the mei is cut as a tachi". Not on the sword that Alex linked to. I think we can dispense with ideas about how the owner wanted to fight and put this down to a mistake. Aoi Art are not immune to them in their descriptions. All the best.

Dear Steve, Just to add some thoughts. The sword was mounted and carried in WWII, the hilt and the hanging ring from the scabbard tell us this. This is of interest to military collectors but it's not much of a koshirae for a katana. The sword may indeed be the man that Stephen suggest but we can only speculate at this stage. What we cannot see is the condition of the blade, it is certainly out of polish, but we can't see if it has any flaws. I have to admit that if I came across this for the $500 mentioned I would be reaching for my wallet pretty quick. If nothing else it will give you somewhere to start research and will teach you a lot about Japanese swords. (By the way, it seems to be signed on an unusual side of the tang, tachi mei, which is interesting and might help you pin it down to a specific smith). If you do get it then please post some overall photographs of the whole blade and close ups of each section. All the best.

Dear Peter, Compare to this one and spot the differences. http://yakiba.com/Nag_Masamori.htm All the best.

I say confiscate that man's Dremel!

Dear Alex. My mistake, you still need to add your name to your posts. All the best.

Dear Sergei. Please add your name to your posts as per board rules. May I ask what your intention in posting this is? You are working in a foreign language and have my utmost respect for that but as yet I am not clear what you want to know or to say. The sword you show may indeed be a chokuto from the Nara or Heian period but as such it falls well outside the area of expertise of most of our members. Such swords are generally archaeological finds or preserved in temples and they rarely come on the market. From the limited references that I have for swords of this period I would describe your example as a kiriha zukuri chokuto with a kamasu gissaki. It is similar in form to examples from the Shoso-in now in the Tokyo National Museum. Of the examples I have references for yours is unusual in that the tang is offset markedly, most similar form swords have a central tang, however there are examples of similar swords which do have the offset tang. You may find this interesting, http://www.webalice.it/tsubame1/Downloads/1)%20On%20the%20origins%20of%20Nihonto.pdf You can find this by going to the bottom of the main page here, go to Articles and Documents and scroll down. All the best.