Geraint

Dear Arnold. Forgive the temerity but I am wondering if Aoi have the wrong end of the stick with this one. Perhaps I can see Daikoku's mallet and this leads me to suggest that they are in fact attributes of deities rather than tea ceremony items. Have a look here, http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/objects-symbols-weapons-senju.html All the best.

And in more detail here: http://www.aoijapan.com/set-of-tosogu-kozuka-saw-kozuka-kogatana-unusual-kogai-bashin-mumei-den-ichijp Interesting that the auction house described the bashin as a 'short ken'.

Hi Tom. I can't get you very far but it is not the 1895 pattern Naval shore patrol sword. The closest I can get is from Fuller and Gregory who illustrate one very similar to yours but with a plain scabbard throat mount and no sign of the fouled anchor on the hilt. Their example is quite small and they suggest possible cadet use. No doubt someone will pin it down for you shortly. Given the scarcity of the sword finding a replacement screw is a looooong shot. Shouldn't be hard for any machinist to make one for you though. All the best.

Dear Geoff. Have a look at this thread, about four posts down for a better understanding of the whole 'machine made' idea from Dave All the best..

Well they are for the green painted figures. All the best.

Hi Matthew, At 13" this is technically a wakizashi, at this length often called a ko wakizashi. Because the blade is not in good condition it is very hard to say much about the age or who made it but it looks as if it might be early Edo period. You now have to make the choice about how to take care of it and at the moment a little light oil on the blade is probably all you need to go. Have a look at the Token Society of Great Britain and the Northern Token society to see if you can get to a meeting and show it to some people. Enjoy.

Dear Matthew. It#s a hirazukuri blade, if it measures less than 12" from tip to the notch at the back edge where the habaki sits then it would be classified as a tanto, That is a general guide, depending on the period it might be called something else. The fittings are not great, the fuchi and kashira are supposed to be a kabuto I think and the menuki might be horses swimming. What we need are photos of the sword with the hilt and fittings removed so we can see the nakago, (tang). Are you confident to do this or would you like some guidance? All the best and looking forward to what this reveals.

Dear Dennis. This bit of information is wrong, the commonest combination is in fact signed by the smith and stamped, just as yours is. Enjoy. All the best.

Given that photos two, three and four are upside down............ All the best

I think that Chris is referring to the practice of inlaying a design element, a piece of iron to form the body of a tiger for example, inlayed into an iron ground. If this is the case then the ground is cut away to the shape of the inlay, the edges slightly undercut, the inlay piece inserted and the edges punched down to secure the inlay. Or not Chris? All the best.

Dear Michael. (Please add your name to your posts) John has supplied you with the translation, now comes the rest. Big names are often faked but this looks worrying from a number of viewpoints. More pictures of the overall shape of the nakago, (tang) would help as would more pictures of the sword. As Gordon suggests there is something not good about the surface of the nakago and the style in which the mei is cut is a worry. Have a look at this one to compare and do post more pictures if you have them. http://www.aoijapan.com/img/sword/2016/16208-2.jpg All the best.

Hi Ken. If you can get a good overall shot of the whole blade, tang included that would help. First impressions would be that it's probably late Muromachi. Swords signed as this one starts are very common from Bizen smiths of this period. Most of them are regarded as mass produced blades and do not rate very highly, as almost all the details of your blade are obscured it will be very hard to tell a great deal more about who made it. Have a look here for a good example, https://www.aoijapan.com/wakizashi-bishu-osafune-sukesada There are some members in Ireland who might chime in, that way you might get to show it to someone in hand for more help. I also suggest you post photographs of the tsuba in the Tosogu section of the board for some informed opinions. All the best.

Dear Ken. It's late but I think I see Bishu and the start of Osafune on the sword. This would suggest a Bizen blade. Read up on care of this. The tsuba is interesting and appears to be signed Kamiyoshi. Out of my comfort zone but go slow on this and careful, that's a good name. Higo tsuba ko which goes well with the Higo style mounts on the tsuka. Better pictures of the rest if you can please. If nothing else this is an interesting find, I think you did well here. All the best.

Dear Randy, What a fascinating thing, it would certainly repay some study for someone who was interested in the process of creation. Thanks for sharing this. All the best.

Dear Cameron. None, just practice this phrase, "Hello, my names Cameron and I'm a nihontophile." It's a fascinating journey, all the more so because you never reach the end. All the best.

Dear Cameron. Welcome. (Please add your name to your posts as we all do.) If your translation agrees with John then congratulations on your efforts. If not then don't worry, at least you gave it a go and will get better as you go along. Hoshu is a shortened form of the province name which is Bungo and there is a wealth of information about Bungo Takada swords available. Don't get depressed by the general ranking they are given, it's the sword in hand that counts. I'm sure I am not alone in wanting to see pictures please. And now the health warning. Two swords with precious family history have started you on something which might grow into a serious condition involving much learning, a bewildering variety of obscure Japanese terms, travel to far flung places to look at swords, hours in museums and online and numerous other symptoms. We all have it and few of us would willingly give it up! Enjoy. All the best.

Dear Michael. You ask about quality. Compare the workmanship of the fuchi with the tsuba. What would you conclude? All the best.

Dear Peter. Thanks for sharing this one, I can see why the koshirae caught your eye! All that and an in interesting blade to boot. Well done that man! All the best.

Dear Peter. Stop teasing, if you bought this blade for the fittings we want to see. All the best.

Or more complicated. Markus Sesko lists another smith signing with this mei as second generation Kanbun shinto. Also here, https://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths/meisearch?page=157&order=title&sort=desc&field_smith_signature_value_op=contains&field_smith_signature_value= The balance of probability would suggest the later smith but you will need to satisfy yourself about which one it is, or send it to shinsa. Either way it's a nice piece to own. All the best.

Welcome Geoff. Keep trying with that first sword, it's an Efu no tachi mount and while the photograph is not great and it might be quite late it would be a very nice thing to have. It seems to be all complete and in good condition. I don't suppose you have any pictures of the blade out of the mounts? The Gunto is in late war mounts and appears to be in pretty good shape, signed and dated. No doubt a translation will be forthcoming soon. All the best.

Well that is certainly a first for me. I don't envy the guy who had to make shirasaya for that sugata! Thanks for sharing Hamfish. All the best.

Dear Steve, Grey is quick and spot on as usual. Just to add the ornament on the scabbard is quite alright where it is, called a saya kanemono. As Grey said pretty much everything else you were told on the posts with your photographs is off beam to say the least. Worth getting to see Grey if you can. All the best. (Oh and please add your name to your posts)

Dear Kirk. Please add your name to your posts as we all do. Grey was quick off the mark but his translation works out to be, "Tadayoshi, (smiths name), with the honorary clan name of Fujiwara, made this in Kashu province, (shortened from of Kaga)." I'm sure we would all like to see the rest of the sword. All the best.

If they have then I have not heard about it and perhaps some of our members resident in Japan can enlighten us. I have noted that Aoi sometimes get around the regs by saying that a blade is a metal tsunagi, I'm sure that some others simply do not know or bother about the rules. I have seen quite a lot of rule bending here in the UK when it comes to selling swords, I suppose that the same is possible in Japan. All the best.