Geraint

Dear Matt. Pierced tsuba and all, nice one. All the best.

Dear Corry. (Apologies if that is not your name.) Genuine shingunto, I think I can see a small stamp above the date inscription. I have owned one gunto with a black lacquer saya so this may be original. No signs of paint straying onto the saya fittings? That might indicate a repaint. You might also find spots where the original colour shows through in places where there has been a knock if it is a repaint. By the by, is the saya metal or wood? You Ok with the mei? All the best.

Dear Matt. As regards the tsuka ito the irregularity is one clue but more than this, the twist in the centre of the tsuka usually alternates. Have a look at some of the many swords on sites in the links section above. The ito also looks unhappy over the menuki. However, all this should not discourage you too much, ito is often renewed and of itself this isn't too great a problem. What you have is a nice katana, with reasonable mounts that has been re wrapped. (Oops, you don't give measurements so I assume it is a katana.) Enjoy it for what it is and don't lose any sleep over the fact that it might be a false signature. All the best.

Hi John. From where I sit Swindon is not the south west, more home counties! If you ever get down this far drop me a line and come visit. All the best.

Dear Malcolm, I cannot say that I have ever come across anything like this but the practice of spiking guns, in other words driving an iron spike into the touchhole of a canon to render it inoperative if it was in imminent danger of capture by the enemy springs to mind. All the best.

Dear Brando, If you haven't got a copy of "The Art of Tsukamaki," by Thomas Buck, (and the question you ask suggests that you don't)< then I recommend that you get hold of one PDQ. Here it is on his site, http://www.tsukamaki.net/books.htm I have only ever done wraps with hishigami and always folded paper though I use blotting paper as it's more easily available to me. The cardboard cut out version puts material where you don't want it, I think. Let us see your results. All the best.

Barry. Thank you for posting that koshirae, it's a stunner ! All the best.

Dear Patrice, Please forgive me if I misunderstand you but it does sound as though your suggestion is the case, a silver tsuba swapped for another. Any rule in regard to koshirae is open to examples that prove otherwise but three seppa are really unusual unless something has been done to the sword. (I have one sword with a late koshirae where a single shakudo o seppa has been fitted on one side with the normal sized pair but it's the only one I have seen where it was original to the sword.) Rarely the mekugi ana in the tsuka itself can be damaged or worn and an extra seppa added by someone to "tighten the sword up". If you cannot see any such wear then your first idea sounds the best. Silver fittings do not always have silver seppa from what I have seen. Have a look at the one Barry posted. All the best.

Dear Dan, Don't lose heart altogether, just because it might be gimei that doesn't mean the sword is worthless, just not worth buying as a genuine Sukenao. It is still a genuine Japanese sword in nice looking gunto koshirae so it has a worth and is collectible. There is always the possibility of having the mei professionally removed and the sword polished and papered though I think most would simply keep it as is. All the best.

Dear Brando. When you say, "clean it up", please don't do anything other than uchiko however tempted you are! There are threads about cleaning blades which I am sure you can find via the search function. If you hang around ere a bit more you will discover a deep, deep aversion to anything else on everyone's part because blades really do get ruined by other means. As I mentioned in a recent thread the learning that we all go through struggling to match Japanese terms with what we see is much easier if you have a blade in hand. All the best.

Compare to this one, http://www3.telus.net/sword/sword/index.htm/MyWebs6/Moriyukie.htm All the best.

Hi John, Some thoughts for you. 1 This sword needs nothing doing to it at all. It is what it is and is a perfectly collectible sword in this condition. 2 There are many quite good, mumei wakizashi out there for not a lot of money if you want to try your hand at koshirae. 3 If you really must build koshirae for this one then make a tsunagi for the mounts and keep them both together. 4 If you have restocked a pistol then your woodworking skills are certainly up to it though koshirae are very subtle things as you will discover. 5 I really recommend, The Art of Tsukamaki", by Thomas Buck. and "The Craft of the Japanese Sword", Kapp et al, both of which will give you much vital information. 6 Whatever you spend on the koshirae you will never recover when you sell. 7 Whatever you do avoid using conventional glues, it can damage the sword. (Edit) Knew there was something else! UK based supplier of the stuff you will need http://www.ryujinswords.com/ or go to Namikawa on the web. Whatever you do you will learn an incredible amount about the craft and all being well have some fun. It won't count in the swords favour when you come to sell but you will have gained a lot of knowledge All the best.

Not the best picture but here's a wakizashi koshirae with silver maple seed fittings, kojiri to match.

Dear Ed. While the advice given is sound here is a thought. At that price for a koto papered blade in reasonable condition I would be very tempted to buy it and use it as a basis for studying that school. I have been fortunate enough to have handled a couple of Koto Gassan blades and if I were in your shoes I'd do it. Certainly you could get a blade in really good polish from another school but Koto Gassan are not that common. Speaking personally I have always found that having a sword in hand focuses my study a great deal. If after a time you tire of it then you would have a great chance of recouping your money. Learning in this hobby does not come cheap and I don't just mean the books. Well there is a counter view, now it's up you to decide. Whatever you do remember this is a hobby, it's supposed to be enjoyable. All the best.

Dear Ed, Any success with the habaki? If not then I am sure there was a recent thread about pouring very hot water over the habaki, several times if necessary. the principle being the expansion of the copper. Personally I wouldn't worry too much about the tsuba, it looks good when mounted. Have someone check it to confirm if it is cast and then let it rest, one day you might come across an ideal replacement but all to often you are going to end up having to adjust a poor fit and that's not going to look good. Look forward to hearing how this one goes. All the best.

Dear Erwin. Better pictures would help us to offer thoughts. Is your second picture the nakago? (Please add your first name to your posts as per the rules). All the best.

Nice find Ed, all the best with the habaki. Regarding the tsuba, are the sekigane copper? If not then they may well be an indicator that this is a cast tsuba. Doesn't make the sword any less of a find, and I hope I'm wrong. All the best.

Dear Alexsandr. I think the term Heianjo zogan would spring to mind for this one, have a look here, http://home.earthlink.net/~jggilbert/heianjo.htm All the best.

Hi James, With regard to your question about Namban tetsu have a look here, para.7 specifically but all relevant. http://www.nihonto.com/abtartyasutsugu.html You might also enjoy this , https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237261498_Namban_steel_and_Hizen_swords_a_provocative_hypothesis Enjoy, and should you decide to polish I look forward to seeing it restored to glory. All the best.

Hi Roy. (Please add your name to your posts as per rules.) What you seem to have is a civil sword mounted as a gunto, the saya looks like a handachi mounting, the tsuba is a Namban one. The mei is not what you should be too excited about, have a compare with this one and note the shape at the very tip of the nakago. http://www.sho-shin.com/hankei.htm Regardless a nice thing. Enjoy.

Well Erik, I think you did well. (No one has mentioned the amazing habaki!). To start your research have a look here, http://www.sho-shin.com/edo-echizen.html Enjoy.

Dear Alexander. Do I understand you correctly, you would like to know which of the tsuba you have posted are the better ones and why? If so then I have already expressed my opinion regarding the Sadatsune. For me it is a lovely composition, well executed and in good condition. Your first tsuba which everyone labelled as Nara is pleasant but not remarkable and has some condition issues to my eye. The other brass tsuba is better and aside from some thinning of the patina on one or two of the inlays looks good. My guess is that it is a late piece. The one you use as your avatar, the Shishi in iron is an oddity, you see evidence that it is unfinished which I can't see, however the quality is not so good I think. The iron tsuba with the eroded wood ground and the cobweb is pleasant but not outstanding and has had a hard life. The Mitsusada with the horses is in poor condition as is the Choshu. Compare both with the Sadatsune and the iron pine tree, which I also like. The other two brass tsuba are pleasant but not outstanding in terms of design, compared to your second tsuba. If I have misunderstood your question please forgive me and ignore this post. Other far more expert than I will add their thoughts I am sure. All the best.

"No, no, you don't need any help. Nothing to see here. You just need to pass it along to someone else, like me :Drool:" That's a lovely tsuba Alexsandr.

Sorry, missed that one.

Well you need to start looking for Hishu Kawachi no kami Masahiro. Just for starters have a look at this one, http://new.uniquejapan.com/a-masahiro-wakizashi/ All the best.