Geraint

So pretty much all you are left with is sugata. Get the habaki off and see if it is machi okuri. The nakago jiri is not Kaga so assuming it's ubu that rules them out. Nakago shape leads to Bizen so if the sugata says sue koto then you have a nijimei Kiyomitsu from Sue Bizen, not too much hope of narrowing that down in this condition I fear. All the best.

Nice yari Thierry! The fitting is hadome. All the best

One shown here, http://samuraiantiqueworld.proboards.com/thread/36/kago-yumi-hankyu-rimankyu Scroll down a bit and the arrow is shown as is the cord suspended from the front of the support. All the best.

Sorry, my mistake, 5 is the Heianjo and it does look pretty much gone. I think the carving on 6 particularly is rather fine. All the best

Hi Bojan. Number one, https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-us/auction-catalogues/thomas-del-mar-ltd/catalogue-id-srthomasd10001/lot-616b092e-bbc1-4bdb-8658-a41f0107f68c When you say 3 is pressed do you mean cast? 4 the seppa dai indicates Namban as does the carving on 6, both of which I like. I think 6 might have been a Heianjo tsuba that has lost all it's inlay. There's a start, I am sure others will chip in. All the best.

Hi Jason. I'm afraid I can't help much except to say that these seem to be a selection of reprints of famous originals. Have a look at this link and it will show you the Sharaku as reproduced by Adachi in the 1940s. https://ukiyo-e.org/image/famsf/5076163106610070 In Japan reprints of famous examples are all too common and perfectly acceptable. Should you have an original Sharaku then you will have scored, an expert will tell you more, especially with the prints in hand but the freshness of the impression in the paper and the condition would suggest that these were from the mid 20th century.. The painting on silk is a souvenir piece too, not unlike the millions of paintings of the Eiffel tower sold every year in Paris, attractive and would look nice framed but not of any value I fear. Nice things to have and very attractive to frame and display alongside your swords. Hope this helps a little. All the best.

Hi Jesper. Any chance we could see the yari? All the best.

It is hard to tell from the picture but just for the sake of argument I have a gunto by Matsuda Kanetaka which also is without yokote. The condition of the polish and everything else about the sword confirms that this was as issued, no subsequent amateur polish. I have wondered if the polishing shop simply skipped a stage as I have to admit I didn't notice it at first. Not sure what this tells us but here it is. All the best.

Hi Geoffry. Have a look here, fifth one down. https://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths/meisearch?page=17&order=title&sort=desc All depends on the condition of the sword but sounds good so far. Perhaps some pictures of the blade? You might also have a look here, http://japanboutique.jp/blog-entry-112.html All the best.

Dear Franceso. I am sure you have already had a look here, http://www.nihonto.ca/awataguchi-yoshimitsu/ Given the source of this tanto, not to mention the poor photographs, not to mention the sugata I don't think I would lose any sleep over having missed this one. The chances of such a blade escaping unnoticed from Japan, out of polish yet in a suspiciously new looking shirasaya must be regarded as slim. Comparing what can be seen to the stunning array of examples on Darcy's site I think you can relax. Of course there are many other Yoshimitsu and it might be any one of them. All the best.

Bruce, There is one more thing you might try, dust the nakago with talcum and wipe off. Sometimes the talcum trapped in the mei makes it more legible. Chalk dust might also help but that's getting harder to find now. The otehr approach is to d a very careful drawing of what you can see, sometimes that clarifies things a bit. Have fun!

Hi Bruce. Really can't make too much of this for you but here are a few ideas. First two = Mikawa, the one by the mekugi ana eludes me then I think Nyudo. I can't find a reference that makes sense of this but Hawley does have SAD 843 Kuhara Sadayoshi where Kuhara would replace nyudo. There are also a couple of Daido smiths, Mikawa no kami nyudo Nobunao saku and Mikawa no kami Daimichi Nobunao. These suggestions are probably more trouble than help but maybe someone else can nail it for you. All the best.

Ah so coastal erosion accounts for the bad fit! .

I think Kevin is knocking on the right door. The lack of care in the work exhibited by the way the copper meets the iron would never pass muster in any school. I don't think this is shakudo. I suspect at least one of the tsuba was badly damaged around the seppa dai and an attempt made to, "make it work". Unless one of us buys these we will never know for sure. All the best

Dear L. Please add your name to your posts as we a;; do. Being cast and being authentic are not contradictory. Cast in Japan in the last 100 years would be covered by that claim. I certainly couldn't tell if it is cast from these photos but what makes you want to buy it? Lots of much better examples out there for not too much money, indeed quite a few offered in the For Sale section from time to time. All the best.

Hi Paul. Funny, that's how my wife is going to tell if I'm gone or not, stick my favourite katana in the coffin and if I don't react she'll know I'm really gone. Peter, that's a nice selection of rapiers! Some really lovely displays here, nice to imagine a pleasant evening with each of you sharing your collections. Great stuff!

Dear Bill. Given the typical hamon on Muramasa tanto, http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/16300-muramasa-on-aoi-art/ (scroll down a little)................? Send it to auction and see what happens?

Dear Chris. I find it hard to tell what the quality once was, this has had a hard life by the look of it. I think the question is, does it make you go , "Wow!" For me the answer is no. All the best.

Hi Rayhan. Don't lose sight of the fact that there are quite a number of Shinshinto Masayuki, Hawley has around twenty. There are so many oshigata of the main man and far fewer of the others you might struggle to find the right man. That would account for Tsuruta san's message. As you say, it's still a very nice blade. All the best.

Hi Daven. Welcome, please add your name to your posts as we all do here. Your sword is hard for me to make out, others with sharper eyes will chime in I am sure. I am also sure that we would like to see a photo of the whole blade, side on as an aid to our endeavours. You probably already know that blade shape is an indicator of age. From the condition of the mei one would assume koto, full picture of the nakago would help to see if it is suriage. By the by a photo or two of the koshirae would also be appreciated. All the best.

Hi Mike. Have a look at this, https://www.aoijapan.com/img/sword/2015/15198-1.jpg In kaigunto mounts, look for a small stamped mark somewhere on the tang. Jean is right in his comments about a WWII Seki blade. Also have a look at this thread, http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/4151-kai-gunto-your-opinion-please/ All the best and welcome aboard.

Dear Alex, In my opinion this koshirae is worth a rewrap and some menuki. I think from the museum conservation point of view that would be perfectly reasonable as the koshirae is not of significant historical value as is and that is almost certainly the treatment it would receive in Japan. I have not checked but I seem to recall that swords in the British Museum which were sent to Japan for restoration included those whose tsukamai needed work, I'll check that later if it would help the museum decide. To me it looks in good enough polish to leave that. Swords in museums, with certain notable exceptions, often suffer neglect as staff know little about them and you tend to get all the issues of incorrect handling and so on. As every polish removes metal from a sword best to give this one it's chance for later on when we are all gone and it will have acquired significant status. All the best.

If I remember correctly there is a previous thread on this subject but here are a couple.

Hi Chris, The first kozuka might be children's toys, the second looks like Nagoyamono work and I think your chances of identifying the castle are slim to none at all, if it even is a castle. All the best

Dear Julien. A friend says that he collects armour because, unlike swords, it is easy to tell when you have quality in a piece. Looking at the view of the top of the kabuto you post, take a close look at the suji, the spacing of the plates and so forth . Next have a look at this one, http://nihontoart.com/shop/battle-scar-kabuto-with-dragonfly-maedate/ Compare and contrast then make your decision. I know which one I would go for. Whatever you decide enjoy. All the best.