Geraint

And just to start you on your quest for this word check this thread, a few posts down and click on the link. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=18129&st=0&sk=t&sd=a All the best.

A local dealer once assured me that a sword had been examined by a member of The Nakago Society. Perhaps there exists a shadowy group whose sole collecting interest is in nakago! ( A friend has a well signed nakago framed, odd things do turn up.)

Hi Craig, Pinning a blade down to a school is not so easy as it might appear and certainly not as easy as ticking off the features of the blade. You note tori zori but Chris has already suggested saki zori; which is it? Sori is hard to judge unless it is extreme. You also note kuri jiri, what sort? (Have a look at ha agari kuri jiri.) You note masame hada; is that all over the ji or is it above the shinogi, or is it above the shinogi and near the ha? The book that Mariusk recommended would be a great place to start but just when you think you are starting to 'get it' you will find that you learn something new that throws everything into question once again. It's all part of what makes this so much fun. Enjoy

And see what has just popped up on Tsuruta san's website! http://www.aoijapan.com/tanto-first-generation-muramasa

Congratulations Derek, that's a fine piece of work and a great resource. Now if we each take just one smith or school..............? :D

Hi Gwyn. Check out Yamabushi, I think that's your theme. A Yamabushi on the kashira and his accouterments, ( accoutrements!) on the fuchi, I believe. Sorry to say that I can't tell if they are a true set from the images. All the best.

Perhaps Tosa Myochin?

And of course, should you slip doing this manouver then a whole new career opens up before you.

How could we forget that thread? Atari Jussi.

Interesting that he used a runner but no riser and that he did not use a split pattern. Only appropriate for smaller castings, this might be of interest, http://bwpowell.com/archeology/salisbur ... bury2.html

Not sure if this is the one but there is one in the collection of the Royal Armouries. When I saw it it was not with its koshirae and I can't recall the exact details so it may or may not be this one. I am sure that Ian will fill in the details for us. All the best.

Surely a nodachi tsuba would need to date from the period when nodachi were in use? Nothing about the tsuba in question suggest such an early date, does it? All the best

Hope you win it James. All the best.

James, I think you should buy it and, just to help you out, you understand, I will take that boring Shinshinto Kaga blade of your hands. Seriously, why would you split up a blade like this from it's koshirae assuming the two belong together? Nice little piece assuming that the moshirae is sound. Have fun.

Hi Bob. Jussi is right that the wrap covers some sort of brocade but it is not necessarily Japanese, perhaps Chinese. As all the twists on the wrap go in the same direction rather than alternating you might be looking at a re wrap once the sword was out of Japan. I don't think we are in national treasure territory here, (unless, of course, Darcy can pin it down to Magoroku :D ). Have a browse on Ebay for what similar swords are fetching. Have fun.

Hi James. What makes you think that the blade is later? Just curious. All the best

Trying to convince myself that I can make it read Oei rather than Kanbun.............Help!

Hi Matt. Translate the date and then have a look at this. http://www.sho-shin.com/sanin3.htm (Oh, and can we see the whole sword please?) Of course none of this matters if Nikolas has got Kanbun right but I can't make out the nengo. Enjoy!

Hi James. You can always try Kevin at, http://www.ryujinswords.com/care.htm All the best

Hi Paul. Depends on what you are using for your kanji, online or a book. Some of the more useful books will show you several different ways of writing the same kanji. The first on your tsuba is Kuni, now we can see it, and this one has several styles. Just when you thought it couldn't get any harder! Cheers Stephen, our posts crossed. All the best.

Hi Paul. For the sword some dimensions would help. If you start to describe what you see it will help to learn about the sword. For instance the tang has one hole and is not shortened, the file marks seems to be straight, the colour is hard to tell because of the fresh rust. Please do nothing to the tang other than wipe with a little oil perhaps to remove the surface colouration. Your tsuba might be Kunihiro, hard to see at the moment.

Hi All. Bear in mind that the examples I have seen so far are all late koshirae judging by the kinko fittings. This makes imports from Indonesia more easily achieved. Definitive answers would come from an end grain micrograph but until then I'd be happy to go with Ogawa san. All the best.

And the sword?

Jean, you are right about it looking like wenge but it is usually suggested that these are made from Indonesian ironwood. Without having the timber in hand it is very hard to say but here is an example, http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/ ... 77001&sid= There are one or two similar examples in the Boston Museum catalogue and they are described as either ironwood or red sandalwood. http://database.prota.org/PROTAhtml/Pte ... xii_En.htm Have fun.

Hi all. At about 6 o'clock, (make that 7), there are one or two missing sections of the inlay near the lower sukashi and as far as the image will let me enlarge I would say they indicate hira zogan. All the best.