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Geraint

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Everything posted by Geraint

  1. Hi Klaus. The koshirae has been redone at some time. The tsuka is not part of the original, perhaps the mekugi ana was filled then because the person doing the work thought it unnecessary. All the best.
  2. Hi John. The dragon and ken image is popular both as horimono and for other fittings. I have swiped this from Kevin at Ryujin, (http://www.ryujinswords.com). " Dragon with ken sword (Kenmaki-ryu). In esoteric Buddhism this symbol represents a manifestation of Fudo Myo-o, Kurikara Ryujin, coiled round a sword. " Lots more to research but that's a start. It is a powerful image in any culture, don't you think?
  3. I think Mauro is suggesting that while he has a high regard for shinsa papers they reflect the opinion of a well informed group but they are not neccessarily the right answer. We have had a discussion here recently about questionable observations by shinsa teams. All the best.
  4. Hi Eduardo. The value will be influenced by the condition and the measurements. Good pictures of the whole blade and dimensions will help.
  5. Truly it is said, "A sword in the hand is worth two on the screen." Looking forward to hearing about the shinsa for both. All the best
  6. You must be very happy with the results. All the best
  7. Fools rush in, they say so here goes. Nambokucho sugata but 68 cms and ubu? The chikei immediately makes one think of Norishige, but there were others who produced it too. Have a look at this, http://www.nbthk-ab.org/Kantei/kantei1_answer.htm However this one is almost the same nagasa but o suriage. For a Norishige ko dachi check this one out, the images are little use but might be worth an e mail to the owner, http://www3.telus.net/sword/sword/index ... 0items.htm On the other hand this chikei seems pretty strong and rather too overt. I have seen something like this in shinshinto so the possibility that this is utsushi mono suggest itself so have a look at this, viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18327&p=164196 Probably no help at all but I enjoyed looking at the sword so thank you anyway. All the best.
  8. Bear in mind that what you are looking at is part of the original blade and not the nakago as it was first formed. The hardened edge, ha, is often softened so that it can be worked, the nakago is often reworked but not reforged. If you look at the oshigata of the Ko Mihara you will see that the suriage has been done well, not so on yours I fear. Look at the finish and the way the mune of the nakago relates to the hi and mune machi. What do you think the original length of the Ko Mihara might have been?
  9. Dan, don't rely on measuring the gap between the mekugi ana, look at the nakago surface and look for the changes in surface and patination. They should tell you where the suriage has taken place. All the best.
  10. Hi Dan, As with almost everything about this hobby there are no simple answers but here are some thoughts. Almost all swords of any age have seen a number of polishes and as this does remove metal then it will reduce the motohaba slightkly. However if the sword is not suriage then looking at the mune will tell you more, the thickness of the polished part of the blade can be noticeably less than the nakago. As we are looking at a suriage sword this probably won't show; if it was evident then the nakago thickness would probably have had to be adjusted when it was shortened. A lot depends on what period you decide the sword comes from. Before shortening the sword would have been polished to a a point just a little below where the habaki covers the blade. Can you see where the surface of the nakago changes? If so then this would give you some idea of the length before suriage. It is possible that the lower mekugi ana is not the original as another may have been lost with the portion of the nakago that has been removed. So lets imagine that the lower one is the original and looking at the images your sword has been shortened by between 2 and three inches. That looks to be about the amount from the image. If so the total length will be in the region of 29 inches. Now if that agrees with the expected length of the sword given it's period of manufacture then we are in the money. A koto sword of about this length with a full kissaki and a narrow shinogi ji compared to the overall width would suggest a late Muromachi sword, hence katana rather than tachi. If nothing else this will at least have given others something to shoot at. If you have not got it then "Facts and Fundamentals of the Japanese Sword" by Nakahara is worth the modest investment. Have fun.
  11. Geraint

    smith Shigetaka

    And our posts have crossed. Looks like a very nice sword. What do you think of the sugata? Suggests a period doesn't it and this would help narrow things down. Keep at it.
  12. Geraint

    smith Shigetaka

    Hi Jordy, Check this one out for information, http://www.ricecracker.com/inventory/85 ... etaka.html Another version of events has Shigetaka as a pupil of Yasutsugu, (in Tanto by Suzuki, number 226.) Also this one, http://www.to-ken.com/full.php?article= ... &type=home which suggest that a key point is the way that the shige Kanji is cut. And this one for a papered shodai with the Echizen ju on one side of the nakago. And this one for another papered example, http://yakiba.com/kat_shigetaka.htm Not too much known but some interesting work. All the best.
  13. Geraint

    smith Shigetaka

    Hi Jordy. I will answer with more thoughts when I have more time but Shigetaka is an interest of mine so would love to see some more of the sword. First three generations are supposed to have used the title Harima Daijo. Echizen ju on the other side of the nakago is usual. Not sure about the question on cutting tests, obviously without a mei to this effect then one can speculate but it is meaningless. Clearly not all swords were tested in this way. More later.
  14. David, really sorry that things have gone so badly for you. I would be happy to help but geography is against us as I'm far south west. Why don't you contact Ian via his website? I know that he offers swords on consignment and I am sure he could offer you sound advice. http://nihonto.org.uk/index.html Hope this is of some help.
  15. And very nice it is, Roland.
  16. Hi Terry. Given your intention to learn from this one and comparing it to the example tsuba you might have a look at where the missing inlays have come from, two sections at least in the figure and I think the bull, you might even be able to detect the undercutting of the edges where the bull was. All the best.
  17. Hi Grev. Can't help you with the mei but I have heard the subject described as south sea islander pulling a branch of coral. A related example here, http://www.flyingcranesantiques.com/bro ... 3_top.html Given the value of coral and the size of the branch you would expect them to be looking happy though I can't say the same for your guy. All the best.
  18. Medar, I'm not quite clear on your question. We are suggesting that this blade was made in Europe and either exported as a bare blade to be mounted up somewhere or taken over to the Far East as a sword,perhaps a hanger, and remounted there. I am suggesting that none of it at all was made in Japan but given your information about it that it somehow found it's way there at a later date. Is it unique? Well I have not seen one exactly like it but that means very little. Just to keep you excited check out this link for an almost identical VOC blade. http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s1326_full.html You're going to like this one.
  19. Hello M (?) Some thoughts for you to consider about your sword: The VOC blade could easily have been made in Europe as a trade item or it could have been captured and remounted. Either case indicates that blades have always been expensive and highly prized. (This swapping around is quite common, in India there is even a group of swords called firanghi which means foreigner because they have European blades. There are examples of blades made in Solingen in Germany which are mounted as talwar and so on.) The Buddhist emblems are therefor not a contradiction. The sword may look at first glance like a Japanese sword but it clearly is not, the story of it being in a Japanese family for a long time is not disproved by this, it may well have been a trophy from some other time. Your swordsmiths may have been out of their depth here, when you described them as Japanese swordsmiths do you mean that or were they smiths who made Japanese style swords? There are some features of the mountings that look a little like very early Japanese mountings, the sharp retaining hook and some other things. As it is not Japanese do not attempt to remove the hilt, that is something usually fairly easily done on a Japanese sword by removing one peg and slipping off the hilt mountings, this won't be the case on your sword and removing the hilt may result in some serious damage. In any case what we look for by studying the tang won't apply here so there is no point in attempting it. While this is a forum devoted to the study of Japanese swords, and as a result we tend to be a bit sniffy about anything else, this one may have quite a history if indeed it has spent some time in the family of the Japanese officer. Of course it may have been a foreign curio picked up out of interest by the officers great, great grandad but the idea of it being captured spoils of war is much more romantic and if you enjoy the journey then research Japanese pirates, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wokou Perhaps the sword was brought back by the Japanese equivalent of Long John Silver! In any event this is a fascinating piece and worth researching. (Having mocked a fellow collector for picking up what I thought was a junk copy of a Japaneses sword I had to eat my words when he sold it as it was a very rare Korean weapon and was eagerly fought over by buyers!) You might find this link interesting though I cannot say if your sword is a match, just a thought. http://www.ashokaarts.com/shop/search?q ... rchSold=on Enjoy your research, it would be amazing to prove the pirate theory. All the best.
  20. Hi Martin, Above the images is an attached file, click on that. Al the best
  21. Geraint

    kantei

    I'd venture ko kinko?
  22. Hi James. The term for the wood blade is tsunagi and i suspect the term for koshirae with tsunagi is just that. Be interesting to see if anyone knows anything else about this. All the best. And Brian beat me to it.
  23. Brandon. First steps. There may well be someone in your area who can have a look at your sword but until there is another shinsa in the US run by either the NBTHK or the NTHK then no one can do that for you; be cautious of anyone who says that they can. Anyone who is able to help will be looking for typical workmanship of this smith, a good starting point for you either through web based research where you are looking for papered examples by this smith, or by buying the books and working out what you are looking for. The likely conclusion will be either that they think it is a good candidate for shinsa, which does not mean that it will pass, or that they think it is gimei, in which case you will probably go on hoping and wondering if it is the real deal. Take it easy, you won't find out everything at once and when you start out on the Nihonto journey almost all you think you know will change over time. This is a fascinating area of study but there is soooooo much to learn....... Just remember it is a hobby and one that your girlfriend might come to share with you but I think most girlfriends/wives/partners tolerate our obsession with a bemused air. Have fun.
  24. Geraint

    beta test me!

    Dear Darcy. That is truly beautiful blade and a very informative article, not least because of the light it throws on the naginata/nagamaki issue. I'm viewing it on Chrome and on your slideshow the only way of moving images is using the keyboard keys, the on screen icons don't function for me. Not sure if that's the kind of thing you needed to know......? In any event thank you, that was a lovely start to my day. All the best.
  25. Geraint

    tsuba subject

    Interesting observation. I have it in mind that I have seen a tsuba with an illustration of a bear in a cave being hunted by a Dutchman with a tanegashima. Haven't succeeded in locating the image yet but it does underscore the scarcity of the subject. If I find it I will post the reference. All the best.
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