Geraint

Hi, Looking at the images it seems that the fitting holding the blade into the hilt is missing one half. Sad but it does mean that you should be able to push the other half out with relative ease and then carefully remove the blade by sliding it out of the hilt. These mekugi are sometimes threaded into each other, often with a left hand thread, and sometimes they are just a friction fit. The blade may be a little reluctant to leave the hilt, (tsuka), so great care. Some kwaiken have a difference on each side of the hilt, (tsuka), in theory to allow you to tell which is the edge side of the blade by touch as the dagger might be concealed inside the folds of a robe. Decorative kwaiken are also sometimes known as mamori gatana which are given to a bride on her wedding day by her family. Judging by your other images you might be inclined to attempt other restoration, all would say, "Don't!" Look forward to seeing what emerges but don't get too hopeful, they are often not signed. All the best.

I think you were right first time Stephen, it's a suzuribako. Can't help with the mei. All the best

Any chance of some pictures of the whole koshirae, Chris? It looks rather gorgeous so far......... All the best.

Keep your eyes open then Flemming. This one screams at you, some of the more recent ones are getting very close. One turned up at a local auction and I had to look twice even with it in hand. Of course that could say more about me than the quality of fakes..................

Agreed but lets get to the important stuff. Islay and Laphroig, good man!

Should we go to shinsa on this one? :D

Sorry Flemming but just to be clear a Chinese fake rather than any sort of Chinese sword. Have a look at the links page and check out some genuine gunto mounted swords for comparison. This one for example, http://www.aoijapan.com/img/sword/2012/ ... hirae1.jpg all the best

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.

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?

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.

Hi Eduardo. The value will be influenced by the condition and the measurements. Good pictures of the whole blade and dimensions will help.

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

You must be very happy with the results. All the best

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

And very nice it is, Roland.

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.

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.

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.