Stever

Thanks, very interesting info on that site, but not *quite* what I'm looking for. I hoping someone can give me info about these pieces specifically. For instance, what's the quality like (decent, or do they totally suck?), what do they depict, are they likely originals or copies, are they shakudo-based, or something else, what school might they come from? Any such info would be hugely appreciated.

Yes it is. Thanks, folks. Go figure that I picked the one source with a typo, lol!

...hence my earlier comment of amazement! I feel like a very small fish in a very big pond here...

Darn it! Thought I'd sized them so they'd fit. Sorry 'bout that... Haha! Fixed it!

continued...

Hi folks, I'm hoping someone can help me. I'm having a hard enough time with sword kantei practice that the prospect of figuring out the seemingly myriad world of tosogu is overwhelming to say the least. This leads me to my query. I have a fairly nice-looking tsuka as part of an otherwise undistinguished koshirae (blade's not much to speak of, either) that I'm interested in finding out more about, if possible. To this end, here are a whole load of pictures in the hopes that someone might be able to tell me something (anything!) about the pieces (fuchi/kashira in particular). Materials used, possible school/maker, and age estimates would be hugely appreciated. Thanks, steve r p.s. apologies for the poor focus on some images, my hands shake too much; I must invest in a tripod some day!

Wow. Once again you folks blow me away. Sometimes I don't think I'll ever be able to recognize kanji. I've tried several times to figure out some of the mei that have been posted here, and have yet to be successful. But everytime someone nails it, it seems so obvious! I can't believe how frustrating (but fun!) this is. Thanks for helping a lowly beginner take his first steps, and keep up the great work!

Haven't seen anything like what you describe myself, but it sounds like what seems to be in the booklet "Judging a Japanese Blade" by Yasu Kizu. Anyone have this book who would care to comment? I'd be interested in finding something like Martin's describing myself. Considering buying this. I'll let you know what it's like if I do. It's available at http://www.satcho.com, 17 pages for $4.95.

NVM, answered my own Q. Stein's is correct (should I have doubted?). Signature appears on omote, side facing away from body. Makes sense to me.

Interesting. Nihonto.com has the exact opposite info. Anyone know for sure which is correct, and why? http://www.nihonto.com/abtglos.html

Actually, this made me wonder how gunto were typically signed (tachi vs. katana mei)? Considering they are mounted as tachi, I would think tachi mei would be the norm, is this not the case?

You mean the one posted in this topic? http://militaria.co.za/nihontomessageboard/viewtopic.php?t=781 Tachi mei refers to the side of the tang the signature appears on. "Katana mei" is signed on the side facing you if the blade is pointing up and the tip pointing to the left, "tachi mei" is the other side (as far as I know, feel free to correct me anyone). It relates to how tachi/katana were worn (blade up/blade down).

Hi Martin, There's a picture of such a form at the bottom of this page: http://www.nihontocraft.com/Nagamaki_Nihonto.html (FYI: this came from a google search for "kantei worksheet"; I think it's what you're looking for)

Wow! That's pretty cool, I had never seen it before (obviously). Thanks. Was this fairly common, or did only certain smiths make mune mei?

Hi folks, Just came across this on eBay, it appears to be some kind of mei on the nakago mune. Anyone seen this before? If so, do you have any examples that you can point at, or know which smiths may have used this?

Your new thread on this blade made me think of this. Just another sword that was on eBay with a similar mark on the tang to your blade: http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... &rd=1&rd=1 Look at the second pic of the tang

I believe that's the mune, no?

I'm going to guess hako/gunome or choji/gunome. Let's see what the experts say.

Definitely fake: plated/etched hamon, straight tip (instead of curved), numbers on habaki. My 0.2, but wait for more experienced answers, I'm a newb. Cheers, -steve r

If you think that's scary, check this out: http://www.arscives.com/bladesign/hybridpolish.htm /stever

Makes sense. Well then, all I'll say is, "search and you shall find."

Thanks for the feedback, folks. I second one of the questions from another member - what is it that tells you the blades are tired? The big one, to me, seems to have some spots that look like core steel, but not being that familiar with the look I'm not sure. What about the wak (o-wak?) I will say I'm not unhappy with the purchase, but I tend to agree, I think I did ok on the wak and let myself get sucked into paying a little much for the katana. I want to try to get them to someone who knows a lot more than I do, to take a look at them in person (as soon as I find them, heh) and let me know if either one could stand another polish, and find out as much as I can about them. BTW, the (gi)mei on the wak looks a lot better in person than in the photo on eBay, thankfully, but it's still kind of rough. Ah well. Cheers, /steve

Another one, lol! [link removed] Still, it looks nice. BTW, what's the deal with that other thread? Is posting eBay auction URLs an issue now for some reason? Cheers, /steve

Greetings, folks... Being an excited newbie to the world of nihonto, and unable to contain my desire to own one of these beautiful, historic works of art, I charged off and bought a couple of swords from eBay (stupid, I know). My next purchase will be much more carefully considered. Anyway, I just thought I'd post the auctions for comments, to find out just how stupid I was. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150059182534&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26satitle%3D150059182534%26fvi%3D1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150059232388&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26satitle%3D150059232388%26fvi%3D1 Both pieces are out of polish, but not horribly. There are a few weld flaws and a couple of small chips in the edge. There don't seem to be any fatal flaws, but the larger sword looks kind of tired (to my very inexperienced eyes). Any and all comments are welcome. Feel free to ask me any questions about the pieces. Thanks in advance, /steve