Bungo

Pete, I found the name in one of the many Goto charts, son or grandson of of some masters.... here's the e-bay link if anyone is interested in the kogai, the workmanship is quite fine. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0301414662 milt

did you " lift that pic " off me ? ( 4th from top ) http://www.esnips.com/web/ukiyo-e?docsPage=6#files more teppo pic............ ( third from top ) http://www.esnips.com/web/ukiyo-e?docsPage=7#files milt

I go by the seller's description...... milt

well, nothing is 100 % but we do see a lot of sukashi tsuba of similar design without the " plugs ". Now, OTOH, here's one where the shakudo plug IS integral to the original design. Milt

" In the first pic of the tsuba, are there remains of a signature? " nope. milt

From the Akasaka book ( # 20 , page 11 ), the mimi looks a bit " rounder " than this example............. but I think this is Edo period, just not sure if it can be attributed to any specific maker, so i call it Akasaka tsuba, school work. milt

Now if we move the hamachi up by a few mm............" technically " it's not a hagiri. milt

8.42 cm x8.30 cm x 0.50 cm looks like a famous Akasaka design ............ copy ? milt

" Ooh i so dislike it when people photograph swords with the Habaki still on! Not that they have something to hide, but well i just dont like it because it leaves a lot out.. KM " http://www.esnips.com/web/nihonto?docsPage=1#files and the answer at............ http://www.esnips.com/web/nihonto?docsPage=2#files P.S. I bought the tanto for the koshirae( the tanto was a uniform grey with no visible hade/hamon except heavy rust under the habaki ), now has the best looking tsunagi ( spelling ? ), you agree ? milt

Lanes Armoury ................... Is that the same shop I post pic previously with " matching " pole arms ? milt

Need help to locate " shoshin " mei sample to compare with this............... he's ( Goto Houjyo ) one of those descendants of branch families, listed in one of the many Goto family geneology charts but I don't have that " big thick Goto " book to have an actual example to compare. p.s. that's not my hand p.p.s. I think it's gimei ( the kakihan < spelling ? > looks " weak " , just a gut feeling ) milt

KM, wouldn't the condition only show " when " the cutting down was done ? OTOH, I do see the very end of the nakago appears to be " older " here's 3 pics. Milt

more pics milt

I just found out 10:30 AM slanting sunlight makes sword pic taking " easier ". I can actually get some hada detail without the flash that " whites out " everything. This is another O-suriage katana I have for years that needs polish . People have commented on the " slight curve " of the nakago ( like it's really cut down a lot ). Any opinion is welcome............ no, Bungo is extremely unlikely. milt

I believe I posted a similar sukashi tsuba I sniped off e-bay at a very low price and Ford actually like it ( judging from the pics and somehow the messages went AWOL after the crash of the servers ). An update..................... it's a CAST modaqn copy . I have since returned and get a refund , all I lost is the shipping charge and a reminder that, quoting Hill Street Blues, " let's be careful out there ". Milt

BUNGO for 69 % of mumei O-suriage Quoting T.E. Lawrence .............it is written. MIlt

" and if any of you guys looking for killer deal on killer item, you sould check this out: http://cgi.ebay.com/Katana-Sword-Unknow ... 286.c0.m14 " ...................... actually this is one of the " better " documented sword. The certificate indicated the starting date of manufactured being Jan. 3rd, 2006 and completion date as April 30th, 2006. so the date is not " unknown " milt

" Many had a corner of the paper and scene missing so I had to sacrifice the really tatty parts and patterns of the very worst print in order to make new corners for the better ones... they actually look really good when I make colour/color photocopies from them!!! " ............................. that's how some of the galleries " fixed " them too !! milt

nice web site....... do you own those 8 ronin prints ? Good condition !! p.s. perhaps you might be interested in my print collection..... http://www.esnips.com/web/ukiyo-e?docsPage=3#files milt

yoshihisa, late Edo/meiji kinko, quite famous. milt

just bought this......... competing bidders were " thrown off " by the scroll ends which are plastic ( they may have thought it's a print ). Actually it's a full size painting from an old screen ( I have quite a large number of screen paintings )remounted in present days. The painting itself is early/early mid 1800's. A good way to tell ( that's it's not a print ) is the claws which have " gofun " paint ( made from oyster shell ? ) to highlight the scales. And the genuine worm holes sealed the deal.......... milt

Secret AGENT mAN, MO thinks it's a koto Bizen................. milt

http://www.nihontoantiques.com/ scroll to far right, then you see a devastatingly handsome dude polishing a sword, below is pics of before and after pic of my sword. Click and see................. p.s. I notice he's doing tsuka wrapping, that's new.............. milt

it's like Coke or Pepsi. Not going to change any mind here................... milt

" One is a copper Naval tsuba with what was described as a bullet mark to the Mimi. " looks like a cold sore to me................ is that a " repair " with filler ? I once had a ww2 gunto with clearly a bullet wound to the top part of the nakago and it doesn't look anything close to the example of the second pic. milt