TAIOSON

Thank you Nobody for your kind help. I would never have figured this out. The more I scratch the surface of this whole nihonto thing and the very confusing Japanese written language the more I realize the inherent difficulty in this endeavor. The help of the experts is extremely appreciated. One final question of the group before I move to a new subject and item. Which books should I consider buying to aid me in determining just what I might have relative to these two swords I have. Hawley's Japanese Swordsmiths seems to be quoted quite frequently and I'm contemplating purchasing it but $160.00 is quite expensive for research on just two swords. Comments and recommendations are appreciated.

Thanks for the reply and info Brian. I think I will resize a bit smaller next go-round. This Kozuka is part of Wakazashi #1 that I will deal with later. I had not even noticed the hi until you mentioned it. Thanks! After scanning the forum it is obvious that there are a lot of very, very knowledgeable people here that comprise a vast knowledge base. Before finding this forum I was about to contact the Atlanta Japanese Consulate for help. No need now that all you great people are here. Thanks. :D Next post will be new topic for the current sword I'm having problems with. Richard R

Good Morning Members. Well after reading up on the "How To" section I will now attempt to post a couple of pix. I used Irfanview to resize so hope they are right. This is the Kozuka (or Gokatana attached to the Kozuka to be more correct) from one of the swords. I haven't gotten very far with deciphering the mei. The mei appears different from that on the sword tang which prompted my question about single vs multiple artists from yesterday. My efforts (guesses) to date: 1st kanji=Bishu, 5th kanji=Kune? and 6th=Mitsu. Haven't figured out 2 thru 4 yet. Any help is greatly appreciated. Richard R Not at all sure I've done this right. It looks to me like the pix are still on my computer and not attached to the post. What did I do wrong and how do I fix it.

Thanks for the signature reminder Stephen. I've changed my profile so maybe this time it will be right. New at posting on forums so bear with me and keep proding till I get it right. I'll start posting phots as soon as I think I've figured out how. From what I've seen so far a 270 kb photo is too large true?

Good Morning All. I recently discovered this forum after several years of trying to decipher mei on two Wakizashi swords passed onto me and my brother by my father. He came into possession of the swords shortly after the war was over when it became mandatory to turn in any arms to the occupation forces. Long story short he was handed three swords at different times by three individuals and brought them home. One he used like a machete for clearing brush (loud groans, moans and tears) and the other two he kept until passed on to us. These two are the ones I'm trying to find out more about. I've taken photos which I'll post at a later date in the hope that members of this forum will be able to help me decipher the mei and provide other details about the maker etc. One question of interest for the group, are all parts of a nihonto made by the one smith i.e. tsuba, tsuka, kozuka etc or are all made by different individuals? Thanks, a nubie.