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Thank you Morita-san. Gendaito, then? This sword belongs to a friend who asks me to help with mei translation, which proved too tough for me Regards, Hoanh

Thank you Gabriel. This one has got me stumped. Regards, Hoanh

Hi Gabriel, Thank you! That is a tough one for me. I still don't see Mihara, but see only Hara. What am I missing? Your guidance is much appreciated. Regards, Hoanh

Hi, I am having a very hard time with this mei. Please help! I think I am seeing: Tanshu Ju Moto(?) Masamune Saku. Regards, Hoanh

No, not correct. If it's declared gimei, the shinsa team will not make any further determination. You need to remove mei and resubmit. Hoanh

Josh, You are very welcome. Regards, Hoanh

Not unless we see better, focused, close up pics of the blade. Hoanh

Josh, Nah, I wouldn't sweat it if I were you. You have a real nihonto. That's what really counts. Hoanh

Josh, The sword is, without a doubt, real. The tsuba is in question, though. I would lean Mariusz's way and say the tsuba is fake. But, given the state of the entire koshirae, I would just leave the tsuba alone, if I were you. If you decide you want to invest $2500-$3000 in a new polish, then spend another $450 to have new shirasaya made for it. If you don't want to invest such a large sum of money on this sword, then I would leave it as is and enjoy it for what it is. Or, you could let it go back into the wild and continue looking. My 2-cents. Regards, Hoanh

James, It seems that I emailed Bob just at the time he answers his email - your lucky day. Here is the message I received from Bob. I hope the email is not the one that bounced back on you. Regards, Hoanh

Josh, Tsuba are not one-size-fit-all. A different tsuba will have to be fitted and depending on its thickness compare to the current tsuba, a new hole may have to be made on the tsuka... Hoanh

James, I just sent Bob Benson an email to get John Tirado's contact info for you. When I get a reply, I will post it for you. May take a couple of day as Bob seems to answer his email only once per day. Regards, Hoanh

Dear James, I, too, wish you well. In the 12 months, I have had two daito shirasaya made by John Tirado, and each time I was charged $450. I don't if prices have gone up recently. I hope this info helps. Regards, Hoanh

Jean, Yes, I promise to do so as soon as I get the sword back from Bob. Regards, Hoanh

Adam, After doing my due diligence, I gambled with the signature and the condition of the sword from photos. It turns out the signature was good, and what looked like serious openings are just oxidation. The sword has no forging flaw at all and is in fresh polish and new shirasaya. It made my wait and cost worthwhile. My thousands spent on reference books and countless hours of studying are all worth it. The books paid for themselves already. Regards, Hoanh

Josh, Your second picture is upside down. Edit: Much better now! Hoanh

Hi all, Just a revisit to this old thread. I had the sword polished and submitted to shinsa by Bob Benson. I just received an email from Bob today - the sword did receive NBTHK Hozon. So, the signature and the work are deemed consistent and genuine. It will be a while before I get both the sword and the appraisal. When I do, I'll post more pictures. Bob told me it's an absolutely gorgeous sword and very good work. Can't wait! Edit: I was a bit nervous since the nagasa is 27" - quite a bit longer than the standard 25" Yasukiro daito seem to be, but all turned out well. Regards, Hoanh

Hi All, I just listed a mumei wakizashi on ebay. Please take a look. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 1103089928 Regards, Hoanh

I'm pretty sure the hamon would be classified as notare midare, judging from the pics. In the last pic you posted, the boshi is midare - a continuation of the hamon. This points to a koto sword. It's a very nice sword in good polish. Congrats! Edit: Torokusho is just a legal registration of the sword in Japan. It won't have any useful information such as hamon type, hada type, school/attribution. For those details, you would have to research on your own, and if you are so inclined, send the sword to shinsa afterward to see if your research is hot/warm/cold. Hoanh

Notare midare, I think. It's a bit hard to tell without more close up pics. Hoanh

May be Koto Bizen blade? Nanbokucho jidai? Hoanh

Chad, Here is a link in this forum on what to look for with regard to fake swords. http://jssus.org/nkp/fake_japanese_swords.html Besides the literal inscription itself and the poorly shaped nakago, the way the kanji is marked on the nakago is another telltale sign. On true nihonto, the mei is chiseled onto the nakago. No metal is actually removed in this chiseling process. One can clearly see the high ridges from the valleys in the kanji as metal is "pushed" out of the way with the chisel. When the mei is inscribed with a dremel tool, metal is actually removed and one does not see these characteristic high ridges in the kanji. I don't know if I am making it clear or am just rambling on, but do take a look at various mei examples on this forum and you will see what I mean. Hope this helps in some small way. Regards, Hoanh

Chad, Looking at the poorly shaped nakago and the inscription on the tang, I would guess it's a Chinese fake. Regards, Hoanh

George, It's much better, but I still can't read the 2nd kanji. Hoanh

George, The first kanji looks to be naga, but I can't see the second kanji. You might want to chalk the mei with baby powder or flour and give it another try. Regards, Hoanh