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Guido, beautiful sword and beautiful pictures. Thank you. Regards, Hoanh

Paul, thank you for your comment. It's very helpful, not at all confusing. Andreas, thank you for sharing the oshigata and info. It looks like a wonderful sword. The boshi is an annoyance, but not atypical for swords of that era. Wish I could see close up pictures... It looks like my question came 10 years too late Regards, Hoanh

Thank you John. I do have that book but forgot to crack it open. Terrible me Will do so right away. Hoanh

Thank you Patrick for the most excellent info. That is very illuminating. Regards, Hoanh

Hi, I have been reading up on Bishu Osafune Masamitsu, and here is what I have found so far: 1. Hawley listed two generations of Masamitsu, but Fujishiro thinks they are one and the same. 2. Masamitsu was a student of 2nd generation Kanemitsu. 3. Fujishiro ranks Masamitsu as Josaku. 4. Nihonto Koza has 1 tanto and 1 kodachi of Masamitsu's. 5. Nihonto Zuikan has 1 sword by Masamitsu. I have been a little baffled because there is so little I can dig up on him compared to other smiths of the Kanemitsu school who were his contemporaries, given that he ranks Josaku and swords by him have gone Juyo. Also, I read somewhere that technically, Masamitsu is not considered part of Kozorimono. However, I have seen (picture only) a NPO-NTHK shinsa worksheet listing him as "Kozori Bizen Masamitsu," and the actual certificate says "Den Bishu Osafune Masamitsu" (mumei sword). I would appreciate any information you have on Masamitsu, his extant works and their desirability, etc. Regards, Hoanh

Reuben, Josh is correct about this sword having been listed on ebay. Here is the link http://www.ebay.com/itm/151038934472?ss ... 1423.l2649 The ebay listing indicated Mt. Vernon as the location, and this is consistent with the Craglist posting. I think it's legitimate, not a scam. But, as Jean points out, the description is not entirely honest/accurate. Hoanh

James, I'm am a beginner with iron tsuba, but your tsuba doesn't look Akasaka. It looks to have some Shoami influence and some Kyo Sukashi influence, and looks older than mid-Edo. I like it - very nice tsuba! Regards, Hoanh

Arnold, Excellent point! Hoanh

David, This is a tough one and I'm not yet sufficiently knowledgeable - not a good combination. It could go Shoami or Owari, but I'll lean Shoami just because the iron doesn't seem to be at the level of Owari iron. School: Shoami Period: Mid Edo Motif: Matsukawabishi Regards, Hoanh

Christian, If you see that, too, then I feel relieved (no punt intended). I'm not a deviant after all. Regards, Hoanh

Christian, I don't see it at all...I must confess that to me, it just looks like the frog/toad is taking a dump under the crescent moon. I'm sorry, but I don't see anything else. Regards, Hoanh

Alex, Check on ebay (where else?). They are cheap, and 1 or 2 pieces of small antlers will last you a very long time. I have an extra piece I can give you for free. If you wish, PM me your mailing address and I'll mail a piece to you. Regards, Hoanh

Alex, Not meaning to beat a dead horse, but Mariusz is a very nice gentleman who has always given good advice. In an event, Just to be sure we are on the same page, there is no antler horn spray. What you need to do is purchase actual antlers, and physically rub the antler on the surface of the tsuba to slowly remove the red rust without harming the patina. Regards, Hoanh

Bob, Frankly, it worries me. It doesn't take much to replace the oshigata. Regards, Hoanh

Kama sutra motif Hoanh

Marc-Andre, Get these two books first: The connoisseur's book of Japanese sword. (on your list) Facts and Fundamentals of Japanese Swords by Nakahara (currently not on your list). Look on ebay and you will find them for about $100+shipping. Welcome to NMB! Regards, Hoanh

Barry, I second your motion! Hoanh

Mark, Yes, I was looking at relative mei placement to the top mekugi ana. It doesn't look right - too much spacing on your example compared to the rest of the papered swords. It's just a hunch on my part. Regards, Hoanh

Mark, The signature looks OK, but its placement relative to the mekugi ana isn't right. See the examples below. Edit: Here is also a papered example on nihontoantiques.com http://nihontoantiques.com/fss531(papers).jpg Regards, Hoanh

Agreed, plus the chippy mei, but can't leave any rock unturned. Hoanh

Hi Ozzy_the_samurai, Please sign all of your posts. Your sword is really in mint condition. Kanenori is correct. It was made in January 1943 (18+1925). Can we please see some close up, focused pictures of the hamon? We are looking for possible activities in the hamon, specifically the presence of nie. Regards, Hoanh

What the guy in the video did (concrete block cutting) is pretty ... vulgar as far as martial arts go. Brute force with (seemingly) no mental discipline. Hoanh

This guy is an odd duck. I did inquire about the sword last week, and he said he would consider offers over $10k. But, get this, if you purchase a web domain from him for a car dealership, he would throw in the sword for free. I guess he is hoarding potentially valuable domain names and is trying to unload them, undoubtedly at outrageous prices Hoanh

I would guess it's a WW2 piece. I can still see number 52 on the left side of the nakago ana. Hoanh

I dunno guys. It could be Dragon and Tiger, but the way the two figures intertwine, I just don't feel it's cut-and-dry. The dragon and the tiger, in Asian cultures in general, represent supremacy in heaven and on earth, respectively. As I understand it, the dragon is regal, wise, and intellectual. The tiger is fierce with indomitable strength and spirit. But, they represent different spheres of influence and different qualities, for lack of better expression - the dragon reigns supremacy in the heavens and the tiger on earth. So, the dragon is the emblem of the royal family and the tiger usually the emblem of military commanders of the highest rank (at least in the Chinese and Vietnamese cultures). In depictions of struggles between Dragon and Tiger, I would think they represent power struggles between the Emperor and his military. I would be hard pressed to think of a situation, from a historical point of view, when the Dragon and the Tiger would be so intertwined and harmonious as depicted in Mike's menuki. Personally, I don't think they are Dragon-Tiger, but Dragon and something else. Don't know what, though. I am probably way off course here, so, shoot me down... Hoanh