Grey Doffin

Hi Nonito, Definitely an early, crude Chinese fake. Grey

Hi Dominic, David McDonald in Montana can make a handle for you. He can use your parts if you still have them or supply what is missing and he can wrap it also. He does very nice work. You should be able to find his contact in the links at the top of the NMB. A random tsuka bought off ebay is almost certain not to fit properly. Grey

I have this one on my site: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/tsuba-%26-kodogu/q717-shinsaku-iron-tsuba# If anyone knows the smith's name let me know please. Gre4y

Kiyomaro Taikan on my site: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b340-kiyomaro-taikan-nakajima-uichi There are other books on Kiyomaro; search the site for his name and you'll find them. Grey

Another possibility, and not saying this is the case; can't tell much from the pictures, is retemper, which often leaves a weak, indistinct hamon. Grey

Everything is relative. All else being equal, an ubu katana of 75 cm is better than a 68 cm, suriage katana but a flawless though shortened katana is better than an ubu katana with a bad defect. Grey

I can't think what this could be if not shintetsu. The blade looks to me to be very tired. Grey

Hi Steve, The sword is a real Japanese sword but, working with just a few pictures and the very brief description, there isn't much anyone could tell you about its quality, condition, or desirability. If you know and trust the seller you should ask him the questions. If you don't know or trust the seller you need a different seller. Beginners should be very careful about whom they deal with; there are many sharks in the water. Grey

Hi guys, Just listed an Omi Yari on my site; this is the last of the blades for now. Tonight or tomorrow I plan to get at a pile of kodogu: most are tsuba (a few are quite fiine) but I have 2 fuchi kashira, 2 kotsuka, and a pair of menuki also. Sales have been good. Thank you, Grey

Calling that polish kesho is being very generous; I would call it acid and ugly. Z, (give us your name please) ebay is a snake pit for beginners. You will do much better with proper guidance from a trusted dealer here in The States. Grey

Adam, One man's odd duck is another man's Common Booby. Best to watch my site. Grey

Find a rubber headed mallet and tap on the bottom of the handle to bring the blade back down inside the handle where it belongs. Then you might be able to push out the remainder of the peg or tap it out with a punch and hammer. If this works, be sure to make a new pin right away; the pin is very important. The hole is supposed to be slightly off center, handle to tang of the blade. When the peg is inserted it draws everything together tight. Grey

Hi guys, My business partner Mark Jones and I have recently taken in a large collection of swords and I have been listing some to my website. Yesterday I put up a fine Jumonji Yari (in polish) and I just finished listing a long katana (75.6 cm) with Tokubetsu Hozon paper, signed Echizen no Kami Minamoto Sukehiro (Tsuda Sukehiro). https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/swords/q682-long-katana-tsuda-sukehiro-tokubetsu-hozon And there is more to come: some very nice pieces (a large shinsakuto gifted to a Sumo star and a fine daito from the Bizen Kozori School with wonderful itomaki no dachi koshirae come to mind). All are in polish and most have papers. There are good swords for entry level (beginners) also: quality work that won't break the bank. If you have a minute have a look and please keep checking back; I'll be listing more in the next few days. Stay well, Grey

Fake, 100%. Grey

Scroll down for sword care and cleaning: https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ Grey

I don't think the scabbard is the problem and I see no reason why the blade can't be stored inside it (that's why you purchased the sword, right? So you can display it as a unit). I would make sure the inside of the scabbard is dry. Not likely it isn't but best to make sure. Leave the sword out of it for a few dry days; maybe place the scabbard in direct sunlight so it heats up to hasten drying. In the mean time, clean any loose rust particles from the blade with a cloth rag and apply a very light coat of machine oil (sewing machine or the other oils mentioned above) to the exposed blade (not the nakago). You can then put the sword back in its scabbard and no further damage should occur. You should remove the handle to make sure there is no active red rust on the nakago; let us know if there is and further advice will follow. If the scabbard is metal with a wood liner, it may be possible to remove and clean the liner. Let us know what type scabbard you have. Grey

Hi Charles, You have already good books for basics and appreciation. If you're looking for a book of oshigata to authenticate signatures, the best bang for the buck is probably Fujishiro's Nihon Toko Jiten: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b738-nihon-toko-jiten-fujishiro If you'd like pictures of great pieces with scholarship added, you could do a lot worse than Art of the Samurai by The Metropolitan Museum: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b475-art-samurai-metropolitan-museum There are so many fine books on tsuba and kodogu, it is hard to pick just one. You can browse my website books and if you see something that looks interesting feel free to ask questions. Cheers, Grey

We finally got a new roof last week and finishing up this week, which is the 1 thing that had to be done before the rebuild can start. It has been agonizingly slow progress but should be better now. Maybe back home this November or December. Thanks for asking, Grey

Scroll down for Care & Cleaning: https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ Grey

Ikkanshi Tadatsuna katana, ubu, in polish, papered, & in koshirae for just less than $10K. https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/swords/q655-papered-long-ubu-katana-ikkanshi-tadatsuna Cheers, Grey

Hi Charles, Please tell us what you want to learn from the books and we can do a better job of recommending titles. Are you interested in blades or fittings, Nihonto in general or a specific time or school. Grey

Hi Jim, Pretty sure this is an older blade put into mounts from WWII. No one will be able to tell you too much more about it from pictures; it needs to be seen in hand by someone knowledgeable and honest. The advice you were given to not try to clean or fix anything was right on; don't do it. Make sure you put the bamboo peg back in the handle when you put the sword back together; it is very important. Grey

Hi Malcolm, It could be a 2 piece pressure fit (tapered male & female join) but the slot in one side suggests a 2 piece threaded join. When you apply gentle persuasion, keep in mind that it can be either a right or left hand thread. Grey

Hi Xander, Nakago and tsuba in good condition shouldn't need oiling. The black patina is protective; it guards against rust. Grey

Hi ?, If I had to guess I'd say late koto or early to mid shinto but so much is unknown. Grey