Grey Doffin

Here's a neat trick for determining the age of kin zogan (gold inlay). When the inlay is done the gold and surrounding steel will be at the same height. With time, the steel corrodes and expands a tiny bit; gold doesn't corrode so it stays the original height. If you can't feel a very slight difference in the 2 metal's heights, you can assume that the zogan was done relatively recently. Grey

Avolow, I can second what Reinhard said about study; there are no short cuts to understanding. That said, I do have a guide to fakes on my ebay ME page that should help a bit with the more flagrant fakes you're likely to come across. You'll find the guide here: http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=greyguy0 Grey

Hi Rob, I'm sure also that way back a Samurai sword didn't come with shira-saya. The sword was bought as a weapon, to be used as a weapon, and mounted accordingly. Now, though, when you give a sword to a polisher you usually ask for shira-saya. Old, used sayas usually have dust, grit, or worse inside and reinserting the newly polished blade is asking for scratches. It is possible to split, clean, reglue and reuse an old saya (shira-saya for sure; not sure how easily this could be done to a lacquered saya). I've had this done when the old saya had an old and valuable saya-gaki. Another thread on NMB raised the question, "when did shira-saya first come into play?" I'd love to hear the answer. When high ranking Samurai of Edo time had more than one set of koshirae per blade, did they also have shira-saya for the blade? Any case, that's what I think I know. Anyone else think they know different? Grey

May I be so bold as to offer an even less expensive but just as genuine, communicative, and trustworthy source of tsuba: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5336 which are the 30 tsuba I have listed on NMB's for sale group. Grey

Hirotoshi. Grey

Hi Ed, The answer to all of your questions is to spend about 10 years in serious study; then you'll know how to do what you want. It won't be possible for someone at your level of expertise (judging by the questions you've asked; no offense meant) to properly catalog and appraise the collection. There are no short cuts to experience. You need help from someone both knowledgeable and honest. Best of luck. Grey

Ian, it is proof of exceptional versatility. Should you be walking through the dark woods and you're attacked by a brigand or 2, you have the sword to protect you. What's more, on that same stroll through the dark woods, if nature calls, you have paper. Grey

Here's a link to sword care and etiquette: http://www.nbthk-ab.org/Etiquette.htm Grey

I don't think we want to tell anyone to give a nakago a good cleaning. Traditional ink stone and paper oshigata aren't difficult and don't require messing with the nakago. There is no reason to use soot. Grey

I agree with Kunitoshi for the 1st oshigata. I haven't translated the others but I notice that they appear to have been made with the soot and cellophane tape method. This isn't good practice, as the soot will change the patina of the blade's nakago. Ink stone and fine paper do a better job and they do no damage to the sword. Grey

To my eye, the seppa-dai isn't off. I think the kotsuka hitsu-ana is what's making the difference. Grey

They have the signature on the blade wrong also. Reads Kane something. I have no idea why the semi circle cut out of the nakago; can't even think of a slightly plausible explanation. Someone please enlighten us. Grey

How about "Takeda Takatsugu Saku"? Might the seller be giving the Chinese reading of the Kanji? Grey

No blade worth collecting was ever machi-okuried to fit into an existing shira-saya; never happened. This sword is nothing you want to spend any money on. Grey

Hi Justin, San Francisco every August, Tampa, FL every February, and Chicago every late April, early May. Grey

Hi Joe, Appears to be a real Nihonto. Don't know anything about the smith; he might be the one in my index with a 1989 date. Picture 3 shows a close up of what might be a ha-giri (crack in edge) which would be a fatal flaw. Grey

Showa Arsenal stamp, signed Yoshi something. and dated Showa Ni Ju ..... I'm sure others will fill in the blanks for you. I'll tell you that you should waste no time in making a new mekugi for this sword. Without a mekugi to lock the blade in its tsuka, the blade can move down inside the scabbard and shatter its point. Grey

The nakago looks no earlier than Shin-Shinto, maybe even Meiji. The Bonji seems out of place to me. Sometimes horimono was placed to cover a defect in the blade. It looks like there is a patch of rough steel along side the Bonji; possibly there was a blister that needed to disappear. I could be wrong about this, and a nice looking piece regardless. Grey

Excuse me but this is getting nuts! We're supposed to be about preserving Japanese swords and we have this person with zero experience tapping on blocks of wood with rubber headed mallets and heating the habaki with a butane lighter? And towards what end? To get the habaki loose? And what good will that do anyone? Enough already! Leave the poor sword alone. All that is necessary to determine what Lori has is a good, in focus photo of the nakago. Grey

Yes. Grey

I agree, Joe. There are too many openings in some of the wrong places to justify the expense. What's more, no reason why the blade can't be enjoyed as is; the present polish is in good enough shape to show what there is to see. A common misconception is that polish is necessary to protect the blade; unless active rust is involved this isn't the case. Sometimes, and I believe this is one of them, well enough is best left alone. Grey (not too far from you, in Minnesota)

Ebay will tell you, and I agree with them, that they can't be checking each of the millions of auctions up at any given time to see which are legit and which are less so. And how would they know even if they were to try? I don't want some knucklehead at ebay deciding if my items are the real thing. What would be nice: if ebay let us search the world except for items located in specific countries. Wouldn't it be great to search "Japanese sword" located anywhere but China, Thailand, and Pakistan? Grey

Hi Peter, Other than shodai & nidai Kunisuke, Kunifusa and Nobuyori signed "Iwami no Kami" and made it into one of the references in my index. Nobuyori wouldn't match with the top of the last Kanji, but you might want to check Kunifusa. Grey

Do you know who polished this blade last? I'm wondering if what you're seeing as utsuri might not be an effect of the polishing process, which, for some reason I can't put my finger on, doesn't look right. I may be wrong about this; I'm often wrong and kantei from pictures isn't easy even for those who are often right, so please don't take offense. To answer your question, though. Utsuri and Bizen like hamon on a mid-Edo blade could point to one of the Ishido schools. Grey

Nothing has happened to this tanto; that's the way it was made. This dates to WWII, and quite a lot of this sort of thing were made then. Not sure what exactly their purpose/use was; side arm for officer or some other? Probably partially hand made out of tool steel with either an oil or water temper but no great art. You see them on ebay often, marketed as Japanese WWII suicide dagger. Grey