Grey Doffin

In the mean time, before either you fix the saya or send it to someone else, here is a simple, effective, and reversible fix that will do no damage You need masking tape and plain paper. Cut a strip of paper a bit wider than the tape and long enough to go once and a half around the saya. Wrap the paper around the saya a few inches below where you want the fix to end up. Tightly wrap the paper in masking tape. Now, slide the tape covered paper up the saya. Because the saya is larger the closer you get to the koi-guchi the paper will get tighter as it goes up. You may have to play with this a bit, make a try or 2 before you get it right, but you'll end up with a saya as tight as you want it. What's more, since the tape doesn't touch the saya it won't leave a residue when later you slide it down and get the saya fixed right. By the way, whenever you're shipping a sword it's not a bad idea to do this even if the saya isn't split. Sayas split easily if a package is dropped; this should help guard against that. Grey

Check out this sale on ebay, and be careful where you step. As my mother would say, he lies like a rug. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110150312192&indexURL=0&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting The sword was made yesterday in China. Grey

Sorry, you have it backwards. Wood shrinks when humidity drops and if a tsuka shrinks it will be tighter on the nakago. Thus a sword coming from humid Japan to dry winter will experience tightening of the tsuka, and saya on the habaki. This should reverse next summer. Over time, the wood will shrink a bit more than it rebounds, although if the wood was properly seasoned before the shira-saya was made this shouldn't be by much. By the way, the movement is only in 2 dimensions: thickness and width. The length doesn't change more than the tiniest bit. Grey, a furniture maker who lives where it gets bone dry in the winter and humid in the summer.

I realize that this is a mediocre wakizashi and not the end of the art world if it gets broken up. However, there is another angle to my concern that hasn't been considered. A Japanese sword in a saya without the handle, with or without a habaki, is vulnerable to breakage. The kissaki and edge are very easily broken/chipped if there is no tsuka with mekugi to anchor the blade. For this reason, if for no other, what the seller was up to was a mistake. The sales have ended. My guess is that either someone bought the whole works or the seller will relist in one sale. Either way I'm happy. Grey

A seller on ebay has listed a wakizashi signed, "Dewa no Kami Kuniyasu. You'll find it here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=001&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=110146781328&rd=1&rd=1 The sale is for the blade and saya only. If you check the seller's other items you'll find the tsuba at one auction, the kotsuka at another, and the tsuka and habaki at the last. I checked with the seller; yes, they all were originally together. Pity to see this piece broken up like that (not to mention the nuttiness of selling the habaki with the tsuka, not with the blade). I wrote to the seller asking him to reconsider, end the auctions and relist the whole. So far no luck. Maybe if a few of you guys agree that the piece should stay together you'll write the seller and maybe the wakizashi can be complete again. Grey

The seller says no one really knows the age of these swords. Sorry to disabuse him but I know the age. They were made tomorrow, in China. They are fakes. Grey

Gee, I thought you'd never ask. I'll sell it for $2,000 plus post & insurance. I have other pictures and specs on the blade; contact me directly: gdoffin(at)cpinternet.com if you're interested. Phone works also: 218-726-0395 US central time. Grey

Here is a picture of the menuki: Grey

No problem. The number on the mune of the nakago is 345, followed by an incredibly small Kanji. Grey

That wasn't what I was hoping for but at least you get to see the pictures. I've never seen the "W" mark at the top of the nakago. As you can see I'm missing the ishizuke at the bottom of the saya. If any of you have a spare I'd like to get one before I sell the sword Any info anyone can supply will be appreciated. Grey

Here are links to pictures of the sword: I'll try 2 to see if I've done this right. If so I'll post the rest. Grey

Doesn't seem right to me. Any one else think this might be a fake? Grey

(Edited) As for the question whether Gassan ever signed with 2 Kanji, Fujishiro, Koto-hen shows a piece with that signature. Other early Gassan pieces were signed "Gassan Saku" Grey

Just yesterday I picked up a gunto, signed, "Koa Issin Mantetsu" (Asia one heart, Manchurian steel). What's unusual about it is that the standard army Shin-Gunto mounts have been chrome plated: saya, ashi, koiguchi, sepa, tsuba, fuchi, kashira, and even the menuki. The chromed menuki are under intact, period tsuka-ito that shows appropriate age so I know this was done by the Japanese before the sword was surrendered. I've seen blades chromed in the US after the war but never one done before surrender (this blade isn't chromed; just the mounts). Have any of you seen this before? Any idea what it means? Thanks. Grey

My recommendation for a novice's first buy is books. Grey

Tiffany, Yes, the missing pin through the handle can be replaced and it should be replaced ASAP. Without a pin (mekugi) to constrain the blade in the handle, if the sword is dropped or bumped the blade can crash down inside the scabbard and shatter its tip in the scabbard bottom. It is also likely to fall out of the handle if you're drawing or looking at the blade. You can whittle a new pin from a bamboo chopstick. It doesn't have to be pretty or authentic but it does have to be there. Grey

I don't think that is mizukage and I'm not certain that the sword is more than a little suriage. The seller states that the blade is naginata-naoishi, a cut down naginata. In that case the original mekugi-ana would have been lost when the nakago was lopped off and the lower of the 2 mekugi-ana we see could be the ana that was put in when the blade was mounted as a sword. Rather than mizukage, the line at the ha-machi looks to me to be where oil wasn't completely wiped off. Yes, if it were mizukage I'd expect to see it on both sides and it should be at 45 degrees the other way. That said, the numerous grain openings are stronger evidence of retemper. The opening bid is higher than the sword is worth, I think. Best not to buy. Grey

The Norimitsu on Fred's site looks very nice, the paper should be good, it once belonged to a very sharp collector (Bob Lewert), and I agree that it should pass Tokubetsu Hozon if someone wanted to have it repapered. I won't comment on the price; that's for you to decide. One thing you need to ask yourself: do you want to own 2 Norimitsu wakizashi or would you rather have 2 pieces less similar? Grey

A little bit of trouble. Hard to fill in one of the forms because the cursor and screen disagreed about where they should be; otherwise it went well. However, once Darcy has it ready for everyone, you all need to buy a copy; this is a first class effort. Excellent articles about the history of Bizen-to and crisp photos & oshigata of some high end pieces. Also, a thorough write up of each piece. I'm a third of the way through it and I've learned tons already. Kudos to Darcy and Bob Benson for a job very well done. So, if you're serious about sword study, here is an impressive book at good price. Buy it. Grey

The sword is signed, "Bishu Osafune Sadamitsu" and dated, I think, "Kansho Roku Nen Hachi Gatsu Hi". That's a day in the 8th month of 1465. Grey

Hard to tell much from the pictures but it looks like the blade has seen a great deal of the polishing stones. It seems to narrow quickly above the ha-machi, an unnatural curve in the edge. I'd ask for a straight on shot of the blade with no habaki so you can see if I'm right. Grey

Fake or fantasy piece; doesn't look like true Nihonto to me. I don't think it has much age either. End of 20th or beginning of 21st century. Grey

So are we; post some pictures please. Grey

Just so everyone understands, never use Nevrdull or Noxon or any other type of polish or cleaner on the nakago of the sword. If there is active red rust on the nakago you can use a small amount of sword oil to stop its progress. Any other work to be done on the nakago should be left to a competent polisher. (Good idea for the rest of the blade also.) Grey

It looks to me like an arsenal stamp has been removed. If you see a depression in the nakago just above the mei there's a good chance the stamp (and evidence of WWII origins) has been removed and the nakago patinated to make it look older than Gunto. Grey