Grey Doffin

The picture right above this post shows kiri (horizontal with the blade upright) yasurime, unless my old eyes are failing me. Grey

The signature is definitely a forgery and the yasurime (file marks are wrong also. I wouldn't expect the blade to be anything special. It shouldn't be worth much. Grey

Guess you knew that. The closest match in Fujishiro's Koto-hen is listed as Kanemoto, Kodai. Kodai means unknown later generation, I believe. The nakago definitely looks Seki, but later than Sue-Koto. Hope this helps. Grey

Kanemoto.

I have a group index of over 50 Japanese sword references (all the major and quite a few minor) and sorry to say that Sadanobu is included in none of them. The only Sadanobu that made it into the index signed "Bishu Onomichi Ju Goami" and has a date of 1494. Grey

The NBTHK/American Branch has a thorough care and etiquette brochure on line that discusses oiling technique. You will find it here: http://www.nbthk-ab.org/Etiquette.htm Take care, Grey

My guess would be Bishu. Grey

And don't ever use a fake for cutting practice. They can shatter and send pieces flying. Grey

I can also recommend Yumei Koto Taikan by Iimura. It covers Koto only, but is available in the $400 range. Shinto Taikan, also by Iimura is a good reference for Shinto and Shin-shinto Taikan finishes off the set. Few of us can afford to buy all the great books at once; buying any one of the above would be a good start on a library. Grey

The mei reads, "Inouye Shinkai". He was a big name in early Shinto times, so gimei is always a possibility. Good luck. Grey

I vote Chinese fake. Grey

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I don't think there is any doubt about this being aikuchi; it definitely is. Looks very nice. Grey

Something I've wondered for a while: those fake Japanese swords on ebay, the ones that were supposedly made by Chinese slaves, when & where & for what purpose were they made? I don't believe the slave story, I never saw one till I 1st logged onto ebay, they all have the same amount of dirt and corrosion which tells me they must be artificially aged: they've got to be fakes. But why would someone/some company go to all that trouble to make something that looks nothing like the original? Can any of you enlighten me? I'd appreciate it. Grey

To my knowlege the article doesn't exist in digital form. Barry Hennick is our (JSS/US) web master; Barry, can you help here? Grey

Chris Leung wrote an excellent article on the subject of habaki schools and traditions that appeared in the December, 2005 (Volume 37, #6) "Newsletter" of the JSS/US. Grey

This 1st sold on ebay for $16,000. It was then resold on ebay for $12,000. Since then I've seen it offered twice on ebay, both times with a note to contact the seller directly and buy it for $1,000. This is an obvious scam. The crook has hijacked someone else's ebay account and is using it to list pictures and description of the sword he doesn't have (he copied the pix and words off the 2nd legitimate sale). Any time you see a sword offered on ebay, with a note to contact the seller and buy it direct, you can figure it's a scam. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "Report this item". Naxt, hit "Listing policy violations", "Circumvention of ebay fees", & "Offering merchandise for sale outside of ebay". Then you can email the item # to ebay and shut down the jerk. Grey

Sorry about that; they don't have next year's show up yet. The dates are February 9th through the 11th, 2007, and the location is the Tampa Airport Marriott. Grey

Ed, You will find information about next February's show at the Tampa Airport hotel at the Florida Token Kai's website here: http://www.floridatokenkai.com/index.html Grey

I recommend joining all, not much help in choosing I'm afraid, but I can tell you what each one gets you. The Japanese Sword Sword Society/ US gets you 6 Newsletters a year, 40 to 50 pages each. We also have a by mail lending library for books that may or may not be up and running now, and the same for sword related videos. Also, your membership helps pay for translation and publishing of Japanese texts (like the new Sue-Koto book just out). The Florida Token Kai publishes 2 or 3 times a year. Current volumes are reprints of the NBTHK's English journal, "Token Bijutsu", the best information in English on the sword. Northern California Japanese Sword Club publishes a monthly newsletter, "To Ron", which is usually between 20 and 30 pages. Your membership helps to stage the San Francisco sword show every August (same for Florida and the Tampa show in February). NBTHK American Branch gets you 12 issues of "Token Bijutsu" in Japanese, with a partial translation available on line. It also gets you membership in the Japanese (main) branch and access to their shinsa services. Members get free and advance entrance to the special displays they've been putting on at the 3 shows in the US and a members only display and Kantei session at 2 of those shows. Those are the ones I belong to, and recommend wholeheartedly. Perhaps someone else can write about the NTHK and any other organization I'm not familiar with. Grey

What I meant by 'shucking and jiving' was trying to get around a UPS policy by telling them less that the whole truth about what is being shipped. I was not implying that to do so would be dishonest; I was implying that to do so would be foolhardy. If someone wants his sword insured, no questions asked in case of a claim, he needs to tell the insurer exactly what is being insured. Sorry if someone took offence; no offence was intended. Grey

If you had to make a claim for loss or damage with UPS, could they not say, "You didn't tell us this was a sword. We don't insure swords so we don't owe you a cent."? I'd rather not find out the hard way that I'm not covered. If you want to be insured, rather than shucking and jiving with the people at UPS, I think you should purchase insurance that you know will cover you. Grey

Sorry, the limit for insurance to Japan, for any mail service with the USPS, is $5,000. If more than that is required you might be able to purchase it with a private insurance company. Collectibles Insurance Agency in Westminster, MD, 888-837-9537, was recommended in an earlier posting on this board. I've had no experience with them. Grey

Look also at: JSS/US , volume 23, # 2, pgs. 7 & 23. Shinto Taikan, volume 1, pgs 758 & 788. Nihonto Zuikan, Shinto-hen, pg. 390. Nihon-to Jiten, pg. 241. and Zuikan Tomei Soran, pg. 423. Grey Thanks Grey. but I dont have any of those sorry except fo rthe Fujishiro's, I have less sword books and more fittings books. Ri ch

Mark Wallberg is great to deal with; bid away. Grey