Grey Doffin

Brian Tschernega lives in the Seattle area and he can do the work. Grey

Maybe shinshinto or later but could be earlier. As you say, not much to go on. Grey

Kanekado. Grey

I agree with Stephen; for things of value within the US it has to be registered mail from the post office. Beyond what Stephen said, if the package spends a night in a post office it has to be in a safe. And it isn't expensive. I'm about to ship a large tube with 5 swords and some boxed fittings to the east coast. 10 pounds and $20,000 on value will be about $108 with full insurance. Registered can't get lost; as my guy at the PO says, "If you lose registered you lose your job." Grey

What Uwe said except: the sword is signed on the wrong side of the nakago (tang). No wakizashi should ever be signed on this side so I think we can assume that the signature is a fantasy. Grey

The tsuba is signed Kunihiro, I believe. Grey

Hi Steve, Noshu Masuda Kanetaka Saku (made by Masuda Kanetaka of Noshu). The paint is the number 388. Grey

Hi Ron, What John said and: your shirasaya is the best protection for the blade so you want to keep it there, which means that you can go ahead and buy an older koshirae that you can display next to your blade in shirasaya but never try to put the blade in the koshirae. This is far less expensive than having koshirae built to fit your blade, which means you can get better quality koshirae than you would have been able to afford had you built the koshirae to fit. Grey

I apply oil with a piece of facial tissue (paper). I remove oil 1st with another piece of tissue, to get the most of it, and then with microfiber. Grey

Hi Rocky, Normally, but there are exceptions, the mei would face forward when the sword is worn on the hip. Grey

Whenever I see a sale of a sword with the pin missing I always contact the seller and tell him or her to make a replacement and why it is important. If I save one Nihonto it is worth the effort. Grey

Hi Jon, To my eyes and in my opinion, maybe a tiny bit tired (see the dark spots in the 1st picture) but not much. Looks to be a very nice sword. Grey

Hi Erwin, The side on picture you just posted does show the sori; it isn't as pronounced as the earlier picture made it look. Of course, retemper is always a possibility but, this sword could be OK. If you decide to purchase you should ask for a 3 day inspection with right to return if necessary. Cheers, Grey

Hi Erwin, Can't be sure from the few pictures you've posted but the sori may be unsually deep. While some very early Nihonto had this sori, most I've seen outside of museums are later blades that have been retempered. A side on picture of the whole blade without mounts may be helpful. Grey

Hi Richard, Your handle needs to be reglued and it should be done as traditional, with rice glue. And, because the sword is in danger of damage without the handle and pin through the hole to lock the blade in place, you shouldn't wait too long to have the work done (it won't be expensive). Too much typing to discuss your options for this. If you want to give me a call sometime I'll talk you through it. Grey 218-726-0395 central time.

Hi Richard, Agreed to Kanemitsu and scroll down on this link for care & cleaning: https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ Grey

Hi Georg, No idea which smith signing with these characters for Masatoshi this is; sorry. I do know that he isn't found in any of the references included in The Index of Japanese Sword Literature, so, short of a shinsa and I wouldn't expect much from that, you won't be able to learn much. Grey

Hi Ken, I agree; most museums are graveyards for Nihonto. But there was one exhibition at a museum in the US that was most impressive: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b475-art-samurai-metropolitan-museum 18, I think, Kokuho (National Treasure), including the O-Kanehira. That was a spectacular show. Grey

If I may, I'd like to suggest a change in approach. Those of us who could easily see the sword as a fake were able to do so, not because we have memorized a list of rules (the kanji shouldn't be too spread out, for example), but rather, because we have looked at so many of the real thing. Once you set a rule that says no real Nihonto have wide spread kanji in their mei, some sword will pop up with atypical spacing and prove you wrong. However, once you have looked closely at 1,000 true Nihonto, either in hand or in a good book, you will never be fooled by a sword like the one up top. Study Grasshopper. Grey

The mei is, I believe, Masatoshi. Grey

Hi Jeff, Here is a care and cleaning brochure: https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ scroll down to find it. We won't be able to tell much from pictures alone; the sword needs to be seen in hand by an honest person with knowledge. Where in the States do you live? Maybe there will be someone nearby. Best, Grey

Hi Anders, Speaking only for myself and my website, I accept either form of paypal (although friends is always appreciated), personal or bank checks, bank wire transfer, and am willing to try something else if the customer requests it. I usually have payment in full before I ship but I do allow my customers to make time payments to ease the pain of an expensive item. Cheers, Grey

Hi Arnold, You say you want to buy an original sword; if so, you need to buy only from a dealer you can trust 100% or you need to study first (and, shy of getting lucky, those are the only options you have). The fact that you are asking about such an obvious fake tells us you are a beginner. There is nothing wrong with that; we all have been there ourselves, but as a beginner you need either very good advise or a whole lot more knowledge than you currently possess. Otherwise you will run out of money quite quickly. Grey

Hi Michael, This needs to be done by someone with proper knowledge/training; I'm nearly 50 years a furniture maker and I wouldn't take this on. You could approach John Tirado, Brisn Tsernega (sure I spelled that wrong), or send it to Bob Benson (check links above). Grey

Hi Seth, You don't really want to get this sword polished; it would be a mistake to do that now (if ever). Imagine we are talking about poker, not swords. You have just learned what playing cards are and you're wondering how to sign up for the World Series of Poker. Read, study, ask questions, but don't be in a hurry. There is nothing you can do with Japanese swords today that you won't be able to do later and with more knowledge. If you'd like to ask a bunch of questions feel free to call sometime. I am not an authority but I have been at it for nearly 40 years and will help where I can. Grey 218-726-0395 US central time