Grey Doffin

Hi Pete, The hassle of international shipping is that you have to fill in a customs form; takes about a minute. Otherwise shipping international is about the same as shipping anywhere else: you take it to the post office, pay the price, and you're done. Grey

Bruce, I don't think hiro works. There are only 6 kanji with radical 10 and 2 extra strokes and moto is the only one that makes sense in this context. Mike, I'll leave it to those who know more about the military swords to answer the silver plate question. Grey

Hi Ozymay (if that isn't your name please let us know what is), Best guess is this was put together sometime no earlier than Meiji (late 19th century) and maybe as late as 1950, to sell to western tourist or the occupation force as a souvenir. The mounts are way too low end for a real samurai sword. If I'm correct, there won't be much to gain from removing the handle; what's underneath isn't very exciting. The blade is either glued in or a friction fit and attempts at removal risk damage. Where abouts in Minnesota? NMB is overrun with us lately. Cheers, Grey

Hi Mike, The sword is dated Showa Ju Go Nen Hachi Gatsu Hi (Showa period, 15 year, 8 month day. Or: a day in August of 1940.) The signature is Masa and then all I can think of for that 2nd character is Moto (odd way to write Moto; I may be mistaken). Masamoto, if I'm correct, is the smith's working name. Now go whittle a new pin. Grey

I wouldn't polish the mirror. Anything more aggressive than mild soap & water is likely to remove plating and might decrease value. If you need to see what you look like there's probably a better mirror in your bathroom. Grey

Be sure to replace the pin. Without a pin, the blade can fall out of the handle and shatter its point on the floor or slide down inside the scabbard and shatter its point in the scabbard bottom. Either way you just lost a lot of money. Grey

Hi, name please, Here is a care and handling brochure you should read: http://nbthk-ab.org/cleaning-maintenance.php If the pin in the handle is missing, be sure to replace it ASAP. The point (kissaki) of your sword appears to be longer than usual for Shin Gunto; there is a chance your blade is older than the mounts. A good picture of the tang (nakago) should tell us. Pelican Rapids in Minnesota? I spent summers as a kid on Pelican Lake. Cheers, Grey

The new board is working well but I do have 2 thoughts. I think having to confirm that I want to mark a forum as read is unnecessary (and annoying); I can't imagine clicking Mark As Read by accident. And -- this one has been with me for a long time -- I wish the ENTER NMB page said "I agree to the terms below" rather than "I agree to the below terms". And if neither of these happen, somehow I'll survive. Thanks, Grey

In my humbled opinion: On this tsuba the design is partially on the seppa-dai. There are 2 types of tsuba where this is expected: Very late Edo/ Meiji pieces made by top quality kinko artists who were working largely for a western, tourist audience because the Japanese market for swords and kodogu had dried up, and modern fakes. This tsuba isn't one of those in the 1st category. I know this is a great generalization and there are exceptions to every rule but, in this case I think I'm right; this is a stinker. Grey

Hi Mike, Bishu Osafune Sukesada and Yoshinaga, I think. Grey

Hi Scott, Not an expert but the Kanji on your sword read Katsumitsu, which is the sword smith's name. Can't see a lot from your pictures but I can tell you that the sword predates WWII, maybe by a lot. This is a traditionally made Samurai sword and should be handled carefully. Here's a care and etiquette brochure you should read: http://nbthk-ab.org/cleaning-maintenance.php I'm in the States also. If you have questions you'd like answers for feel free to call. Best, Grey Doffin 218-726-0395 central time

Hi Joe, The better Choshu tsuba have a blue tint to the iron, which it appears to be the case with this one. There is a spot of rust at 10:00 in your picture; a bit of fussing with antler/ivory should improve this and is well worth the effort. Grey

Hi Mike, To answer your question about which wood to use for shirasaya, you want something with a low acid content. This leaves out oak, which is known for its tannic acid. I think you'd want to work with something a bit softer than a dense hardwood like oak or maple and straight grain will make the work easier. You also want to use a glue that won't tarnish the blade or cause problems if any squeezes into the cavity during glue up. Glue made from sticky rice is the traditional answer. Grey

Hi guys, Markus Sesko came to the rescue with a translation. See it and more (maybe better) pictures of the piece here: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/tsuba-%26-kodogu/f208-special-order-kotsuka-okikazu-spectacular-dragon Thank you all, Grey

Thank you John, I also have a problem with that 2nd kanji; it doesn't appear in the dictionary. Does anyone know what it is? Grey

Hi Guys, May I have romaji and translation for the gold inlay and mei on this kotsuka? It will be for sale. Thank you, Grey

Hi Mike, The mei is Jumyo. It is a real sword but not even close to being worthy of restoration; don't spend any more money on it. Learn what you can from it and then try to move up to something in much better condition. Grey

And if one of the polishers is in San Francisco and it is not Jimmy Hayashi (who is a classically trained polisher and who does excellent work), don't go there. There is an organization in San Francisco that advertises restoration but they have a well deserved terrible reputation. Grey

Hi Phil, Best guess is that this is the end of a broken sword repurposed after WWII to sell to members of the Occupation Forces. No real tanto is ever shinogi zukuri; that is an easy clue. Grey

Thanks Brian, I'm in. Grey

I am unable to log in using my name and the password I've had for years. I think I'm able to post this because I created a new account as Icant Getin. I have run into so many dead ends; so very frustrating. The procedures necessary to accomplish just this simple post were so needlessly complicated. Mark Jones has the same problem. Can anyone set me straight? If you send an email to grey at japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com I'll be sure to see it. Thanks, Grey Doffin

Hi Kubur, The Art of the Japanese Sword by Kaap & Yoshihara is very good at telling you, with tons of pictures, how Nihonto are made, polished, and mounted. Out of stock on my site but you should be able to find a copy someplace. https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b964-art-Japanese-sword-kapp-%26-yoshihara Grey

Hi Adam, I don't currently have a copy to offer but I am in the Nihonto book business and I've been told by customers in the UK that there is no import duty on books. Are you sure you have that right? Grey

Hi Niall, You would be doing yourself a huge favor if you didn't get either sword polished now. If you decide to study and collect Japanese swords and if one or the other of these swords is deemed worthy of the time and expense of polish and if at that point you decide that this is the sword you want to make the effort on, then have it polished. Right now you don't know enough to make an informed decision. Take some time to learn before you start throwing money at a project that might not make sense. Polish does nothing to preserve the sword; a light coat of oil does that. Go slow Grasshopper. Here is a care and handling brochure you should read: http://nbthk-ab.org/cleaning-maintenance.php Best, Grey

What Mark said. Grey