Grey Doffin

Sorry but I have to disagree. I wouldn't use steel wool of any grit on any tsuba and certainly not on one with shakudo and other soft metal. I think the steel wool is too aggressive for the iron and I'm sure it would do serious damage to the shakudo and silver. Normally I use ivory on iron tsuba but when there is a bunch of soft metal to work around I've had good luck with a fiberglass pen, a tool for cleaning electronics contacts. It is easy to work into corners and doesn't scratch the iron. Grey

Hi Carlos, Youtube has how to videos for rice glue. It is preferred because it doesn't color the wood, it won't damage a polish if any squeezes inside the saya (as long as it is given time to dry before he blade is inserted), and because it is traditional, which means a lot in this field. Grey

Not wanting to hijack the thread and turn it into gluing but... A big reason for recommending the paper bands is that an amateur can do them and not get into trouble; not so with any glue. Hide glue is probably safe but will work well only if pressure is applied, not something an amateur is likely to know. And what if the 2 pieces of wood aren't perfectly in place when the glue sets? BTW, rice glue isn't difficult to make; if you're going to glue a saya why not do it right? Parker, to answer your last question about restoration. There are crafts people in The States who can do the work but the ones who are properly trained are booked years in advance and they aren't inexpensive (you're looking at $3K give or take to have your sword done right which, BTW, will get you a new scabbard, as there isn't a lot of sense in keeping the old one.) You could look for a restorer who charges less and works quicker but he doesn't do good work and needs to find a different hobby. Also, you don't know enough to do a good job of having your sword restored. This isn't a dig at you; all beginners at Nihonto are in the same boat. I recommend putting the bands on the scabbard and handle, making a new pin, putting a very light coat of machine oil on the blade, and taking serious time to learn about what you have. The more you understand if and when you get your sword restored the happier you'll be with the results. Grey

Why would I do that? The paper bands are 100% safe and reversible, do a great job of holding the saya together, last for years, and are easy to apply. Hide glue risks damage. Grey

Hi Parker, Here is a care and handling brochure you should read: https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ First off, resist every urge to fix the blade. Restoration on Japanese swords should be left to those who have proper training; well meaning amateurs often do damage. Now, on to the scabbard and handle which need to be put back together to protect the blade. Don't use glue; again there is the risk of damage. Try this technique. Cut strips of paper about 1" wide and long enough to wrap 1 1/2 times around the scabbard. Wrap one around the scabbard about a foot below its top. Tightly wrap the paper strip with masking tape. Place the scabbard top down on a table and force the paper/tape downward towards the table. The scabbard is small diameter at the bottom and largest at the top. As you force the paper/tape towards the top of the scabbard it gets very tight and locks to 2 pieces of wood together. It may take a try or 2 to get the paper/tape where you want it but You'll get it right. Do the same 2 or 3 times further down the scabbard and you're set. When the time comes to have the scabbard properly glued the paper/tape can be slid back down and no tape residue will be left on the wood. Do the same with the handle, which is smallest at the top and largest where it meets the scabbard. Now you need to replace the bamboo peg that locks the blade in the handle. Get a decent quality chopstick and whittle to fit. Don't neglect this step; the peg is very important. Cheers, Grey

Do not clean with silver polish! Grey

Hi Alec, For what it's worth, I think this is a real Nihonto that has seen abuse. The kissaki has been reshaped, most likely because the tip was broken. The nakago does look Bizen so late Muromachi Bizen may be right. Grey

Hi Nate, Here, if you scroll down, you'll find care and handling: https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ Grey

Hi guys, I drive to the show in Chicago next month. If any one who plans to attend would like a book from my site delivered, let me know. Grey https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/item-category/book/

Hi Sean, Depending on what you mean by period correct restoration - polish only or koshirae also - the answer to your question can be quite complicated; more typing than I'm up for. If you'd like to call sometime feel free. I'm not an authority but I have 40 years experience. Grey 218-340-1001 central time

If any of you have been looking at books on my site, I just learned that many of the books in stock were stuck behind 3 or 4 pages of sold books. They have been moved up to where they belong. Grey

Welcome Thomas, Not possible to tell much from the pictures but I see nothing discouraging. Here you will find a care and handling brochure you should read at least once: https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ Make sure the bamboo pin is in the hole in the handle and through the one in the sword's tang; it is very important. If it is missing whittle a new one from a chopstick. Grey

The 10% off everything on site sale will end tomorrow, Saturday March 18. After that you'll still be able to talk to me about prices but I won't guarantee a discount. Some items yes; others no. And, should you be interested, I just listed 2 great references: Nihonto Bizen Den Taikan and Token Oshigata Taikan. Thanks all, Grey

Hi Matt, Forgive me for answering a question you didn't ask: beginners should not be buying Japanese swords at auction. Unless you knew the answers to the questions you asked and more before the sale, you should have stayed away from it. You were buying blind, which is an easy way to get burned. With knowledge you can try the auctions; until then you need a dealer who knows a lot and can be trusted. Grey

Hi folks, We've been back in our house for 2 weeks; still living among boxes and piles of stuff but it is good to be home. I moved my sword books out of storage the other day; I'm ready for business. For a week or so I'll give a 10% discount on any item on my website: books, fittings, or swords. Save $10 on a $100 book or quite a bit on the Tsuda Sukehiro katana. If you are interested in anything please contact me by email through my site or gdoffin at gmail.com, not personal message here at NMB. I need your emails to keep track of business. And a big thanks to all of you who wrote kind messages after the fire. Grey

Hi John, The card is a license (torokusho) that lists the signature but says nothing about the legitimacy of the signature. Grey

Hi Noah, Not possible to know much from just the one picture but what I can see looks promising; this may be special. Here is a link to a care and handling brochure that you should read at least once: https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ Brian has just posted before me. The brochure will help with handle removal. Resist all urges to fix anything; you don't know how and may do damage. This needs to be seen by someone knowledgeable and honest (hard to know which is in shorter supply). Don't oil the tang, just the blade. Hoping for the best, Grey

Hi Al, Any sword with a big name signature (Hizen Tadayoshi in this case), offered on ebay without a paper from a respected organization, by a selller in Japan, is almost 100% certain to be gimei (signature forgery). If the seller thought the mei were real he would have had it papered by the NBTHK and it could have been worth tens of thousands of dollars. You own a real Japanese sword with a fake signature and there is little to be gained by sending it back to Japan for a paper it can't get. The price you paid is not outrageous for what you received but, if your aim was to own a quality sword with a true signature and paper, you need to stay away from ebay and deal with someone you know and trust; ebay is a snake pit for beginners. Grey

Hi Chris, Here is a link to a care and cleaning brochure: https://nbthk-ab2.org/sword-characteristics/ You should read this. It tells you how to remove the handle and you will do no harm if you follow directions. If the handle hasn't been off for decades it may be stuck. If that's the case feel free to call and I'll talk you through a solution. A picture of the nakago (tang) will allow us to tell you a lot more about your sword. Grey 218-340-1001 central time

The area below the horizontal line is original nakago and the area above is new nakago after suriage (shortening). No folding involved. Grey

Hi folks, Just took in and listed to my site 4 tsuba, a fuchi kashira, & a pair of menuki. Some quite fine work and, I think, reasonable prices. Have a peek if you're interested: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/item-category/tsuba-kodogu/ Cheers, Grey

Hi Jiri, You wrote: From what I red Nakago on the the bottom should be horizontal and shouldn't be into V shape so that's good sign for me and cast tsuba should have some rim inside Kozuka and also I should have been able to see some bubbles on surface so I believe that this tsuba is genuine Yes, but. As there are exceptions to every rule you aren't safe buying tsuba that conform to these rules. Not all cast tsuba have rim inside the ana, not all have bubbles, and there may even be a real tsuba or 2 with a v-shaped bottom of the nakago-ana. Do not rely on rules; rather, you need to study good tsuba, either in hand or in good pictures, to learn what you should buy. The more you know before you buy the happier you'll be with what you buy. As Jean says above, there is no need to rush; there will always be good to great tsuba available. The tsuba you picture is mediocre and hasn't been mounted (not a good sign on a mediocre iron tsuba); you can do much better. If you insist on buying before knowledge, you need to find a dealer you can trust. Grey

Except for very late pieces (late Edo, Meiji, and later), there should be little or none of the design on the seppa dai. Late pieces were made as art or to sell to western tourists, not as a functional part of the sword. This makes the tsuba in question less desirable in my eyes. Grey

When shipping within the US, unless the customer requests something else, I use registered mail in a stout cardboard tube. No other service is safer or less expensive. Grey

You should not sand the tsunagi. Doing so can introduce abrasive grit into the shirasaya and then, if the blade is reintroduced to the shirasaya, the polish will be scratched. A sharp plane is the better tool to use for reshaping the tsunagi. I doubt that anyone could successfully bend the tsunagi with steam or boiling water (sideways yes, but not front to back); it is too thin to survive the force needed to reshape with steam (which is more proper for bending wood; boiling water not so much). Spoken from 50 years as a furniture maker. Grey