ROKUJURO

My observation is that you are not wearing socks. Otherwise we can see your apartment, but no photos of the blade or the NAKAGO (= tang) of it. It could be a civilian sword, not a military one, but that can only be determined with better photos. More comment is difficult at this time. When making new photos, please use a plain dark background, a dark room and spotlights. There is a bamboo peg up in the handle which could be pushed out from the smaller side. Then the blade will come loose. Please DO NOT TOUCH THE BLADE WITH YOUR BARE FINGERS as the high-carbon steel can corrode easily! The blade might also be sharp, so be very careful! Use a clean cotton rag if the blade has to be held. In case you are not used to handling genuine Japanese swords, please ask all questions you might have.

Jo James, welcome to the NMB forum! The TSUBA seems to be of the NANBAN type. The NAKAGO (= tang) photos are a challenge as they are not well focused. Please use a plain dark background, light from the side and orient photos blade-tip vertically upwards so reading is easier. There are no photos included of the blade, so not much could be said on it except that the NAKAGO looks KOTO to me. Signatures are not always authentic!

For my eyes, the strong HADORI is concealing the features in the photo, but it may be different in-hand.

While the slightly longer SAYA can even be original to a sword, for me, the looseness would be a more serious issue.

Hi Hoshi, this must be a lot of work! My respect and admiration! However, I have a question about the accompanying descriptive texts: Are they written by you or are they original to the sellers? Reason for my question is that most TEIMEI (= SADANAGA) TSUBA are described as signed SADANOBU, so it looks like a 'serial' mistake.

Very fake.

That looks like really good work! Beautiful, admiring it!

André, welcome to the NMB forum! What you have there is a 'normal' HAMIDASHI TSUBA. The size suggests it was for a TANTO (or a KO-WAKIZASHI). Unfortunately, the condition does not seem good, but with a pointed (cut-off or ground-to-size) piece of antler or bone, you could perhaps remove some of the red rust.

Colin, I found a TSUBA by him, and the MEI looks close:

Dale, these look like political KARI birds as they are right wing and left wing.....

That looks like a good space for storing a collection!

Musubi Karigane (結び雁金) is a traditional Japanese family crest (kamon) featuring a stylized wild goose whose wings are knotted or looped into a circle. It symbolizes "a bird that carries good luck and good news" and is closely associated with SAMURAI families, most notably the SANADA clan. It represents loyalty and is a variation of the Karigane (wild goose) motif. Key details about Musubi Karigane: Design & symbolism: It features a kari (wild goose), a migratory bird often linked to autumn. The bird is designed with its face facing left and its wings deformed/knotted into a circle. Samurai Crest: This crest was used by the Shinano-Sanada clan, as well as families like the Umino and Inoue. It was frequently used for armor, sword mountings (TSUBA), and other samurai gear. Variations: Often stylized as Shiri-awase Mitsu-musubi Karigane, where three knotted geese are arranged in a circle. Modern Usage: It is still recognized as a classic design in Japanese traditional arts, sometimes used on clothing or items related to Japanese history. Taken from the internet

Very beautiful, but sadly, I cannot contribute to the history or data.

I think I can read NORIMITSU. Probably a KANZAN HAKOGAKI.

I understand exactly what you are saying! It may be different in case this was your daily work.

It seems they succeeded to get everything wrong in the description....

Robert, good old tools are a source of satisfaction and potentially of good work as well! My customers who order traditional tools are always fascinated how easy it can be to work with them, but you have to practice it to believe it. Often, the promised advantages of power-tools are not that big, and you have to accept a lot of noise using them. Did you ever watch a well trained guy mowing with an ergonomically fitted scythe, early in the morning, when the high grass is still a bit wet from dew? It is a real pleasure to listen to the faint noise the scythe blade makes when cutting, and the grass falls forming nice patterns along the rows....AND it goes fast! And working with a good KANNA (= plane), not in these competitions for the thinnest shavings, but in real-life woodwork? Very satisfying as well! As a boy, I could watch the craftsmen in the sculpting section of a cabinet-maker's workshop (in France then). No machines, silent, concentrated work, not much talking. After more than 60 years, I still remember the smell and the tiny sounds the sharp cutting edges were making on the wood. I once asked a guy why he used so very short chisels (I had known longer ones from my father who was not a professional woodworker). He replied, smiling: 'They are my grandfather's...'. Still perfect for fine work!

Piers, as you are living in the midst of Japanese culture, could you perhaps ask the opinion of the 'natives' about this?

I thought that these were CHIDORI. They have a very different flight pattern compared to KARIGARE. This depiction always expressed the erratic flight - often in large flocks - of plovers in an appropriate way for me. But that is just my interpretation.

Yes Dale, I think so, too. But the pictured birds are probably not KARIGANE but CHIDORI?

Welcome Dr. Faustus! There is a lot of information stored here, so have fun learning! Kind regards, Jean P.S. There is no "presenting" swords unless you run a museum

I was referring to Dale's post above. Maybe we can find out how it is thought to be seen the Japanese way.

Stanila (is that your first name?), SHODO is a general term for the art of writing (calligraphy), but this looks indeed like a hot stamp in grass script (SOSHO). Most swords have a YOKOTE when they are executed as SHINOGI-ZUKURI. In fact, all military blades are made this way. Your sword's NAKAGO looks brand-new, so likely not Japanese? Some good pictures would help!

Thank you Mauro, I did not formulate my question properly. When KARIGANE are depicted as small symbols, where is their head and where is their tail, respectively? I am afraid I got this wrong in my interpretation, probably the longer body part is the head/neck? In a more naturalistic depiction, it is easy, like on this one below:

Dale, it looks like a ginger cat to me!