ROKUJURO

That is truly a TSUBA veteran!

Hi Okan, I take it as a good sign in this situation that you can be on the "hunt" acquiring two very nice TSUBA! At first, I thought of NOSHI motif with the NORISUKE TSUBA, but now I think that it is HOTEI's sack. The CHOSHU TSUBA is also exquisite! Congratulations!

If the blade is shorter than 606 mm, it is a WAKIZASHI. If you want to post some good photos here on NMB, we could give you a comment. Appraisals are usually made in Japan. For translations, we have a translation section.

A new HABAKI alone would not solve the problem. The SHIRASAYA will also have to be restored.

'SAMURAI', please sign all posts with a first name plus an initial so we could address you politely. This is requested to do here on NMB. You can mark your name in your profile.

Kurt, I don't think so. We are living in times when information is spread and stored in many places and different ways, and this to a significantly greater extent than in former times. Literature that was only accessible to a few specialists was translated and made available for many. Items stacked away in collections and museums are more 'approachable' by images, and places like our own NMB have become important sources of information and inspriration. What we usually don't have is enough time for intense study and opportunities to handle the items.

It must be a war relic. Probably a shrapnel went through it.

Thank you Gordon, that is valuable information! As my slender blade has a HOSO SUGUHA HAMON, I think it could have been made by a SUE TEGAI smith.

Thank you again Ray! So it seems I have the one and only FUJIWARA YASUMITSU TANTO in the world which would make it extremely valuable!

Thank you again Ray! I don't know how to use this to find FUJIWARA YASUMITSU with these name KANJI? Do I have to apply for membership first?

Thank you Ray! I always appreciate your expertise! I also thought of FUJIWARA, but then I rejected it as unusual, as you say. As I don't have books on swords, I will try to find something online.

Adam, i know and I understand. My remarks were meant to be helpful for a successful sale.

Selling is always a lot of work. In case one doesn't want to invest some care and work and keep it easy for oneself, they will see by the results if it was good enough. Brian will perhaps let us know how he wants this handled.

I have a slim TANTO signed YASUMITSU, but I cannot read the KUNI. I would appreciate any help in reading this. Thanks in advance!

That's surprizing! How did they manage to take photos of my NETSUKE ?

Hi Bob, as the length (= NAGASA) is 51,2 cm, it is a WAKIZASHI. The OVERALL length remains 66 cm. Although not 'really' old (= SHIN SHINTÔ), it looks like a nice piece which should be competently restored.

Bob, this is not a KEN but a sword with (rare) KOGARASUMARU shape ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kogarasu_Maru ). On the photos, I cannot see the KISSAKI ( = tip) very well. The blade length is not the overall length but it is measured from the notch above the NAKAGO ( = tang) to the tip. The SORI is probably more than just 7 mm, guessing just after the photo. ( https://japaneseswordindex.com/measure.htm ) Unfortunately, I cannot help with the text on the NAKAGO. It does not look like typical MEI. Is there something written/chiseled on the other side as well?

Thank you Clark! I got this NETSUKE as a present from a friend in 1969. We had seen it in a shop window in southern Germany every time we went to town, and as I liked it a lot, she eventually bought it for me. It may well be Chinese, but at that time and with no expertise......it happens! It was expensive, by the way!

Adam, if you posted the images here on NMB (preferred), it should be possible to add a price-tag. It is probably a bit of work, but not difficult. It is the rule here to show prices with an item for sale. By the way: Not Tusba, and not Tsubas (no plural form in Japanese).

I was told that JOI was/is very famous for fine work on faces. I bought this KASHIRA as "JOI school/workshop" piece. It is not signed, but good work in my eyes. Although rather flat in design (not at all MARU BORI), placing the face on the edge of the KASHIRA gives it more 3D dimension. 34,4 mm long

Perhaps a dried "baby" HYÔTAN?

...but they exist: The chicken can be moved a bit in its egg. Signed MASASHIGE with KAO. It is elephant ivory, probably made in the 20th century.

Piers, that is exactly my opinion and experience.

It certainly looks 'correct' or even better for a machine made blade in my opinion, but Bruce knows best as he is an expert with military blades. To my eyes and considering the less than perfect condition of the blade (scratched and even fingerprints), this HAMON does not look typically oil-quenched if compared with the standard SANBONSUGI HAMON of many NÔSHÛ SEKI military blades. Perhaps it would be more obvious if the blade were in good polish.

Well, you asked for it: On Sunday on a local flee-market, I bought a traditional tool that I will restore (very lightly as it is in good shape and as museum piece, I don't want it to look like new) in the next few days. It has a very solid hand-forged blade of 210 mm length and a max. spine thickness of 8 mm. Similar tools have been used in many cultures world-wide, called "billhook" in the English-speaking parts of the world. In my region, it was traditionally used for forest and agricultural work.