ROKUJURO

In my opinion, these really bad photos do not allow a precise KANTEI. What I think I can see is that the blade is quite tired. Nicholas, blurry or foggy images do not help. You need a dark, non-reflecting background, nicely focused photos made directly from above if possible. Play with the lighting and cut the photos out so very little background is seen.

I would not recommend HINOKI because of the resin content.

My display is now immaculate, it even loads without VPN as before.

Thank you Sam, that worked fine!

I had the same problem for some days and reported it to Brian. For a short while it was cured, but it came back again. With the help of my lady, I now use a VPN which works fine, except I lost my usual black background and have the bright one now which I don't like. How can I repair that, I wonder?

The above TSUBA was not modified for BOKKEN but perhaps for a SHINAI. BOKKEN cross-section is oval while this TSUBA was altered for a round item. In Japan, items of the SAMURAI era were often modified later when there was no more use for martial objects. There were even walking-sticks made of (sometimes broken) YUMI (bows), and I have seen a picture of a walking-stick with a TSUBA on it. Some time ago, I had shown a TSUBA that was used as key-hole cover. I think this HEIAN-JO TSUBA would look very nice if carefully restored. It is probably an early one with intact (CLEMATIS?) HIRA ZOGAN.

Bob, obviously, you got it out of the scabbard. I think you meant the handle.

Bruno, to me it looks clearly Japanese, but as the SEPPA-DAI does not have a smooth surface, it might be a copy. As a soft metal TSUBA, the blanks are usually cast and then reworked, so it is difficult to say. Motif is SHISHI/lion dog (FOO dog in China) so it is indeed also a famous Chinese motif.

Looks like mold cast glazed ceramics.

Hi David, SHIGEHIRO, probably late 18th or early 19th century in my opinion. Province is DEWA.

Why then didn't you post it in the "Want to buy" section?

David, photos of blades should be posted tip vertically upwards before a dark background so we can see the NAKAGO and read the signature. Your blade might have been forged by FUJIWARA MASATSUGU, and it probably looked quite spectacular when new. Today, deep corrosion is one (sad) side, but someone has tried to grind away the rust in an incompetent way. He has removed the SHINOGI together with a lot of material so I am afraid what remains is only a signed ruin. I don't think it can be restored.

Looks more like SUKENOBU: http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/oshigata/sukenobu.jpg

Yoon, good images are not so much a thing of talent or camera equipment. Any mobile phone can make good enough photos! You see your photos yourself when you post them. If they are foggy, blurry or out of focus, they will simply not show the features you want us to see! I am sure your blade once was a KATANA. The TOROKUSHO measurements are not relevant, it is not at all the same as a HOZON ORIGAMI! The problem in a possible resale would be that it is seen now as WAKIZASHI by the NBTHK, and might be less desirable for some potential buyers.

Thank you Steven, that TSUBA on Jauce is probably from the same workshop! Very close! Actually, when speaking about MOKUME-GANE, mostly soft metal compositions are meant. We have a Swedish artist here on NMB (Björn Lundin) who works with this technique and produces quite promising results! In case the MOKUME-GANE definition is applied to iron TSUBA, only the etching process can reveal the wood-grain pattern! There are many TSUBA schools with a final acid treatment for their products, but the wood-grain effect can only be seen in iron that is not fully refined and homogenous. As far as I know, traditional AKASAKA TSUBA did not undergo this acid treatment. Again, fire-welding is a standard technique in TSUBA making as in all other pre-industrial forging. All raw iron material had to be processed and refined by the smith, and that included bending, folding, and fire-welding. So, when AKASAKA masters made TSUBA, they usually had three layers in their billet. Only thorough research will reveal if these layers were of slightly differing quality similar to sword making (my own research does not go that far). Anyhow, in punching the NAKAGO-ANA out in the process, transverse forces can result in separating the layers just a bit so we can see them. This is not a sign of minor quality in these TSUBA! Instead, practice would show that they are quite tough and resilient in spite of their often delicate design! Let's not forget that good AKASAKA TSUBA can have a thickness of up to 9 mm, so they were definitely made for combat and not for show!

Yoon, thank you for your report! The photos are not really helpful to show what you have. You need a dark, non-reflecting background, and only nicely focused photos can give us an impression of your blade. When posting photos, please cut the object out so not much background is seen. Technically, your blade is a WAKIZASHI as the length of KATANA is 2 SHAKU (= 606 mm) at minimum. I have to second John in that a good polish might bring out some nice features in your sword, but before that you will have to make sure that the KISSAKI is intact. If it has been altered with the HAMON running out now, it would probably not warrant a new polish.

Thank you so much Stephen!

If I may correct that a bit: The well-known three-layer construction of AKASAKA TSUBA has nothing to do with MOKUME-GANE. It should also not be confused with SAN-MAI technique in TSUBA. In AKASAKA TSUBA, the 3-layer build-up, visible in the NAKAGO-ANA, is a result of not so tightly forged welds. It does not show in the MIMI. MOKUME-GANE can be translated as "metal looking like wood". In this technique, impure iron is forge-welded, distorted and folded. With a more or less intense etching process, different layers can be made visible. A SHAKÔ TSUBA from my collection with pronounced rays:

Gustavo, the first photo with the dark background is o.k. but unfortunately the blade has been sandpapered so not much is to be seen. It has an attractive HAMON and some WARE but otherwise not much can be said. It seems to be sound. If you want to practice IAIDO (not Iado) with it, it is important that it has the right dimensions and balance and a new, very solid KOSHIRAE for safety. Sharp blades should not be used in IAIDO

Robert, the blade itself has nothing to do with WWII.

Steve, thank you for sharing this! Very interesting!

Ray, uneven surface of the NAKAGO without traces of YASURI-ME? We should see the rest of the blade!

Gustavo, it should be possible to orient the photos correctly, and if you used a dark, non-reflecting background, the contrast would be much better. I believe this is not a Japanese sword; the characters are not chiseled by a Japanese sword-smith.

Every owner decides for himself if he needs/would like certification papers. Auction houses do not own the items, and they sometimes do not care for the authenticity.

Viktor, the signature is usually read SOHEISHI NYUDO SOTEN SEI. Authenticity is confirmed by a SHINSA. There is a saying that if you had 100 SOTEN TSUBA on a table, it is likely that all of them are fakes. So buying a SOTEN TSUBA without ORIGAMI is always a big risk.