Ed Harbulak

Hi Bruce, In looking again at the pictures you have posted, the characters are filled with white powder and I can't really tell from the photo if the 8th stroke in Sada actually crosses the 7th. Perhaps where it crosses, if it does, it just isn't filled in with white. Look at the signature and the Sada kanji with a magnifying glass to see if that last or 8th stroke starts at the 7th stroke or if in fact it crosses it. I'm talking about the bottom two line in the Sada character that resemble an inverted letter Y.

Hi Bruce, The signature is written on two sides of the tang (nakago) because this sword smith often signed his full name, title and location that way. The side that reads "Bi-Shu Osa-Fune (Ju) Nin" says in English, Bizen (province), Osafuna (city) (ju) Nin (resident of). The other side "Yoko-Yama Ko-Suke Dai-Jo Fuji-Wara Suke-Sada" translates as mentioned above to, Yokoyama (family name) Kosuke Daijo (an honorary title for Kosuke province) Fujiwara (clan name) Sukesada (Sukesada being the sword smiths "trade" name or art name). Put it all together in English word order and both sides say (made by) Kosuke Daijo Fujiwara Yokoyama Sukesada a resident of Osafuna in Bizen province. Perhaps where you might have some confusion is because there are so many Japanese characters that don't seem to fit in English. I broke them up with dashes between characters to perhaps make it a bit easier to understand what's written. If the signature is genuine then this is a fairly famous and well regarded sword smith. Unfortunately, there are many forged signatures of famous sword smiths with the forgeries often dating back to the time when the smith was still actively working. The Japanese have been turning out fake signatures for hundred's of years and yours does look like it was put on the tang (nakago) a few hundred years ago. However, I suspect it may be gimei or a forgery based on the way the last character (Sada) is written. It's actually written correctly in Japanese where the eighth stroke starts by touching the previous, 7th stroke. However, this Sukesada made the 8th stroke cross the 7th stroke which isn't the case on your blade. But don't let that bother you too much, it still looks like a nice blade. I'm sure other's will make suggestions as to how to restore it all.

Hi Geoffrey, If you add another 300 years to the date the seller mentioned, you will have the correct century. I can't quite make out what it says in your first picture, but the second one is fairly easy to read and says "Sagami no Kami Fujiwara Kaneyasu". He is a smith who worked in Mino province in the 1660's. Your third picture shows a rather typical Mino style hamon. In English, the part I translated says (made by) Fujiwara Kaneyasu lord of Sagami province. He was not a real lord. In this case "lord" is an honorary title and looks good in a signature but in reality doesn't mean all that much. I'm sure someone will be able to translate what it says in your first picture.

One might also consider that most naginata are thicker, heavier bodied blades than equivalent length wakizashi. When you mount a blade on the end of a 6 foot or longer pole and start swinging it around, it's going to be under quite a bit of stress when it hits something. Because of its intended use, it stands to reason it should be a more robust blade. That extra mass is also a reason for thinking this blade was originally intended to be a naginata.

Hi Erez, I don't know about your part of the world, but here in the US www.trackofthewolf.com has all kinds of supplies for building muzzle loading guns including an assortment of newly manufactured rifle and shotgun barrels. Dixie Gun Works is also a good source. I think they are www.dixiegunworks.com. Both of these suppliers are geared toward historic American and European muzzle loading firearms, but you should be able to find a new barrel that could work for a Japanese matchlock rifle. Original Japanese matchlocks do show up at Japanese Sword shows and I presume can be found on some of the Japanese dealer's web sites, although I've never looked. Good luck with your project, I'm sure you will have an enjoyable time. I might also add that if you aren't able to unscrew the breach plug from the barrel you have, you could saw off the last inch or so of the barrel and fit a new plug. Once you can look through the barrel you will also have a better idea of what the condition of the bore is like. If you haven't already, make sure your barrel is NOT loaded. Often old barrels are found that are still loaded and the gun powder may and can still be dangerous even though it's over 100 years old.

Hi Erez, As someone who has built new muzzle loading rifles as well as restored old rifles and shotguns back to shooting condition and used them to hunt with, I can agree that you will have an enjoyable time building or restoring one. HOWEVER!!! I can't recommend using the barrel you have. If the bore of your barrel is as rusted and pitted as the outside, my suggestion would be to purchase a brand new barrel and build a completely brand new match lock rifle in the Japanese style. When or if you finish making a matchlock rifle using the barrel you have, you will still only have a modern copy of a Japanese matchlock that may or may not be safe to shoot. New muzzle loading barrels are available for about $200 and you can spend your money and time more productively using a new barrel rather than trying to restore the rusty chunk of iron you have. If the inside is as rusty as the outside, you will have to re-bore and perhaps re-rifle your barrel, unless you want a smooth bore. By the time you do all that, you may find that the barrel is still unsafe to fire, particularly if you discover some internal (or external) flaw. As Brian pointed out, removing the breach plug will be the first and perhaps impossible hurdle to overcome. What you would like to do could be quite enjoyable, but you would be better off in the long run starting with a brand new barrel. A friend of mine build a matchlock rifle (using all new materials) and successfully shot a deer with it. There are people here in the US that do use original Japanese matchlock rifles for competition, hunting and just the fun of shooting them. Starting your project using a new barrel would also result in a finished gun in less time than trying to restore the barrel you have which may or not even be restorable. Good luck what ever you do but also keep safety in mind. Alternatively, buy a genuine Japanese matchlock rifle in decent condition and restore it to shooting condition.

To further complicate the situation, Fujjishiro lists the Shodai Harima dai jo Shiketaka as working in Kanei which is 1624 to 1644 and the second generation is listed as Kanbun 1661 to 1673. You have to remember that the jidai listed for sword smiths are not precise, exact working dates. Most every sword smith generally worked before and after the relatively short years covered by the jidai that is associated with the smith in various indexes. Unless you can find the date when a particular smith died you really don't know when a smith stopped making swords. Because of the difference in dates between Fujishiro for example and Markus's sword index, your Shiketake could be by either the shodai or nidai. Also remember that the sugata of the blade can give an indication of the time period when the blade was made. I have a second generation Harima dai jo Shiketaka that has a Kanbun shinto shape, so it seems the nidai was working into the Kanbun era. If the date on your blade is 1623, there is a very good chance it was made by the shodai. You need to do some more research to see if you can find when each of the sword smiths was born and died if you want to have a better idea of their working dates. Also compare the mei on your sword with genuine mei of the shodai and nidai and see which one matches your blade. Good luck with your research.

The Keicho era ended in 1615, that does not mean Shigetaka finished working in 1615. If your blade is dated 1623 it could have probably been made by either the first or second generation. Hope this helps a little.

I have seen the same kinds of mistakes with the NTHK shinsa where they sometimes seem unable to determine the era in which a sword was made. I submitted two, signed, obviously kanbun shinto blades to an NTHK shinsa that they said were gimei and made by shinshinto smiths. When I submitted the blades some time later to the NTHK-NPO shinsa, they both passed and were certified to the kanbun shinto smiths who signed them. I have to think that the speed with which both organizations push blades through their respective shinsas is a big part of the problem. Plus, looking at swords hour after hour for several days does undoubtedly make the sinsa team less attentive and downright tired. Haste makes waste as do long hours. You really have to do your own homework before submitting a blade so in your own mind, based on your own research, you are confident you know who really made the blade and when. Then if the answer you get from the shinsa isn't what you expected, ask questions and find out why they disagree. A number of years ago I submitted a signed blade to the NTHK-NPO shinsa that failed. I asked why they failed it and the shinsa team pointed out that the nakago jiri and yasurimei were wrong for the smith. I was younger then and learned a good kantei lesson. I had the gimei removed and submitted the blade to an NTHK shinsa. They agreed with the answer I had already determined from my own research and attributed the blade to Den Etchizen Shimosaka with which I agree.

Darius, If the spots really are glue residue from tape and it were my blade, I'd saturate the tip of a cotton Q-tip with some lighter fluid and gently rub a few of the spots with the Q-tip. I can't imagine that lighter fluid would harm a polished blade and it should remove any glue residue. If that doesn't work, then perhaps it isn't glue residue you are dealing with. If you don't want to try lighter fluid on your sword, then you might apply some duct tape or masking tape to a piece of glass or smooth steel to see if you can duplicate the spots. You might have to let the tape sit around for a few days, perhaps leave it out in the hot sun so that some residue remains when you remove the tape. Then see if the lighter fluid removes the glue residue. If you find you can remove the residue from glass or smooth steel, then try it on the blade. If the spots remain, my guess is they aren't glue residue. The problem with things like this is that you know those spots are there and they will keep bugging you. Sometimes it's better to just leave things they way they are and not worry about them. If you do use lighter fluid on your blade, then apply sword oil to the area since the lighter fluid will remove any oil from the blade which could then lead to rusting. Good luck.

Hi Darius, Compare the zen kanji (in Hi-zen) on the blade in question with the same kanji in the Nihonto.ca sword and see if you can see the difference. The signature on the sword in question is definitely gimei based on where one little stroke is placed in the zen kanji. That's the second character from the top and is a characteristic of the entire Tadahiro, Tadayoshi family.

Randy, There's a section in John Slough's book "Modern Japanese Swordsmiths 1868-1945" with directions for making oshigata. I suspect a search of this forum for oshigata may also turn up some information. Although I haven't tried it for oshigata, it's amazing all the information you can find on the Internet, so see what Google turns up. Best of luck.

Hi Grant, As Grey mentioned, the Hawley numbers only apply to swordsmiths and have nothing to do with fittings or F/K. Even with regard to sword smiths, if you have a copy of Hawley's "Japanese Swordsmiths" the numbers mean very little except as a way of using the number to specify a particular individual swordsmith from among the approximately 20,000 names listed. For example, there are a zillion Sukesada smiths, to tell someone which particular Sukesada you are talking about you can mention that smith's Hawley (index) number. The Sesko index of Japanese sword smiths lists more information than Hawley so there's far less need to own a copy of Hawley any more.

Hi Frank, I wouldn't worry about the suguha hamon as the books do list that as one of the styles he used and I have seen one in suguha. He died at the age of 89 in 1721 so there's reason to think his signature varied somewhat over the years. He is considered the 6th generation and there was a 7th generation (plus others into the shinshinto era) who I presume would have done dai mei and daisaku dai mei for him. The only way to be sure of course is put the sword through shinsa.

Bruce, I mentioned I recalled a reference to the W stamp with a connection to a temple a few posts further back. I said "if I recall" but, it seems I recalled wrong, which sometimes happens. The relationship with the temple that I recalled is for the TAI stamp that appears on late war blades made by swordsmiths associated with the Izumo Seiko steel works located in Shimane prefecture which is near the Izumo Taisha shrine. By 1945 with the war going badly for Japan the need of divine assistance was needed so the Tai stamp was placed on swords to endow them with the divine spirits of the Taisha. On p. 96 of Slough it mentions that the W stamp appears on blades made by Takehisa, as you have already mentioned and also Haruhisa as well as on a 1942 Mantetsu. The problem with Mantetsu blades is that some were made in Japan as well as Manchuria. Hope this helps your search a little bit or at least prevents some confusion. Ed

Look at how the nakago shinogi ends at the mekugiana nearest the habaki and how it doesn't match up with the shinogi line of the blade. It sure looks like a weld to me right at that point. Ed

Bruce, Look on page 96 of Slough's "Modern Japanese Swordsmiths" for some information on the W stamp. If I recall, without taking the time to look for it now, there's also an explanation somewhere in the same book relating the W stamp to a particular temple that some smiths were working near, thus making the W stamp an appeal to the temple for assistance in the war effort. There are a couple swords in Slough's book with the W stamp. Ed

Darius, The copper is not new and it is not a flaw. It's there to make the tsuba fit more tightly to the sword. Ed

Josh, Your blade is extremely short and the nakago is going to be very difficult to hold if you do decide to do some restoration work yourself. I'd suggest making a wooden handle to attach to the tang so you have something to hold onto. That may also help keep you from cutting yourself. Personally, the blade reminds me of the broken tip from a longer blade that was converted to what it is now. For $60 you certainly didn't over spend and it might make a nice project. BUT, doing an even half way decent restoration is going to be difficult since my guess is you don't have the proper equipment or knowledge. Before you do anything other than oil the blade, you might want to consider purchasing the book entitled "The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing" for $28.35 from Amazon just to get an idea of what genuine sword polishing entails. Good luck, my guess is you will need it. Remember "haste makes waste", so take your time because a proper polishing job is going to take lots of time. Ed

Hi Mark, It looks like XX Boshu Ju X-shige, but I don't feel very comfortable with the Bo part of Boshu for Awa province. Maybe it will help point you in the right direction until a better answer comes along. The first two characters may be a place name in Awa province or the smith's family name.

Hi Glenn, Sounds like good news from Roger. If you are not able to get to one of the shows for someone to take a hands on look at the blade, you might consider sending it to someone like Robert Benson in Hawaii. He is a respected polisher who could give you an idea of potential problems with restoration and an idea of the cost. In too many cases restoring a sword can end up costing more than the sword is actually worth. As Darcy pointed out, the value of a suriage Shinto sword is reduced monetarily, so you have a number of things to consider before doing anything. Until you decide what to do, just clean and oil the blade as mentioned already and don't be in a hurry to start restoration without more advice from someone who can look at the sword in person. Finding a sword by a top rated maker on your first purchase is certainly a good start to becoming a collector of Japanese swords. I'm sure the next piece of advice you will be given is to buy some books and start learning. Good luck,

Hi Glenn, Unfortunately I have to agree with Paul that the signature on your sword is a forgery or gimei. The location of the peg hole with respect to the character for Kuni (third character from the top) is incorrect and not the way the second generation Tadahiro placed the location of his signature. The world's authority on the Hizen Tadyoshi Tadahiro family is Roger Robertshaw. If you e-mail him a photo of the signature he will give you a definitive answer. You can find his web site by going to LINKS at the top of the page and looking for Hizen Swords. Who ever forged the signature did a pretty good job compared to many other forgeries, but still he got it wrong. It may still be a fine blade, just not by Tadahiro. Ed Harbulak

It's amazing how even the thinnest coating of clean oil will hide much of the activity in a freshly polished blade. I'll bet if you reoil your blade now that it's perfectly clean and dry, a good bit of the activity will be masked again even if you try to wipe all the oil off. Without using a solvent like alcohol to remove oil, it's almost impossible to wipe off the last traces. Oil does protect, but to a certain extent it also hides a lot.

Hi Martin, Sorry, I don't have any pictures of the Emura I used to own. I purchased it in 1998 at a garage sale from the vet who brought it back after WWII. That was in the days before digital cameras were as common as they are now. I then used the Emura in partial trade two years later for a nidai Hizen Tadahiro katana in gunto mounts. Enjoy your new Emura and even if he didn't personally make it, I'm sure Emura at least examined and approved it before either signing it himself of allowing one of his prisoners to sign it in his name.

Hi Stephen, Yes, the yasuri on mine were slanted the same way as the sword on aoi. However I think the kesho yasuri on the aoi blade are fancier than on the blade I had. The oshigata of the blade I had is still shown on Dr. Stein's site in the discussion about Emura. The nakago on mine wasn't in as beautiful a condition as the blade on aoi so it was harder to make out the kesho yasuri on mine except for seeing that there were some horizontal file marks at the top of the right slanting yasuri.