Marius

Hi Henry, here they are: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0295904038 Oh, just in case they disappear from eBay, attached they come...

Hi Henry, here they are: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0295904038

John, many thanks for this valuable input. Interesting to hear about the blocks and wet rags preventing heat transfer. In other words, I may indeed have bought a sword with a nakago welded onto the blade. Any way of testing it? Tomography, X-rays or something? Another question: to weld and apply patina professionally would undoubtedly cost some money, making the operation rather pointless on a $1.5k blade (just trying to console myself :? ) Of course it is always possible that somebody has failed to sell this sword, because the abnormity of the nakago was so evedent, then the sword was sold cheaply to the dealer, who without inspecting it further, sold it to me at a profit... Just trying to figure out what I really have here...

Mark, thanks for coming back. I am never cross because someone expresses his/her opinion, that would be stupid and I would miss an opportunity to learn. So if you think that a sword of mine is low quality or even rubbish, do not hesitate telling me so. I can bear making mistakes, as long as I learn form them. Besides, my swords are rather low or medium quality, as I cannot afford buying Juyo quality. Coming back to the sword - it seems then that it might well be a Hizento with a nakago made to look older. I really must take some close up pictures and post them here. The mekugi ana at the bottom of the nakago seems to ba a fake then. This sword has most likely never been shortened, just made to look so.

Mark, thanks a bunch for having taken the time to look at this mystery. We'd probably better move the discussion into the right thread, but since nobody answered my question about the recognition of a welded nakago, we might as well carry on here, with Brian's kind permission You might be right with the nakago, but I strongly disagree with you on the hada. It is certainly not muji, it is a fine nashiji-like hada. This has been noticed by others as well, they agree, that, were not for the nakago, it might look like a Hizen sword. There is a very small turnback in the boshi and the hamon is a well executed suguha, nioi deki. Tight noiguchi.

Since I see the hamon now dropping off right under the hamachi (and it looks like a genuine hamon) I have nnother idea: could this be an o-suriage tachi which originally had yakiotoshi and a koshizori shape? Might an o-suriage to a koshi-zori have produced these strange bedning of the shinogi in the nakago? Just trying to guess and imagine what an o-suriage sword like one of these http://www.sho-shin.com/sai9.htm might look like. I know, I am just dreaming, the reality is probably much more prosaic.... I bought a nice tsunagi

Dear All, I have another thread running in this section, "Yamashiro? o-suriage", in which Darcy has raised some doubts concerning the authenticity of the nakago of a sword I have bought recently (thanks Darcy, great educational stuff for me) :-) I have this sword now and I am ready to examine it closely, also with a magnifying glass. I thought I might open a new thread as this is about a sword flaw everyone of us can encounter and not just about my particular sword. What are the hints to look for to recognise that the nakago has been welded onto the blade? I know only that due to the heat of the welding the hamon at the hamachi should disappear, so if there is a hamon and the nakago has indeed been welded to the blade, the hamon has been faked by a polisher (this should be easy to see upon closer examination). This is all I know, however, so your advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help :-)

Darcy, many thanks for having taken the time to analyse this sword. I see those things now that your sharp eye has identified them as oddities. The sword seems it is a puzzle then... I shall inspect it closely as soon as I have it in my hands. I will take some close-ups of the boshi and the nakago. The welding should be in some way visible, especially under magnification. But, it would seem rather odd to weld a mumei nakago on a sword, wouldn't it? After all it is a low-end sword woth a "low-end nakago", and to do a "proper" welding job costs time (and hence money). Although, anything is possible whenever money is to be made. I shall be back soon :-) Thanks again, I appreciate it :-)

Than you for these encouraging words :-) I will take some close-ups when it arrives.

Oh, of course I have noticed the broken tip and I am ready to accept it :-)

Dear All, I have just purchased this sword on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0295904038 Your opinions will be highly appreciated. As for me, I like the hada, wchich reminds me of Hizen-to. What do you think?

Grey, I beg to differ (if slightly). Polishing a katana costs more than a wakizashi. This may not matter in a Juyo, but it does in an average sword. On the other hand you are right - my guess is that most people simple associate a "samurai sword" with a katana, and that most people have this (secret) longing to swing this sword a few times in order to look like Mifune in Kurosawa's movies.

Hi Dino, just a speculation - maybe because Shinshinto smiths often tried to emulate koto masters?

The kogatana is lovely. So is the fuchi. BTW, would someone polish a kogatana? What do the Japanese togishi do with such fine carvings on a kogatana? Is a kogatana ever polished at all? Just wondering...

De gustibus... Then you have to have a katana/o-wakizashi. You may as well forget a katana for $1100. This will buy you only something you won't appreciate.

Joakim, You seem to focus on two aspects of the Japanese sword - its length and the "familiar" shape. You shouldn't buy a lousy sword, just because its particlar length (not less than 69 cm) and shape (shinogi zukuri) is what people usually associate with a "samurai" sword. I know it is difficult to break with that kind of thinking - I have friends whose interest in nihonto stems from their passion for iaido or kendo and they too want katanas only (additionally, they attribute great value to worthless, patched together sword mountings). Nihonto is all about excellent craftsmanship, about the art of shaping steel so that it is functional and beautiful, not about length. A katana which has lost its polish will not allow you to learn; a relatively inexpensive, professionally polished tanto will. I'll tell you what. If it has to "look" like a "sword" why don't you buy one of those Paul Chen katanas? Such a katana cannot be mistaken for a knife and when you need to, you can cut wood with it. Neighbours should be suitably impressed, too. Just kidding :lol:

Hi Joakim, to be frank - you may want to wait a bit longer. Since you have accepted the idea of a wakizashi, why don't you try to buy a tanto (or ko-wakizashi)? $1,100 would buy you something decent. Look at this one - it went for less than $900 and it is a very good entry-level sword to study a bit, in very good polish and with loads of interesting features to see. Such swords do appear from time to time: http://cgi.ebay.pl/_W0QQitemZ230282533215QQcmdZViewItem

Well, no one from the really knowledgeable fellows here has answered your question, so I may as well humbly present my opinion: this looks like kitae ware (forging flaw), just as you have expected. You have certainly already had a look at this page: http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/flaws.htm

Donovan, who is to envy whom? Congratulations on your sword! It has attractive choji, nice hada, and it is papered. Nice koshirae is a bonus. Worth every penny :-) My "Sukenaga" must be gimei, it has been bought from a Japanese dealer. With Sukenaga being a jo saku smith, any chance it was authentic, it would have been papered and sold four times the price I paid. The Japanses tend to sell us gaijins mostly items the market in Japan sees as inferior (e.g. gimei).

What a sword! Thanks for posting that one :-) I just wonder if Sukenaga was also producing the kind of hamon you can see in my gallery here (first pic): http://gallery.me.com/mariuszk#100016 It does not really seem choji midare, rather gunome midare? I have bought this particular sword presuming it is gimei (no papers, great mei), I just liked it. The mei on this sword is shown in two pics named my_nakago... What is your opinion?

Well, since I have started this thread by indicating that I have a Yokoyama Sukenaga sword, let me publish a few pics showing the mei and hamon of Sukenaga. Two of them show the mei on my sword (as always, I suspect it is gimei) Two are from the Compton collection catalogue, showing also the hamon. One is an oshigata, I have got from one of the NMB members. The pics are here: http://gallery.me.com/mariuszk/100016 If you have any others showing Yokoyama Sukenaga or any other Yokoyama swordsmiths, feel free to upload them to this page.

Jean, many thanks, just wanted to have a confirmation that this hamon is not typical for the Bizen Yokoyama school. Due to the quality of the pics, it is hard to judge anything besides this. The sword has yakidashi and this unusual hamon. How about the signature? Is it worth a closer look? Should anybody have any swords of this school, pics would be greatly appreciated.

Dear All, as I am the owner of what seems like a Bizen Yokoyama sword, I am interested in every example of this particular school. I have come across this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/Japanese-sword-in-m ... dZViewItem The pictures are probably not enough to judge this sword, but I would be delighted to learn your opinion. Is this a Bizen Yokoyama or not?

You may want to read this article: http://www.nihontocraft.com/Aratameshi_Nihonto.html

Dear Carlo, I have always thought that Polish bureaucracy was one of the worst in Europe. I am so sorry to see that Italians share at least the same or even worse problems. Customs serve nobody, just customs officers and their bosses in some ministry. Let us opt for free trade. Not only for nihonto.