benatthelake

Attached are a few pictures of my newly acquired Nihonto and Koshirae….a few known details are: Hozon paper, Takahisa (1st Generation) is the Smith, Kanbun era (although some debate if it’s a bit earlier), Koshiare is early 1800ish. 2 Questions/confirmations for the board. 1. Would you agree this is simply Ko-Itame Hada? It is very tight and fine as you will see. 2. I would appreciate some thoughts on the School or Teacher. Some research indicates Takahisa (my sword) (Echizen domain) was the student or lineage of Takahira (Kaga domain) based on the quench pattern of box shape and other attributes. Active period seems to be close, location makes sense (Kaga is next to Echizen). Also attached is one of the only pictures of Takahira I could find. I think it is a stretch, but I defer to the experts. Other comments are appreciated. Took me a while to make this purchase…see the current line of discussion on "Newbie purchases rules of thumb." Looked at a lot of blades and talked with a lot of people and dealers (some dealers were people too but not all) :lol: . In the end, I wanted the complete package…Nihonto and Koshirae. Shira saya felt incomplete to me. Subsequent purchases may be Shira saya, but thought I should buy my first Nihonto based on it’s original purpose and design. Although my Koshirae is not original it is also made for “someone” versus a cobbled together combination of fittings for export market in the 1800s. I am a bit biased of course and enjoy and appreciate the fittings and historical/prominence elements! Ben M.

Ok Guys...thanks so much for the leads. Quit squinting, I need to do more work on this with chalk and/or better photography. Thanks again and I apologize for not providing a better starting point. Ben

N...S... Hmmm. Maybe then..."Not Signed" or "No Signature" Ok, will work on it. Thanks George.

Hi all. Does anyone see a mei here? If yes, I'll do some more work with chalk/powder to bring this out. It sure is faint. I attached a picture of the blade as well as it has some potential. So yes or no and I'll get back to work on it. Don't have the blade in hand but my time with it was limited. Thanks! Ben M.

Thank you both Markus and Geraint for your comments and links. Sooooo, how do I remove the Tsuka? Is the round fixture a screw? Is there still a wood peg underneath? Again, not my blade but I really look forward to studying it further. Thanks in advance. Ben

A friend of mine inherited this bird Tsuka sword. He has no history or understanding of the sword. Attached are the pictures of the Tsuka only as the blade pictures would be disappointing (too fuzzy) to you all. I am assuming the mekugi peg is under the round brass decorative fitting on the side as pictured. Is that the actual peg or is this attached to the wood? Advice on removal? Should it pop off? I believe they made these swords through Showa times. The polish is not great...looks at least water quenched (with some activity) but very difficult to see any hada characteristics. To me, the same looks too new. Will post mei and better pictures of blade after I get the Tsuka off. Thoughts? Ben

John and Grey: Thanks so WD-40 and scrubbed with a soft brillo bad. Just kidding...clean and dry it is. Thanks for the advice. Antti: A wiser man than me on this board was kind enough to provide this assessment..."Probably 'Kumagai' meaning "Edo Higo" or made in Edo with Higo sensibilities in terms of the dragon and the Juckushi school sort of gold and silverwork. Yet around the kozuka/kogai ana it has little wave rests which are much more Tanaka school or similar late Edo period very en Vogue work. I really like the tsuba, as looking like a nicer than average Kumagai (my spelling may be off)/ Edo Higo" Probably 1800ish. For me, I have more research to do as I know little to nothing about tsuba characteristics, history, smiths, etc. Attached is perhaps a better picture which also includes a bit of the Koshirae. I like the Watanabe Clan Mon as it provides some interesting prominence for further study. Thanks for your thoughts. Ben

Bob Y: as a fellow newbie.....simply do a Google search on katana versus tachi and you'll find a number of articles as well as common misperceptions on the difference...which includes length, shape, how worn/displayed, purpose, era, history, blade characteristics, etc. Buy a book for further research....if this is your focus. But Google works fine for starters. My 2 cents.... Ben

I apologize if this topic has been covered in the past. I have found different opinions on the storage and maintenance of tsuba. See attached for mine which I plan to display with koshirae and tsunagi. For a tsuba like mine, which has a nice patina and no active rust, should I still apply a light coat of choij oil? I've read that it can actually hurt the preserving patina. What about the rest of metal fittings? Display will be in my basement with about 50-60% RH....which i have read is good for the wood, lacquer, elements of koshirae. Thoughts on my tsuba are welcomed too. Thanks! Ben M

Chris: Thanks for your quick translation and research. So I should assume Tenwa era/later Kanbun? Nihonto Club lists the Smith's Active Period 1661-1681, which makes sense covering Kanbun, Enpo, and early Tenwa. Not sure this makes a terrible amount of difference however, I'm also curious about the broader Historical events underway during the time of smithing which may have influenced the final product. Any other thoughts are appreciated.

My first Nihonto purchased from Yuji Fukuoka and Tokugawa Art. I'll post pictures later when I have the blade in hand. I've very happy with the transaction thus far. Thanks to this board for guidance and direction. Attached is the Mei (Echizen-ju TAKAHISA-saku) and the Nihonto Meikan reference page. Can anyone provide a translation of this page and confirm the era? The Nihonto Club (Swordsmith index) lists Echizen Kuni Takahisa (Kanbun era) or takahisa echizen ju fujiwara takahisa (Genroku era). I believe the characteristics of this blade including the large kissaki, Length of cutting edge 70.1cm Curvature 1.4cm Width of base 30.2mm Thickness of base 7.6mm Width of Yokote 21.6cm indicate Genna era. Mr. Fukuoka believes this as well. So question is...what is the exact translation from Nihonto Meikan? Thoughts on the era...Genna or Kanbun? Thanks again, Ben M. takahisa_nihonto_meikan_p516-1.pdf

I would hate to be a U.S. dealer holding inventory purchased from Japan last year. 20% lost value. For those of us in the U.S., the entire country is on sale!

kunitaro: Thank you very much for the confirmation. Ben

Please advise if this Smith is Goto Kanehiro. Not sure about the rest of it before "Goto." Seki stamped of course. Happy to post additional pics of blade, Koshirae, etc. but it seems pretty typical Showato to me. Will be looking for the brown Navy tassel and will request on the "wanted" page. Donation made to NMB (I was overdue on that). Ben M.

Thank you all for your feedback. Very helpful. Ben

Hello all. After posting a few mei's for translation and requesting and receiving valuable guidance and opinions, I stumbled across this thread. I would like to introduce myself. My name is Ben Myatt and I am new to the field of Japanese swords and Nihonto. I had the opportunity to purchase some Gunto swords, so after some quick research here and other sites, I was able to avoid mistakes (financial and otherwise). I quickly became interested in Japanese swords simply from the Mei translation (it took me two hours to figure out Saku). I've always enjoyed antiques and as an Engineer, fine manufacturing techniques, standardization, etc. So I guess these came together nicely. I also collect other items including: African and Haitian artwork and masks, antique fishing and hunting items, and old English and European beer steins/mugs.....naturally these all fit together right? . Thank you for allowing me to introduce myself and join this board. Hopefully I can add value. Best regards, Ben Myatt

Does anyone have any experiences (positive or negative) with this online dealer? sanmei.com (Tokugawa Art) Trying to narrow my search for Nihonto (starter sword) in addition to some fine examples provided by the members on this forum. Still studying and learning so I would rather be careful to ensure I don't end up with a "learning experience." In addition any thoughts on a type of sword (including era and characteristics) is welcomed. Finally, any other sites/dealer advice is welcomed...I'm already looking at Aoi Art (recommended by several members). Thanks in advance! Ben M.

David Thank you....very helpful. Now just have to decide what to do with it. Sell or keep. I want a true nihonto sword.

I believe I have a similar sword....I believe the Mei includes a reference to Yasuki steel. Thoughts on this one? Additional photos are on the Translation Section as I started out looking for this.

Chris: Thank you for your reply. So included in the Mei is the reference to the use of Yasuki steel? That is interesting. I can pick up the rest of the conversation on this in the Military sword area. thanks again. Any chance you could provide an exact translation? Thanks! Ben

Blade pics..

Additional pics. Is is common for military swords to be customized like this? Does it make it more valuable? Paid $1,500...not sure if it was a good deal. Blade is very nice...sharpened to Tsuba. I'm pretty sure semi traditional...oil quenched, machine made, etc.

I believe the translation is Matsuda Kanetake Saku. Not sure what is before and whether or not it's important. I get the Stamp is non traditional but it has some interesting parts which I believe are not Army. Thoughts Ben

Any other opinions? Other thoughts on translation?

showa-to?! Wow... Thanks for your thoughts.