Ichi

Hi Koichi-san, Thanks for finding an interesting website - Shachihata the stamp maker. Very interesting. So the seal 欽持高蔵 translates to Respectfully Posses in Precious Storage room (or Collection according to Ronin san) ? Don't make much sense in Japanese. Wish Shachihata could add one more buttom to show one's kao 花押　samples.

Yo Ronin Milt, Still keeping my big eyes open, but nothing coming up in the land of rising sun to backup that statement.

Stephen, What you mean? You have seen this same Muramasa four times?

yeah, in your Hindu language? Just kidding. :D

Hi Fred and welcome to NMB, I received a similar treatment with my golf club in the good old days. Not any more after 9/11. They even confiscated my nail scissor.

Hi Rich, I can only recognize the last kanji out of the four. It's 蔵　(kura) or storage room. So it must be a stamp showing where it was stored. Nobody-san, am I right?

The 6th chairman, Hashimoto Ryutaro (ex-Prime Minister), passed away this summer, and I don't think there is a replacement yet. Nothing of that sort of story I have seen in the print form.

Hi All, Thanks all for your input. That made sense, a cosmetic polish. Leroy, I think Takenori and Yasunori are the same guy. Takenori was the name he used before joining the Yasukuni Shrine. We will find out if it's worth that price. But no one has raised his hand yet. Thanks again.

Hi All, Wondering what this 'touch up polish' meant in this comment on Aoi's: http://aoi-art.com/sword/katana/06217.html Yasunuki sword turns out to be a Kamakura Rai? I know Tsuruta-san does polishing himself. Is partial polishing good for the blade. I thought nihonto polishers are proud to do full polishing. Or maybe this is enamel polishing to produce sharp outline and hamon with hadori stones. Ichi

Not really nihonto oriented topic, but while surfering thru the net I found this site which exhibits pictorial books on samurai, ancient culture, history etc... http://www.goosejuice.com/albums/Japan/ FYI

Hi Rich, I don't know how to attach a pic on this new NMB format, so I am emailing the mei which was scanned from Touken Youran Yasutsugu 六代目. Hope this will be helpful. All the best, Ichi

Hi Roger, I agree with Henry. It looks like a well made Chinese fake. In nakago area (pic , there are three nakago ana, but two are positioned in an odd place. In the hasaki (pic 6), I couldn't see any yokote. The hada might have been acid (pic 5) and looks like ayasugi. Ichi

Hi Rod, Not all comes with English subtiles. especially the Taiga series. Check each titles that states " with removable English Subtitles". Ichi

Talking about samurai movies, these are my favorites: Tange Sazen 2004 remake starting E. Toyokawa Twilight Samurai 2002 Hiroyuki Sanada Zatoichi 2003 remake Beat Takeshi Time Slip 1549 All under Samurai section http://www.kurotokagi.com/ Ichi

Hi All, I saw that Musashi flick aired few years ago. It was a life story of Musashi, from childhood to the end, but more leaned toward his love affair. If you are really interested in a sword flick, check out Shinsengumi which was aired three years ago by the same program - Taiga Drama. The honcho of the group, Kondo Isami, carried 'Kotetsu' but later turned out to be gimei. He didn't know about it and used it through out his life. This program will show the true life of the 'last' samurai during 1850's - their lifesytle, kendo practice, drinking, and the real sword dual at the end of Edo. Your Musashi, the one you are looking, as well as Shinsengumi are available from this site. US$100 plus shipping. Have fun! Ichi http://www.kurotokagi.com/ P.S. Nobunaga (King of Jipangu) was also an interesting flick

Hi All, You are talking about Taiga drama aired every Sunday here in Japan as well as other overseas cities such as LA SF where big Japanese community resides. Here's what this TV series is all about. Taiga drama (大河ドラマ) is the name NHK gives to the annual, year-long historical fiction television series it broadcasts in Japan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiga_drama Erol Ishikawa aka Ichi

Way to go, Milt. You look more handsome than I thought. Mister Bungo at his best ! Ichi

Hi Shaun, This is my shot at your blade: Shinogi zukuri, torii-zori with deep sori, more tend to be masame-hada, nioi-deki, choji-gunome hamon, with many ashi and yo activities, bo-hi is engraved, mumei and four mekugi ana. I would trace it to Bizen Osafune uchi-gatana from Muromachi period. This one must seen lots of action. It's pretty much beaten up. May well deserve a nice polishing. Sorry if I am wrong. I am at work and without a book. More important, I am a newbie ! Ichi

Bungo is back sipping his cheap Tennessee bourbon again. Looking forward seeing your face in the avitar!

I also think the last character is 元. Seki Kanemoto. Erol Ishikawa a.k.a. Ichi

They sure are astonishing. I am not a vivid tsuba collector, but those collections really makes you allured. Thanks Rich. Ichi

Thanks, Richard S and Richard T, for making this forum available to us for such a long period. Really appreciated it. And now, Brain, good luck and gambate ! E. Ishikawa a.k.a. Ichi :D