scrotty

Hello Stephen, Remember this one? I like this iron kozuka paired with it. Steve

Thank you Ian, despite the news regarding the shikoro it is nice to hear from you. Hope all is well with you and yours. I suppose I'll ponder what to do. Best, Steve

Andy Mancabelli, that is the name I had heard. I suppose I just assumed he worked in the US. Would anyone have contact information? Best Regards, Steve

Hello All, I have heard there may be a qualified armor restoration expert in the US. I have a 32 plate suji kabuto that needs only minor restoration/conservation to the hachi but needs a major restoration to the shikoro, cleaning and stripping, new urushi and lacing and re-attachment. International shipping/dealing with Customs, language barriers etc. is always a headache, add Covid-19 concerns...I'd rather keep it in the US if possible. Would appreciate any referrals... Best regards to all, be well, stay well. Steve

Hi Michael, Indeed an interesting topic for me as I am a collector and my father was a Marine Iwo Jima veteran. When I became interested in swords I naturally asked him, whether he had ever found or captured one. He was on Guam before Iwo, the 21st Regiment of the Third Marine Division. He saw some on Guam, being traded by Marines to Army Air Corps pilots for cases of cheap booze once Guam was secure...but he never found one. He lasted 11 or 12 days on Iwo before being badly wounded, he was a machine gunner, he simply told me he did not have any time to look around.... Hope you keep us posted Steve

Thank you for your comments, and of course you are correct with regard to the mori kanji...bad on me. This sword does not appear to be typical kozori work however. I have discussed this sword at length with Jimmy Hayashi, the San Francisco-based polisher who commented he thought it superior to kozori-mono work. One of his references lists a Morimasa with this Mori kanji but does not associate him with the Kozori smiths. So whoever this Morimasa was he made a really fine sword. The mix of itame hada, small chogi hamon, profuse kinsuji and chikei and the prominent midare utsuri is a bit of a conundrum however.... Again, any and all speculation and comment is most welcome. Best Regards, Steve

Hello all, I'd appreciate any comment or insight about this sword. It is orikaeshi-mei, signed Bizen no kuni Osafune-ju Morimasa. I only see three possible smiths in the books, two associated with kozori, one omiya. But all signed Bishu, not Bizen. None of them seem to be especially well known or highly rated. The nagasa currently is about 26.5 inches, I believe it was originally 33 to 34 inches. The hamon is small chogi. The hada shows much itame and almost masame in the shinogi ji. Profuse chikei and kinsugi. The midare-utsuri is prominent. This sword must have been someone's personal treasure to have gone to the expense of preserving the mei. The orikaeshi is extremely well done. It has three kirikomi in the mono-uchi area of the mune. Best Regards, Steve Crotty

Does anyone out there have this book? I need a picture of a certain page... Thanks