shibeni

Hello, just find a pefect angle and light to make a photo. I hope, that I can show tanto in full polish soon. Regards, Bojan

Hi, thank you for your opinions. Is it possible for tanto to be from Shinshinto era? If you have contact of some good polisher near Italy (EU), plese let me know. Regards, Bojan Slovenia

Hello, I try hard to photo the activity on the blade, because of old polish and scratches. This is best what I can do. I think that the best image of activity, is on my first post. On second image I try to mark the activity on tip of the blade. If you see something that my untrained eye can't see, please let me know. I think it would look beautiful with a new polish. Regards and thank you, Bojan

Hello, I got this tanto a few days ago from Canadian atique collector. Nagasa: 22,3 cm, nakago:9cm, yasurime are visible kasane at mune machi:0,8cm, mihaba: 2,3 cm Blade is out of polish with small skratches. I would say choji hamon and looks like temper runs also along the mune. Nakago is mumei. Koshirae looks genuine to me and fit perfect the habaki and the lenght of the blade. I am not shure about the age, but probably it's no older then shinshinto (I am still learning, so please forgive if I'm wrong). Fuchi and kashira had the same motif. I would be happy for any coment. Regards, Bojan

This is 8 inch shin shinto tanto blade, with some variation in hamomon (from shuguha to toran). I try hard to read the mei without help, but it didn't work. (勝-katsu, 広-hiro,守-mori ---)? Thank you for any help. Bojan S.

Hello, can anyone help me to read writing on small (3 inch blade) tanto knife which I bought on local antique market as modern Japan suvenir. It has a wooden saya with white horn parts. Thank you, Bojan

Hello, find this on local antique market. Just to be an uchigatana 54 cm signed something like Masahiro (?). Nakago looks old to me but blade is sandpapered + kizu (?) activity is also not visible. I got some pictures of nakago anad kissaki with no yokote. Any chances to be this a "koto" blade? Thank you, Bojan

Hello, As probably a gimei signature, what kind of date is then writen on nakago. Thank you for help, Bojan S.

Hello, sorry for missing kanji on picture with date inscription. Think that is Bunroku. Is that any chance not to be a gimei signature of Sukesada? Thank you for helping, Bojan S.

Hello again, I kindly ask you to help me read mei on waki - on the reverse side of nakago (one side is Bishu Osafune Sukesada) . Waki was sold on our local antique meeting, as a gimei blade. I will preare more photos of the blade. Thank you for help! Bojan S.

Hello again, I find very small thing (a few mm) on machi area which looks like a mark?? Sword is a gendaito katana with Masamitsu stamp - already posted on NMB http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3106&hilit=masamitsu. Thank you for help. Bojan

Hi, One more picture of suguha, large nie and lots of ko-nie. This is the good part of the blade. Bojan

Hi, thank's for your opinion and advice Takakage. I know that is very difficult to judge from the photos. It will be much easy decision for sending it to restoration, if the blade has no kizu . Regards, Bojan

Hi, more photos of the blade and (handachi) fittings. Regards, Bojan

Hi, My new katana is completely unrestored and it’s out of polish with some speed rust, it has two battle cuts on mune and on ji, and it has ware. Blade is very long and massive with 73 cm or 28 ¾ inches nagasa. Overall length of the blade is 93 cm or 36,61 inches. Hamon is suguha with large nie and lots of ko-nie. Boshi is komaru with full turnback up to the mune. I can also see hitatsura and nie in some areas of the mune. Nakago is mumei, ubu with horizontal yasurime (dark brown patina). Jitetsu is a tight ko-itame. Iron tachi (or handachi?) fittings are uniform and in very strange open work design made of copper or gold (like stars and curves design). Heavy iron tsuba is much older than the sword. Menuki are fishermans in the boat. As I wrote in my last post here in NMB forum, blade has also long ware and some jaki ware. The age of katana is still uncertain, but probably it’s not older than shinshinto (?). Any opinion about the possible age and question about if is worth to be restored (polish and new saya) even if blade has ware some jaki ware? Sori = 2,6 cm (1,02 inch) Nakago = 20,5 cm (8,07 inch) Width at yokote = 2,2 cm (0,87 inch) Width at mune machi = 3 cm (1,18 inch) Thick at mune machi = 0,7 cm (0,28 inch) Thick at yokote = 0,5 cm (0,20 inch) than spread to 0,7 cm an become narrow till the kissaki point. Regards, Bojan

Hi, thank you for help on this unpleasant kizu, probably the right answer is that sword has also some yaki ware along the ji. This long katana gets few probably battle strokes (cuts) on shinogi and mune area, so this also may cause this cracks. I hope that blade is still worth to be restored (polished), because activity is very nice. I will post pict. of whole blade, just for impression of this long and thick blade. Regards, Bojan

Hi, one close up picture of this crack, under more natural color. Regards, Bojan

Hi all, can be sword with this kind of flaw acceptable in the way of sending it to a polisher, or it is worthless in the terms of Nihonto? Thank you, Regards, Bojan

Hi all, on first picture (white vertical line) is a scratch, along the black line is wery thiny opening (ware?). Blade has also tempering clouds on shinogi ji area. (I will post more pictures of the whole blade). Regards, Bojan

Hi all, Posting more better pictures of very unusual long ware on 28 3/4 inch sinshinto mumei long katana (handachi). Looks like that on some areas ware passes hamon?, or runs close above it. How fatal is this? I will post more pictures and description of this heavy blade, unfortunately it has kizu, and it is out of polish....and the sword is not the object of buying or selling! Yes, I have this sword now in my "collection". Regards, Bojan My post on this tema: (http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3264 )

Hi, it was wery clumsy to carry this 29 inch and heavy sword in to battle during ww2..? Any guess about the possible age of this simple handachi fittings, they looks older than showa era to me. Regards, Bojan

Hi, old saya is covered with later ww2 leather, semegane, sayajiri are under a leather cover. In sayajiri area leather cover has little opening, so I can see the same style of fitting. Regards, Bojan

Hi, thank you for answers. Fuchi and kashira have the same "snake style", open work is just on the other side of fuchi. Sword is 29 3/4 inches and it is possible to be a long katana with a tachi style fittings. Regards, Bojan

Hi all, the fittings belongs to my unrestored shinshinto tachi. The pattern on one side of fuchi and kabuto-gane looks like a "snake or rope" form (dificoult to see on pix.), but on other side of fuchi (on picture) is a diferentstrange looking pattern which (gold or copper filler). Massive iron tsuba looks old and have a signature. On both sides are thiny rays which goes from the center to the edge. I kindly ask you for any opinion on fuchi and tsuba mei translation, Regards, Bojan

Hi John, Here is the link: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3106 It is strange activity, wery bright and with darkest lines till the kissaki. Any idea what kind of blade is this. Thank you for helping, Bojan