Andi B.

...maybe a beef shank or something similiar? Do we have to think outside the box or is it obvious (when you tell us the answer)?

Only for example the most obvious thing (among others): Look at the hada grain - it is too conspicious and looks like on many other fake blades. A real Japanese hada is not so flashy... And also the tsukamaki: it is a simple cotton ito which is not alternately wrapped. This is also a characteristic of a fake.

The same tsuba - photographed and scanned?

...one general question: Who (maybe an other forum) can I ask for such translations if they are not directly related to Nihonto? NMB is a great source but I do not want to misuse this board. For example with this tea kettle tetsubin mei:

...of course from ebay... Many thanks for this information - that helps a lot!

Hello, I have here an old woodprint book about swords. Can anybody help me with the title and more information about these kind of books? The only information I have is the author Shichirobe Kikuya and it is from about 1755. What was the intention of these books and who was the audience? BTW if someone can read Japanese - what are the titles of these both samurai history related books (...hope I scanned the title)? left: author Hanzan Matzukawa, ca 1860 right: unknown, ca 1780) Thank you!

...disregarding collector's requirements - a blade with (so many) hagire won't make me happy (and I suppose most of you would also regret such a purchase after a while). It's my personal taste and depents on the price: A non fatal flaw like a rust spot or even a small chip is ok ("sign of age and history") - but this blade is really gone...

OT: 13 cracks - I've seen this piece too and these hagire brought my first attempt of creating a HOL (hamon like object) of a simple piece of steel to mind: ...I only reached 7! Was/Is it common that such pieces were polished and mounted?

...not a new one - the oldest and the most effective method ever invented!

...There is always a link to better pictures on Daimyou's ebay offers... But of course you have to examine the images carefully. I bought a (<200$) wakizashi last year and I was surprised, that it was mechanically grinded which I could not detect from the images (but it needs a polish anyway). I do not know why he/she or who else does this damage to the blades - to make them more shiny for the ebay photo shooting? Recently I asked him why these blades are so badly grinded. He didn't anwer my question (language problems?) but the gist of what he wrote was, the cheaper blades are so cheap because nobody would buy them for higher prices... -> so they are obviously "LOW-end" blades and no hidden treasures (but still cheaper than Paul Chen :-)) Here you can see the strange grinding (noted more than only once) on a "blade" offered currently: http://daimyou54jp.web.infoseek.co.jp/D4-135/IMG_2073.JPG

Hello, here is a tsuba with little people on its surface. I think the tsuba and the bodies are the same piece (no inlay?) and the clothes, the pine branches and a few dots on the ground are decorated with gold. But which material was used for hands and faces? I looks like copper but it is so shiny and has no patina...simply cleaned or an alloy? ...and any ideas, what kind of tsuba it is? Thank you!

...I will upload a new tanto project soon - here are the images from the saya: http://www.zatoichi.de/tanto_02/t02_saya_g.htm

...this one is also from my site and has a few shira saya creation pics: http://www.zatoichi.de/tanto_01/index.htm But here is a very interesting site: http://sayashi.com/main%20pages/projects.htm

...and this site http://tsuba.jyuluck-do.com/AizuShoami.html which shows a nearly identical tsuba, so I suppose they are off-the-shelf pieces ? What's interesting, that there are two little spots on my tsuba of gold (inlay?) left on each side - Omote at 6 o'clock. Were such tsuba decorated and has anyone a picture of a better piece?

Thank you Markus for the quick reply. I found this article on Shoami Tsuba including an "interesting" part regarding Aizu Shoami school (...that explains the low price...)

Hello all, I'm not so familiar with these micro kanji on tsuba so maybe some of you can help me identifying the characters on this piece: ...the second on the left column is probably Shoami...?

Andreas, that's great what you found out: I got another appraisal (based on these photos) and it goes - conditionally - in the same direction for wakizashi No 2: Sue Kote / Early Shinto, hamon similiar to Kanefusa, Mino Den (and even an attribution to Early Echizen Seki).

John, here are the dates of the blade: Length: 578 mm Nagasa: 448 mm Sori: 16 mm Kasane: 6,5 mm Motohaba: 30 mm Sakihaba: 21 mm Hamon: gunome choji (?)

Thank you John! ...I have to look at some more blades of these periods to teach my eyes to see the subtle diffenences. And to assess/weight the relevance of the different characteristics for a correct assignment. Ok, while we are at it, here is the third and last blade with a similar shape, so it could be Kanbun too...(?) And it could be Mino, later generations of Kanemoto school due to the sanbon-sugi hamon...(?) Length: 618 mm Nagasa: 476 mm Sori: 15 mm Kasane: 7,5 mm Motohaba: 33 mm Sakihaba: 22 mm Hamon: sanbon sugi Boshi: o-maru (?)

John, I would guess Genroku due to the deep sori (seen in Paul Martin's Guide to Nyusatsu Kantei book...Jean, I have it ). When you say Kanbun, which characteristics point to this era? ############# Hmmm...I have a similar question on a German forum (it's a bit easier to communicate...) with three blades. One of these is the wakizashi of the first post (currently without any answer - I should guess first) and an other one is this - which is attributed to Kanbun Shinto (small sori, a slender sakiba and the smith's name) - and it's shape is different to the one on the top.. : Lenght: 670 mm Nagasa: 545 mm Sori: 13 mm Kasane: 6,5 mm Motohaba: 31 mm Sakihaba: 20 mm Hamon: midare based on notare (?) Mei: Yamashiro Kuni Ju Kiyotsuna

Andreas, thank you for the simple answer - you're right: a book is good but it is better to learn "compulorily" by collecting and sorting information (from books, internet, friends...) ### Off Topic ### If you are interested - here are a few "teasers pics" of my second tanto project (I will upload the complete site when the blade is finished...) http://www.zatoichi.de/tanto_02/t02_habaki_g.htm http://www.zatoichi.de/tanto_02/t02_saya_g.htm

Hello all, here is a wakizashi which I can not assign to a special period. I know the first thing to look at should be the overall shape. Whole Length about 22.8"(58cm) Nagasa about 17.7"(45cm) Sori about 0.6"(1.5cm) Motohaba about 1.1"(2.9cm) I my books there are only few shape indications and examples for the different periods which seems to be too sketchy (especially for wakizashi)... So I hoover between Kanbun and Genroku but era but for Genroku it is too short (?) and for Kanbun the sori is too deep (?) (I do not know how stringent these indications for special era's were carried out by the smiths...) Any hints and tricks how to approach a correct attribution (your knowledge , checklists, reference images, books etc.)? Thank you! (Please do not comment on the overall condition and the "katanakake" of this blade...)

Here is my piece, but I can not discover any layers...

Hello, here is a tsuba with nice gold inlays near the rim - I suppose a chrysanthemum and water design: Can anybody give me hints to which time, artistical and technical style or region this piece belongs and what the motif means? Thank you!

Hello, I have a tsuba with a mother of pearl inlay. Were such inlays "modern" inventions or in other words - in which period did they appear? Thank you!