Peter Bleed

I do, too. An osuriage naginata with a VERY nice tsuka that I bought from Andy Quirt in, - are you sitting down? - 1965. Peter

I am challenged by this entire thread. These ALL(!) look to me like individually produced "things" that were made by and for brain-washed folks who understood only the worst parts of their culture and patrimony. These were made in very small shops by guys with a few files and some recycled bar-stock for guys who drank the cool-aide. They are diverse because every decision involved in their production involved figuring out how to deal with the available scraps. These swords will NEVER be allowed into Japan because they are embarrassing. Peter

When will Chinese craftsmen start to make good reproductions of interesting old style swords - as opposed to trashy crap that looks like pure fakery? Peter

Barry -(you will forgive me for recalling your old name), I have fallen in with the bowie knife collectors here in Arkansas. They meet at the Historic Arkansas Museum and I figured it wouldn't hurt them a bit to see this stuff. AND I also took the opportunity to punch "Ainu" into Flea Bay - - and guess what happened. I bought a little knife and a carved wooden sagemono. Stuff is still out there! And I well understand that Victoria is taking the lockdown very seriously. My grandsons seem to be missing a lot of school. So take you time and show me what you got! All the best Peter

Chris, Thanks for your interest. Indeed, these are "primitives". Most are utilitarian Japanese blades - carpenters knives and things like that were fitted out by local carvers up in Hokkaido. There are basically three (3!) types of blades. 1) belt knives - called MAKIRI - that every guy carried I bet. They have trade knive blades and were certainly tools, not weapons. Then there were "Wood knives" which were like machete for use in forestry. Some of those look like they may have laminated blades but they do NOT look like either Nippon-to or Japanese folk tools. Then there were "Swords" - these included either locally produced hirazukuri short swords (no hamon but locally produced engravings etc} OR recycled Japanese sword blades --- all of which look like tired and abused old beat up Nippon-to -- mounted in locally produced , carved wooded, mounts. Clearly, Japan was awash in old sword blades and many of them seem to have traveled up to the "primitive" communities in the north. I have seen "Ezo" fittings - IN BOOKS!.They are rare!. The pieces that are actually out there to be discovered are universally beat up old Japanese blades or no collectible value - except as "ethnographic art. It seems that folks up in Hokkaido - call'em Ainu - did make iron blades by the Edo period, but most of which there is to be discovered are late 19th to early 20th century tools build of Japanese hardware. Again, thanks for looking! Peter

I got out some Ainu knives for a presentation at a local museum and thought there might be some interest in them here. I am not sure these are "Japanese" blades but they ARE related. Indeed, I have formed three collections of Ainu objects, but I've given two of them away and formed this bunch only because they were there. Most of the "blades" are Japanese (or other "Asian') cutlery, but please take a look at the bear face bag that was fitted out with a "netsuke' that we collectors see as a very ordinary iron tsuba. Thank you for looking! Peter

Indeed, a very interesting sword. Great discovery that was well shared with the NMB Peter

The NMB truly is a wonderful community. With equal intensity - and comparable expertise we can address the set screws on mid War gunto AND the quality of mid - or late - Heian era swords with very good saya-gaki --- and opening bids of $150,000! I truly to not aspire to own a sword made before 1100 AD, and I absolutely would not enter into judgement about such a piece - - unless I happened to have excavated it. And I have excavates lots of stuff newer than the blade being discussed here. As collectors I think we should act like "fans" rather that expert judges. Peter

Looks like a nice early version that may feature prototypical elements. Please show us the whole rig. Peter

Indeed, this is sad news. Fred was always good to me, friendly and interesting.Fred was also a real "type" who adventurously rode the "Nippon-to" market, finding answers to problems and resources to demands. He also creatively explored the frontiers of the world - Japan, the Philppines, the emergent internet and Sword Shows. I can see him being one of the guys who showed up at Dejima in 1630 and begin setting up deals. Peter

\ As I was starting the day this morning, I visited the wonderful Aoijapan page. It is a great exercise every day. It lets you look at a half dozen or so interesting items, practice your kanji, and then toggle to English to check your readings and learn some interesting stuff. And today I was presented by a signed daisho mounted pair of Kunikane blades FOR AN OPENING BID OF $5500. Holy Cow! With complete candor we were told that they would get Hozon paper IF THEY HAD THE SIGNATURES REMOVED. I am challenged by this situation, having spent thousands of dollars seeking their approval – with ahh mixed result. But I have many questions 1. Who gets to say that a) this one is bad and b) that one is good – and how can WE learn those rules – or do we have to once again submit to the tyranny of the NBTHK. 2. Let’s just say that sometimes those guys are wrong. If we follow their assessment and remove the signatures THEY say are “bad,” are we defacing “good” blades. 3. Who was making all those fake Kunikane blades? Was that a school of fakers. Did Kunikane train both smiths and con-men? It could happen! 4. Finally, if any of you have freshly polished signed Kunikane blades in daisho Koshirae, please let me know. They seem to be worth $5500, but I’m a buyer!

I return to the NMB to speak again about the European tachi I presented a week or so ago. In an attempt to learn something about the blade, I have showed this sword to the European Armory portion of the Ethnographic Arms and Armor Forum – and a fine community that is! The considered reaction of those experts convince me (I won’t quote anybody) that this BLADE is something like the Model of 1796 British saber –or one of the similar designs that were manufactured in Germany or Holland during the very opening of the 19th Century. In our terms this is a Shin-shinto. Members of that forum also – very reasonably (!) – wondered if this might be a rather recent creation of older parts, a recent fabrication. That is a good question. My assessment is that this sword is certainly NOT of the top rank but I am convinced that it is “old” Japanese manufacture. To support that contention I would mention the clouds and dragon work on the scabbard. The tsuba may be re-cycled, but both of the seppa appear to be new, special purpose pieces made for the square rat tale tang of the blade (I sure won’t call that a nagago!). Having discussed that much, I decided that it was also time to present a weird ‘secret’ of the sword. The central ring of the tsuka – the dogane, thank you – is not tight and slides back easily. When it is slid back, a rather rough cross is clearly uncovered. That makes it tempting to speculate that the carrier of this sword was either a Christian or an ally of one of the southern leaders who had lined up with Catholic missionaries in early Edo times. Or maybe he was just flashing a bunch of exotic symbols on a piece of glitter that he was wearing around town. What do you think? Peter

Grey is not mistaken Peter

I come to this conversation late and I enter with only a bit of research. There were 4 generations of Iesada smiths, The first started with Tashiro Nagatoshi. The SECOND went on to work with Kunikane 1 but also worked with Tomosuke by the Kanei period (the 1620/30s. The third generation worked with KInmichi. And there was a 4th. I don't see a lot of classically Kunikane stuff in their swords, but the second generation - "Nidai" - liked to do horimono. I don't see mention of generation on the papers. And they didn't apparently mention Sendai in their signatures just "Oshu" (Texas, not Dallas) Peter

Thank you, gentlemen. Once again NMB worked its magic! And it is an honor to interact with real experts! Peter

Can someone please give me the term for the ring fitting - in place of menuki - on this "tachi?" What are these called?

This is a snapshot of the sword I am thinking about. And as Jason observed, in addition to being rather crudely shortened, this blade has been given a Japanese polish with a hint of a kesho applied hamon. Peter

Excellent! I'd forgotten that one, Geraint. And, in fact weren't there a couple of these? And I think that Jason is correct in questioning whether or not these blades were actual cutters. Thank you both! Peter

I have become involved in a project about a European blade that was mounted as a "tachi". I see it as an interesting reflection of the Edo period craze for foreign stuff, but I wonder if it is unique. We all know about European fittings that were re-purposed in Japan. And there are those Japanese blades that Europeans mounted up to to their tastes. But I wonder if the NMB can point me to foreign blades that were given Japanese style koshirae? Peter

I discovered this thread rather late, BUT it is very interesting. Thank you for sharing it. I would like to know more about why and how you discovered these sources. Greta work! Peter

Is this a good time to sell collections? I wonder if the NMB – in its collective wisdom – thinks that this is a good time to sell groups of Japanese swords. I know that predictions are tough - especially about the future -, but what to “we” think is going to happen to sword prices? Is the future dark… or will there be a continuing, solid market for “collectible” Japanese blades? Just asking….

I notice on the world flea market this morning a "power flask" of a type I assume would have gone extinct years ago. These are pieces made out of a pair of lacquer sake cups clued together at the rim and the basal rings removed. The glued edged are often covered by a sting and there is some manner of s spout. If done carefully, they may not look terrible, but they are often amazing crude - and in all cases pure trash - ahhh the joy of antique arms collecting. Peter

Ray is amazing! I realized "what" it had to be saying, but I couldn't make it work til Ray brought it into focus. WOW! Very good work by the whole crew. NMB Worked yet again! Peter

Brian, I was never close enough to "collecting" in Japan to be anything like an expert. I never had any money. But I do realize that there are laws and regulations that are supposed to guide handling of - ahhh - weapons. I also assume that there are ways of avoiding regulations and "flying below the radar." I would really and truly like to know how the stuff Komonjo-sama presents gets to the US, but certainly, once it is "here" it is "legal." Have people asked him? Please help me "study" this matter further. Maybe I'll write another novel.... Peter

I had resisted the urge to add further to this discussion. Modified Japanese bayonets are anything but rare, but I had never seen what looked to me like a Japanese style modification so I thought it might be a worthy addition to our assembled understanding of WWII era cutlery. The world was awash in Arisaka bayonets as the War wound down and this sorry weapons suggested to me that bored American lads were NOT the only ones exploring ways of using them. Could this have been made as a homeland defensive weapon – up there with pointed bamboo sticks? We’ll never know, I suppose. But then this discussion took a turn toward character assessment of the seller. I do not know Komonjo-sama. And I certainly don’t know anything about the other purveyors that sell stuff on eBay. But with sincerity – and even respect -, I think that modern sword collectors ought to look closely – and even positively – at Komonjo-sama’s wares. It looks to me like he has dependable access to (among other things) real and true Japanese junk. Japanese society is well organized, in swords and everything else. When blades surface in Japan, they are assessed, judged, and moved to the right market. It looks to me like Komonjo-sama gets ahold of stuff that has surfaced and been assessed AND cannot find a market in Japan. The Japanese antiques system has figured out that in Japan this is scrap iron. Discard it…, ahh, BUT wait! Greedy, naïve, or optimistic Americans seem willing and able to buy it. Hence, Komonjo – his prices are low and his descriptions seem all right. He makes no bones about it. Anyone who would buy Komonjo-sama’s low end stuff assuming that it is ‘good’ is either a gambler, or foolish. BUT somebody IS buying his blades. Once those blades get to the New World, they will show up in auctions and gun shows and the next generation of emergent collectors will not know their history, but will have heard the stories of “barn finds.” Bargain hunters will buy them, “clean them up” (OMG!) and very likely come to the NMB to “ask advice.” Peter