Peter Bleed

Anthony, How's your - ahhh - poison ivy rash? Monkeying around with urushi always looked to me like risky business. Peter

Piers is much better at ink blots than I am. I can't read this at all! Peter

I am sure that there were LOTS of cast iron tsubas being made in Edo times. Lots of low end "Namban" tsubas were clearly cast. Peter

I'm a bit surprised to see all those 3-5 Kirimon. Nice, but not very "imperial" IMHO Peter

WOW! Peter

interesting problem - and discussion. Thanks to you all Peter

Yep, that looks pretty good P

I think this could be TAIRA,, that is suggesting a familial connection, = = like Fujiwara, Minamoto, etc. BUT I can make anything out below that.

Dude's name was MASATSUNE. No idea who he was. Peter P.S. I'm also not sure of his family name. Amaike mebbe?

This was, indeed, a useful discussion. Thank you all! Peter

Geraint, Excellent advice. Komai is as close to methadone as I can image. Peter P.S. And for the record, I have collected Japanese swords since 1964 (and was Chairman of the JSSUS).

Yurie, I love your site and I always learn from it. Thank you. When will we learn about Kunikane and other other swordsmiths of Sendai? Peter

Dear Friends, I have never really considered myself a fittings collector, but as I recently got my Namban tsubas out and thought about them once again, I came to an uncomfortable conclusion. I can still tell stories about these things. And I know some that are well-crafted. But I am left with the nagging feeling that they are basically like cuff links and lapel pins. Am I over kodogu? Peter

The "top one" is signed Sekihara MICHIHIRO. My guess is that he was a cutlerer in Seki who made army swords. P

Thank you Steve, Shige it is! Peter

90% easy to read, trouble is the difficult 10% is the key part... Peter

Handwriting and penmanship, I think this guy was better with hammer and tongs than he was with chisels. Darn nice! P

toshihide p

Attached is a page of a 1948 Martin B. Retting catalog of Antique Arms. The operation was in West Hurley NY at that time but I think they are in Los Angeles these days. In 1948 nice gunto were worth 20 bucks,. Peter

Colin, When I step up to help with tsuba signature, it is like hearing the canary cough, but but I think this is signed Efu ju TOSHINAGA with no pride, I am, your truly, PBleed

looks like it is about the fittings, not the blade IMHO P

Well, gee. I hate it when guys don't follow the pattern. But I have no pride, so, let me ask if sword is by MASATSUNE, and signed something like Ishinsai Masatsune oite Tokyo, so maybe by that Bungo guy but while he was up in Edo - as things were heating up... MAS1247 NEAT SWORD - and I love the tsuba! Peter

Les, By all means, please find this!. As I mentioned, I just dialed him up. He was a nice guy and neat "vet". We did not talk long, but my recollection is that he remembered having fewer swords that are shown in the images. I would love to hear what he had to say! Thanks! Peter

Dear Friends, Please allow me to post and share a bit of Japanese sword history that I have never seen described on the NMB or anywhere else. The attached image shows the cover of the June 2 1944 YANK – Down Under. There isn’t much of a “story” about the cover, only a the attached brief text. I have owned this cover for years. In the 1980s I used long distance information to find that Sgt. Gathof was still living in Louisville. I gave him a call and found that he still had the swords and that he remembered the cover warmly. I think it worth noting that even in 1944, swords were worth “over a thousand bucks.” Or at least “up to 100 quid apiece”… if they’re not made of jeep springs. Peter

The toroku is about registration and as has been explained it is not at all a document of authentication. BUT, when you export a sword - ie. like bring it to the US - you are supposed to turn the registration card in. Blades with card in this country either have a COPY - - or they were improperly exported! Peter