Peter Bleed

Thank you INDEED! What a treat! Peter

Since we're on the topic, ... Here are a couple of snapshots of Kunikane signatures that we could use - not as any kind of a standard - but as a place to begin consideration of 13th generation signatures. My opinion has been that both of these are by KK 13. Neither has been shinsa'd. Peter

Jussi has, indeed, given an apparently accurate rendering of the signature, BUT I'd still like to see the nagako without that chalk! The dust does NOTHING but get in the way. P

I have enjoyed looking at this blade. It is very impressive and I look forward to reading more about it as additional information is posted. I wonder, however, if I am the only observer who gets an older vibe from this sword. It doesn't look like a bakumatsu blade to me -- IMHO. Peter

Well gee! This is a fabulous little sword. I can only think of 18 thousand reasons not to own it. Indeed, the 13th generation was a fairly interesting guy. He died at the age of 61 in Meiji13 so that was - what - 1880. He was active in Bakumatsu times, but this sword makes it look like the Date Daimyo were as "active" at that time. This clearly was made as an important guy's sword. Like I said, WOW. Peter

This remains an interesting thread. Thank you Ed. I happen to have lived thru the great process that sent swords (poorly assessed and usually underpriced) BACK to Japan. NOW, I think I am seeing the ebb tide of that process. Stuff that went to Japan has been (largely) organized and assessed. Japanese society likes regularlty, order and hierarchy. It also happens that altho interest in Nippon-to remains substantial - ie. there is a DEMAND. But due to the effectiveness of the folks who ran the earlier return phase, SUPPLIES are now LOW outside of Japan. In this situation, laws of economy say there will be flow out of Japan. Every sword in Japan - with very few exceptions, - has been assessed. Toroku Shinsa are overseen by guys who read in the signature and passed them to the owner. In that and other steps - ie getting it polished, buy sword bags, having tea with other guys, etc etc, - information is distributed. All of that is way different from "a shinsa". You can't take that to the bank. But swords in Japan exist with assessment. My point is that sword coming out of Japan are not being offered by completely naive providers. They may be dumb, or tired, or eager to be rid of a sword, but they DO have information. Peter

Ed, Maybe I'm coming off of a bit of shinsa disappointment. Certainly we all know that shinsa assessments are subject to change and variation. And there is no question that there are undiscovered swords in Japan. So, if you have trustworthy purveyors in Japan who can supply worthy swords at prices suited to the Gaikoku market, you are fortunately indeed. Peter

I think that Ed is over-making a fair point. Buy the sword not the papers, . . yahh-dahhh-yahhh dah. BUT, getting a sword "papered" in easy and fun to Japanese collectors. There is also a lot of "action" in the Japanese sword world. And Japan certainly is the best market for Japanese swords. Thus, I think it has to be safe to assume that a sword that is being exported from Japan HAS been formally evaluated and assessed. So, if it ain't got papers, you have to bet that it tried but missed... I am impressed that some American dealers are currently sayign some version of , "this sword has not been submitted..." Just saying... Peter

Well, darn! The NMB has done it again. I used hot water and lots light wiggling and finally got the blade out. Thank you all for the advice. Frankly, although I've had this old soldier for several years, I have never given it much regard. It wears traces of misuse, but golly, it has a nice gilded back. Goto? Peter

All good tips, Thanx. I am pretty sure that this does not involve one of the new epoxies - JB Weld etc - so I'll try acetone...and mebbe low heat. P

Friends, I got this kozuka out a couple of days ago when we had been asked to describe great finds. I think this fittingcan be discribed in those terms. I found it in box marked "Letter Openers, $1 each" at a local flea market. Those 7 shishi sure look like gold so I didn't even try to beat him down. But here's the problem. In addition to grinding away most of a nice Mino no Kami Masatsuna kogatana. I'm afraid that previous owner may have superglued the ko-gatana into the kozuka. Does anyone have advice on removing seriously impacted kozuka blades ? Peter

It looks like the Shinsa team couldn't say very much about it either. They said it was an osuri-age mumei, tenbun era, so what, 1530s, from Kaga. P

George, This has been a great story which we have all enjoyed. It seems to be heading in a good direction. I am happy for you! If I can give you some advice, I say that you should NOT bother to buy lottery tickets for a while. You have used up a lot of your good luck! Just think of all the things that could have happened along the way. Peter

Good Eye? Brian, in the old days "good eye" had nothing to do with it. Everything was cheap and a little brass hammer made you an expert! Peter

Thanks for showing us this tsuba, John. I wish I knew more about "wan-gata" guards. I've looked at lots of them, - and own a few - but generally I have NOT been sure that they are inspired by European designs. In this case, tho, I think you really have a piece that looks "European." It is very nice! Peter

Well, YES, Jeremiah. I was thinking of you specifically. Peter

Last week while passing a wonderful couple of days at the Springfield Armory National Historic lLandmark, I discovered a trove of Japanese polearms that somebody in New England really should document. Like a lot of old museums, the Armory has fallen heir to some Japanese arms. I did not have time to see all of them, but I did see a group of yari (including a couple of jumonji-yari etc. all with saya and hadome) AND a matched pair (!) of nagamaki. I briefly looked at one of these, but I did not get to see the nakago. The blade “looked” pretty good, but it did not reveal much to me. It has an original old polish that deserves a cleaning and a close inspection. The blade had a hamon and was certainly more than daito length. It seemed to be set with 2 mekugi, one of which was filled with a brass fitting. I took that to mean that the weapon I saw could be ubu. The close match of the pair struck me as suspicious. I mean, could they be Meiji-era curtain rods? Bannerman was offering them for that purpose. But, full size ubu nagamaki are not at all common. They deserve inspection. Arranging to see them would take a bit of doing, but I found the Armory staff very positive. I’ll bet a wonderful session could be arranged to look at these blades. They could be very publishable. Peter

It says Muromachi,late. so, 1500s Peter

A couple of years ago, I published a short paper in the American collectors' journal "Man at Arms" (which is affiliated with the NRA, Yes, that one) on tsuba that I am pretty sure were copied from European smallsword guards.I hoped the paper would bring American arms collectors and Japanese sword collectors a bit closer together. It seems not to have had much impact and a friend recently said he had heard about the paper, but had never seen a copy! Sooo, here is a pdf. Peter Small Swords in Japan.pdf

Another couple that I hope are worth a look P

Here's another P

Please let me share a tsubu - or three - that may be of interest here

Ray isprobably right, but i think it could be KODA KANESADA P

Here is another tsuba that brings to mind - at least to my mind - Chinese swords.IMHO this guard has a Chinese look and the kozuka-ana seems truly to have been added "thru" the plate so it may have been made outside of Japan. At the same time, the seppa-dai (or what served as the seppa-dai) looks very Japanese to me. I'm pretty sure that the first of the guards I have just posted began life in "China". I am less sure of that about guard. Thank you for looking! Peter

I have nothing to add regarding claw counting, but this tsuba may be of interest to folks who have been following this thread. Peter