Peter Bleed

Bruno, This is a NICE tsuba. And, yes, it does kind of look like it has a Cross right there. This does not to me look like a family crest. I think that the "hidden Christian" trope may be a bit overplayed. At least I have a hard time believing that early missionaries were able to truly convert as many people as seem to have been swept up in the Shimabara events. It may have had lots to do with regional and factional politics. In any case, there was a time when wearing this sort of thing could get you killed. This is an interesting fitting. Thanks for showing it. Peter

Maybe I'm a collector and not a shopper, but for me, the easy and obvious answer to Greg's question, "what's the most sought after blade.." is... THE NEXT ONE! Peter

I've learned my lesson and should let this thread slip below the waves, but I think kissaki-shortening still deserves bit of discussion here on the NMB. The reality that was cogently exposed by Geraint and Robert does not hide the fact that currently blades are being shortened from the front end to a degree and in ways that we should not ignore. I won't discuss ongoing auctions, but I urge others to go to eBay and search for terms like "rare hoko spear tanto" and see what you find. I think the reality is that as interest in Nippon-to is high, the world has also discovered lots of seriously compromised blades AND craftsfolk (in Japan and elsewhere) who have the skills and tools to rework them from trask to shiny trash with a lot of historical sounding hooey. The techniques involved in this reworking may have some history, but the rationale for Satsuma-age recycling in the Sengoku jidai was different from the goals and intentions that are feeding modern reworks on to the world sword market. Peter

Ron, I hate it when nobody says anything... So, yes, I could see a Munehiro there, with the Hiro greatly shaved by enlargement of the ana. I will also say that altho I respect your taste, I find this tsuba, well, challenging. Peter

Geraint, Thank you for the ksky link. Indeed, I had not seen it and found it very interesting. We ALL must read it. I also apologize for my naive treatment of Satsuma-age. The larger issue I was hoping to expose is how we should treat altered blades. I am sure that shortened blades - and osoraku tanto in particular - are much more common now than they were - say - 30 years ago. This is work that is going on now. And there are guys actively selling these blades, calling them "flawless" and "beautiful". There may be precedent for them, but I think they reflect 1) the modern market, 2) modern methods, and not to mention 3) the fact that there are lots of seriously damaged blades available in the modern world. I wonder what people in the early Muromachi era thought about cutting up old nagamaki to make mere daito. Today we see "Nagamaki naoshi" becoming ju-to. But I bet that at that time, some people were aghast at the damage that was being done to antique weapons. Peter

For some time, I have been meaning to ask this august forum about the standing and significance of what are called Osoraku tanto. These are shinogi-zukuri blades with a with a very long kissaki, like up to half the total nagasa. I do not remember any of these in the old days and the term only seems to appear in the polite sword literature quite recently. Ogawa doesn’t define it, for example, although it is there in Nagayama and briefly discussed by Nakahara and Sesko. There have also been some mentions of the style here in NMB. Still, I’ll say it again, although we never used to see these things, they seem to be showing up nowadays. Some clearly are new, wearing the signatures of gendai smiths. And there appear to be older blades in this style. An essay in the last Token Bijutsu moves me to bring my suspicions about these blades out for discussion. Are they ALL dummied up fantasies, or are only some of them? The piece in TKB is presented as a “Shiron” which is, I guess, something like a thought piece. It is by Mr. Toshihiko Wagaharu. I do not know this gentleman and I will not try to speak to the substance of his note. But it appears in the journal using words like “recycling” and presents a clear graphic that shows how a daito could be bobbed off to become an osoraku tanto. And if that ain’t enough, the title of the piece is “Satsuma Age Ni Tsuite.” Which I think would have to be translated as something like “Concerning Fish Dumplings.” So how suspicious should we be. Some guys, like these blades so some osoraku blades may have been made as special orders by modern smiths. But how could we separate those blades from ones that were cranked out of older broken/flawed daito? And if that is what is happening, is there anything wrong with it? Peter

John, This sword is signed Seki ju Kanenori saku, and it has a Seki stamp. This smith made arsenal swords - ie. "Showato", but a 1940 date is pretty early so there may be some collector interest. I bet the forum would like to see a picture of the sword's fittings. Peter

Well, thank you Stephan and Brian, I was surprised to see that the book is readable right there on Amazon. Boy does it describe a long lost world. Peter

Jon, We are teasing you so you'll have to tough that out. The reality is that this signature LOOKS pretty good until you start to read it. Then it falls apart into jibberish. The fittings are easier. They are fantasy trash from the get go. I urge you to find and get to know other sword collectors in your area. Visit them. Look at real swords. You don't have to buy stuff, just go see some swords. Looking at a few real signatures will let you see what is wrong with this sword.My experience is that real sword collectors like to look at their swords with other people who are interested in them. Peter

And get your nails done by her shop, not his. P

I, too, am glad to have discovered Kelly and his operation. Peter

It is thoughtful discussions like this that make the NMB worthwhile.They also make me glad NOT to be a serious kodogu collector! Thank you all! Peter

This is a mid-War gunto that seems to wear a bit of history. It looks to me like someone may have removed an arsenal stamp. The carving on the tsuka looks like post-War tarting-out done with Japanese tools if not to "sword taste." Peter

Ben, Thank you for an interesting and useful discussion You have got us looking at good detail and listening to real experts. All that is good, BUT this tsuba looks consistently bad to me. I suppose some of the ishime might have been hand applied, but the katakiri all looks suspicious to me, and then there is the rounded edges of the seppa-dai.... Peter

I'm on the "fake" side, too. And that was the judgement I had from the first image. That pictures clearly shows that the seppa-dai is domed This is clearly evidence that the metal shrank ever so slightly. The fact that the tsuba shows no sign of even having been mounted is also significant. Fred's eye sight ain't bad, and his advice is pretty good, too. Peter

This has bells and whistles. It is why shinsas exist. I wish you well, but I am not certain what outcome I would predict. My track record with Okisatos is not good. Good luck. Peter

Japan Sword seems to be on our radar at the moment See also http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/27379-Japan-sword-company-swords-for-the-us/ P

OMG. P

NMB is TOO wonderful.This was a good puzzle and I maybe was working in the right direction, but then - all (well, lots) was revealed. Thank you John, Steve, and all! And I'd like to see the guard, too. Peter

Well, Hamfish, 96 people looked at this post and you were the only one who said anything. I am not sure that this is worth the valuable time and space of the NMB, but... This looks like a USN dress sword The blade is "engraved" withe the name of an officer who entered service in 1942 and retired as a Lt Commander. The sword must be post WWII, Korean vintage mebbe. The blade is very nice, with the scabbard leather not at all good, but it looks like the handle is wrap with real same. I think the role and importance of Inami Hakusui is not fully appreciated, His 1948 book was very important as a guide and encouragement for lots of GI's. The fact that his company also got in the sword business AFTER the War is further evidence that he was a player. I can't see very much "nipponto" in this sword, but it is possible that his business provided support for some of the Wartime sword craftsmen. And the crest on the blade featured a bit of Kanji! Peter

BaZ! I was unaware of this site. It is fabulous and very useful. Thanks! Peter

Is anybody interested in US Navy Dress swords made by the the Japan Sword Company? Peter

NMBers! Thank you for this discussion. Here is another image of the tsuba. Peter

well, gee! could see that, too. Hmmm But I still see a MITSU at the bottom. Peter PS. And maybe the naked lady is killing a snake...

Chris, I am going to have you buy my lottery tickets from now on! Peter