SteveM

You got the translation right. I don't have the Afu reference, but the online swordsmith reference has three Chikuzen Yoshimasa smiths that might point to the one who did this sword: YOS361, YOS362, and YOS363. There is also a reference for a Nobukuni Yoshimasa under NOB272. I don't know if this is a cross-reference or a duplicate, but it looks like NOB272 is one of the above three Yoshimasas. http://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths/meisearch?type=swordsmith_record&mei_op=contains&mei=Yoshimasa

I stand (frustratingly) corrected It is indeed Takashige

Nitpicking: Takushige And for Peter: 駿河　卓重作　　Suruga Takushige saku

I'm wondering about "Kanesada". There is only one Kanesada in the Showato database, and that is 兼定, so that would suggest this sword is either from a Kanesada that isn't in the database, or that the name is different. I think Brandon is thinking of 兼貞, but I couldn't find this smith in the database, and the kanji on the sword looks like a very distant cousin to 貞, so...it makes me wonder. The second character in the mei hints (albeit poorly) at 高 which was my first guess, but the 兼高 signatures in the database don't really look like this mei either. Not to mention the 兼 in the Kanetakas of the database don't look like the 兼 in this sword. Its a puzzle. I'm not ready to completely write-off 兼貞 or 兼高, but I also don't have great confidence in either of them. http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/oshigata/index.htm

If it is any consolation, I have been looking at swords for 20+ years, and I still have trouble figuring out what is and isn't a good deal. It takes a fair bit of effort and study and time to get a grasp on it, but it can be very rewarding. If you haven't yet bought The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords, I highly recommend it. Look up the reviews on Amazon and it will give you an idea of what is included. I especially liked (and agreed with) the 4-star review.

Not much to go on, I'm afraid. It's almost like looking at a grainy photograph of a house and asking, "how much is this house worth"? So much depends on what we can't see - the activity in the hamon, the boshi, the extent of the rust and scratches, the presence (or not) of any flaws, etc... You find similar swords on the auction sites for anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a many thousands of dollars. Sorry to give such an unsatisfying answer. Though there are a few smiths named Masakuni, I think your Masakuni would be the one listed in Hawley's database as MAS405.

Yes, this is the registration certificate that should be kept with the sword. Its from 1964, which might explain why it looks a bit faded. It is for a Morimitsu (盛光) wakizashi.

Very, very impressive. The original pictures posted a couple of months ago didn't suggest such a fine piece to me. Goes to show that often our assumptions made based on photos, cannot be entirely trusted. What a great find, and great restoration.

兼音 = Kaneoto, I think.

The smith is 雲次 (Unji) (I think I'm repeating myself with this one). There are 4 or 5 smiths who used the name Unji, working from the mid to late 14th century. If you search this site and others, you can find some information on English about the smiths who used the name Unji, and if you get creative with your search engine you might be able to find other examples of Unji swords so that you can compare the signatures. The better route (but definitely no shortcut) is to start reading up on Japanese swords, the terminology, learn about the various styles and specific attributes that are unique to each era and school. Unji blades would have particular features (shape, hamon, activity, etc...) and if your sword shares those features you can be fairly sure you have an authentic Unji sword, which would be a very nice thing indeed. Note the sword world is awash in fakes. The wooden card says 銘雲次トアルモ関物ナリ, which means "The inscription says Unji, but the sword is a Seki sword". I don't know enough about Unji to know for sure what this means. Normally I would think it means the sword is suspected of being of forgery, and the name Unji has been counterfeited on to a (relatively) cheap sword made in the Seki region. Again, the sword will tell you more than the wooden tag - at least as far as the origin of the sword goes. No idea of the value. It will depend on whether or not the sword is a genuine Unji, and what kind of condition the sword is in. No idea if the card is from a pawn shop. It doesn't have the name of a pawn shop on it.

I think Kakuryuken Masahiro is a different artist. The reference I'm using (Wakayama's) lists 4 artists named Masahiro, and none of them use Kakuryuken. Masahiro (in your case) is the name of the artist, but not necessarily his first name. I think your Masahiro is the 4th one listed on page 375. 勇龍齊　(Yūryūsai) is a pseudonym, an artistic nickname, a pen-name. When you see a 3-kanji name of this kind, it is usually a pseudonym that the artist is using on his works instead of his family or adopted name.

長岡護美 = Nagaoka Moriyoshi Nagaoka is the family name. "Mori Yashu" would be a mis-rendering of the first name, Moriyoshi.

My guess is the Masahiro who was active at the end of the Edo era. Signed his pieces 政廣（花押）. This is a different Masahiro from Ishiguro Masahiro. Interesting because the artist name, 勇龍齊 should be a dead giveaway, but my reference doesn't list this name. Meikan more （名鑑漏れ) as they say.

Hello George, The Shimizus are a privileged branch of the Tokugawa family. Google Translate doesn't handle the many variations of Japanese names well, and so the two characters that make up the name Atsumori (篤 + 守) sometimes get rendered awkwardly, such as the "AtsushiMamoru" that you have above. Atsumori would have had fairly high status as a member of the Shimizu clan, and so he would have been referred to as lord or possibly prince (even though he was far down on the succession list). In the late 1800's, the Japanese government implemented an almost European royal hierarchy system, using royal titles imported from China. Shimizu was given the title of "伯爵" (Hakushaku) which is sometimes translated as Count, and sometimes as Earl. In the picture, he is wearing a kanmuri-type crown. His hair is pulled and oiled back, and the crown is fixed to the head using a strap that goes under the chin. http://www.shouzokushi.com/item/detail.php?no=19 The sword is a tachi. Not much to say about it from the outside - one can only guess as to what the scabbard is holding inside. Given that he is just a boy in this picture, we might guess that it is a smallish sword, and probably not anything of huge value, but that is just my speculation. Clothing...very far from my area of expertise, I'm afraid. To me, the picture you have posted looks like it might have been taken on the occasion of his "coming of age". It looks more like formal Japanese court attire, rather than traveling gear. He looks very boyish!. Great picture. Here is a picture of him in later life (the first picture) http://omugio.exblog.jp/17544006/

A bit too far gone for me. Just from looking at it I would guess 文六, but I don't see any such name in my reference. Could possibly be 丈六, but that name doesn't exist either. The two glyphs at the top right are even more of an enigma. They don't look like kanji (or bonji). A mystery.

If you look up 元儔 (Mototomo) you should find him. (Ōyama/Sekijōken School) 東意 寿松斎 aka 元儔 Edit: I like it too. Very interesting piece.

If I could revise and add to the google translation: The Daimyo Tōroku mentioned in the description is a phrase specific to the sword trade, and it points to the swords registered from 1951. Apparently there was resistance to the sword registration - people thought it was a ruse for the government to grab swords. The government appealed to the old nobility and families of wealth (in other words those who were sure to have swords), to register their swords. So "Daimyo Tōroku" means any sword registered in 1951. I couldn't find anything on the person who registered this sword (Hiro Aikatsu, I think). Alas, the sword has already been snapped up. Interesting to note that all of the furnishings are crescent moons, too. We have the ongoing discussion on the forum about the aesthetics of the themed koshirae: an interesting topic for me because several years ago I made a koshirae with a tiger theme, and in retrospect I am having some doubts about the choice (was it a bit too simplistic?). Seeing all these crescent moons gives me some comfort that my comparatively subtle tiger theme is probably OK, and I might not need to spend any more time second-guessing it. http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1065765970

I think the signature in the far right of the original post is 乙柳軒　(Otsuryū-ken). The label in the box hints at 柳, but 軒 is illegible. And the label is missing the 乙 entirely. However 乙柳軒 is the artist's name of 政随, so I'm pretty confident that is what is on the far right picture.

辰政　　Tokimasa Can't help you on determining whether or not it is genuine.

I think 如竹 (Nyochiku).

1941 (Imperial Calendar Year 2601) Kumagai Army Flight School 7th Graduation Medallion

http://www.jssus.org/nkp/index.html This page (several pages) is good as well. Dates are expressed in a couple of ways, but usually Era name + Year + Month/Day. If you are looking exclusively at Showa blades, you only need to look for 昭和 (Shōwa) and then you can be pretty sure the following kanji are numbers that indicate the year.

http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/seki.htm Real name is Ogawa Kaichi (I think) 小川嘉市

I have seen this slogan on yosegaki flags from the war. It doesn't strike me as being weird, although it is the first time for me to see it on a sword. I guess the smith is Yoshimi Yasutsugu from Hokkaidō (from Ohmura's site). http://ohmura-study.net/025.html (search for 泰次 on that page and his name pops up).

赤心報國 = This is a WW2 or pre-WW2 era patriotic slogan. Sincere devotion to country