SteveM

Hello, If I recall correctly, this was one of the dealer-affiliated appraisal groups that sprung up, possibly as a reaction to the NBTHK losing some credibility in the late 70s and early 80s. I don't think this group is around any more. I have no reason to doubt their appraisals, but nobody regards these papers as having any authority. The NBTHK made some changes, got a bit more conservative, and as a result none of these other appraisal groups really got any traction. These papers are an interesting bit of these swords' history, so no need to throw them out. But most collectors will look at them with some skepticism.

Ironically, the genuine swords will probably be easier to ship to Japan, as there is a fairly well-known process to get these through customs and get these registered. You will need the assistance of someone in Japan (Robert Hughes, Paul Kremers, Paul Martin, etc.), but these guys do this all the time.

Presented to the Mayor of Maebashi, Mr. HORI Yasuo, from the city councilmembers, on the occasion of his receiving an official honor. It doesn't specify what the honor is, but it would be clear to the presenter and presentee. Probably some civic medal; Order of the Sacred Treasure, or something similar.

Hello Max, Let me add mine to the voices who have said it is a minor flaw and not worth worrying about. Even in your photos it is barely discernable. For the price you paid, I think you've done well to get a papered blade w/koshirae. As a first blade, it is perfectly fine, and superior to the first blade that many collectors purchase, as many of us bought unspectacular or problematic mumei pieces as an entry into the sword world.

Suggested with slight reservation 早乙女　家貞 Saotome Iesada (I just noticed some Japanese sites list the reading as Sōtome Ieasada. I think most would intuitively read this as Saotome, so the reading of Sōtome is a bit unusual/unexpected for me.)

I didn't see any signature on the tang. Maybe the remnants of a partial signature, but nothing that looks like a legible signature. The inscription on the little utility knife is 和泉守国貞 (Izumi-no-kami Kunisada). It means "Kunisada, Lord of Izumi Province (made this)". However in this case it is more of a decoration, or an homage, rather than an actual inscription by Kunisada himself. Kunisada is a famous swordsmith, and one often finds famous names like this inscribed on kogatana.

No, the picture is good and clear. It's my poor inability to decipher seal script (and, not understanding Chinese writing conventions). Well, 2nd from the bottom on the right side is 楽, but that doesn't help much. The zodiac year would correspond to 1918 (or another 60-year interval year, like 1978, etc.).

Looks Chinese. Left side is a zodiac date (戊午) and then some numbers after that? But I can't make it out.

Hello Steve, The smith/signature is the same one as in this thread below.

Yes, that is correct. Not imperial. It's a gift for a boy on his becoming 3 years of age (given on Boy's Day, May 5th, 1916). The boy's surname is Matsuba. Not sure if the rest is his given name, or if it is 満礼三 (in celebration of 3 years).

I'm sure the red "hozon" seal on the tag means that bottom tsuba received the Hozon (or "worthy of preservation") appraisal, and comes with that authentication paper. So yes it looks like an authenticated Sōten piece, as Dale says (hence, the elevated price). I also agree with his thoughts on the top tsuba (the one for 33,000). The theme might be the sages Kanzan and Jittoku. Authentic Japanese antique, probably from the 1800s. Another view and explanation of this theme. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/25684

Nice helmet. Great photos, too.

I agree with Chandler - if you are in Okinawa it will be relatively easy to send it to the NBTHK for authentication. It is still a slightly cumbersome process, but at least you will be doing it from within Japan, where the postal system is excellent, and the fear of the sword getting hung up at customs, or hit with an arbitrary import duty, is virtually nil. (I'm assuming you are not sending it from a US military base). If you want the help of an English-speaking agent who can get it to and from the NBTHK, you might contact Robert Hughes at Keichōdō. He's a sword and armor dealer, and long time resident of Japan, and he helps people get their swords authenticated. There is enough in the mei and the file marks of the nakago on your sword to pique interest, but it will be difficult for any of us to authenticate. You will get some good guesses, but ultimately you will want the judgment of an expert panel who can examine it in hand. Actually its the sword itself that needs close examination rather than the mei (or, rather than just the mei). The sword needs to match the sword-making style of known/authenticated Masashige swords. Slight variations in the signature might be tolerated if the sword looks exactly like a typical Masashige sword should look (steel grain, hamon pattern, etc.). The broad features can be seen in photos, but often its difficult to pick out the very fine details, and these details are usually important.

Nippon/Nihon damashii is correct. And I think your intuition is correct: the words may indeed have been inscribed to partially obscure the Shōwa stamp. Katō Jumyō kore wo tsukuru would be the proper kanbun reading, but nowadays everyone just abbreviates it, word-for-word: Katō Jumyō kore saku.

Same sword as the one in this thread

Looks like Tenshō (天正). 1573-1592.

Yes, this is correct. I would say the reading is: Ishii-ke mamorigatana

The squares in the diamond shape is called "maru ni yotsume-hishi", used by numerous families. https://myoji-kamon.net/kamonDetail.htm?from=rank&kamonName=丸に四つ目菱 The "yin-yang" symbol is also a family crest (hidari-futatsu tomoe). https://irohakamon.com/kamon/tomoe/hidarifutatsutomoe.html The round, indistinct remains of a seal may be "maru ni mitsuhiki-ryō", also used by many families. https://irohakamon.com/kamon/hikiryou/marunimitsuhiki.html As for the meaning; they could be crests representing a joining of families, or an alliance of some sort. And of course you can't discount the possibility that the item was made in the late 1800s to appeal to foreign tourists. I'm probably inclined to think the latter. Quite flashy, not suitable for the battlefield, not suitable for official business - so probably something made for some non-samurai with a bit of money, or made for the foreign tourist trade.

As a start, here is the website of a swordsmith who takes orders, allows on-site visits, and has some information in English. https://www.hiratatantoujou.com/

會津藤四郎 Aizu Fujishirō

Yours is signed Morikawa Teruhisa (森川英久). There is no Morikawa Teruhisa listed in Wakayama's directory. There was a Teruhisa who studied under Ōmori Teruhide, but according to Wakayama he never used the "Morikawa" name. So...an unknown smith, or a name that is intended to deceive?

Without provenance there is no way to tell the precise age of the koshirae, but the organic nature of the materials causes them to become worn-down over time. Therefore a lot of the koshirae found on blades being sold in the shops, come from the 1800s. This is my belief, anyway. I have no empirical evidence to back this up. And with frequent handling, the silk wrapping of the hilt becomes grimy and loose and the threads start to fall apart. So rewrapping is common. I would assume your koshirae fits this pattern, and was probably made mid-1800s, and the hilt rewrapped maybe once or twice since then. And yes, it was almost certainly crafted for the blade (although it is possible an orphaned scabbard was found that coincidentally matched the size/shape of your sword, and the two were thus paired - but usually the scabbards are custom-made for the swords.) Yes. I also think the koshirae is a wonderful example of lacquer craftsmanship. Hard, if not impossible, to make a scabbard like this today. The dragonfly motif on the metal bits is nice. Incidentally, "dragonfly" in Japanese is kachi-mushi (勝虫), and the first character of that word means "victory". Dragonflies were therefore a favorite theme of samurai, due to the auspicious spelling.

Hello Morgan, The NBTHK is saying "Sukesada (shintō-era)", which means any time past 1596 to the late 1700s. Since the NBTHK didn't (or couldn't?) nail down a specific smith, I don't think any of us could offer a better, more fine-tuned guess. And, the name "Sukesada" is almost a generic brand name. Swords with this name were produced in great volume, so the individual smith doesn't really get recorded or noted anywhere, except for the several Sukesada smiths whose work was outstanding. The outstanding Sukesada smiths signed not only with the two-character Sukesada name, but also included their own personal name as well. (And they tend to predate the "shintō" era.)

The little rectangles of paper are covering up the name of the person who submitted the swords for the authentication certificates. It is for the protection of the privacy of that person. The papers for the sword were issued in 1967 and 1976. Both papers are "kichō" (literally: precious) papers. It was the basic appraisal certificate for an authentic Japanese sword. I'm not sure why the owner had the same paper issued 9 years after the initial paper was issued. Anyway, this sort of paper was terminated in 1982, and replaced with a new paper. The text is just boilerplate..."we hereby certify this sword as a "precious" sword, etc.... The paper for the koshirae (the saya and its various parts) is a "tokubetsu kichō" paper (literally: especially precious), and is also from 1967. It lists the components of the koshirae, but the basic text is the same kind of boilerplate (we hereby appraise this item as "specially precious".)

Maybe 心哉彫, but there is no such smith listed in Wakayama. Kokonari-horu (unsure of how to pronounce...multiple possibilities).