Roland

Thanks again, Darcy, That corresponds with my very first impression. Besides the slightly misplaced mekugi-ana especially the jamming against the mune looked suspicious for me. Seems there is something like a "sugata of mei" – a natural elegance of the kind a mei is chiseled?

This by far has been one of the most interesting and inspiring lessons about gimei I have found online. Therefore I just would like to add some input. In this case it is about a shin-gunto mounted Tadatsuna (2nd. gen.) katana I have had the pleasure to inspect. Sugata, hamon, hada etc. seem to be authentic Nidai Tadatsuna. The blade has inscriptions on both sides of the nakago (see added pictures). These read: Awataguchi Ikkanshi Tadatsuna chodo saku Genroku Nen Ni Gatsu Nichi Which translates to something like: "Awataguchi ikkanshi Tadatsuna made and carved this in 1693"... Comparing the mei with Ludolfs collected tadatsuna mei and Darcy's profound arguments concerning especially the positioning of the mekugi-ana I wonder if the shown mei is really authentic?

Hello Darcy, with one word: great! And: whenever possible more of this, though I know it is a lot of work. But especially this form of kantei with just the optical information (plus perhaps some essential facts like length, width etc.) makes a newbie like myself do the homeworks Thanx a lot for this lesson!

Any further ideas about Sue-Soshu or Mino? School? The suriage Waki argument sounds logical for me...

Because it seems that I have a kind of unconscious disposition for Mino-den Nihonto my psychiatrist recommended me to make a quick Mino-selftest The blade pictured here (Mumei, 67 cm Nagasa, 2.2 cm Torii-zori, 3.5 cm Kissaki) in my eyes seems to be Mino-den too. Please correct me if I'm wrong: Is the Hamon Sanbon-sugi in the style of the 2nd Kanemoto, with top of Hamon inclined to be rounded? Or just plain Gunome? Your "medical recommendations" are welcome!

I'm still experimenting with the photography. Here are some further close-up shots in color...

Dear NMB members, I would like to present a tanto I'm studying at the moment. And as always, at some point my limited knowledge makes me asking for the input of more experienced members of this fine board... Mumei Tanto (came with nice double habaki and in Shira-saya) Nagasa: 10-7/8" = 27.5cm width at munemachi: 3.0 cm 0.45cm thick Hira-tsukuri, Funagata Nakago ubu with one mekugi-ana, iori-mune, slight torii-zori, Bo-Hi on both sides (kaki nagashi), fine Itame hada plus some Masame-hada along the mune, Hamon irregular width, choji of nie and nioi, abundance of sunagashi throughout the blade, Boshi seems to have different patterns on each side? Sugata, Horimono, Nakago are looking (for me) like Muromachi period, Soshu-den, possibly Sue-Soshu? I have included four photos...

Great photography. Great blade. But I'm curious... I use a macro lens at f8 too. How did you set the light? Which and how much light sources did you use?

And again I'm in learning mode... Thanx a lot for these very illustrative oberservations and conclusions. Seems I've to train my eyes especially for masame in the shinogi-ji. Seems too that I'm developing a kind of natural affinity for Mino-den Nihonto... After I had realized it could be a Mino-den blade my first idea indeed was the Kanesada school as Darcy pointed out. In the meantime I've got some more photos and can approve that there indeed is a line of shirake utsuri parallel to the shinogi.

The more you see the more you would like to own... Well, to make a long story short I would have a chance to get a shin-gunto mounted (again with a mon) and with additional shira-saya equipped Koto-blade from a guy in UK. No ebay this time ) Mumei Katana Sugata looks like late Nambukochu Blade length: 69.5cm (o-suriage) Width at Machi: 2.75cm Width at Yakote: 1.75cm Kissaki: 2.5cm Sori: 1.5cm Gold foil wrapped copper Habaki Ko-maru Boshi (plus nie kuzure with abundant nie?) Much activity within the hamon, utsuri seen 2 Mekugi-ana So the period seems clear to me, the tradition could be Bizen (Ichimonji school?) or Yamashiro, but for more conclusions I'll need further photos from that guy... What do you think? Is it possible with these informations to make some additional statements about period, school and even smith? Each hint is appreciated!

Hm, may be this is a typical newbie's question but... is it possible to reactivate a hamon which was "lost" by overcleaning? Would a Toshigi be able to do so?

The saya of the dagger (?) seems to be made from nickelsilver or brass, with very fine and precise engravings. There seem to be some rests of old lacquer in gold and red? Against that the simple plain wooden grip was pobably added later. With a mekugi-ana in the nakago, the usual pin and an adequate tsuka I could have taken it for a kind of ceremonial mounted 19th century shinto Ken like one which I have noticed at an Eldred's Auction some time ago... The Hamon is clearly visible. Though possibly a Meiji piece the workmanship is astonishing – at least in my amateurish eyes.

...after all these years with a really strong USD that's just fair

You are so cute! Well, You caught me... nevertheless I'm curious about this a little bit strange nakago – photo added! Neither Kijimomo-gata nor a true Tanagobara-gata?

I'm just looking for some informations about the quite rare kijimomo-gata and/or Tanagobara gata nakago. I found not so much webwise or in my books... I know, that this form of nakago was f.e. in use for tachi during Ko-Bizen. During Kamakura Norimune forged some of his nihonto with this style of nakago too. While the Tanago-bara was f.e. found in the Mihara school. But now I've seen a Wakizashi with a kind of kijimomo-gata or Tanagobara-gata style nakago, kurijiri! Was that usual? When? Where? Who? Do You have any idea?

The Meiji or whatever dirk has a hamon, milky white with some nioi, the shinogi-ji (does a dagger or dirk or kaiken have one???) seems to show a fine or just dense masame... Further photos follow later.

Hi Peter, thanks a lot for your advise! Hm, Your hint according Mino is really interesting. I again inspected hamon and hada, And I realized that you are right about the masame in shinogi-ji! The hamon moreover could indeed be an o-midare or a notare-midare in nie-deki, the hada o-mokume with some masame, chi-kei. Hm, and my last photo even seems to show some Shirake-utsuri. And though I never had seen it in natural possibly the hada is clear-colored, not whitish? Puh, again lots to learn. Even the boshi would fit an early mino style... it seems to be midare-komi with a hint of jizo. So the blade could be Shizu-Kaneuji or Naoe-Shizu school. On the other hand I just had a look at Robert Benson's and Darcy Brockbank's fabulous book 'Japanese Swords of the Bizen Tradition' and found on page 44 to 47 a Fukuoka Ichimonji attributed mumei katana which has nearly the same dimensions like the blade i'm just studying. If after the polishing the hamon offers some o-choji midare, who knows? The SUKENAGA mei, though possibly faked (but who should fake a swordsmith's name who is not wellknown enough to "upgrade" the blade???) then suddenly would fit... there is one SUKENAGA (SUK330) who worked in the Fukuoka Ichimonji style (and two are documented by http://www.sho-shin.com/fuk.htm) – later than the "big guns" of this school but therefore with a more narrow hamon, less amount of martensitic steel and less hardening for less risk of breakage? Call it wishful thinking, but I think there is a chance that a family heirloom like this with the kamon of a samurai family won't "accept" a fake mei...? We'll see... And for the moment I just have to thank each and every member of this board who tried to help me in investigating and verifying the ancestral "Atagi-sword". Thanks guys, you are a great community!

Yep! A signed Soshu Sadamune would have been indeed amazing, especially with a hamon like this... Have a look here: http://cgi.ebay.com/Japenese-Samurai-Wakizashi_W0QQitemZ130156641951QQihZ003QQcategoryZ95132QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Back from Piedmont I received the Meiji or whatsoever dagger/dirk/tanto thing. I'll make some new and better photos for the board within the next few days. The quality of workmanship for a mere meiji tourist piece is really astonishing. It indeed has a hamon. narrow ko-midare, very soft hamon-line,... so: stay tuned!

Dear NMB community, back from vacations I just came across an (for me newby rarely seen) orikaeshi-mei. In trying to decipher the partly too rusty kanji I read something like ... Hiro (or Sane) kuni iga (no) Kami Mune... Sounds terrible, I know. Or incomplete. May be a consequence of the cutting and forging back to the shortened nakago? What do You think?

Before I hit the road for a short trip to Piedmont here one close-up shot of hamon and jihada. The sun was shining and the structures became better visible... Puh! Though I'm a semi-professional photographer I'm amazed how difficult a nihonto-shooting is!

No problem at all, Brian, I'm just loving the hunt Even if I "shoot" something (for some bucks more than I had in mind). From each and every of these experiences I will learn something. As I do from your knowledge, considerations and assessments. When I hold this piece in my hands and are able to inspect it closer I again will learn from this process. If it is a "tourist piece" or not, I'm just curious what's the story behind...

Yes Peter, it has a hamon... Some better close-up photos with better lighting and a Macro-Elmarit-R will show more details when I'm back from Piedmont. The horimono is indeed that what makes me sceptical about the authenticity too...

Everything is possible, Peter. Even a well executed Meji period piece for Gaijin... especially the dragon horimono looks very, hm... arty. Though I haven't yet seen such a pretty aged nakago at a Meji dagger or tanto. So whoever forged the thingy was quite good in what he was doing.

So You have been this bidder, Brian!! Wow, then I'm even more happy that I didn't got too tired to stay awake so late at night (9 hours difference to PST!)... Nevertheless I don't think it is a horse needle. It is a little bit to large and has a shinogi and a diamond shaped nagasa. The umabari I know are smaller, simpler, don't have a tanto-like mounting etc. Have a look at this one: http://www.arco-iris.com/George/images/umabari_01.jpg At the moment this nihonto artifact is a really interesting riddle to solve. I like that ) You have noticed the traditional symbols of good fortune on the koshirae? The komori (bat), the hoo (phoenix), and the exceptional version of the Pauwlonia imperialis kiri mon? Edit: Possibly it is a Kankyuto gata shuriken according to this page: http://www.secrets-of-shuriken.com.au/schools.htm But even these had no tanto-like mountings...