mercierarmory

I hope this picture helps. On a side note, when I sent pictures of the inlay to a friend (who knows nothing of Japanese weapons at all) he noted it looked like a westerner as well.

Oops. I thought I posted the picture in my last message but I guess not. Here it is.

Square. Mike

Here are some more photos as requested. Mike

Thank you so much for the explanation. I have always been fascinated by the matchlocks but the when I found this one for sale (along with a common WWII parade sword) I couldn't pass it up. The gentleman says he has a katana his grandfather brought back as well and hopefully I will be able to get that too. I will take pictures tomorrow so I have better lighting and will be sure they are as detailed as possible. Mike

Thank you very much. If I understand these correctly, it was common that year to have marked the stocks for registration? I just finished removing the barrel, but there are no futher kanji to be seen. I assume it is it safe to say this piece was made earlier than 1872? After a brief search, I have not seen any comparable matchlocks that are marked Tsuruga. Mike

There are 8 characters on the stock total. If I need to retake the photos in better lighting I will. As always, I truly appreciate the help here. Mike

and here is the kanji on the barrel

Every once and awhile you can find good things on Craigslist and I managed to get this matchlock there this evening. I got a great deal on it and now I am needing some assistance with the translation on the barrel and the top of the stock. First, here is an overall shot:

Hello David, The tsuba has a diameter of 3" with a nakago-ana of 1 3/8". Mike

EFU JU AKAO YOSHITSUGU?

This is another tsuba I picked up from a friend today. It appears to be a heianjo piece but am not knowledgable enough to tell. There is a very faint signature but it is too well worn to read (in my opinion). Any thoughts on age? Early or mid Edo? I am very new to collecting tsuba so I welcome any comments. Mike

I picked up this tsuba from a friend of mine today. I am very happy with the new addition to the collection, but would like some help with the signature. I got two other tsuba with one being a very nice unsigned piece and the other possibly a heianjo which has a very faint, unreadable signature on it. Thanks in advance, Mike

I have been asked to assist with yet another translation on a WWII bringback. This sword has a nice tsuba but is missing the tsuka now. The blade is in desperate need of a polish as the hamon can barely be seen. I would really appreciate some help with the translation! Mike

I just received my new shirasaya from Fred Lohman for the sword. I procrastinated quite a bit, but finally sent it off to get completed. I am so happy with it and he also had a new habaki made (the old one was loose and didn't fit well). At some point I hope to have it polished, but in the meantime I will continue to determine the origin of the maker and have it proudly displayed at my home. Since the initial discussion about the translation, I have not found anything else about him. Mike

Thank you for the help everyone! I have passed this information on to him and as you can imagine, he is quite pleased. When I speak to him again, I will ask for better pictures. Mike

Here is the sword.

I am helping another friend with a translation of his sword. This friend is across the pond in the UK so I can't see the sword in person. The pictures are pretty clear and it is in WWII Army mountings but looks like an ancestral blade. It is really intriguing and I am very curious of its translation. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Mike

I was just curious if anyone else could determine the last of the kanji from the new photos I posted. 日支事変出征_ _ _ 作 Is that final kanji "prepare" or something along those lines? I can't make out the missing ones myself. Mike

I finally got the sword in the mail. Here is a better picture of the mei. Any further thoughts? Mike

That would be an interesting thing to put on a sword. Would something like that referencing the war be normal for a sword mei? Mike

I have been offered this sword in WWII mountings but I have been trying to figure out the mei. The man cannot get a better photo of the longer signature but perhaps someone can read it better than I can. It is quite hard to see and I tried to tweak it in Photoshop but couldn't read it any better. As always, I really appreciate the help! Mike

Here is the kanji in the saya. Any idea what it is or what it's for? Mike

It's not in terrible condition, but the nicks certainly aren't exciting to see. There are the newer scrape marks from someone cutting with it closest to the "arrow" point too. The polish itself isn't bad and might look a little nicer if it got a good wipedown. Some of the discoloration might just be dirt. I'm not sure if this piece has enough potential to justify getting a polish. I think that's why I'm after some opinions on it. Mike

I just picked this tanto up today and wanted to get some opinions from everyone. It is unsigned but has a small character that I cannot see well inside the shirasaya. I will try and get a photo of that and post later. On one side of the blade, it has two grooves while the opposite side has on larger groove with an arrow-like horimono (had to edit the post, I just learned it was a horimono. I am new at this). It has a narrow straight hamon that has a turnback around the tip. From what I can see it has either a wood or burl-type grain in the blade. Overall, it is a really nice piece (except for the nicks in the blade) but I would like to try and find out more about it. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated! Any thoughts on age? Mike