Ted Tenold

I gave up on this one after almost getting "the bends".

Or "Yoshimichi" for Guido. :D Too many times I've had to tell folks "Actually his name is "GEEE-Doh" not "GWEEE do. He's German, not Italian but he does have good taste in suits".

Curiously, the seller seems to have this little statement in all his auctions, even for many famous makers with old "papers". In the past, there have been Kiyomaro, Kotetsu, and others with these "papers" for unbelievably low prices, but always that little clause; "otherwise sold as is". I wonder if he would guarantee the old papers would upgrade to current ones. It would be wise to ask before buying. Of course I've also seen several of his auctions with other swords with newer current papers and all of the sudden, the prices are much higher and seem to be more in line with what one would expect to pay. Hmmm, very interesting. Is he honest? Although one can't say from his descriptions that he is being outwardly dishonest, the differences between these auctions does bring up questions, and ignorance is poor excuse considering the quantity of swords this seller offers on a regular basis. As for the Yasukuni sword; the signature does not match. The Nakago on a 70 year old sword should have better, cleaner condition. After looking at the sword it's pointless to research the validity of the habaki.

Welcome Lynn!

Leashes don't stop the barking.

Heh heh, okay...well, not so poor that Moriyama-san can't read it all. :lol: I could see "Bushu ju x x x shige saku". It does look similar to the Fujishiro oshigata, though not very "artfully" rendered by the smith.

The sword is not in good enough polish to determine it's health or workmanship. What I can say is that the signature is very poorly inscribed and hard to read. Also the sword has been shortened, as part of the signature has been cut away. Not much more can be said for it. The only way of determining anything else would be to send it to a polisher for futher evaluation. There are expenses and time involved, and the chances are very slim that it will be a good candidate for restoration. That's not to say it should be relegated to garden work though. Keep it oiled wrapped up and enjoy it for the sentiment it holds.

CYBERRF, Welcome to the NMB. All users have to sign posts with at least a real name and initial or initial and surname. You can edit your signature in your profile page. Thanks.

Doesn't look like two pieces, just the same piece on a UK and US auctions(?). I hope the shipping on the US is a mistake at $640.00! The price on this piece of unrefined iron and carbon is pretty proud in my opinion. Not enough to make anything. It takes about 10+ pounds of raw material to make enough steel for a sword and for a composite construction, two different billets of refined material would be required. Might get a kogatana out of this chunk. Otherwise it's a very expensive paper weight. :|

Yes, welcome to the NMB. Please sign your name to your posts. I'd find it odd to address you as "fwic2803-san" or "fwic2803 maru". :lol:

The earliest shirasaya I've ever seen were all from 1859. The weren't nearly as aesthetically pleasing as we're accustomed to today. They had a utilitarian look, being finished with less attention to flow and taper and a distinctly bulky appearance. For the average "joe samurai" I'd agree the need for shirasaya was probably a very low priority. However with all the interexchange of swords between the Shogun, Nobility, Daimyo, and honored samurai (particularly in the Edo period), I find it difficult to believe these gift sword blades were all mounted. There is rarely any mention of these blades being mounted. At the end of the day, shirasaya last about as long as a polish, and how many folks ever request the old one back if it doesn't have some special gaki or provinance associated with the blade it contained? So at large, I'd venture to say that though shirasaya have been around for a long time, their popularity (or increased need) didn't emerge until the Meiji Restoration and the Hatorei. Shirasaya are also a necessity to preserve quality mountings, providing a seperate housing for the sword blade thus keeping wear and tear off those mounts when the blade is examined. Another aspect likely not very common in the old days. Perhaps we should also be asking how old the concept of "tsunagi" are as well. Edit: My reference to "all" from 1859 meant there were three (one katana and two tanto) that came to the US with the first Japanese Ambassadorial Delegation in 1860. Sorry for being a bit vague in a quick post...

I don't think anyone can say it absolutely *never* happened, but it certainly wasn't the norm for combat. :lol:

In a word; yes. Altering nakago has, as you are likely aware, been a practice for a very long time. Chiseling a clumsy Emura on a blade makes more sense for resale (no accusations inferred) than awkwardly chiseling some shinto smith someone is likely to look up and recognize as undeniably gimei. There's simply less scrutiny on Gendaito guys like these and more reasons to establish some measure of rationalizing away the variance as "prisoner daimei" stuff. Perhaps the sword was already gimei and now it's a gimei with less scrutiny to a larger audience that is less discerning. The more Gendaito gain in popularity, and the higher prices they command, the more there will be a need to scrutinize the signatures to combat the opportunistic forgers. I've already seen *two* undoubtedly gimei Ichihara Nagamitsu. Or even the 21st century to be frank. The yasuri at the very top look *really* fresh and bright. Maybe instead of asking why the signature isn't right, there should be a focus on why it's being called shinto. What is it about this blade that you could identify as shinto? One observation I could add is that the mei was put on after the ana was drilled, because the chisel stroke cut a depression into the mekugi ana. That's also pretty rank novice stuff even for a prisoner.

We need an image or link there Micko!

Well, sure it's possible that the IJA conscripted left handers, however few they might be. But I doubt seriously that the IJA made exceptions to the regulations regarding wear of sidearms for lefthanders. Remember a left hand draw would necessitate a right hip suspension. Doesn't seem likely. However, there *may* have been an exception for an amputee, which I would say is far more credible reason to be sensitive to personal requirement over military regulations.

Correct. "Sue" is "late" so this is a work of later period Tegai school which is in the Yamato tradition. Many works within Yamato schools (there are five major and several minor that are catagorically included) were unsigned.

From the images, the polish doesn't look too compromised. Maybe a bit hazy, but not bad. I'm not seeing the spider rust you mentioned, but if it's growing, it'll need to be addressed. Maybe just addressing that issue rather than a complete polish is the best option. Takeo Seki is a polisher in BC Canada. He may be able to help you with it. I doubt it has been shortened. This is a fairly common length for these, and the nakago looks consistant to what would be expected from the period.

Hi Dr. Barrett, These are NBTHK Kicho papers, sometimes called "white papers". They are dated February 24th, 1980. The papers are written for a "Ken, Mumei, (Sue Tegai), Nagasa 1 Shaku, 3 sun, 4 bu (40.6 cm or 15.98 inches). I suppose this paper is for the Ken in your other thread?

Menuki that are positioned opposite to the normal wouldn't be for left handers. Left handedness in Japan is very uncommon, and menuki placement is not an indicator of an owners dominant hand. Here is a good article to read regarding menuki placement; http://www.una.edu/faculty/takeuchi/DrT ... cement.htm

Welcome to the NMB. We like to share here, but it's easier (and required...hint hint) with a real name signed to your posts. You can modify your signature in your profile to include it.

Hello Colin, and Welcome! I regularly attend the San Francisco show. Perhaps we'll meet.

It reads: Hikone ju Soten saku The mei does not look very good by comparison. Soten fittings were copied in masses, and the quality of them was poor. It would be good to examine the work before relegating it to the junk drawer, just to be sure.

Agreed. Just an extreme example of moderation that doesn't care (or even exist) and anonymous degenerate Trolls can post whatever they want without threat of repurcussion. Youtube comments come to mind.....

Given the tens of thousands of swords produced in Seki arsenals, variations of any kind in the stamps are bound to be present including size, depth, detail clarity, etc. Stamps do wear out and get replaced and there were likely many of them within any singular factory. So I wouldn't read into the "removing later" part too much. There was no reason to feel they'd need to remove them at some point, otherwise they wouldn't have put them on to begin with.

Uughh!...both ends are dreadful. The nakagojiri has the same artistic exhuberance as the kissaki. Well...the koshirae is nice.