Mark S.

Snicker… snicker… Brian said “mamori”…

What follows is a bit of a thread back in 2014 that I found, which is why I brought this subject up. Main portion was Darcy’s response to a question: “Question for everyone: Has there ever been a high quality shinogi zukuri tanto?” Darcy: I haven't. I asked Bob Benson about this too and he gave the thumbs down. Any tanto with a shinogi that is acceptable seems to be either moroha-zukuri, osoraku-zukuri or some other derivative. The yokote is bad news on a tanto. It's a curious thing about why it's so abhorrent. But it just looks like sin on its face. Since form follows function it would appear then to make the argument for the tanto as primarily a stabbing weapon, and that the yokote exists to manufacture a kissaki, which exists to top off a cutting instrument. Which is not of course breaking new ground for anyone here, but just interesting that it logically follows from something so simple.

Best of luck working on this one… steady as she goes! Really like the design. Looking forward to future updates.

Currently on EBay, there is a mumei tanto length blade for sale that has a shinogi line as well as yokote. As has been discussed on NMB in the past this ‘usually’ (nihonto rule - never say never or ‘always’) indicates a tanto fashioned from the end of a katana or wakizashi and wasn’t intended this way… and is considered a bit of a nihonto faux pas as tanto were not ‘made’ in this form. What is interesting is that it has NBTHK Hozon paper. Just for discussion sake, do you believe the reasoning they papered it was just as in the case of a naginata-naoshi or a yari cut down and mounted as a tanto? Based on previous discussions I was able to find, it just seems tanto with shinogi and yokote seems to be a more ‘egregious’ modification? https://www.ebay.com...r=artemis&media=COPY If this belongs in the General Discussion area, please feel free to move.

Just another bit of advice that you can take or leave… In January, there will be a sword show in Las Vegas and I see by your profile that you live in Vegas. Maybe hold off on purchases until then, go to the show, and get a good look at a large number and wide variety of blades in person and in hand. You will also be able to ask questions and learn a lot. You will also get a good feel for what your $$$ can get you. Go to the Show / Event section of the NMB to get more info on that show.

I’m sure there are many reasons blades were not re-submitted and they have been discussed here many times. While not every green paper is ‘bad’, they are however not ‘recognized’ by the NBTHK. I do not believe they will give you any advice or information based on the old papers, because in their eyes those papers no longer ‘exist’. The only process I am aware of is a fresh submittal for brand new papers. You are basically starting over. Now… my personal opinion is that if you have white or green papers confirming a mei of a lower profile smith, or a mumei blade attributed to a lower ranked school/smith, I would be pretty comfortable trusting it as a good place to start my study to see if the blade fits characteristics of the smith/school. Any ‘big name’ attributions should be looked at with a skeptical eye. My recommendation is to study more so you don’t have to rely solely on papers for your judgements… or to at least have some more knowledge if you’re going to gamble.

In military surplus circles, Pecard’s Leather products are highly thought of… but I would defer to others with more experience.

Found Grey’s Post… you can Search “Family Heirloom” for more discussion: “Now, on to the scabbard and handle which need to be put back together to protect the blade. Don't use glue; again there is the risk of damage. Try this technique. Cut strips of paper about 1" wide and long enough to wrap 1 1/2 times around the scabbard. Wrap one around the scabbard about a foot below its top. Tightly wrap the paper strip with masking tape. Place the scabbard top down on a table and force the paper/tape downward towards the table. The scabbard is small diameter at the bottom and largest at the top. As you force the paper/tape towards the top of the scabbard it gets very tight and locks to 2 pieces of wood together. It may take a try or 2 to get the paper/tape where you want it but You'll get it right. Do the same 2 or 3 times further down the scabbard and you're set. When the time comes to have the scabbard properly glued the paper/tape can be slid back down and no tape residue will be left on the wood. Do the same with the handle, which is smallest at the top and largest where it meets the scabbard.”

All… please read the pinned thread at the start of this section on NMB (A word about amateur polishing). It explains in great detail about why our misguided attempts to ‘work on’ blades can cause more damage than it stops. Removing rust the wrong way can cause loss of steel, changes to the symmetry of the blade, and could still lead to future rust. The amount of extra work a polisher will have to do to correct rust AND amateur ‘restoration attempts’ would be much more than had the rust been left (maybe stabilized) and the blade polished the right way the first time.

I know we all default to this answer, but the polisher is the best person to ask this question. Obviously, if he can’t or won’t provide the answer it’s time to find a new polisher. If the tobiyaki is a ‘mistake’ the polisher can best tone down its appearance. If it belongs there, the polisher can best highlight their appearance to match what the smith intended.

I really think you are going to need to be more specific. Katana, wakizashi, tanto? Fully mounted or in shirasaya? Koto, Shinto, Shinshinto? Papered or unpapered? Signed or mumei? What are your collecting goals? Any characteristics, schools, smiths you are interested in? Something? Anything? Famous quote: “Help us help you”

“You’re gonna need a bigger shirasaya!”

It is both a fatal flaw and and a part of the blades history. The two are not mutually exclusive. Whether it is ‘acceptable’ is left to the artistic sensibilities or collecting goals of the owner, or potential buyer in the case of the sale.

Poor state of condition. Previously ‘cleaned’ with steel wool or sandpaper and overall general abuse? The thinner bohi is disappearing which usually indicates a fair amount of steel loss. Not sure how much is left or will be left if you try to have polished again? Nakago looks ubu, but machi-okuri and possibly unevenly done? Sometimes it is hard to tell from photos and the angle the blade is at when photo is taken. My ‘guess’ is it is pretty far along in the polish life-cycle of a blade, Would need an in-hand expert opinion from a trained polisher.

She will kill you for ‘something’ sooner or later… might as well make it worth it…

There are a few WW2 news magazines for sale on EBAY. Just grabbed a few images of covers that might be of interest although not much detail really. Wasn’t sure where to post them. Sorry if these have been posted before.

While I can’t answer definitively for the people that coordinate such things, Shinsa is usually done every several years (4 to 5?) at any given US location. HUGE amount of work for those involved and probably not enough items to make an every year Shinsa economically feasible.

Just got my room. Last year hotel talked us into a special deal to get us to think about a timeshare… WHICH WE DID NOT DO!!! We did take the last single trip deal they offered but it was a painful process. I recommend if ANYONE offers you a free breakfast for a little of your time DO NOT GO!!! You have to be strong-willed to say NO and they waste a bunch of your time. See everyone there.

I’ll ask you to tread lightly. We have a general rule that we don’t comment on pending sales (which I did not know this was) and I would hate to be accused of meddling with a potential sale that could be between members here (of course I don’t know the details of your purchase). I am not here to help or hurt either you or the seller and am FAR from any type of seasoned evaluator… I was just sharing my opinions on the details of a blade from a school I enjoy.

I very much like the Hojoji school. My ‘feeling’ about this one is that it is fairly atypical of the school. I will only speak in generalities because I am far from an expert in the school. And there doesn’t seem to be many Hojoji Sadahiro references I could find. Usually the hamon is more subdued than your example… slight undulating gunome to almost suguha. The school is well-known for its deep regular gunome-ashi in the hamon that is very close to Kotetsu school. Although the papered example I referenced has ‘some’ of the hamon features your blade has, so maybe this smith worked a little more atypical of the school in general? File marks on your nakago are relatively close to Hojoji style. My ‘impression’ of the Mei is that it is not as well cut as the papered example I referenced… and the “hiro” kanji gives me great pause when compared to the example. Hojoji blades are usually fairly straight (lacking sori), are heavy and wide. While I haven’t handled an extensive number of blades to know if that is always the case, yours ‘appears’ a bit lighter, more slender and has a bit more curve than I am used to. Boshi are usually O-maru and wide. Yours is a little more narrow than I have seen, although it does turn back in the proper shape. So what is my final evaluation? You have a nice blade in good condition. However, it does not exhibit many of the standard characteristics of a ‘typical’ Hojoji blade and I think the Mei is a bit weak. Of course I could be COMPLETELY wrong.

Here is one that was for sale here a few years ago. Search feature is your friend…

Most definitely Seiryushi, but strange no name afterward. Here is a Seiryushi Moriyuki I own. Passed NTHK-NPO. He used the simplified ‘ryu’ in mei.

I have 2 blades in gunto mounts and they are close to what mdiddy stated… however, 2 blades are only anecdotal info. My WW2 era made blade = 26.5” nagasa Old Kai Mihara blade placed in gunto mounts = 27.9” nagasa

If memory serves (but I trust it less and less now… stupid memory ) last time (in 2018) it was 3 or 4 months before papers showed up. We probably have a few more weeks to go.

As is always stated, “EBay can be a minefield”. Sometimes you need to be MORE educated about nihonto to be able to successfully make purchases off that format, especially less expensive blades. You first need to know what you want and why you want it (school and correct attributes for that school, etc.) and then REALLY know what to look for to avoid the pitfalls of not having the blade in hand. You will notice some sellers always put the flaws of the blades in their pictures near the bright, shiny flash from the camera or bright spot from the lighting, or they will place flaws at the very edge of the picture. You can see them if you look hard and know what to look for, but it can be VERY difficult. Some do not remove the habaki so you can view the hamachi area of the blade to check for issues or get an idea if the blade is polished down, and some don’t even remove blades from shirasaya/koshirae so you can view nakago. You can ask for more pictures, but run if you get no answer or the information you ask for still doesn’t clearly show what you are looking for. So many potential flaws don’t even show up in pictures such as bends, non-open fukure, faint hagire, etc., especially when pictures are less than optimal… or worse, designed to deceive. The hardest part of a blade to take good pictures of (in my opinion) is the kissaki and EBay sellers rarely get it right. This is an area of the blade that is also critical to evaluate condition of the blade correctly. Be careful and study. We understand the eagerness to ‘want’ to rush into something. But please listen to the advice to avoid doing that. Wish you the best of luck in your future studies!