EdWolf

Hi Bruce, you did a great job. Thanks for sharing! Best regards, Ed

Hi Chris, congratulations! A very beautiful sword! Best regards, Ed

I have found this interesting article about swords presented to dutch people after the war: https://javapost.nl/2014/03/24/de-waarde-van-een-zwaard/ It's in Dutch but the site translate option of Google Chrome will help. Best regards, Ed

Stephen, I know but was afraid he would ruin the sword. My English writing is not good enough to explain how to proceed. Best regards, Ed

Welcome, First of all, don't clean the tang. Before you go any further, read this first. http://www.nbthk-ab.org/Etiquette.htm Best regards, Ed

No one else?

Thanks a lot Ken! Best regards, Ed

Thanks Peter! All information is welcome. Best regards, Ed

Hi to all, I’m doing some research and I’m looking for pictures of swords made by a sword smith called Ujikumo. All I know is that he was active in the Kanei era (1624-1644) and living in the Owari province. His teacher was Ujifusa (2nd generation). I have searched the internet and this forum, but I can’t find any swords made by him. Also all other information will be highly appreciated. Best regards, Ed

The ribbed-same and saya looks like rattan wrapping. Never seen this before. Very interesting. Although never seen, I like it. Congratulations with your new sword! Regards, Ed

Hi Ed, Congratulations! That’s a very nice sword. Best regards, Ed

Hello John, Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of the blade. I have asked the seller for pictures but taking good quality pictures of the blade with a phone is almost impossible. I will visit the seller this week. Hi Jussi, Thanks a lot for your opinion! This is really a fascinating hobby. There is a lot to learn. My feeling is late Muromachi. Hopefully a good picture can confirm this Best regards, Ed

Hi John, Thanks a lot for your help! So, attributed to the Taira-Takada school but not to a certain swordsmith. Nothing about the age of the blade. Best regards, Ed

Hello to all, I’m working on a wakizashi which is papered. The seller can’t tell me anything about it. So, I’m trying to translate the papers, but I’m stuck. With my limited knowledge I think the blade is made around 1600. Is the date somewhere mentioned on the papers? The blade is unsigned and if my translation is right made by a swordsmith of the Taira Takada school. Please confirm. Is the name of a Swordsmith mentioned on the papers? Hope one of you can help me. Your help will be highly appreciated. Best regards, Ed

Very impressive! Thanks for sharing. Best regards, Ed

Nakago is the tang. Regards, Ed

Hi Neil, Thanks for your reply. I find this a very interesting detail. Normally this kind of labor / time reducing things are seen on late war production runs. But this is on a high end, early war piece. Best regards, Ed

Hi Neil, Beautiful swords! One question about your Kai gunto sword. Is the heart shaped figure of the hanger closed or is it just the angle of the picture? I have only seen the open-heart type hangers. Best regards, Ed

I'm not an expert but the date looks like: Showa (1926) ?? Year, 8 month , Lucky day. Regards, Ed

Very, very nice. Wish I had space for such a nice cabinet. Regards, Ed

Hi Uwe, Thank you very much for your reply! For me, reading kanji is still a very difficult thing to do. I normally use the stroke count method. But to determine the actual number of strokes is sometimes difficult. When trying to decipher a mei I use the following method: I try to find one or two easy to read kanji characters and use the Nihonto Club mei search engine (option contains) to decipher the remaining kanji just by comparing the missing kanji. A time-consuming method but it works most of the times When trying to read something else, I’m totally lost. Thankfully the members of this forum are very helpful and that is what makes this forum great! Best regards, Ed

Hi Steve, Thank you very much for your information! 1792, cool. Based on the individual Kanji on the left side. Something like, to protect, war... Maybe one of the other members knows the meaning of left side. Best regards, Ed

Hi to all, After removing the Fuchi I found these markings written on the Tsuka. Can anyone please translate this? Your help will be highly appreciated! Best regards, Ed

Bruce, Thanks for your reply! Best regards, Ed

Hi Bruce, Never heard of this method before. How do you clean the blade after rubbing the blade? Just water, drying the blade and a thin coat of oil? Thanks for sharing! Best regards, Ed