EdWolf

Very nice! Congratulations, Chris! Best regards, Ed

Very nice! Regards, Ed

Hi BaZZa, Thanks for your thoughts and kind words! Best regards, Ed

Hi Guido and Henry, Thanks for all the information. I find this very interesting. Best regards, Ed

Hi Brian, Christian symbols, if have never thought of that. That would be odd. Maybe anyone else? Regards, Ed

Hi John, Thanks for your reply. I totally agree with you. If gimei, it’s still a very nice package. The decorations are very nicely executed. Here are some more pictures. Best regards, Ed

The weather is changing, and the snow is melting away. I finally took some pictures without the use of a flash. Still almost impossible to take good quality of the blade. I think the overall look of this tanto is very nice. I like it a lot. How is the instrument next to the wari-kogai called and what is the use of it? Best regards, Ed

Hi to all, The Kogai Bitsu and Kozuka Bitsu are on the inside decorated with some markings. Does anyone know the meaning of it or is it just some kind decoration? Does anyone have pictures of similar markings? I have never seen it before. Best regards, Ed

The tang seems unaltered (ubu). Sorry but I don’t have pictures of the blade. It’s cloudy and dark outside and using a flash is not an option. The blade has on one side a goma hashi Horimono. On the other side a single wide groove. The habaki an seppa are gold foiled. Here’s a picture of the koshirae. The mantis is very well executed. When the weather changed to sunny I will try to take a good picture of the blade. Best regards, Ed

Hi Geraint, Thanks for your reply. It’s not an easy task to read the signature. I was happy about the fact that I could read most of it. So, it could be a famous name and if, so it is probably gimei. The cost for sending it to Shinsa is more than the cost of the tanto. Thanks for the link. Regards, Ed

Hi Ken, I’m not the kind of warrior type of guy. Not even a keyboard warrior Simplicity if the key to success. I will try to find some videos about iaijutsu. Sounds interesting. Best regards, Ed

John and Ray, Thanks to both for your help. It’s highly appreciated! So, it is Bishu Osafune ju Nagachogi. Is it possible to find more about the smith without a date? The mei of the tanto only contains only a signature. Best regards, Ed

Jean, thanks for clarifying! Best regards, Ed

Hi to all, I try to read this mei. Hard to read but I think I see Bishu Osafune Ju Naga??? Can someone please confirm this and fill in the missing part. Thanks in advance! Best regards, Ed

Hi Denis and Jean, Thanks for the explanation! Is it save to say that the kashezuno/kaeshizuni or soritsuno only makes sense when both swords (katana and wakizashi) were worn? Regards, Ed

Hi Geraint, Thank you very much! I only have a few pictures of this sword. Most pictures I had taken were terrible. The weather in the Netherlands is bad. No sunlight so I had to use a flash. Almost impossible to take a picture of the blade. Best regards, Ed

Just a beginner’s question. I have a wakizashi and the saya has an unusual addon. It’s positioned approximately 15 cm above the kojiri (1/3 of the total length of the saya). I think it’s used for securing the saya. What is the Japanese name and the purpose of it? Thanks in advance. Best Regards, Ed

Hi Neil, Very unusual configuration. Never seen one before. I like it a lot! Thanks for sharing. Best regards, Ed

Hi Stephen, I'm indeed a lucky man. It's a real joy to watch this swords next to each other. You're right about the brown colored shark skin. It is very attractive. Best regards, Ed

Thanks for all the positive feedback! Best regards, Ed

And some photos with the other Kai Gunto. Regards, Ed

As promised some higher quality pictures. Regards, Ed

Hi James, When putting the images next to each other it’s a pretty good match. Only the angle of the to pictures is slightly different. Hope this helps. Regards, Ed

Thanks Paul for the kind words. I will try to catch the beauty of the sword in some good pictures. In real it such a nice piece. Regards, Ed

This blade is made of some stainless steel, the structure of the steel is totally different when compared to a traditional made sword. I was a confused by the black spots and the absence of a stamp. As Bruce already mentioned “prior to 1940, the compliance with the requirement for stamps was a bit spotty”. Steve, thanks for mentioning that your blade had similar spots! I will post better quality pictures soon. I was too excited and could not wait to share this find. So, I used my phone for taking pictures. Thanks for all the replies! Regards, Ed