Bugyotsuji

Remains of a 三五桐紋 3/5 paulownia crest mon top right, but heavily filed with rough rasp. Fairly generic tsuba, imho. Can it be narrowed down at all? I wonder…

Sadly Curran, that exhibition ended in April. It's Akabane blades now, till 13 July.

兼直 Kanenao 作 saku, but quickly and for that period somewhat fashionably cut.

久 vs 之 Well it could be read Nobuhisa (?) but the Mei is so corrupted. It gives me a stronger vibe of Nobuyuki 信之.

江州住信之 but that last kanji (?)造(?)

Rōgan Ookami Maru 狼丸? Or 狼九? The second kanji deliberately mixes 丸and 九. (?) There’s a message here that I’m missing Maybe a play on 鬼丸国綱？

In case you missed the comments helping you to date it, here is what Ray said: “o-suriage mumei katana (Shinto or earlier”… What does that tell you? = Possibly earlier than c1600~1775(?) (My question is what kind of katana has such a long Nakago?)

There is a theory that well-worn (rubbed down) surface elements of kozuka are a precious indication of usage and age. The missing gilt on the exposed chrysanthemum surfaces for example, could actually be a positive, rather than a negative. The word 小柄 kozuka strictly means only the oblong handle itself, but by extension it has come to include the blade when/if one is present. You can build up a collection of blades until you find one or two that fit comfortably into the kozuka you have bought. As to the Mei. What you say about "a kind of homage at best" applies more to those that you commonly find on the blades. The handle/sheath itself when signed will either be the original artist or a fake. Splits in the kozuka occur when a different blade is forced in, or the blade is pushed too far into the handle/sheath. It is said the there should be a visible gap between the end of the blade machi and the edge of the receiving sheath, in order to prevent damage to the most important piece of artwork, the kozuka hilt.

Mmmm… very nice! 😊 Congratulations.

Just wrap it really carefully (against a splint if necessary) and put it inside your suitcase. In the unlikely event they ask at check-in to see it, open your suitcase for them and explain that it is a ‘wall decoration’, with no blade.

What do you want to delete? Oh I see, you posted the pics twice. Yes, press the edit button and look for delete button by the photos, or physically delete them from your post.

The paperwork says ‘Daigoro-utsushi’, which does suggest late Edo. The Yodo River ran through Arashiyama (south Kyoto) and Osaka but changed names at least three times according to which section, the ‘Yodogawa’ at its lower end. (The Yodo waterwheel and sometimes riverbank stakes often symbolized Osaka.)

Please be more patient, Marcin .

Brilliant! Glad you were able to go, Majus.

Looking good. (Don’t think I’ve ever seen an ukezutsu pushed through an agemaki tassel knot! )

The Nakago looks kind of long. I wonder if it underwent Machi-okuri at some point?

Good question, so I too will float this at the next 'opportunity' (gathering of sword know-it-alls). Something I heard a year or two back was the existence of the 'abura-saya'. Following use, a sword blade was oiled and placed into a wooden saya which, from the residual oil, turned a darker and darker hue with usage and time. At some point the blade was then cleaned and placed inside a shirasaya, a white-wood sheath for long-term storage. The difference between a shirasaya and an abura-saya was visible in the colour, i.e. the oil staining. As to the historical record, the first occurrence of dual usage, shirasaya for long-term, as opposed to battlefield koshirae for the short-term, I am all ears.

All wonderful stuff as usual from you in your Man Cave, Chris, but we will need a little more information as to what is going on there! From a bear of very little brain.

Ah, well done! Been bashed around a bit. It looks like 信忠 Nobutada from here…(?) That should start the detective ball rolling!

Well, it seems to be made with 籐 (Tou) equatorial rattan, wood and stag antler. The blade steel does not show us much much in that state, but with a bit of negative sori it does have Japanese blade characteristics; without a photo of the hidden nakago tang, however it is difficult to make too many more comments.

At first glance that final kanji looks to be the maker's Kao 花王

Thank you Fabien for the detailed update. Good shooting!

Bizen no Kuni, Osafuné Jū Kawachi no Kami Sukesada

See https://www.google.com/search?q=井上真改+菊紋&client=safari&sca_esv=15969251e734fcae&hl=en-gb&udm=2&biw=390&bih=663&ei=LypQaInJH5-Rvr0PkLTZmQY&oq=菊紋+格子状井上真改&gs_lp=EhJtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1pbWciHOiPiue0iyDmoLzlrZDnirbkupXkuIrnnJ_mlLkqAggAMggQABiABBiiBDIIEAAYgAQYogQyCBAAGIAEGKIEMggQABiABBiiBDIIEAAYgAQYogRIsrABUABYAHACeACQAQCYAXagAXaqAQMwLjG4AQHIAQCYAgKgAhOYAwCIBgGSBwEyoAffAbIHALgHAMIHBTItMS4xyAcO&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img#vhid=gcWHilZ9rGD9UM&vssid=mosaic

How did the talk go? (Hmmm… Is there some reason they have displayed the blade with the nakago to the right? )