slavia631

I consulted another expert and got a corroboration: The cursive font is usually very hard or next to impossible to read. Especially for a single work. However, we are lucky with this one. This is part of a poem from "Wakan Roueishuu" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakan_r%C5%8Deish%C5%AB 和漢朗詠集：巻下　松・四二五　　源順 　　「十八公栄霜後露　一千年色雪中深」 和漢朗詠集 wakan roueishuu The Chinese is: 一千年色雪中深 The Japanese equivalent is: 一千年の色は雪の中に深し issennen no iro wa yuki no uchi ni fukashi A very, very rough translation: The color of a thousand years deepens in the snow. Case closed, I'd say. Thanks again all! See you around!

Very interesting! Thank you for the research and follow up, I hope it has been a little bit fun... Is there a chance it could be a pun of sorts? I've seen some play with dual meanings in zen literature before; along with lots of fuzzy thinking in general, ha. I've also heard of the character for "color" used to represent the concept of "form" in translations of the Heart Sutra (which is where form/emptiness would come from).

For those interested, I consulted an expert translator and here is what he sees: 一千年色空中彌 Pronunciation: is sen (phonetic change from “ichi sen”) nen shiki kū chū mi (last syllable can also be read “amaneshi.”) Word by word meaning: one, thousand, years, form, emptiness, in, prevailing Translation: Omnipresent in form and emptiness for one thousand years.

Thank you so much for your help. I'm going to try and reach out to an expert who may be able to help. I'll post my findings here!

Thank you for the help so far! It seems to me the second-last character might be "jou" (常). I have found that this is commonly seen in "mujou" (無常) meaning impermanence. Which begs the question, could the character above it actually be just that, "mu"? If we are both right, then the scroll says "Ten thousand years of impermanence" plus a word at the end. This would make sense, as 10,000 years is a metaphor for "eternity" and impermanence is a core concept of zen/Buddhism. But that still leaves the last character. My best guess for it is 袮. Which is a character not found very often. Definitions I've found for it include "you", "hast", "ancestral shrine" and "embroidery". Not sure if any of these fit. Then again, not sure if any of this is correct... Thanks again for the assistance!

Thank you Brian! I think it should be pretty simple: Just a single line of handwritten characters. Per your post I'll share a photo below just in case it's easy.... Thanks in advance!

Greetings old friends. I recently acquired an antique Japanese scroll that I would very much like help translating. However I understand that this request is not Nihonto related per-se. I am humbly posting here to ask the mods whether this is an appropriate place to make such a request, before sharing and doing so. If not, perhaps there is someone willing to help via private message? Thank you in advance. slav

Hi there, I just picked this up today and humbly request assistance with identifying the mei and anything else I should know about the sword. Thanks in advance!

I'm waiting for him to bring it by. He says the blade is "NICE"....but I don't know what that means to someone who doesn't know Nihonto. We will see. I'll keep you posted...

Hi all, Today I was speaking with a friend whose grandfather has a very intriguing WWII bringback. I was not able to see the sword, but he described it to me in detail. He tells me that at the end of the tsuka, it has a large iron ball pommel that screws/slides out to reveal that it is attached to an iron rod, around which is wrapped a paper scroll with red kanji characters. The non-military saya and style of blade lead him to think that it predates the war and the blade is Nihonto. Has anyone seen or heard of anything like this?

Thanks for all the help. Is it possible to tell me an approximate valuation of this sword? I am seeing similar swords in similar mounts/condition sell on ebay between $400 and $700. Am I in the ballpark? Also, my research combined with the help here has led me to find that this is a Type 3 (Late 1944) pattern Army officer's sword. Am I correct? I know this is not Nihonto. But I would think many of you have seen one or two Showato in your day and appreciate the help. :D

The entire blade is in the condition seen, and the above photos are the best I could do to show the hamon. I will try for better images. So, when you say it is likely not traditionally made, what does that mean exactly? It is handmade, but of poor quality and oil-quenched? Would you think that it is folded and/or tamahagane?

Thanks! Any information on this smith? It looks like there were several Seki Showa smiths with that name... Any way to identify this particular one? Is it valuable? Here are some detail shots of the sword. Any information or thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Hi all, It's been quite a long time since my last post. Life has a funny way of distracting you from the important things in life. :D I have a Gendaito, and need some help with the mei. It has a Seki stamp. I was able to translate the date, which is March 1945 (correct me if I am wrong). But the signature is eluding me. I can't seem to identify either character. Perhaps it is my novice eyes, or the smith's style of engraving, or both... Anyway, here is the mei: Any help is very greatly appreciated! AG

Does that mean this is an unlikely explanation for the "Yamato-hagane"? What other things could it mean?

Hmm...Interesting. Would that make it particularly valuable assuming it is in good condition?

Yes, you are right. I meant to say that it is modern WWII era, but indeed the Showa stamp would indicate Showato.

Thanks! Any idea on the rest of it? Yes, it is Gendai. I will also note that it has an arsenal stamp.

Hi all, I came across this sword in the line of work. I would take the time to investigate the mei myself, but I am on a business trip and have almost zero spare time. Can anybody tell me what it says? Thanks in advance!

Hi all, I recently acquired this tanto signed Kunimune, and would like some opinions on it from anybody who wouldn't mind. I understand that the most famous smith named 'Kunimune' was of the Uda school, but that there were others including a Bizen, etc. Can anybody tell which smith this is? I can't identify the hada, but the blade seems to have quite a thin hamon. The blade is in decent (out of polish) overall condition and doesn't seem to be tired. It does, however, have a few kizu almost exclusively on the omote side (see photos). Are any of these kizu serious demerits to its value and/or fatal. I am not as familiar with kizu types and grading as I would like to eventually be. I suppose the inevitable final question is: Does this blade's merits, quality, and condition render it worthy of a new polish? Thanks in advance for all the help. Photos:

Looking forward to it, Chris! Andrew G.

Hi everybody, it's been a while. Just an update on this piece: It is still in queue with Chris Osborne, and he has informed me that it is virtually next in line. I am getting very excited!

Re: Stephen... Absolutely not. I'm not sure whether by "re-tempering" you mean normalizing the blade and repeating the entire heat-treatment, or only repeating the tempering process (normally done directly after yaki-ire), but neither of these procedures would do anything to change the structure of the blade. In fact, re-quehcing the blade would most likely deepen the crack further. The blade would have to be completely re-forged, to be 'fixed'.

I did not think of it in that way, the ebay seller has sold and is selling many other swords. It would make sense that if some work could increase the value alot the seller would do it. Perhaps this isn't the bargain I was hoping it was, the "as is" selling feature was one of my biggest hesitations. Dan Then again, for a high-volume dealer like that sometimes it's more trouble than it is worth to look into possibly restoring. But an enthusiast such as yourself can dedicate the extra time and effort to checking out your one single piece, so I would encourage it. Some 'project blades' that you get from sellers such as mike are definite 'throw-aways' to be used for polishing practice or to be collected by less serious enthusiasts who just want "a piece of history". Others are 'toss-ups' that the dealer doesn't feel inclined to get restored himself, but sells as-is hoping that a buyer may see some potential in it and thus possibly bid a higher price. I believe the latter is what you may have. Send it to a polisher and see what he says. It couldn't hurt!

Hai! Or any other form of blade modification, for that matter.