Ray Singer

I am sorry for the bad news, but this is not authentic nor Japanese. https://www.jssus.org/nkp/fake_japanese_swords.html

Inoue Shinkai. Dated Enpo roku nen ni hatsu hi. (井上真改 / 延宝六年二月日 - A day in the second month of the 6th year of Enpō, 1678) Echigo no kami Kanesada, made with nanbantetsu. Sagami no kuni Tsunahiro, dated Bunka go nen hachi gatsu hi (相模国綱廣 / 文化五年八月日 - a day in the eighth month of the 5th year of the Bunka era, 1808)

By Yokoyama Fujiwara Sukenaga, 59th generation descendant of Tomonari, living in Osafune Village, Bizen province (Biyo Osafune)

I think Masatsune is a possibility for your sword.

Your sword is a suriage (shortened) Edo period katana. It is signed 美濃守藤原___ (Mino no kami Fujiwara ___). The swordsmith name was cut off when the sword was shortened. Here are some possibilities.

Mark, the sword has a mei of Kenryushi Sadaharu. You can see the entry below from Markus Sesko: SADAHARU (貞晴), Keiō (慶応, 1865-1868), Settsu – “Naniwa-jū Mizuguchi Kenryūshi Sadaharu saku” (浪華住 水口剣龍子貞晴作), “Settsu Ikutama ni oite Kenryūshi Sadaharu kore o tsukuru” (於摂津生玉剣龍子 貞晴造之), “Naniwa-jū Kenryūshi Sadaharu saku” (浪花住剣龍子貞晴作), student of Gassan Sadayoshi (月山貞吉), his gō were Kenryūshi (剣龍子) and Kensaishi (剣斎子), we know blades from the Keiō to the Meiji era (明治, 1868-1912), mostly a magnificent sugata with a wide mihaba and an ō-kissaki, dense ko-itame or masame which tends to muji, suguha-hotsure, notare, gunome, he works in the style of his master Sadayoshi, he also added a koku´in seal in the form of the character “chū” (忠・忠) , chū-saku

長曽祢興里入道乕徹 - Nagasone Okisato Nyudō Kotetsu

Kojima Katsumasa. https://www.google.com/search?q="kojima+Katsumasa"+site%3Amilitaria.co.za%2Fnmb&sca_esv=591b4a927a35bf88&rlz=1C1ONGR_enUS1136US1136&biw=1536&bih=791&sxsrf=ANbL-n6Ejze1AZosn-RvdB9Fa5Sqm8r81Q%3A1778542963645&ei=c2kCaruAJ__gp84P2ar8oAM&ved=0ahUKEwj7hcPstLKUAxV_8MkDHVkVHzQQ4dUDCBE&uact=5&oq="kojima+Katsumasa"+site%3Amilitaria.co.za%2Fnmb&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiKyJrb2ppbWEgS2F0c3VtYXNhIiBzaXRlOm1pbGl0YXJpYS5jby56YS9ubWJIvghQZVjRBXABeACQAQCYAS2gAVmqAQEyuAEDyAEA-AEB-AECmAIAoAIAmAMAiAYBkgcAoAcYsgcAuAcAwgcAyAcAgAgB&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

Takada ju Yukihisa. Shinto Takada school.

Sadayuki. I would look at one of the Muromachi period smiths who used the name Sadayuki and were working in Bungo province.

This appears to read Yukimitsu. Best regards, Ray

Minamoto Kiyomaro

An auspicious day in the fifth month of Genji 2 (1865).

Here is another Gunsui-to signed 群永兼国作 - Gunsui Kanekuni saku. https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/38668-help-please-on-signature/#findComment-400729

Hizen (no) kuni Tadaaki saku kore, dated 1943.

The mei is Mitsunaga

I believe this reads: - Sagami (no) kami Fujiwara Kaneyasu - Noshu Seki ju

The inlay does appear to be in glass, and I coincidentally received this piece below just a few hours ago. Best regards, Ray

Hi Ron, please see below. 兼門 - Kanekado 善定 - Yoshisada

In all seriousness, if you paid someone to appraise your sword and they told you that it was a WWII era blade by Ichihara Nagamitsu and signed Bizen Osafune ju Nagamitsu saku you should ask for your money back. See below. On the left is an inscription by Ichihara Nagamitsu. On the right is an inscription by first generation Yasutsugu. Compare the kanji with what is inscribed on your sword. |

Hi Darin, not sure if this is the sword you intended to post but it is not a blade by Ichihara Nagamitsu nor is it signed Bizen Osafune jū Nagamitsu saku. The mei is Bushu Edo Echizen ju Yasutsugu and appears to be a Shinto blade, from the early part of the Edo period.

The Kai-Go sold privately in the US. https://www.sho-shin.com/kai-go.pdf https://www.sho-shin.com/kai.pdf https://www.sho-shin.com/hoku12a.htm https://www.sho-shin.com/kaipics.htm

Yes, unfortunately I would not put a lot of faith in the Muramasa mei however it seems to be nicely mounted in the current koshirae. I would suggest to your friend not to place the bare blade and soft metal fittings directly on a stone surface like this.

Please show the entire nakago clearly and fully. Are there any arsenal stamps present?

Kaneshige (no date)