Ray Singer

This looks quite spectacular actually. Appears to be a ginzogan (silver inlaid) 3 body cutting best dated 1652 (承応 - Jōō gannen). I am traveling at the moment, I am sure someone else will respond with a more detailed translation. Please be sure to care for it well (do not handle the blade with bare hands and keep oiled to preserve the condition and avoid rusting).

Paul, it is best if you can show the entire inscription in a single clear, straight-on, vertical image. Please see below for an example. Do not do anything on your own to clean or polish the blade.

Hi MP, here is one I posted for sale to this group earlier. Any questions, please just let me know. Best regards, Ray

http://www.militaria.co.za/articles/Examining_the_Origin_of_Soshu-den_old.pdf

The mei is Unji. https://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths/meisearch?type=All&mei_op=contains&mei=雲次

It is stamped with a mei in kanji: Masayuki. See below.

I believe this is Seiryuken Eiju. https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-google&sca_esv=58560bd20a15475a&sxsrf=AHTn8zp5Hr0dcBVVU0Peg1qcnXs29I0QmA:1743779099394&q=seiryuken+site:www.militaria.co.za&nfpr=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi_z6Su076MAxVJp7AFHXjlI48QvgUoAXoECA0QAg&biw=411&bih=785&dpr=2.63

At a glance, appears to set by Yoshioka Buzen (signed) and affirmed by Sato Kanzan.

While I do not have any experience with this particular sword, RVA is run by John Kang which some of you may know from his social media channels (he is active on YT and IG). John is an honest seller, a nice individual to deal with, and I am sure that anything he has consigned for others (which appears to be the case here) is authentic and has been vetted. Best regards, Ray

Noshu ju Kanetada. Appears to be a WWII era showato arsenal blade (not traditionally made).

I would have thought this is an ubu shinshinto blade.

As you said, the mei is Kaneyoshi. In the future, I would recommend posting a clear, straight-on, vertical photo of the tang (nakago). That will help with readability and assessment. There were several generations in Mino from late Muromachi (Sue-Seki) through shinshinto times.

This appears to be a potentially nice koto Bizen blade. Please do not do anything on your own to clean or polish the blade, or remove rust. It may be worthwhile to explore a professional polish (a restoration by a fully-apprenticed polisher). Especially, do not remove rust from the nakago (tang).

Bitchu (no) kami Tachibana Yasuhiro

1. Fujiwara Sadayuki 2. Takeyasu saku

The blade and its mountings are authentic. Please carefully remove the handle and show a clear vertical photo of the nakago (tang).

Mei: Bishu Osafune (suriage, the name has been lost when the sword was shortened) Date: Tensho go nen (the year 1577)

It is not uncommon to see Showa era gimei with the names of famous Shinto smiths. I think it is likely this would be the same (a gimei of Oya Kunisada).

The mei is Izumi no kami Kunisada, the inscription used by a famous Edo period swordsmith however this does not appear to be an authentic example of his inscription.

Here is an example by the Shinto smith. https://samuraishokai.jp/sword/22145.html

武州住兼永 - Bushū ju Kanenaga https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/KAN1661 https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/KAN1662 https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/KAN1663

https://swordsofjapan.com/product.../supplies/flashcards/ For anyone who might be interested in learning how to read Japanese sword inscriptions, and have not seen my earlier posts, I created several educational sets in the form of flashcards, with the intention of teaching both how to read kanji, and also to provide study material related to the Japanese sword: schools, time periods, smith's mei, terminology, etc. Set 1: Commonly seen kanji for swordsmith mei, with an average of 4 examples using that kanji Set 2: Provinces, with information on each and including some representative swordsmiths and schools Set 3: Time periods from late Heian to present, with material on each era Each set is US25 + shipping & PP. If you would like to order, please message or email me directly with your name, shipping address, email address and which set you would like. Examples of each type are attached here.

Gwyn, the upper portion appears to read 西本家 - Nishimoto-ke (Nishimoto family). The kamon (family crest) appears to be a variation of those you can see below. https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=073be19fff1ea87f&sxsrf=AHTn8zqyiEzVROnwoDpRvKNgJa3RGgprDg:1741605670112&q=丸に蔦&udm=2&fbs=ABzOT_CWdhQLP1FcmU5B0fn3xuWpA-dk4wpBWOGsoR7DG5zJBjLjqIC1CYKD9D-DQAQS3Z598VAVBnbpHrmLO7c8q4i29MHIoj62rC0KLNSn9Sz5z21EEXLYPrirt-CNWhNAN6Edz2gDLUupOZz08EpaPxxYRoWHLtXI9IAmZ-HAT8GoGf6iWFwBCAC1EhtX31sa2kkgqyuh8unt2H9L9lEi7cKOBZnNBg&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwiB5bjasv-LAxWBTTABHTK3EOsQtKgLegQIExAB&biw=1920&bih=911&dpr=1

Noshu Seki ju Kanetaka kore saku Appears to be a WWII era showato arsenal blade.

I believe 治喜 could be read Haruaki.