Ray Singer

I missed your comment about the existing shirasaya. There are sayashi who can clean old scabbards if there is any accumulated material inside. John Tirado and Josiah Boomershine are both individuals that I would recommend.

This gives the impression of being a Sue-Seki blade (late Muromachi period, 16th century, Mino province). While I do think this is worthwhile to consider for restoration, the condition is not abhorrent and it appears that everything can be seen and appreciated for the most part. So, you may want to consider keeping it in its current condition.

Shoami.

Very much appreciated, thanks @Jussi Ekholm!

Maik, what I have been trying to express to you is that the same kanji appear differently based on the hand of the artist. You should not expect a mechanically rigid execution of a mei that matches stroke-for-stroke the way you see the kanji in print. That simply is not how swordsmith's mei look in the real world. This is one Yoshihisa below. There were several craftsman with the art name of Yoshihisa, and I am not saying this is the same person who signed your sword. Nor that it should match exactly. A variation.

No, I don't think it is Yoshimitsu. As mentioned above, it appears to read Yoshihisa. I was only sharing the Yoshimitsu mei for the variations on the kanji for Yoshi.

I understand. I am showing variations in writing the same kanji.

Another example. Variations on how the same mei of Masatsugu might appear on different smiths' swords.

No, this has nothing to do with difficulty in executing a straight line. Mei are calligraphy, and calligraphy is expressed in different ways depending on the hand of the craftsmen. This is the famous swordsmith Toshiro Yoshimitsu.

There are many ways that kanji are expressed in mei. They not aways executed in a rigid exact way and strokes do not always connect with one another.

This is a set I had not long ago and actually had offered here within the group. The mitokoromono was attributed to Kaga Goto.

@Maik, 土 refers to the radical and does not mean a mei that begins with the kanji 土. The Kanji 吉 (Yoshi) contains the radical 士 at the top.

Typical typo on my part, what I intended was Yoshihisa rather than Toshihisa. Thank you for correcting.

Happy New Year everyone, I just wanted to share an update that I have started to post new video content after taking a long break from filming. Please do check my channels below in the coming days for updates and new videos. https://youtube.com/@swordsofjapan https://www.instagram.com/swordsofjapan Please email me with any questions, or for videos you might like to see in the future. Best regards, Ray

Not as clear as the previous one. Perhaps Toshihisa.

I'm not sure that I understand what you mean as far as looking different, but that is what I personally see. 正次 - Masatsugu.

Appears to be Masatsugu.

Perhaps authentic, late Edo / Meiji ken. Best regards, Ray

You can see examples of each below. Bizen. https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-google&hs=B4n9&sca_esv=31d3cabc157c1d09&sxsrf=ANbL-n5MFpQJGTJurISdTdqyc8fxkMcEoQ:1768063408616&udm=2&fbs=ADc_l-aN0CWEZBOHjofHoaMMDiKpaEWjvZ2Py1XXV8d8KvlI3jljrY5CkLlk8Dq3IvwBz-SWBLBIpU6WqoosusF5QLbxpRE4UEP-s9kvW4xyM81KU_nRDDrtTHEylOeCsOnTP6hZ9VUt4pmkK8PNoWiruUYTsXGzKpivCXlJPWSNFMyEwrMzsXSvKDqkcbHhOfbpzkEvB87CEt8d30SxCeg7NLVb1A4ZNthJU98sgz3dyXlymgZQDWo&q=備州長船兼光&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiVvqS7tYGSAxUORTABHTAXK3AQtKgLegQIGxAB&biw=411&bih=753&dpr=2.63&aic=0#ip=1 Mino. https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-google&hs=Yj8o&sca_esv=31d3cabc157c1d09&sxsrf=ANbL-n4HLLPh0Kc-3yG1z78s3fKJYn_ZqQ:1768063499941&udm=2&fbs=ADc_l-aN0CWEZBOHjofHoaMMDiKp9lEhFAN_4ain3HSNQWw-mMGVXS0bCMe2eDZOQ2MOTwlPvdyGBqAYcnoDmdEOcJS4d44EpyAw76HrrPnlvuXFGMipMqWEuzmpzWzF6B4LPIcCJ3aEpkgsHoFQ2hwIuo04hGe_Dglr_3LMzZEpkVotQSzRkGrNi7OmdRav9kfb0rFL3pUk-fAMdI7JXVwFpebN2oCqZUaoUQMoSGrjrrpnoh5uFiQ&q=濃州兼光&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiFyurmtYGSAxWOTTABHR_4LXAQtKgLegQIERAB&biw=411&bih=753&dpr=2.63&aic=0

There were many smiths other than the famous Bizen Kanemitsu who legitimately used that name. As an alternative, you may want to look at the Sue-Seki Kanemitsu lineage. It's not wrong to be cautious with a sword being sold previously out of Japan with no papers, but gimei is not the only reason that this happens. In other cases, the seller may not have felt that it was financially viable to submit it, whether that is due to flaws, or simply not being signed or attributed to a school/smith that would make the shinsa investment worthwhile.

This is exactly the book you want: The Connoisseurs Book of Japanese Swords https://a.co/d/bYOs3m7 Best regards, Ray

https://www.google.com/search?q=oil+quenched+hamon+hamon+site%3Awww.militaria.co.za&sca_esv=7158150de61051ff&rlz=1C1YTUH_enUS1164US1164&sxsrf=AE3TifNUOJS9mscaAAEpNovBrV7uF48CUQ%3A1767734473213&ei=yXxdaa_cDKeRwbkPscy58QM&ved=0ahUKEwjv5NSK7PeRAxWnSDABHTFmLj4Q4dUDCBE&uact=5&oq=oil+quenched+hamon+hamon+site%3Awww.militaria.co.za&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiMW9pbCBxdWVuY2hlZCBoYW1vbiBoYW1vbiBzaXRlOnd3dy5taWxpdGFyaWEuY28uemFIwBNQoAdYoxJwAngAkAEAmAFVoAH-AqoBATa4AQPIAQD4AQGYAgCgAgCYAwCIBgGSBwCgB44CsgcAuAcAwgcAyAcAgAgA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

That is what it appears to be from your photo.

From the second photo of the hamon, this appears to be a showato arsenal blade (not fully traditionally made) and produced during WWII.

Hi Shane, please provide additional images that clearly show the blade if you would like feedback from the group. Up close and in focus if possible. Please also carefully remove the handle and show a clear vertical image of the nakago (tang) on each side. Best regards, Ray