nagamaki - Franco

Good morning, What if, what if I was a person living at the time of Sadakazu, with the way and means to commision Sadakazu, a swordsmith I greatly admired, to make me a Norishige or Sadakiyo, which he was capable of doing and I could not otherwise own. Besides, most people who would look at the blade wouldn't know it wasn't an original, and those who did would be too polite to say otherwise. These are thoughts previously discussed over coffee of some our study group members which I happen to share and agree with as a possibility. Not everything like this was necessarily done in malice. Additionally, having seen Shinsinto Gassan nihonto, they were definitely capable of and knew how to make excellent copies of earlier swords, enough to fool even collectors.

Hello, Cool video post, what type of lighting were you using? Suggestion, Shinto Ishido utsuri https://www.google.com/search?q=Shinto+Ishido+utsuri&oq=Shinto+Ishido+utsuri&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Yamanaka's Newsletters revised has a fair amount of information including defining different types of utsuri.

Jason, Name calling was completely uncalled for, a better response would have been to ask Steve to explain his thoughts. We are all here to learn, n'est ce pas. Often when it comes to nihonto study the greatest learning occurs when we stop to consider that which is being overlooked.

Hello, 1) This sword should be properly evaluated by a qualified polisher for condition before proceeding with any thoughts of being restored. As it is, it appears to me to have a couple of significant ware in what looks to be the area of the hamon, if so, they would remain as flaws after polish. The cost of polish, habaki, shirasaya, origami, can quickly eat up the value of a sword. 2) The mei, signature, needs to be researched and confirmed before restoration. 3) There are only 2 fully qualified polishers in North America, Jimmy Hayashi, and Takeo Seki, and then there are others. Some of the others are fine, some are not so fine, better do your homework. 4) As I look over these images again, I find the condition of the steel troubling. Good luck.

I'd say so, perhaps early muromachi.

Hello, A $200.00 kissaki job, ha, CLUELESS! Be careful what you wish for.

Hello, Thanks for the link! If you like stuff like this then perhaps a Japanese puzzle box should be on your gift lists for the upcoming holidays. https://www.google.com/search?q=Japanese+puzzle+box&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiHj7j_rd3PAhWGbj4KHXdQAMUQ_AUICigD&biw=1097&bih=611

Ciao Francesco, Not certain of what sets you have, however, the revised edition should be 4 volumes .... http://www.ncjsc.org/ncjsc_publications.htm , in any case generally speaking when it states page missing, unless I'm incorrect in this instance, that indicates that the page was left blank intentionally.

Hello, Coming under the heading of other reasons "that the top end of Bohi is different on either side in shape and distance from the kissaki" comes the suspicion that what is being seen may be the end result of changes and adjustments a sword has undergone over the course of its existence, including reshaping of the kissaki due to damage, a shape change to the weapon such as naoshi, an ato bori, it could also be a difference in the ability/skill of the cutters involved over time. Corrections should have been done when the blade is/was undergoing polish, however, not all polishers wish to take on such a task. Sometimes it's best to leave things as they are depending on the circumstances.

Hamon, nioi, nie, ko-nie, ashi, other activity? Ji-nie?

Agree, a dry, scaled, lifeless look to the metal. In which case it stands to reason the fuchi would have most likely gotten hot, the same looks sooty, too.

Hello David, There are a considerable number of threads on NMB about restoration of nihonto including shirasaya. Since it is important to understand what the entire process involves, and why steps should follow a specific order, it would be wise to read through this information before proceeding, so that you know what some of the options are and you're not having to unnecessarily repeat previous steps.

Tortoise shell handle, very nice.

Am almost certain of seeing a modern reproduction, opinion of course, just in the last 48 hours. It was a F/K set that seemed to be drawing a good deal of attention on auction which is what caught my eye to begin with. Keep your guard up.

The wave work alone should leave you running for the eyedrops Contrast is an amazing thing, take a few minutes looking at some excellent pieces found online even if the subject matter is somewhat different, then flip back. Ouch!

Kanekishi (兼岸) ? Index of Japanese Swordsmiths A-M - Page 132

One of the benefits of holding club kantei events is the exposure to a wide variety of correctly identified swords from all time periods, traditions, schools, smiths and most importantly in a proper state of polish. While correctly identifying a sword in bidding in a kantei event has its rewards, among the things miserably failing teaches us is that it is essential to remain fully cognizant of which features of a sword are fixed and which are a function of polish. It will be paying attention to those minute details which often makes the difference between success and becoming "completely lost" in our kantei efforts.

Hello Bruce, At this point am staying with Koto, Muromachi, and will add that I have suspicions the larger mekugi ana might actually be the original hole which at some point was redrilled. In hand might show otherwise.

Hello Bruce, What is the width of the nakago kasane (???) at its widest point? And, hey, Bruce, why not just give measurements in millimeters, so much simpler n'est-ce pas Thanks.

Hello John, Oh my! Sorry, to say the least. When it comes to nihonto it is wise to take things slow and careful. Yes, please, ask first before acting, because when it comes to nihonto you can get yourself into trouble in a big hurry. And, almost always there will be someone who has the experience to help guide and advise you through the situation without having to turn to taking more drastic steps. No need to cut your nose off to spite your face. On a separate note, on the topic of heat damage, the unfortunate truth is that there are a significant number of nihonto in circulation which have been subjected to damaging heat including fires, and this subject has been well written about. In fact (long ago), I had just finished reading about how to "visually" identify a heat damaged sword in Yamanaka's Newsletters revised (if memory serves), when receiving a call to go view a signed nihonto for sale. Well, you guessed it, this sword had all the tell-tale signs described. Additionally, it should be noted, be aware, that swords can have heat damage only to one side of the blade. Which makes detection especially challenging. Then, there are retempered blades to top it all. In some twenty five years of study I have run across examples of each, some more than once. Collecting nihonto is never easy.

Oooops! Copy and pasted from a published sword record sheet.

Moto-haba, Moto-kasane, Sak-haba, Sak-kasane? Thank you?

Apologies, I have deleted a portion of my post as I would rather keep the focus of this thread on show us your high class tosogu and not digress into the genuineness of Omori waves. Thank you.

Hi Ford, Are patterns of consistency beginning to emerge to the point where school and/or artist can begin to be identified? Or is that still way off in the distance? Thank you.

Hello Bruce, No worries. From looking over images again this morning I see evidence of a Koto sword, and that its last polish wasn't very good. A properly made habaki should fit over a wider nakago without touching and still fit perfectly tight if properly made.