Toryu2020

Piers is right! Your dad has started you out on a terrific journey, and you are in the right place to find help along the way. -t

Wondering did I post this previously?

Okayama - visit Setouchi City IF (check beforehand) if they have the Yamatorige on display at that time of year. Also Ando Sword Shop in Okayama City. Nagoya - Atsuta Jingu has a brand new museum displaying many of the great swords that have been donated to the shrine over the centuries. Nagoya Castle. Sanmei Tokugawa Arts. Kyoto - not a lot of sword shops but as stated the whole town is a museum. Fushimi take the sake brewery tours. Osaka - Meirin Sangyo. Tokyo - Ginza has the highest concentration of high end sword shops, many of the same dealers will be at DTI. Robot restaurant. Traditional Dance Restaurant. Samurai Restaurant. Don't know if there is Yakata-bune this year. Temple of the 47 Ronin. Edo-Tokyo Museum. Eisei Bunko, check to see what is on exhibit.

I vote wakizashi - for photos try the "dark room" trick - set it up in a completely dark room and then use the flash on your camera - surprising things are sometimes revealed... -t

I believe you're second tsuba does not feature the moon but rather a magatama. It is very roughly done but I think your theme is takaramono.

I think you are correct Thomas. -トム

I think you need Sakana-kun!!

Someone needs to file a claim with the postal inspector...

Nice one.

I'd like to chime in - Moises has been submitting blades for himself and on behalf of his clients to the NTHK shinsa for years. The shinsa team always includes at least one polisher. He has consistently been able to bring out the characteristics of the individual swords so they may be "read" by the shinsa team and he has enjoyed a high pass rate for his submissions accordingly. I have not once heard any negative comment on his polish by the team members. I have always tried to recommend only "fully trained" polishers publicly but I am more than happy to give my endorsement to Moises and his work. -tch

How about some miniature tanegashima?

Thank you - do you have more pictures of the Matsuyama tsuba?

Ed - what are the kanji for Tomoaka? That first one appears to be signed Toshiyuki...

Got mine today! They look terrific! The fact these are collapsible means they are perfect for our monthly sword club meetings, for our annual Cherry Blossom Festival displays and for sword shows! So excited to show these to the membership on Sunday! Thank you Tobi

The label gives a date and a name - the other two look like poems about armour. I am sure if you are patient "nobody" will be able to translate for you... -t

Yes - one 壱壹弌一

Two and three are upside down...

Mamori-gatana koshirae with possible Gassan school tanto holding it together...

Mamori-gatana koshirae with possible Gassan school blade holding it together...

I can hardly add to what Michael has so succinctly said, Nicholas - the blade I posted earlier, which is from the very beginning of Namboku-cho, is ubu signed and dated. As Michael points out there are plenty of ubu Kamakura pieces out there and once you become familiar with sugata, I think you can appreciate the shapes as the Japanese do... -t

Check the for sale forum - I believe David Flynn has a copy for sale right now... -t

Jean - enjoying your comments and I like the points you have made. I would posit that your example of the use of namban tetsu is not a good analogy. We were taught that the amount of namban tetsu used in the famous Yasutsugu swords (for example) was miniscule - just enough to say that he used some as it was a novelty and it added nothing to the overall product. His jigane I think most would see as quite clean and consistent so not a deliberate "damascene" hada. I think Yakumo-gitae or the Shin Ju-go-mai of Omura Kaboku would be better examples of later smiths using mixed metals for effect. Alex - the short answer to the question is "You need a full education in nihonto to appreciate why Kamakura is the best." ( I was told the same thing when I started btw) The long answer is below; Sugata - the shapes produced in this time period are considered best. Later smiths are only trying to recreate them. They may have succeeded in copying the shape but then fail at other features. Jigane - Consistancy is a big deal. Strong clean jigane expressed over the full length of the sword is most appreciated. This is true even when the jigane is larger, wilder patterend but is expressed fully throughout. Later smiths may have been successful at reproducing good jigane but then fail at other features. Hataraki - go to the glossary of any good sword book and there is a long list of features one wants to see in a sword. Read the description of celebrated Kamakura pieces and you can expect to find most of these features mentioned. Later pieces may have lots of hataraki in the ji or in the ha but are lacking in other areas. Hamon - "temperlines" are expressed in more naturalistic ways showing an artlessness that may not always be found in later works. Nakago - a well finished and perfectly aged nakago is a thing of beauty, the simple handwriting of the signature shows the artists origins as a simple craftsmen. Later signatures can be wonderful, but they reflect the education and erudition of the smith, become more like trademarks and are appreciated for different reasons. Few later smiths combine all the best features in a single work, most of the celebrated Kamakura artists consistently hit high marks in all areas in the majority of their works. This in the end is just my poor understanding of how we are to look at these works... -t

Kashu ju Nagatsugu saku - please share pictures of your abumi... -t