Toryu2020

I am curious did Yimuyin ever make it to Israel? I have a friend in Tel Aviv willing to help if anyone is on a similar quest. -t

Pete Fred W has almost the exact same tsuba, 10cm, thick, heavy, and all carved. However his is papered to Saotome. Would be interesting to see these side by side. in San Fran of course, - t

"the condition is explicit" Whatever the case, Shigetoshi is a desirable smith, not into WWII myself but i could get into this... -t

Received mine today - terrific! I need More! -t

Well done Steve - few people make such a good start, and few will find a single piece that could make a collection all by itself. -t

Flemming Everything looks to be wartime manufacture - the better swords would have a full signature - yours is number 38 in a run of who knows how many. It is a legitimate sword but not traditonal and perhaps not the best the Showa era could produce. -t

I agree Shinshinto or newer - Not Hizen, jihada pattern looks too large to my eye. FWIW -t

Nice.

Thanks Gentlemen - Malx - in all the images we see of Inuyama the donjon is at the peak of the hill and none of the maps I have seen suggest major stuctures above and behind it as Campbell suggests. Junichi - maybe but it lacks the long walls and the robust donjon of Matsuyama, even if its artistic license I think a painter would want to include those distinctive walls. While the second story appears to have a karahafu on the second story in the picture, so do both Matsuyama and Inuyama. Inuyama is tall and thin looking while Matsuyama blockier. I dont know the answer either, I am leaning toward Inuyama but I am hoping for a definitive image from somewhere to settle it. -t

So tsuba is nerikawa or lacquered wood?

Folks - Here is a question for you - attached is an image from an early Showa oil on silk kakejiku, a recent find. The question being is this Inuyama? Iwakuni? or some other castle. Any thoughts entertained, thank you -t

Maximillan Beautiful set. What are the dimensions? Love the color, if your photos show the true color, like a bar of chocolate! -t

Yitzy Love the look of this piece, any photos of the tsuba? fuchi? inside of the tsuka or koiguchi? inquiring minds you know... -t

John - I would say that it is subjective, since we do not get to take out our calipers and take measurements during a kantei kai. However the benefit of attending many such sessions is that you build a database in your minds eye of swords you have seen, the differences are often barely noticeable but with time you learn to see the patterns. -t

As I recall Hayama Enshin used it often - fwiw -t

ps Matsumae being in the extreme north, the rain (snow) hat actually might belong with these pieces... -t

Cerjak I would think late Edo and based on the two mon on the first hat I would bo looking at Matsumae han... -t

Rinpo or Rinbo the Buddhist "Wheel of Law" There are many different designs, this is an unusual one I would say. I like the deformed nature of it. As to the meaning, there are many interpretations there as well I think you will enjoy the research. Coming off of eBay I would vey carefully check the tsuba against the photograph and dimensions listed. Not buying in person I would want to be absolutely sure the tsuba and paper are a match. -t

and I wanted to say NICE TSUBA! before my post flew away on it's own... -t

I think Jussi covered it,

Missed a chance to go and see him when in Chicago. Count me as one who will also have fond memories when reaching for the bookshelf. -t

Nice！

could we see more close ups of the blade, especially the kissaki? is the scabbard there somewhere? Kissaki moroha blades are pretty rare, one wonders why thefakers would want to fake one. interested to see more pics, -t

Jean et al I think you have to keep in mind we are talking about a "Worksheet" and not a kantei-sho, it is not set in stone until they issue a paper. The team kantei's the sword and then based on the work if mumei they assign an attribution. In the case of unique workmanship making that assignment is easy. However some swords will be harder than others to peg depending on many factors. If they decide upon a particular era in their assessment, as they should, they then must consider the schools active at the time that might have produced the work. Just as you would in your kantei. So on this work sheet they may have noted Eisho koro as the time when they felt the sword was produced. And just as you would move on to the maker. Once they decided upon a maker they may not have pulled the dates from the Meikan. No one can be expected to have memorized all the eras and so it could be the Eisho koro comes from memory, maybe a little early but still within a generation of Tenbun. Had they said Eiroku then it is neither Tenbun nor Genki so what would we make of that? I think they are seeing this sword as early. Still the most important point is this is a "worksheet" - once they return to Japan they check all details of the swords that were recorded and will revisit the Meikan before they issue the certificate. I feel certain if they do not give it to a certain generation they will place it in a time frame that lets the owner do that. I am curious to see if this does not turn out to be the case. -t

Good stuff! Saw a sword this weekend you would have been interested in. Signed Soshu ju Masahiro but it may have been an altered Muramasa. We spent some time studying it but I don't think anyone snapped photos. -t