Toryu2020

I have to cast my vote against this one, Curious to see if the buyer is a member or one of our number knows them. Really seriously doubt this will prove to be a valid work but also very interested to see what happens... -t

This is a Tosu and not your standard kogatana... -t

Kinai tsuba are prolific, Good signed copies are easliy had - most show good plate, good carving. There are many Aoi pattern tsuba out there based on the Tokugawa-mon. Certainly should not be too hard to find them... -t

Why not an Echizen Kinai tsuba? -t

That would be J-Mart... If you really want the wakizashi free of the bone handle, try boiling it off. These were often glued in with a kind of pitch. Be careful not to heat the blade too much... -t

Yes, the folks on Kyushu found it so ugly they threw it in the ocean and it washed up on the beach in Okinawa! Nothing in the image or the materials used suggests Okinawa. I am afraid that Jean is quite right... -t

Gary - Any photos of the blade/kissaki and the mounts? -t

Cris - Morita-san has already answered your question. To fill it out a bit; Omote 1満2鐵3鍛5之(wo)4造 or Mantetsu kitae kore(wo)tsukuru (made this using Mantetsu forging) Ura 1昭2和3甲4申(doshi) 5春 or Showa Kinoe-saru (doshi) Haru (Spring, year of the elder brother of the wood-monkey in the Showa era) This is a rather unusual signature, not rare but not ordered in the way the signature of most individual smiths would be. Showa era signatures are tough to work with since there tends to be more use of Chinese order in the kanji (Kanbun) and zodiacal (?) dating as in this example. If you are interested in learning to translate signatures it is not that difficult; remember that the last two kanji are usually the smiths name - if the last kanji is saku (or tsukuru) then the two above that are the name - learn to recognize common kanji like kuni, kami, fujiwara and ju - these can be used as landmarks like saku and you can often work the rest out from there. Best of luck with your studies, -t

Wield! but only for the purpose of "forging" myself a new heart... -t

I wonder if any of the older members can help identify any of the folks in this photo dated September 11, 1955? Any help appreciated, -t

John - That theme is Toryu-mon - the gate to enlightenment - a carp swims up river for years until one day he transforms into a dragon. Love the way it is presented here, very nice example of the school as well. -t

Love the design! -t

Ray - I'll try to dig something out to help illustrate the idea. Two things to keep in mind, Number one and most important is that the yokote is not "forged" into the blade. The general shape is created on the anvil, after tempering the smith may use files and scrapers to refine the lines of the shinogi and hira-ji. I suppose toward the end of the process he could rough out the yokote but the few blades I have seen at this stage did not have the yokote yet. That is the job of the polisher who is the one who decides just where it should go. There is a possibility your swords has never been polished and that is why it has not yokote. The other thing you need to recognize looking at polished swords is just where the lines of the shinogi curve up to the point, on ko-kissaki, chu-kissaki and O-kissaki. Imagine them without the yokote and after a while you'll see the obvious differences and know where to place your own blade. -t

Ray - Kanmuri-otoshi can be generally assigned to late Muromachi and Bakumatsu but apears at other times I am sure. generally it is a shape seen in tanto and short swords, sometimes on katana. For a long sword this is obviously a standard kissaki without a yokote and kanmuri or or unokubi would look very different even if in pristine never been polished state. Don't forget the NCJSC meeting this Sunday - after you've seen a few examples I am sure it will be obvious to you to... -t

Well I can see the way to go here is to say something is rare and then watch as all the photos come out! I confess I am not much of a kodogu guy but in all the years I have been looking at this stuff I do not recall seeing any peacocks. Ho-o birds yes but no peacocks, now I have seen a lifetimes worth. I wonder Hilik or anyone else if there are photos of "Kakeya Rangaku" out there besides the set I posted earlier or that which may be found in the Futokoromono book? -t

Hilik - Not that I want to start an argument but I wonder if you or anyone has a Japanese reference that calls this or a similar theme "Sekigahara"? The Japanese love of mono no aware, pathos, the impermanence of life was well established before that battle. The reeds and grasses as mentioned reference the plain of Musashi. It could also be Sekigahara or any other battlefield for that matter but there is nothing in the image to suggest it. The Kaneie reference posted above does not mention any place names but rather more examples of poetry. I would also reference other arts; painting, textiles, ceramics, literature and theatre. Are there frequent depictions of Sekigahara in these? I remain skeptical... -t

The Kaneie reference to the impermanence of life is literary as well, according to the text posted. Not meant to depict any one battle. for faceless men in raincoats dragging a rock - that is a depiction of coral harvesting, not that usual but not unheard of. Peacocks, and they are clearly menuki, get my vote for most unusual so far... -t

a sweet pair of Pachyderms... -t

Jeremy - I am sure you are not asking questions here just to get one of us to write a book on swords. That said, without the dimensions, especially the depth and nature of the curvature and an accurate description of the jigane what you describe could be just about any sword in any time period. As Chris has pointed out, you need to be asking your questions based on a specific example even if you've no photos to share... -t

Gentlemen - I am pretty sure that the skull and bones theme represents "Musashino" or the plain of Musashi. Which in ancient times was a lonely and forlorn spot to which unfortunate members of the court might be exiled RE: the tales of Ise. So this is a literary reference and not a historical one. If there were pieces of armour present then you could argue it represents a battlefield, possibly Sekigahara but more likely reference to poetry yet again; Natsugusa ya Tsuwamonodomo ga yume no ato or any number of other similar poems from the great old collections... -t

Ford - Terrific stuff! The zogan is indeed a very nice touch. Roger can not be but very well pleased. Thank you for sharing. -t

Guido is correct, Hachi in this case means the top of the head and Kabuto-wari (Helmet breaker) sounds so much cooler than Boshi-wari (Bowler buster). I wonder if anyone has seen illustrations of these weapons in use from prior to 1600? I am also dubious of the reverse curve explanation, a big bottle opener you say? I cannot agree. Are these not all oriented with the curve uppermost in the belt? In that case, once drawn you would be using the curved outside edge just as you would with a sword. Great stuff BTW, very interesting thread... -t

Gentlemen - I believe these are not so much weapons but more like a doctors bokuto. Made to resemble a sword but not to violate laws proscribing commoners from carrying them. I am just talking about the sword like objects not all the iron truncheons. Walking in the dark and dangerous streets of edo something like this would present just enough of a silhouette to put off would-be robbers. the addition of the sageo makes the illusion complete. I have a kabuto-wari in a wakizashi koshirae, again just my belief, but I have always believed that it presented the outward appearance of a sword but should the wearer be questioned it was "only a harmless skull busting stick of iron officer..." -t

Bernard - The Nihonto Koza translations by Watson contain an excellent article on gimei by Kajihei, a legitimate smith in his own right who was forced by circumstance to make fakes. There was also a thriving business of knock-offs at Kuwana, it seems this was a place to go to earn your stripes by cranking out swords for tourists. Not unlike art students copying the great masters in Paris. The problem being that they were copies, so they did their best to produce swords in the style of another artist, you'd be hard pressed to identify the original artist from the workmanship - if you could you'd have a gimei and it would take some pretty twisted logic to value something that is meant to look like Kotetsu but was made by Gassan at Kuwana with a bad signature... -t

Kusunoki san May I point out that Sonno Joi is a decidedly anti-bakufu slogan - extolling the Tokugawa to do as instructed by the Emperor, excercise their mandate as Seii Tai Shogun and defend the nation against the foreign incursion. They were powerless to do so thus they failed... -t (for To-baku!)