mdiddy

Brandon, Thanks for posting additional pictures. I would guess the sword is late koto or maybe early shinto. We can see some nie-based gunome formations. The lower mekugi-ana also looks punched not drilled and the machi indicate previous polishes. Can you discern if the upper part of the nakago was cleaned which is why there is no darker rust on it? My guess, until I see more, is a late Muromachi period sword from Mino province.

Thanks Chris. You are right that we should keep in mind that smiths can have wide working ranges. I find it easy to forget. I found a few more examples of Muneyuki for the OP and others to compare to, including a range of working styles: 1. http://www.sanmei.com/contents/media/A3 ... _PUP_E.htm (Nioi suguha) 2. http://www.nihontoantiques.com/fss340.htm (Gunome) 3. http://www.sho-shin.com/sai13.htm (nie based Soshu-den; scroll down to the 2nd to last set of pics) 4. http://www.tokka.biz/sword/muneyuki.html (Bizen-den choji)

Here is a Muneyuki I once had, exuberant hamon, albeit out of polish.

I think the mei is not Tsuguyuki, but rather Muneyuki. Full translation: Hoshu Takada no ju Fujiwara Muneyuki. Working in Keicho so late 1500s, early 1600s. Fujishiro considers him the founder of Shinto Takada school.

Signed Fujiwara Tomoyuki. Edo-period Bungo smith. Probably a long, Shinto wakizashi. If you search the forum you will find some threads on Tomoyuki and maybe a couple of other collectors interested in his swords. There were a couple generations of Tomoyuki. Looks like the blade is in good condition. Keep it in good condition by taking care of it per some of the recommendations laid out by Grey Doffin in the FAQ/Articles sections.

Gabriel, Interesting - thanks for the info. 850ce seemed early and if data was coming from commercial sites was curious who/where these items were for sale. Would you be able to graph difference between motohaba and sakihaba along same x-axis? Would be curious to judge fumbari over time. Matt

Gabriel, Thanks for sharing this intereting graphic. It seems Muromachi period swords are not very popular. Question: what are the three swords that make up the data points aligned ~850ce? Matt

Looks more like a katana rather than a wakizashi. It is in WW2 era naval mounts. The mounts and the blade are in pretty rough condition. See here for more on WW2 era naval mounts: http://ohmura-study.net/945.html

Hello, The second part of the saya looks to say 'Mihara Masaiye Saku'. Matt Edit: Chris gave you the top half of the sayagaki (date) on your other link

Morita-san, John, and everyone that weighted in: thank you, I greatly appreciate it. Agree, certainly not legendary Shinsoku. Gimei or a successor: http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/Shinsoku.html? Also, is it possible to translate any of the sayagaki? It is faint in places, and also on the tsuka, but most kanji on the saya can be seen.

Hoanh - yes, that is chikei. It may be the lighting, but the boshi I see in your pictures is a thin hoso with some turnback, at least on one side. Perhaps the other side is yakitsume. As the hamon crosses the yokote, it looks to dip down toward the fukura then ride along it before thickening and turning back in. If this is an old Hoju blade, perhaps the kissaki saw action and was polished down over time leaving a smaller part of the boshi.

Jeremy and Piers - thanks for the extra info. I attached a picture of the sayagaki. It is faded in spots but I call attention to the final four kanji - ___to then ___sada. Any idea which kanji the sayagaki author is suggesting the one in question (伸, 神, 沖) is?

Found another in the archives

Here is an example of an ichimai boshi from a katana I had. The nie below the yokote outlines the nioiguchi as it curves around to the mune.

I don't necessarily see chikei in your photos. I agree with Darcy they may be forming, perhaps the lighting is not exposing them. When I think of an example showing chikei, I think of swords by Enomoto Sadayoshi. Here is a pic I pulled from the web that shows prevalent chikei.

Sorry for a late reply but I tracked down an example I previously had of Kanetada. Hope this helps! Matt

Nice Kai Gunto! As has been said, the blade is much older but the mounts were made in the 1930's-1940's. It is an old blade and will age/rust if not properly cared for. With proper care, the blade will last another 300-400 years. Here is a link with info on how to keep it in condition: http://www.nbthk-ab.org/Etiquette.htm Hope that helps! Matt

Scott, I would recommend taking the blade to sword shows and gun shows hunting for a replacement saya. I have seen these laying out on tables before. If you can find one that is right length and a close fit then you could have the wooden liner on the inside of the saya custom fit to your blade. You could also check with Fred Lohman to see if he has anything similar. Hope that helps. Matt

Hello, I would like to ask for help with the mei on a large tanto. I get ___sada. The first kanji is perplexing. It looks like 伸. The saya has sayagaki and it uses the kanji 神 (Kamisada?). Neither make sense to me. I will add pics of sayagaki also. Any insight would be greatly appreciated and I plan to use this for commercial purposes (happy to offer to a Board member if anyone is interested). Thanks for the help. Matt

Comparing the width of the mune above the munemachi to the width of the nakago below the munemachi can provide a sense for tiredness and how polished down a blade is. I agree with Grey's points. Coarse grain evolving to ware is a sign of significant tiredness. Another sign can be the shape and thickness of the boshi. Kissaki were vulnerable during battle so reshaping kissaki was necessary if it lost its point. Reshaping the kissaki could have a lot of impact to the boshi, so seeing a reduced and almost non-existant boshi can be an indicator. Considering what the blade originally looked like can further help assess tiredness. Nobuo Nakahara's book (http://www.amazon.com/Facts-Fundamental ... AR9A7Z6GXP) has a lot of good info in it on this subject. It would be a good read if you want to learn more.

Hello, Your katana is authentic. It is from a WWII Kai Gunto (Japanese Naval Officer's sword). The anchor stamp indicates it is made of stainless steel. The squared end of the tang indicates it is likely late-war produced. Most likely the hamon is artificial and the sword was not tempered. In summation it is authentic, but late war and lower quality. Hope that helps. Matt

I will pile on a few days late and just reiterate what others have said: outstanding show! The exhibitions were really over the top - every flavor of Jiro Taro Naokatsu you could imagine, some really rare and incredible tsuba belonging to the most famous of the samurai class, and the NBTHK-AB had some very very fine blades to look at and kantei.

Tom and Chris - many thanks for the help. This clears up a lot. The link was indeed very interesting.

I like the crisp lines. Nice!

Hello, I would like to ask for help with the mei on a boy's wakizashi. I make it out as 'Bu Ta Ro Saki Shi ' or 武太郎先椎. This does not make sense to me and I think I am off somewhere. The fourth kanji might also be Mitsu 光. I also think it is likely not a swordsmith but a saying relating to a boy's martial education - something about military, large, son, future, ?. Any insight would be greatly appreciated and I plan to use this for commercial purposes. Thanks for the help. Matt