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I really like the sense of motion in this tsuba. The tiger looks very put out by being rained upon.

So this seller is located in the USA, but the sword seems to still be in Japan. That looks like its torokusho wrapped around the shirasaya.

Thanks for the replies. I didn’t hold out any hopes that I was in possession of valuable antiques, and am well aware of the difficulty of selling anything made of ivory in this day and age. I am certain that the rat and and turtle are also made of ivory. The Schreger Lines are quite visible when you have them in hand. While ivory can be sold in Canada, it can’t be sent anywhere else. It is also evident that they were not ever really on a cord on someone’s obj as the edges of the holes are quite crisp. They look nice on a shelf, and I guess that’s where they were meant to go all along. Cheers!

This is a small collection of Netsuke that I have. I think that they are all made of ivory. Phoenix (?) Pottery Merchant Woman and Child Rat with Turtle Turtle with Rabbit I know next to nothing about netsuke, but I think these were brought back from Japan when my grandfather did business there after World War II. I inherited them from my grandmother when she passed away. I would appreciate it if anyone could tell me more about them. I took these photos with my iPhone, so they aren't the best quality. Let me know if better photographs would be helpful. All of them appear to be signed. Some of the mei are easier to see than others.

I really like the tsuba! The sort of comic quality of the owl juxtaposed with the beautiful realistic outline of the cloud obscured moon just really makes it for me. Thanks for posting this!

My job is pretty entertaining sometimes. I just hope I can get back to doing it again soon! I see where you are talking about the seppa dai. For the display of the tsuba it's a bit of a problem, but if you were to mount it on a blade, any sins would be hidden by the seppa and fuchi.

Nice find. I’m glad the duct tape didn’t damage the kiri box. That stuff is the bane of my existence in my theatre. I throw it away if I find it otherwise my cables end up with adhesive all over them.

Wow. That is really nice. My wife doesn’t want me to build one. She says that if I build one with extra spaces that I will just want to fill them up and I already have my next two swords undergoing shinsa in Japan.

I found The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords by Kokan Nagayama to be a really useful addition to my library.

It is a beautiful sword. Suriage means that the sword has been shortened at some point in its history. The original Ha-machi (edge notch) would have been much closer to the chrysanthemum emblem (kiku-mon).

Thank you for the confirmation.

Hello Group! My reading of the mei on this fuchi is 吉川 宗光 Yoshikawa Munemitsu. Is this correct? This goes along with my chicken menuki that I posted the origami for earlier this week. The kashira is the chicken's eggs. Thanks!

Hello! Can someone in the group please tell me if there is a particular name for the pattern on this Kozuka? Thanks!

Thank you!

Thank you so much! I would never have gotten to this on my own. I simply don't have the knowledge yet.

1. Katachibori (engraving) onmyō ne (ying and yang root)? Yes please! I would be very interested in getting an accurate tweak to the wording. Thanks for your assistance!

Hello group! If i might beg the indulgence of anyone willing to help me with a translation again... I don't have these in my possession yet, but I am working on the translation of the origami for them. This is a set of menuki with a Hozon paper. They are shakudo chicken menuki. There are five characters (marked with ?) that I really don't have a clue about. The rest was sorted our via process of elimination, and trail and error with the kanji pages and Google Translate. This is what I have so far. Please help me with the missing information and please correct any errors that I may have made. Many thanks in advance! 鑑 定 書 * Kanteisho (Certificate of Appraisal) 一鶏図 目貫 *Hitosu (item) – Niwatori (chicken) – Zu (theme) Menuki 無銘 伝乗 赤銅地 ?? ??? *Mumei (unsigned) Denjo (attributed to the Denjo School) Shakudōji (bronze) ?? ??? 右は當協會に於て審査の結果保存刀装具と鑑定しこれを証する * Migi wa Atari kyōkai ni 於Te shinsa no kekka hozon tôsôgu to kantei shi kore o shōsuru (Examination by this organisation has resulted in the decision that the item to the right is a tosogu that is worthy of preservation (Rank = Hozon)) 平成十六年 二月 二十四日 * Heisei Jū-rokû (16) Nen (year) – Ni (2) Gatsu (month) - Ni-jû-yon (24) Nichi (day) (The 16th Year of Heisei, 2nd Month, 24th Day or February 24, 2004) 財團法人　日本美術刀剣保存協會 * Zaidan Hojin Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai (Financial Incorporated Foundation Japanese Art Swords Preservation Association (NBTHK))

Thank you very much for your help!

So I have done my best to completely transcribe the kanji from my NBTHK origami. Using the kanji pages on this site, I think I have done all I can. Would someone be willing to provide me with the kanji characters for the "boilerplate" of the origami? I have the rest, but I don't even know where to start for the other two sections? I would like to create a template for future swords of this ranking. This is what I currently have done (hopefully it is correct). 鑑 定 書 * Kanteisho 長 一尺 一寸 六分弱 * Nagasa Ichi (1) Shaku Ichi (1) Sun Rokû (6) Bu jaku (Length - a bit less than 1 shaku, 1 sun 6 bu = 35 cm or 13.77 inches) 一 脇指 銘 兼 春 (新刀) * Hitotsu (Item) Wakazashi - Mei - Kaneharu (shintô) ??? * (Examination by this organisation has resulted in the decision that the item to the right is a sword that is worthy of preservation) (Rank = Hozon) 平成 二十三年 四月 十二日 * Heisei 23 Nen (year) - 4 Gatsu (month) - 12 Hi (day) (23rd year of Heisei, 4th month, 12th day - April 12, 2011) ??? * Zaidan Hojin Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai (Paper was produced by NBTHK, the organisation is officially recognised as an incorporated foundation) Many thanks in advance for any help that the group can provide!

Thank you!

So then a bit less than 6 bu?

I have made an attempt to translate the origami for my sunnobi tanto. I am slightly puzzled by the last kanji in the Nagasa column. I think I have the rest correct. Can someone please check my work? Thanks! * Kanteisho * Nagasa 1 Shaku 1 Sun 6 Bu ?? * Hitotsu (Item) Wakazashi - Mei - Kaneharu (shintô) * "Examination by this organization has resulted in the decision that the item to the right is a sword that is worthy of preservation" (Hozon) * Heisei 23 Nen (year) - 4 Gatsu (month) - 12 Hi (day). - April 12, 2011 * Zaidan Hojin Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai "Paper was produced by NBTHK, the organisation is officially recognised as an incorporated foundation" Charles K. Aurora, ON

Hello! I signed up for this site some time ago, but have not posted until now. My name is Charles Kaiser, and I am from Aurora, Ontario Canada. I have been interested in Nihonto for many years now, but have only owned gunto blades until now. I finally was able to purchase my very first nihonto, and it was delivered into my hands this morning! I am very excited to have it, and I look forward to learning more about my sword as well as collecting more in the future. I actually have two more blades that are undergoing shinsha right now. By profession I am a theatre technical coordinator, lighting designer, sound engineer, and pyrotechnician. I work for the Town of Newmarket, ON, and live with my wife and two elderly chihuahuas. I also collect books, stamps, and coins. My first sword is a Sunnobi Tanto (1 shaku, 1 sun, 6 bu) but classified by the NBTHK as a wakizashi. It is a sakizori style blade signed as Kaneharu. This blade was papered as Hozon by the NBTHK in 2011. I am attaching a photo as supplied by the shop where I bought the sword. I will be taking some of my own photos soon. I will be asking a few questions regarding this blade in future posts, but I just wanted to introduce myself in this thread before asking for help. I look forward to being an active member of this board. Thanks for reading! Charles R. Kaiser Aurora, ON