shan

Hi, Well thanks for the input,so my Shi shi are not as good as Milts (cant see any difference myself Milt,In fact i think mine are more complex on the second menuki) The Pampas grass are also Junk. Not really getting any better yet am i. Steep learning curve here, as i thought that both sets were not that bad at all. I honestly cannot see any real difference between the shi shi you have Milt and my ones.What am i missing here? Henry,is that a goto Kozuka you have shown me? Very nice and point taken. How about these? any closer to good quality? regards Shan

Hi, I have this Tanto 33.5cm approx Nagasa and its a bit of an oddity as the nakago although clearly rusty is also quite clean as it gets towards the Habakimoto. I am not entirely sure its a Koto blade because of this. I can see what appears to be the remains of a raised rusty definate Mune for the last 2 inches to the Nakagojiri and the Hamon seems to go straight into the Nakago. Is this evidence that the whole blade was a lot longer and if so it it possible this is the tip of an older much longer sword? If so what would it have looked like full length? Your opinions would be very useful. regards Shan

Hi, Is this of interest or another average piece of late Edo junk? your views would be appreciated. Many thanks Shan

Hello. I have these fittings on a saya and Tsuka and i wondered if anyone had seen something like them before? I am not sure that they are mon although the Hatano clan mon appears to be one of them. I thought maybe mythical beasts and people from folklore was another option. I would appreciate any information that you can supply. regards Shan

Hi, Is there anyone who can decipher this inscription for me,it may be irrelevant but it would be good to know what it states. Many thanks Shan

Hi Milt, Whats the ebay number of the sale? the link didn`t take me to these shi shi menuki you mentioned. regards Shan

Hello and welcome to the forum. He was a Rikugun Jumei Tosho Swordsmith listed in John Slough's An Oshigata Book of Modern Japanese Swordsmiths 1868-1945 I believe. I hope someone on the forum will have an oshigata or mei sample for you. regards Shan

Hi Darcy, I had this similar problem a short while ago that seemed to relate to the version of IE. I was at the time reaserching yukimitsu and did google the name and your website provided a hit that directly linked me to the sword you had bu the said smith. Problem was that i could only see half the page and i could not scrol down to the rest or use any of the photo links etc..... It i went to your website and searched through the pages i could get into the info no sweat. But through the google(as thats the one i use) link i got this "locked" Half page. After a while it made me decide to go back from IE 8 Beta to IE7 I am now on IE 7 because that one works and there were other incompatabilities with antivirus software that made IE 8 Non viable at this stage. It could have been a combination of Antivirus,IE8 and other factors that caused this lockdown link. IE 7 is not so bad anyway.NB Mozilla Firefox had no such issues when the problem was extant on IE8 and worked when IE8 did not. regards Shan

Hi All, I have these 2 sets menuki that i know nothing about but i was trawling the internet the other day and i found this on a website about Goto menuki. Do you think that these may be of a fair quality or are they just junk? This is the description of the listing. "Pair Menuki, Pampas Grass Design, 17th C. DESCRIPTION: A pair of Japanese menuki, the yamagane base (unrefined copper) with gilt details depicting suski, or Japanese silver-toned pampas grass. Japanese poets have long referred to the graceful susuki; at its mention, we know the poem’s season is always “autumn.” On one menuki we see a nobleman’s cap, which is probably a poetic reference. These menuki represent good Goto work dating from 1600 – 1650, with some wear to gilding. DIMENSIONS: Each approximately 1 ½” long (3.7 cm)." .jpg] The other set are shi shi and again are probably rubbish as well, but i would love anothers opinion. What do you think? Also this fuchi that looks nice and opinions are welcomed. Regards Shan

Hi All, Piers,To be Honest the reading of this post title is completely subjective. If you read desparation thats..your reading of it and not my intention.I am not desparate just researching and needed some aid. I noted that by voicing your reading/interpretation of the title ,you immediatly get a "the thread topic does sound like an urgent call come to think of it" (sorry Milt to use you like this)and thats exactly what i am talking about,the suggestion created a responce that is not totaly correct,its an interpretation of the information supplied that has been sugested to another. This is exactly what i am talking about,a missinterpretation of a written word is a very easy thing to do as you have no verbal context and no verbal intonation.How easy it is to misread the line thats written..... Specifically,It was a "more heads are better than one" request,Hence the "calling all nihonto collectors for assistance" Not the " help please in need urgent information,please ignore all other posts and respond to mine immediatly" that you have interpreted it as. ......Subjective views...again. By all means close it and lets leave it at that. I have far to much stuff to get too hung up on one item. My next Tsuba has just arrived and 2 blades and some lovely menuki and ...and ...and...... I also have some useful knowledge and i understand a little more that i am given credit for.Don`t write me off yet....I may just surprise you one day. regards Shan

Email sent about this problem that i have also experienced. regards The dreaded...

Hi Rich, Ah sorry,another Offended Forum.I had noticed i was being ignored on Tosogu forum. I`m Very Sorry. I will of course stop using your forum and go buy some books as you sugest. My "Swords and sword furniture in the museum of fine arts boston" book is a bit pointless,its all lovely stuff but beyond anything i will ever come across so does not help much at all. thanks for all you help in the past with the tsuba. regards Shan

Hi Guido ,Brian, I am sure it is correct that the item is Gimei, I wanted to be sure before i sold the blade as the shinsa have got Kantei wrong before in both NTHK and NBTHK and Honnami. We have all heard of blades failing one year and passing the next time. I was told that a smith working in the 1850-60`s called Kanetsune was working in Echizen hence the request for infomation.The name, school and date were close enough to be a possibility, would you not check as well if it were that close? or would you just leave it as found by the panel? I did Google echizen Ju Kanetsune and get a hit, so there may be some truth to the information supplied but thats all i get. All opinions are based on another opinion or experience and as such can be subjective so do not necessary mean that it is correct. If the initial information was in error, then every attribution from that stage tht is passed on may be wrong. Yes the shinsa are very learned Gentlemen and yes they are probably 99.9% right in what they say, but how do we know that the book or information they are referring to is correct? The answer is we don’t and nor do they, it’s a guide. Some sword appraisers from the period are now being questioned as to the correctness of there Kantei,this in turn questions all other Kantei based on there written findings. I cannot find anything on a school working in Echizen Seki in 1880 which was why i requested the help. If i could track down a smith from that timeframe and school i could compare the work and that would help me.I did this with the other 2 items and they are “spot on” so now I have confirmed a finding and learnt something from it. Absolutely Everything i have been told on this forum has been absorbed and utilized and yes sometimes your replies are harsh and sometimes are completely irrelevant to the topic and sometimes it all makes sense and i can see the reasoning behind the findings. This is not about denial, so much as about Confirmation of someone’s findings. Once i am happy that the item is as suggested and i have done everything within my power to confirm this, I can move on from it. (did you not whilst learning ever ask “why” or “How”?) I mean no disrespect to anyone at all i am just trying to see something that eludes me at the moment. I cannot see those "magic pictures" that used to be popular either (you know the ones where you had to stare at them until an image appeared from out of the patterns),So you could say i cannot see what is right in front of my face. Maybe i just have the wrong attitude for this forum and i should just take what is said as Verbatim. Since joining this forum i have managed to just about Pi$$ off everyone at some point or another and for that i am sorry, I am just trying to understand. I do appreciate your help and assistance and just because i might question or offer alternatives does not mean that i dont agree with you, I am just exploring possible alternatives. Specifically, Yes the mounts were in your opinion "nasty" and you are right they aren’t great but the point was not about the mounts quality but about there style. If what you were saying was, “Shan those mounts are not that old or nice and quite likely they were made up after haitorei ,to sell a reasonable blade to tourists", then that, I could understand and learn from. Lets Close this Post Please and i will ask no more questions and again i am sorry to "rub (another learned gentleman) up the wrong way" Kindest regards Shan

Thankyou Brian, I had seen that and noted the change to Masatsugu. It might lead me to the solution so i will see where that search leads. Again thanks for the sugestion. now i just have to track that line to echizen in 1860`s. regards Shan

Hi Guido, Never said they were in good condition or that they were of a fantastic quality.They may also have had some adjustments historically but if they did they were a long time ago. The same has been added at a later stage IMHO to what was originally a plain Laquer saya.It was done so long ago that the same has been repaired because of shrinkage ,again a long time ago. Everything else is i believe original.(but what do i Know) The Nakago ana on the tsuba and the Tsuka fit near perfectly to the nakago and the mekugi ana lines up perfectly the blade in the saya fits perfectly without any looseness. the Habaki fits the Koiguchi perfectly and Koiguchi has not been reshaped or resized to accomodate it. The Koiguchi and "tsuba" fit together and sadly have been cleaned but were iron and Zogan. I felt that this was a blade that a poorer samurai may have had mounts for and imprved them as his fortunes dictated. I doubt they lived in a "throw away" world then and may well have used the sam`e from a broken saya or similar recycling means.Not everyone could afford to buy a good blade and also great mounts.If it were me, the majority or the money would be on the blade as thats the useful bit in battle. Thanks for your helpful comments everyone. regards shan

Hi All, I would struggle a little on that one, as so little of the blade is revealed and you never see the kissaki. Its almost like those sellers who take a good quality distance shot but then when you get a slightly closer image it strangely Blurrs into an unrecognisable item and you can see no detail.This "my camera is not very good" and the "i don`t know what it is but i was told it might be a Japanese sword" can only carry so far. I could show a Japanese sword to almost anyone and they would know it was Japanese or have a guess it was, they have been in the media enough and with "Kill bill" and all the other movies.....The bodyguard(kevin costner) etc etc ... I can understand ignorance of the mei and maybe the age but not the country of origin. The Japanese sword is a globally recognised shape and form IMHO. I think if a seller claims ignorance they can get away with a lot more flaws and problems."I don`t know what you mean lamination flaws,i said in the listing i know nothing about it and images were supplied and my camera is not very good" Regards Shan

Hi Jacques, Quote "At this time (after haitorei), swordsmiths are scarce" Yes i know and that could either aid me or compound the situation even more. It was Kantei to Echizen seki mid 1800`s (specifically 1880 but i have a hard time seeing how it can be pinned down to the exact year unless they had a smith in mind).I would look towards 1850 onwards really.Thing is the mounts are made for it and tight and not been corrected or adjusted to fit,so its a really strange pairing as they are apparently a little earlier. regards shan

Hi, He was an Army designated sword smith during World War II. one of the swordsmiths of the Rikugun Jumei Tosho lived from 1926-1988 i think. but there were many by this name. http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:bzjM ... cd=3&gl=uk regards Shan

Hi, Its worth noting that some have so many blades hanging around that they have a more than good chance of finding one that fits the Koshirae. I haven`t got a problem with a tsunagi Facimile but i prefer to find a blade that fits the mounts,even if an extra seppa is required. Regards Shan

Hi Grey ,Jacques. Yes, thats the one, but it is probably not right, hence the need to cross reference it. I just wanted to be sure, as it was classed as Gimei because the smith put the long "tail" on the Tsune kanji.This was seen as a deliberate attempt to Copy the more well known Kanetsune working in the shinto period who did a long tail on his Tsune kanji as well, but in the 1600`s. It was kantei to Echizen Seki 1880 and they are well known for Goma bashi and other Hi on tanto of this style.Just wanted to see the Echizen Ju Kanetsune or anyone who worked at that time in echizen,but he may not be very well known at all or may not even exist. May also be a pointless exercise so if nothing comes to hand easily......... Many thanks and regards shan

Hi Brian, Thanks for the link but it’s the wrong period smith, sorry. I have Googled the Name kanetsune and have no problem finding the Koto or Shinto Kanetsune and the Knife makers who are the present incarnation of the Kanetsune Mino tradition clan. I am after the shinshinto Echizen seki kanetsune working in echizen around 1850-80 ish.I need oshigata of nakago and mei and description of works etc.. Franco and stephen..... I have a fairly vast Nihonto library and it has many smiths’ works (many 1000`s) but not this particular one. Going out and buying Nihonto books to increase my library will not necessarily help me to find this particular smith, unless you know which particular book this smith has a reasonably in depth mention in ,in which case please state the title. Many thanks Shan

Hi all, I need help and i am truly sorry if I "open a can of worms" I need to get as much information as possible on a Shinshinto smith working in the 1800`s called Echizen Ju Kanetsune I have trawled the internet, but i cannot find any references other than that he existed and was a Jo saku smith. I need to know of his styles specifics of hada and absolutly any Mei examples good or bad that may be around. I would also like information on any smith working in Echizen around 1830 to 1890 and mei examples if possible to compare with as i think daimei is an option as well. I hope you can help with this as i am up agaist a wall and i need to understand something. regards Shan

Hi All, Darcy,Wouldn`t welding a nakago onto a sword usually be done to considerably enhance the values of that sword by say placing on a tired blades cut off & signed nakago to a plain unsigned blade? Or could the nakago have been damaged and a repair have been effected? I can`t see the objective here?if it was to fool shinsa well ...It wouldn`t. or was it was solely to fool buyers by appearing older,which means it was done recently. Regards Shan

Hi Grey, Yes there is something "wrong" about the Nakago.Could be poor imagery, but i would "bail" on this one if it was offered to me.I may take the mounts for £200,but the blade is an expensive Tsunagi to me. Sometimes a blade can "overcome" a few flaws but not this many and not this blade, but thats my opinion. regards Shan

Hi Milt, Ah yes Hotei by the looks of it. That works really well in that instance and its a nice Tsuba with a few techniques thrown in for effect. However we all know Tosogu is my weakest point (one of),so i will refrain from any comments other than "i like it". I like the original posted tsuba as well. regards Shan