GeorgeLuucas

some photos of koshirae

Hello, it's been a while since I've posted. I recently acquired a wakizashi in koshirae with kiri-mon fuchi and kashira. And a WW2 saya I think I can't for the life of me determine what the menuki is depicting. It looks like someone in the past had the same issue, because the Ito is a little frayed and loose around them. I can move it a little, but fear damaging a koshirae set that I enjoy I am a beginner and novice, but have been reading and studying. I am finally grasping some of the vocabulary, and getting better at identifying features Can you tell what the Menuki is for me?

I will be attending, It will be the first ever Nihonto show that I've been to. Really looking forward to seeing more swords in person

Glad to see ya over here on NMB. Welcome, and thank you for sharing such an interesting sword

Posted before with no luck. Can anyone translate this script on my saya? For reference it is on an early Shinto blade. The writing is under the decorative cap on the end of my saya. I know it’s probably not super interesting, but that doesn’t stop my curious brain, haha. Thank you in advance Cheers,

Thank you again for the advice and kind words. I hope to have it polished and papered after I save a little money. I will definitely post back here whenever I have that done. (Might be a little while). I responded to Surfsans question about the expert I sent my sword to in a private message. I didn’t want to post his name publicly, just incase he didn’t want me to. If you’re curious, id be happy to answer any questions about that in a private message. Thanks again everyone! cheers!

I plan to save up the money to have it polished. It's sentimental value makes it well worth it to me. Having it in such bad shape drives me crazy, and I've spent so much time trying to observe the Boshi and just cant quite see it. Thanks again! I appreciate the kind words about my sword

Thank you Steve. The expert told me that too, I think his comment was a nice way of saying “this is no Masamune” or sword made by a known masterful smith, haha. It’s certainly a piece of fine art to me! and I’m beyond excited to have a real Nihonto as a springboard into studying. I’m also a history buff, so it’s all just very fascinating and exciting to learn about. I hope to respect it and preserve it the best I can. Thanks again for your input; following the threads on this forum has been a wealth of information, and full of amazing swords to look at. I hope to add to my collection someday

Script on end of saya under decorative cap depicting crashing waves

There’s some writing underneath the saya cap, and some on the top of my tsuka. I have been struggling to get a translation and I hope someone can help! for reference this is on the saya and handle on an early Shinto, mino school, Mumei katana. thanks for your help, cheers,

Apologies for reviving this thread from the dead, but I recently received my sword back from an expert (whom I found through this forum). And I wanted to share with ya'll what I've learned, and what he was able to share with me about this sword. Looks like your kantei was very very good! After seeing my sword in-hand, the expert believes it to be an early Shinto blade (maybe but less likely late Koto), Mino school, and a downstream late generation smith of the Kanemoto lineage. It is not an "art sword" but rather a utilitarian made sword, and on a scale of 1-10 of "quality of smithing" he said it was around a 4 or 5. In addition, he says it is restorable, but like has been mentioned, the process will probably cost more than the sword is worth. I still hope to have it done someday. This is all fantastic news for me! I'm just excited to have learned so much about it. I'm still very novice in this hobby, but studying my sword has been a lot of fun. Blade length: 26.75 inches (67.94cm) Nagako length: 7.15 inches (18.16 cm) Thanks to all those who have commented, Cheers!

Very interesting, and thank you for the info! I’m still a very early learner, and with every page I turn, I’m enlightened to how little I know. Cool collection and thanks!

Really interesting stuff and amazing sword. This is the second cutting test sword I've seen on NMB lately! Did every cutting test get inscribed into the nagako? How likely is it that these tests were done, but not recorded into the sword? Or was this practice only done with swords of high quality?

I would be very excited to own this sword. Polish aside, what a cool piece of history; and dramatic hamon to admire. Cheers!

The Tsuba is not signed unfortunately, but I love its design. Thank you for the info and input! I’m looking into getting it restored soon For a better look at the fittings I have a post in the Tosogu forum with some close-ups of the Tsuba

I’m aware it’s likely not a “special” sword or a particularly valuable piece. Especially after seeing all the beautiful examples shared on this forum! But it’s special to me, and it would be a personal joy and achievement for me to restore it. Thanks again everyone for all your help!

Thank you for clearing that up! and also the polisher recommendation. Thank you Stephen as well! I've done a lot of research on my sword, and I've come to terms with the fact that I will very unlikely get a solid date on it's manufacture. Because it's unsigned and I can only share photos. At least until I get it to an expert. I fully intend to get it analyzed by a professional sometime in the next few years. All the information you are all providing, gives me rabbit-holes to go down with my own hobby research, and I appreciate it! I hope to learn everything I can about my sword, and others, with my investigation. That being said, I understand that only so much information can be provided from photos. Thanks you all for the info, it's been a big help and a lot of fun investigating. I hope to preserve this sword, and maybe add more to my collection someday. Cheers!

That's interesting and would make some sense being shinshinto. The menuki on this piece is a depiction of a mouse on an ear of corn, and while I was informed corn was brought to Japan by the Portuguese in 1579 (thank you user Spartancrest in the Tosogu forum), I can't imagine it was common enough crop to be making menuki in the Kanbun era. I could easily be wrong there, I'm far from an expert. I always thought IF the fittings are original, or near original, it would date the sword past the Kanbun era. I know fittings are often changed throughout the swords life, so it was just my uninformed thought/theory - before I was leaning Kanbun Can you explain what a copy of a Margoroku is for me? Is Margoroku a Kanbun smith or other era smith?

The menuki on this sword looks like a black mouse on a ear of corn, on the other side it's a brass colored mouse on an ear of corn. Am I correct in assuming that this wrap and menuki must have been done in the 1800's or later? I didn't think corn was readily available in Japan until later. Could this menuki be depicting a mouse on something else?

I will definitely shop around on the polishers, and see if I can get an expert to look at it. It's a family heirloom of sorts, and I want to respect it as much as I can; not only for it's personal sentimental value, but also for it's history. The dark tarnish marks look like surface buildup more than anything deeper into the steel. But again, it's really hard to tell with my untrained eye. As a kid, I had naively thought they were "blood stains", haha. Thanks again for the information and input. I appreciate it!

I really can't tell if they are bad rust or openings unfortunately. On close inspection I can't see any evidence of a crack underneath the dark parts, but that's only because the area is so obscured by the dark tarnish. I'm still learning, so I imagine an expert could tell me if they could see it in person. The cutting edge of the blade is approximately 26 inches. Any recommendations for polishers in the US, preferably western united states would be very welcome. I gently apply oil to the blade once about every 6 months, and I have it stored in a generally dry climate. a Kaeri, thank you for clearing that up. Thanks again for all your help!

Here's some photos of those dark ware/rust/tarnish marks. I've definitely considered getting it polished, i'd love to do it my lifetime before I end up having to hand it down. Even if the process costs more than the item is ultimately worth. Thank you!

More photos