leo

For many years the 2 large organizations, the German Shooters Association (DSB) and the German Hunting Association (DJV) have been standing up with their political lobbies against the constant unjust efforts of - usually left wing parties - to ban weapons of any kind in Germany. Unjust, because statistics do not really justify a ban and Germany has a rigid but reasonable firearm control and still one of the most liberal in Europe. Blades over 30cm also fall under the weapons laws but can be acquired and possessed by any person at least 18years old. I mention this because Brian is absolutely right: It starts with firearms and ends up with the control of swiss pocket knives. What Tony Blair started in Britain with a cheap trick to support his campaign then, can happen again anywhere. Whether gun or sword collector, once our lobby is gone, we will be easy prey for the vultures who call themselves politicians! Cheers, Martin

Genuine shingunto, no fake. Regards,

Hi, i do not see a reason, why this sword should not be used for practise by an experienced martial artist. If you not try to chop everything within reach or constantly draw it from a sheath iaidostyle, there will be no harm done to the blade(provided you really are experienced!). In the vast field of Kenjutsu there are many kata which you perform with a sword already drawn. I am not a Kendo practitioner myself, but maybe AoiArt consideres them a more "sophisticated" community . Best, Martin

Guido, I would lean towards the same opinion, even though its rounded a bit. Grüße, Martin

Jacques, thank you for the update on signed Kinju blades. Maybe the author of the article I read was simply wrong or he pointed at signed tachi blades by Kinju. martin

Hi, I had a Juyo Token Kaneyuki blade which I sold a couple of years ago. It was 70cm and naginata naoshi. Now I know that it was "keicho suriage". See drawing. As far as I heard, Kinju blades are rarer and there exists no signed blade by him. What irritates me is that Aoiart claims Kaneyuki instead of Kinju to be one of the Masamune juttetsu or did i read wrong? Best, Martin

Hi, all! There will be a little problem of checking on Oshu Aizu-ju Nagakuni: There was only one, who worked mainly around 1600-1624. There are hardly any around on the market to compare. It is a well rated smith and the few you will find fetch high prices if papered, particularly a blade like this which is signed and ubu(unshortened). The bad news: This signature is nowhere similar to the ones in the books. I checked in all my Taikans and found 12 samples. It is definitely a nice Shinto blade with a history and as a owner I would be happy with that. Cheers, Martin

Hi, Folks! IMHO definitely showato, Brian. Typical oil hardened hamon, no hada. Prosperous New Year to all of you, Martin

Dear Pablo, I think Marius meant that the aoi-mon(triple hollyhock-crest and kamon of the Tokugawa household) has nothing to do with this particular koshirae. Everything else was already explained except that the metal peg on this type of tsuka is sometimes a screw, not a peg! Keep that in mind when you try to remove it. Cheers, Martin

Thanks for sharing, Gordon. Good show by Mike Y. I watch it sometimes in Germany. Its fun, but I was always surprised about the prices asked and paid for various items. I guess this is part of the show put up for the public as were the 13.000,-USD estimate for these three things. With this kind of input it is only natural that some people think they have a fortune sitting in their umbrella stands. Best, Martin

Yes, Robert, I have just read your post with the green saya knife. It is definitely the same koshirae maker. Very interesting! From what I can see on my knife, the "scales" are not skin of any kind but very finely carved thin pieces of ivory resembling fishscales. The green patina on your saya was probably added later, as the tsuka is regular ivory. Cheers, Martin

In my private collection I have a nice nata brought home by my grandfather, beside other swords, who travelled Japan in 1912. It has a finely carved ivory koshirae in fishscale design and original Kozuka and blade. The whole thing around 1900, I guess. The fine but flimsy grip speaks against any use in beheading, even though my grandfather bought it as "Kopfmesser"(beheading knife). Goosebumps pay off! Easier to sell than gardening equipment! No hardening visible, nice kanji on the blade. Best, Martin

The name is "Hoju" 寳壽 Probably shinshinto smith from Dewa. Best, Martin

Stephen, the cost of the export permit for a sword by the bureau of cultural affairs in Japan is sometimes called "export fee". If your exporter has this permit and does not charge you for this, then there is no additional export cost. Cheers, Martin

The nakago really looks reworked in places. The blade itself looks machine-made. Not too many good pictures of the blade, but it looks like the typical oil hardened suguha to me with no hada and this fine nioi line . I am really surprised there is no stamp. What I like are the bold characters of the mei which look much better than the usual signature on machine blades. The habaki, by the way could easily be removed with a piece of wood and a hammer without doing damage to the blade. Best, Martin

To sell this sword is not the issue . The data and the price are excellent provided it is a flawless blade. The problem are the lousy pictures. In this price range high resolution photos are a must or it will simply not sell. Best, Martin

Another long-time enthusiast gone! Very sad! Martin

Hi, Maybe Yamashiro Minamoto 山城源, or the Yama is no Yama but part of the Yoshi kanji, so maybe Yoshimune 義宗 Best, Martin

This was most probably made for a Japanese priest or a temple. It is not a phurba but a typical ken with a vajra(thunderbolt) handle, both the most common buddhist symbols used in the vicinity of Japanese swords. You see this in many horimono where the dragon usually curls around it. I think it is a rare object . If I look at the proportions with a 12,1/2" nagasa, it seems a bit "skinny" Martin

Most probably this is a shortened nagamaki, converted much later into a wakizashi. Hence the very reasonable price. Too much sori for a shortened tachi. Most Yoshikage tachi I have seen have no nagamaki naoshi- kissaki or a part hi on the shinogi. An o-suriage tachi attributed to Bizen-Soden Yoshikage in very good condition would cost not under 5-6 M. Yen nowadays. Regardless of the price I personally would not buy it because it was not made as a wakizashi. Dirk, this will most probably get a Juyo paper today. I already sent blades to Japan for papers in 1970 and from my experience it is much easier today to get one. Today it mainly needs a TH paper, good condition, made in Nambokucho or earlier, money and patience. There are quite a few of these mediocre Juyo blades on the market attributed to some school. Best, Martin

A good question, Mark! But maybe its a long wakizashi. Regards, Martin

Hi, Charlie, Steves advice is a good one. If you do not want to spend money for books, because its not your sword, try The Net. Here you will find plenty of papered Tadahiro signatures to jugde for yourself. If you have the original nakago available you might be able to find a match. If you just have the picture you sent us you might find that it is not good enough for a safe comparison. Whether the blade is genuine or not, the koshirae looks worth restoring. Regards, Martin

Dear Rodenbacher(your name?), blade seems to mean Yamashiro (no) Kami Fujiwara Nagakazu. Those signatures are not by a smith and are usually meant for decoration. The soshu-like kanji on the Kozuka I cannot decipher. Best, Martin

Dear Rich, Mei translation: "Throw me into a furnace asap, I am a chinese fake"

George, it might be the pictures, but I have the impression that the shinogi does not continue into the nakago? Is it flat? Best, Martin