Jon

Adam that’s actually a really clever us of tec..just randomly taking pictures of something that’s depending on the exact play of light. Is difficult..filming it then picking the still with the best shot…brilliant.

Thankyou Ray for the links, that was very helpful, Interestingly this one does not have Nagashi in the area covered by the Habaki just on the mune.

Hi one of my tantos has what looks like a polishing effect but I cannot track down what it’s called, why it’s used ect..basically it’s a number of strips running along the mune from the kissaki for around 3 cms. I have included a picture…it’s not so obvious in the picture but it hits you when you have the blade in hand.

I think that depends very much on the museum, the British Museum has an active Japanese gallery and pretty significant collection of Japanese swords that can.be viewed on line..including descriptions of all of the blades., so even if not on display you can view and see a description of the sword. The also show who donates each sword and when..which I think is nice and is an important legacy… I suspect you have to be very careful of which museum you donate to and if the sword in question should be in a museum or is better with a collection… One thing I would say is make sure you always deal with your precious collections and desisions that are important to you before you die or become unable to make decisions or enact them..we only have power to see things done as we want them when we are alive and have capacity….take it from someone whose has helped a lot of people through those final movements..don’t leave important things undone…you have no control on your death bed….or are very unwell…best do things your way when you have your health snd power in your limbs and mind…power and control may leave your suddenly, unexpectedly or just creep up on you…have no regrets and secure your legacy.

It’s also worth noting that catawiki is generally return if dissatisfied and there are some sellers on there from the Netherlands. Catawiki keeps your money until 3 days after delivery…so as long as you confirm it’s the sellers policy to take returns and your not attempting a return across a customs boarder ( it’s a faf) you can just buy, get it in hand…take a day or two really look at it and If it’s not giving you pleasure in hand send it back….( more than anything your test should be “when it’s in my hand and I’m looking at the sword does it fill my soul with joy and speak to me..yes keep…no return).

I would ask for more pictures of that fault, it could be a ware, but you need some better pictures of that fault

I think the sword has a Nashiji Hada, which you can just see in these pictures ( although I may be wrong). The Boshi really clear turnback as well which you can see.

Hi Alex, no worries I’m not one for photography myself.

Can we see pictures Alex

Don’t forget to come back and let’s us all know when you get it, provide pictures etc.

Hi, I’ve purchased some blades from this seller, Genuine seller, tends to sell lower end blades but for very good prices…he does not sell dross like some..but seems to pick up interesting pieces for the more budget minded. He actually has his own web sit, which is cheaper than eBay as he clearly removes the eBay seller costs from the price (another indicator he’s an honest trader. https://tokyosword.m...om/collections/sword the sword you are looking at is on for $2100 dollars….so a big saving from the eBay site.. the sword looks genuine…There are a number of Showa smiths with that name so a bit of fun research around the Mei. It’s got reasonable fittings and comes with a Shirasaya, it blade seems to be in good condition….the market for Guntos is prettty bullish…in the UK you see less good examples going for £1500 ( not sure what the US market is) that flag looks genuine and you could pass that on and get a hundred for it….all in all a solid deal from a seller that is reliable and pleasant to deal with….but I’ve not been keeping a close eye on the GUNTO market..other than is pretty hot and some less than nice stuff is selling for a lot.

I was thinking about this a bit more and I think a really good indicator of where EDO period samurai were with this can be seen in the Ryu no Maki ( dragon scrolls). These give you a great understanding that the EDO samurai’’s world view was still essentially that of the warrior “the warriors path is the origin of power and majesty. Therefore the emperor has his jeweled sword and his court flourishes. The son of heaven keeps his sword with him always: when he goes forth he carriers it before him, when he stops he lays it in a safe place. Even when he sleeps he does not part from it.The moral power of the jeweled sword flows outward and the people are liberated.How much more so should the warrior keep his sword by him night and day revering it like a god and guarding it as he would guard his own body and mind” Then it goes a bit more into the viscera of what a warrior is: “The tools of the warrior’s art are claws and teeth.When one looks into the Heart of things, one sees that those with teach bite, those with claws grab and those with stingers sting.This is not taught;it is the law of nature. What then do they who travel the path of man use? Teeth and claws-the sword. men wear swords. Although they proclaim to be distinct from using them,there are none who are completely outside the need for military readiness. Those who fail to learn this are ignorant of combat.” essentially the EDO samurai’s primary function was still that of warrior/ruler and the wearing of swords was the essentially to show this…and with that required the willingness and ability to use them…even if they also had the need to be administrators and the time to be scholars. Essentially you can never remove the warrior element from the samurai class.

Hi Bazza a couple of reads one light discussion piece, from a top academic and one journal paper. This is a transcript of an interview with SUDA Tsutomu, professor, Meiji university ( He studies violent trends in society and specifically how modern trends can be seen to be reflected in history) “Advice from History for Today’s Society of Increasing Violence -Trends in Society from the Edo Period to the Closing Days of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Role of Yoshida Shoin-“ 2015( Meiji.net). He links in the violence upheaval from the last 100 years of the shogunate as it failed to the imperial violence of the Meiji and post Meiji period ( age of Japanese military expansionism’) This is a really nice paper on terrorism in 19c Japan…:Warriors of High Aspirations: The Origins of Military Insubordination, 1858–1868,Danny Orbach Feb 2017, but you will need a university account to access.

Hi Adam, I think it is fair to describe any Japanese sword created up until the end of the EDO period as a weapon of war…yes they were not the major battlefield weapon, as with armies in almost all ages the true battle winning weapons were polearms/spears and projectile weapons..but and this is very important a sword was the side arm of choice for most warriors thought history, yes you get some aberrations but the personal weapon of last resort was almost always a sword…so effectively your sword was the automatic pistol equivalent of a different age..so although it was not generally a battle winning weapon ( although the Roman legions show how it could be) it was a weapon of war (a L131A1 general service pistol, is not a battle winning weapon but as a side arm it’s still a weapon of war). In regards to samurai of the EDO period not being warriors, they were a warrior class who ruled in a feudal system, effectively all feudal systems are ruled by a warrior class..so although they may not have been very practiced at some points in the EDO period, and infact had the warrior bit purposefully suppressed by the shogunate as a method of control, they were still of the warrior class and would be expected to do everything expected of a feudal warrior, that is bear arms and protect his land.and person…linked in with the specific honour code of that groups of feudal warriors, be they European, Japanese they all followed a pretty similar paradigm of violence and personal ability to do violence….remember when you look at the paintings of an Elizabethan lord in all their lace..each and everyone was a born and raised to kill and die in a way we cannot really comprehend in the modern world…just look at the writings of Shakespeare….everywhere you look its violence ( violence is a natural part of all feudal systems)..as one paper I read put it “They are supposed to be strong defenders of their family and their honor and their name”…even in the 18/19century middle England you can still see the roots of the warrior ruling class…small swords were still part of a gentleman’s outfit and he would be expected to at least be schooled in its use, the last duel was fought in England in 1852….The reality is the feudal culture in England ended in 1660 but the ruling classes still followed the rules of personal honour and weapon carrying until 1852….Japan did not end feudalism until 1871 and the triple pillars of the feudal state were in place: 1) those who fought ( the ruling classes), 2) those who prayed ( creating social cohesion) and 3) those who worked ( peasants ), this was fundamentally important and a basic tenant of feudalism is that those who rule must be able to fight. This is a quote from the ever interesting Cambridge world history of violence.. “Moreover, the extended period of peace resulted in two currents of tension related to samurai identity: a dynamic tension between the civil arts, or the arts of peace (bun) and the military arts (bu); and a tension that arose from the lack of opportunity for samurai to demonstrate their martial skills and valour on the battlefield, resulting in a hypersensitivity in defending their honour. This chapter explores how a culture of honour violence developed among male samurai during the centuries of the Tokugawa peace” Finally we have the concept of the peaceful EDO period…it was very peaceful but only peaceful when compared the nightmare of the warring state during the 15/16century, the EDO period was not peaceful in the way we could consider peaceful between 1600 and 1872 there were still 30+ battles and campaigns on Japanese soil. Post 1750 there was a very sudden breakdown in social cohesion and a very significant uptick in violent conflict across Japanese society…

Wakizashi by Izumo Daijo Masamitsu. From AKI, 1830-44. What is really telling on this blade is the Motokasane, this is profoundly thick and heavy blade for its size. From a person who loved fencing and all things swords…it’s profoundly different from the koto blade I have and event the early EDO, which was thicker than the koto but this late EDO wakizashi is a whole new level…interesting to get a late EDO blade in hand and see the differences. Blade length : 520mm (20.47 in.) Curvature : 10mm (0.39 in.) Total length : 750mm (29.53 in.) Motohaba : 30.2mm (1.19 in.) Sakihaba : 20.8mm (0.82 in.) Motokasane: 7.2mm (0.28 in.) Sakikasane : 5.9mm (0.23 in.) It’s in good Polish no ware at all, cost me £800 including postage and import costs.

Hi Colin the blade is for sale on line so I cannot get hold of it, thinking about it and interestingly it does have hozon papers so I suppose unless it’s from damaged or a blow after receiving the papers it cannot be a fatal flaw. cheers

I’m thinking about getting a katakiriba zukuri as at the moment I’m more interested in collecting and studying around different sugata ( I figure it’s a good way to build knowledge)…just wondering how common these are..I’ve seen a cheap one, but I’m not sure to wait for a papered one as I’m not sure how often they come along and how much good examples cost. If I get the cheap one it will be to study and move it on.

Hi all is this a fatal flaw, from the pictures it’s not on both sides and curves a bit ? cheers Jon

Hi I have purchased a few things from him, seems genuine person, very good prices and you get what you see in the piictures, no surprises as he does pretty good pictures..it also comes well packed..infact I’ve just got three very well prices bladed from him I was going to put on the forum. He does actually have his own web site, that he sells every on minus the eBay charges..so a bit cheaper.. https://tokyosword.myshopify.com

Gosh that’s…..not cheap.

Anything still for sale ? jon

I though this one was even better…I’m looking for a new bulb planter so though I would offer a quid if they gave free postage…

Cheers Ray, I’m assuming there is no issue with the Hozon papers being brown ?

I’m a little confused by this paper for a Tanto I purchased, it’s clearly Hozon as it does not have the kanji for tokubetsu..but it’s on brown paper for a Tokubetsu ( it’s really brown)..now I know the older hozon papers were a darker yellow, but this is brown… I’ve placed a newer hozon and older hozon paper next to it for comparison. do the colour of hozon papers vary that much ? also any information on what the paper says would be appreciated.