Veli

Hi Derek! Your blade is Signed Echigo no Kami Kanesada. The signature looks good to me. Please see this topic:http://www.nihontomessageboard.com/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=6922 Veli

In case you have had this sword for a short time only, why don't you give it some time and see how you feel about the small chip later. If you would have to have it completely re-polished, the blade would loose some precious kawagane and you would loose a lot of precious money... I would personally live with it, not such a big deal. The polish seems to be in a good shape, and the workmanship on the Shinto is clearly visible. Actually I find it hard to believe that the polish would date back to WWII or earlier times. Also I do not see why the polisher would have left that small hakobore unrepaired. Thus I wonder how the blade has received battle damage in recent times? Veli

Minamoto Toshishige 源 利 重 ? Veli

This is an interesting discovery: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120624a9.html Veli

I like the Angry Birds t-shirt he's wearing. I guess he wants to become the Angry Swords billionaire... Veli

Hello Josh! This is a Kanbun Shinto blade from around 1661. The omote mei reads: "Tango no Kami Fujiwara Shigetsune" and the ura mei reads: "Echizen oite Toyohara" So the smith is 1st gen Shigetsune from Echizen province (Hawley SHI648) BR, Veli

If the copper habaki is silver-coated (by e.g. electrolytic coating process) you can very carefully try to tap the habaki off with a hammer, using a soft piece of wood in between. But if the habaki has a silver (or gold) foil glued on the copper core, hammering will easily inflict ugly damage, like Bazza mentioned. Veli

Hi! Please sign your post by your real name as per NMB rules... Your tanto is a genuine one, probably from the late Edo period (first half of the 19th c.). It is signed Taikei Naotane (kao). Taikei Naotane was one of the big names of the late Edo period. The signatures of the big names were often forged, so this may be a gimei, e.g. signed by someone else than Naotane. However, I'll leave that judgement to better experts than myself. Also, more pictures of the tsuba and kozuka would be nice to see. Veli

Exceptional but well-deserved recognition for a truly great talent and devoted artist! Veli

Yes, I agree, I was maybe more surprised by the low estimate, considering the workmanship and aesthetics standing out so clearly. Had it gone for the estimated sum, I might have had it (stupid optimism :D )... Actually before the auction I was wondering that there might be something negative connected with the tsuba, lowering its value but did not find anything. Veli

The final price of this excellent tsuba was quite handsome compared to the original estimate of 1000-1600 GBP... http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20189/lot/72/ Veli

Hello Micha! Yes, this is not a difficult one, although the mei is not clearly visible. Actually, I think this is a good one for those who want to start practising translations. Hint: the two kanji are very common ones! Veli

We should not let our emotions - no matter how humane and justified - to prevent us from preserving evidence of significant historical events. We must give the future generations the opportunity and right to learn and judge for themselves. How would we feel today if all the objects related to the Julius Caesar's Gallic wars would have knowingly been left to degrade due to moral opinions of a group of early historians and collectors? Veli

Hi Marcello! Sorry, I do not have the expertise to judge the authenticity of signatures. I just wanted to point out some features of the signature that are different enough to raise questions. Do the blade characteristics match Iyehiro's work? Veli

Hi Marcello! The signature looks good, but it is not an exact match. I highlighted some most obvious differences. Veli

There is no date; the mei reads: Ishido Teruhide tsukuru kore, and the ura side reads: Kasuga Daimyojin Like Tobias said, Kasuga is a shrine. http://www.gensem.info/locations/Kasugakofukuji/Kasugakofukuji02.html http://ojisanjake.blogspot.com/2011/03/east-well-shrine.html: "Daimyojin means "great Shining Deity" and is an appelation applied to many kami, eg Kasuga Daimyojin, Inari Daimyojin, etc. Myoken, like many gods and kami in Japan has a long and complex history, but is a primarily known in its esoteric buddhist form as the god of the Pole Star and Big Dipper." Veli

Hi Marcello! Here it is: Veli

Hi Denis! I think being able to translate mei is an important aspect of collecting Nihonto, and it can be surprisingly fun; a bit like solving crossword puzzles but much more fascinating and meaningful. I have tried to learn this skill for a couple of years, and although I have improved a lot (that's easy when starting from zero), I am still a beginner. The tools I regularly use include: Kanji table in Yumoto's book The Samurai Sword JSSUS Nihonto Kanji pages (link on the top menu) Nihontoclub swordsmith online database http://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths/meisearch Hawley's Japanese Swordsmiths (annexed supplementary aids are useful!) NMB and Google searches Oshigata reference books for verification Online Kanji dictionaries: http://www.saiga-jp.com/kanji_dictionary.html http://nihongo.j-talk.com/kanji/ I do not think there's any other way to learn to translate than doing translations. I personally thank all the more experienced NMB members for patience towards my own learning efforts! So please just try it! Veli

Please sign your post with your real name, it is a bit inconvenient to address you as "Prewar" ... The signature is tachi mei, chiselled shallow and not in a very elegant way. It is not clear enough for me to say anything definite, but I would guess Higo (no) Kuni Naomune 肥後國直宗. If this is the smith, he worked in late Edo period (Early 19th century). BR, Veli

Morita -san provided the kanji when western eyes saw only blurred pixels... But if I can sum up my idea of the translation: Ushu Shonai Fujiwara Kiyondo Oite Efu Saku Kore [Fujiwara Kiyondo of Ushu province Shonai region forged this in Efu] Ansei San Nen Hachi Gatsu Hi [A day in August 1856] Ansei Go Nen ? Gatsu Oite Senju Kodukahara Ni Do Kiri Dan [in ? Month 1858 at Senju Kodukahara two bodies were cut through] Yamada Asaemon [Name of the cut tester] Gentlemen, please correct me if any mistakes are present... And unfortunately, I haven't either seen any mei in references that would resemble this one. BR, Veli

Bad stuff... Synonyms: Mercury (II) oxide; mercuric oxide red; mercuric oxide yellow CAS No.: 21908-53-2 Molecular Weight: 216.59 Chemical Formula: HgO J.T. Baker SAF-T-DATA Ratings ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Health Rating: 4 - Extreme (Poison) Flammability Rating: 0 - None Reactivity Rating: 0 - None Contact Rating: 3 - Severe (Life) Lab Protective Equip: GOGGLES; LAB COAT; VENT HOOD; PROPER GLOVES Storage Color Code: Blue (Health) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Potential Health Effects ---------------------------------- Inhalation: Causes irritation to the respiratory tract. Symptoms include sore throat, coughing, pain, tightness in chest, breathing difficulties, shortness of breath and headache. Pneumonitis may develop. Can be absorbed through inhalation with symptoms to parallel ingestion. Ingestion: Highly Toxic! Average lethal dose for inorganic mercury salts is about 1 gram. May cause burning of the mouth and pharynx, abdominal pain, vomiting, corrosive ulceration, bloody diarrhea. May be followed by a rapid and weak pulse, shallow breathing, paleness, exhaustion, central nervous system problems, tremors and collapse. Delayed death may occur from renal failure. Skin Contact: Causes irritaton. Symptoms include redness and pain. May cause burns. May cause sensitization. Can be absorbed through the skin with symptoms to parallel ingestion. Eye Contact: Causes irritation and burns to eyes. Symptoms include redness, pain, blurred vision; may cause serious and permanent eye damage. Chronic Exposure: Chronic exposure through any route can produce central nervous system damage. May cause muscle tremors, personality and behavior changes, memory loss, metallic taste, loosening of the teeth, digestive disorders, skin rashes, brain damage and kidney damage. Can cause skin allergies and accumulate in the body. Repeated skin contact can cause the skin to turn gray in color. Not a known reproductive hazard, but related mercury compounds can damage the developing fetus and decrease fertility in males and females. Aggravation of Pre-existing Conditions: Persons with nervous disorders, or impaired kidney or respiratory function, or a history of allergies or a known sensitization to mercury may be more susceptible to the effects of the substance. Veli

Hello Rich, Please take this as an initial suggestion only, I am not an expert on this and the picture resolution is a bit challenging... Ushu Shonai Fujiwara Kiyondo Oite ? ? (Efu?) Saku Kore The date might be: Ansei San Nen Hachi Gatsu Hi The kanji below the nenki might refer to cutting tester Yamada Asaemon. Not sure, though... I'll try to verify this and check the place of forging... BR, Veli

Hi Dan, You wrote about swords in plural. Did you mean to upload pics of more than one sword? There was only one nakago photo in the attachment Veli

Hi! Uda Kunimune 宇多國宗, if I see correctly... Veli

Please try to upload the picture again; for some reason the file will not open. Please also sign your post with your real name! BR, Veli