Robbin

This is so wonderful, I've been digging through the internet reading about Taneyoshi and comparing the kanji, and it looks like him. That would make this one worthy of restoration someday right? It's got some minor chips and is not sharp except for a 15 cm stretch close to the base of the blade. There is only one menuki, and as can be seen in the pics the ito is broken and unraveling and the fittings are a tad loose when assembled. Guess I'll just have to take out a second mortgage then. . I can't imagine what it would cost to do properly.

Ok, so the portion of the ito that was blocking the exit side of the mekugi was apparently previously cut and reglued together? Perhaps the person who did it realized that it was already in such disrepair that it was worth it to reveal the nakago? Not sure, but it basically fell apart cleanly as soon as I put any sideways pressure on it. Here she is, all revealed! I also need to research what steps to take before reassembly... Do I clean the nakago? Etc..

OK, I will attempt to disassemble. Will report back with photos of nakago and fittings.. Thanks again all, I truly appreciate the expertise.

I did try to budge the ito but in that area it is quite tight.. I am hesitant. Although given the current state of the whole tsuka perhaps it would be worth the risk, if photographing the nakago would yield something interesting? Thanks again, fun to try and unravel mystery!

In addition, this is NOT intended for sale etc., I am not looking for info to list, only curious etc. (Just read this suggestion in the FAQ section whilst trying to learn hot to post pics properly..) Bear with me folks, and apologies

Hi all! New here, and want to share some photos of a sword in hopes that some of you may have some insight into it's history. It has some fancier appointments on the saya, as far as ones I have seen photos of in the past. I was going to attempt to disassemble it for more photos but the single mekugi is strangely blocked by the ito... don't want to damage anything. Thanks in advance, and I hope this is also informative to the forum, adding something to the treasure trove of knowledge here. I see I can only post 3 MB or so, but hopefully I can add photos in later comments? AD554A72-B372-4688-8C1A-7B7D53E8C9E3.heic B0A28C12-DBB5-4F98-9C4B-062BA454DC73.heic