Bazza

Chi Fan, I'm not being sarcastic by putting a LOVE emoji on your ruined Tadahiro. You have done what I think should be done to a top class sword that has been effectively destroyed. I have seen and have top Hizen swords and short of adopting John Yumoto's opening words in his book saying that "Nation shall beat their swords into plowshares" what else can we do with such a sword?? I have seen a few in my time. The best is a man who had a Tatara Nagayuki katana that had been in a shed during a flood and the kissaki end had been in a few inches of water. Hopeless, you would think. He sent it to Japan for a full polish and shinsa. It looks good, meaning 'not bad' despite the diminished kissaki end, but I can't remember now if it took a paper. The next is a friend who has a long Kikuhira katana that has two great chips out of the edge. He bought it like that. Now we are talking real money to burn on a polish for that sword, but I would do it as good, damaged swords, ought not be consigned to a scrap bin or other ignominious fate. Their forging work can still be seen as it is unique sword to sword. I like Chi Fan's expression that he was "...curious what a konuka hada looked like in the hand". So, congratulations Sir, I applaud your decision and thank you for your post. Best regards, Barry Thomas aka BaZZa.

Ahhhh, umeshu, bring a straw to the bottle... BaZZa.

This is a blindingly glorious riposte... BaZZa.

It reminds me of a Meiji tanto with a clip point. BaZZa.

Oh, nearly forgot this one. Its a wakizashi saya with minute scratches in the black lacquer imitating wood grain. I've heard/read a rat's tooth is used for this type of work.

Another one - Terukado saya lacquer

One of mine - Nobuyoshi saya lacquer

This reminds me of a WW2 bring back gunto with a leather scabbard I have seen that has the near entirety of the leather covered with small red kanji. I know where it is and its viewable and I've promised myself to photograph it for posterity before I fall off my perch. It passed my mind that the presented piece seems somehow to represent a tradition of sorts??? Hence my 'like'. BaZZa.

Hector, O Lovely!! A lovely find. Looking forward to pictures. A GOOD polish reveals and would add much to your tanto. I have seen Yasukunito in indiffent polish and a few in very, very good polish and the difference is amazing. Likewise a Minatogawa sword I once saw had a hada very much like silk. It was gorgeous The typical WW2 polish just doesn't cut it, but when a good polisher does the work the difference is startling. So my point here is make sure it goes to a good polisher. It will be worth every cent. BaZZa.

Some while ago I was chatting with a friend who owns a tanto and is married to a Japanese lady. Talking on this subject he succinctly said "Start a war, lose your culture". There is a much of it in the history of war. BaZZa.

Dated swords do exist. I have read that a date on a Hizen sword is associated with an 'event' in the swordsmith's life. BaZZa.

The endless (?) wheel of Buddha... Sorry. My one and only post on this topic... BaZZa.

Rotated mei. BaZZa.

Ah well then, a cucumber or derivative??? Is there a Japanese cuisine expert in the House??? BaZZa.

I have seen with my own eyes a most excellent quality, unsigned kozuka with three sea slugs on it. If we are lucky it may appear here... BaZZa. EDIT: Ah, here it is just as I was composing my little piece. EDIT 2: I called it a masterpiece... Excellent photo...

Probably a Shinshinto Kinnoto?? And some other links Satsuma rebellion swords and Kinnoto 23 posts 14 June 2020 Gassan School Sadahide Kinnoto - First Blade 4 posts 4 Nov 2025 More results from www.militaria.co.za BaZZa.

Not higaki yasurime, rather its inverted/reverse takanoha. BaZZa.

It could be clear lacquer. I once had an iron tsuba in my early, more Western ignorant days, that had been coated with 'something'. A slightly less than ignorant friend of the time suggested xylene as a solvent that would shift whatever it was. Well, that didn't work, so I had no idea what it was apart from what I read about lacquer being insoluble in most anything. So it stayed as it was and didn't deteriorate from my 'cleaning up' penchant. BaZZa.

The tsuba is shown upside down and the signature is probably JAKUSHI. BaZZa.

Would the shape be for an armour piercer??? I once had a pair of arrowheads with this shape and was told at the time they were armour piercing points. Ballistically the shape appears to be sensible for the task... BaZZa.

GASP!!! I see the cursed silver fish activity. The world is fortunate that the papers have survived for us. BaZZa.

I would think nothing to worry about as one could support the menuki from crushing by putting in a post, or 'blob' of something like casting in a lump of 5-minute araldite or some such, or sticking in a small piece of protruding metal that would take care of the location/movement problem. It would be a rare case where you could silver solder a replacement pin. Just an idea 'on the run' before having lunch and trying to please my missus (not misses) by getting away from the computer and doing some work outside. BaZZa.

See also BaZZa.

BaZZa.

The mei looks good? Now the workmanship. The saya looks great lacquer. BaZZa.